The Alabama Take

The Genius of Entourage

2011-07-20T22:38:00.001-05:00

I wouldn’t call Entourage a great show by any means.

I’m pretty sure you won’t see it on any top 10 lists of the all-time greatest TV shows anytime soon. The writing at its best is solid, but not superb. The acting is mediocre outside of Jeremy Piven, whose portrayal of super agent Ari Gold is downright legendary (a character that can, and should, be put in the discussion for a top 10 list of best TV characters ever). Out of the seven seasons aired so far, only the first three can truly approach greatness.

But, while Entourage isn’t great, it is genius.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the show’s eighth and final season, which ties it with Curb Your Enthusiasm as the longest running show in the golden era of the HBO original series. Yet, while no one would really put Entourage on par with The Wire, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Dexter, Breaking Bad or Mad Men as one of the best shows of the generation.

So how does a show that’s not great qualify as genius? Because despite the sometimes horrible acting and lazy writing, it remains one of the most popular and most watched shows of the past decade or so.

What creator Doug Ellin has done is basically made a reality show that isn’t reality. Entourage is the story of four guys from the streets of New York who chase the American Dream to Hollywood. Nothing more, nothing less. There are no mysteries and plot twists a la Lost, there is no grand social and political commentary like we saw on The Wire. Instead, it’s just the everyday lives of four guys from Queens.

And if America loves to watch anything, it’s someone else's story that could just as easily be their own.

Entourage is a reality show with a bigger budget and better writers. It lets people sit down for 30 minutes, watch the story, and gets them out. Ellin in essence followed around a budding movie star with a camera and recorded his day-to-day life. He made an “alternate-reality” show set in modern day L.A.

At its best it was a supremely witty, gripping drama. At its worst, it was a jumbled cameo-fest with no direction. But even throughout the lows, the show kept you interested in the lives of Vinny Chase and the boys.

Good or bad, the viewer wanted to know what happened next; and that is the true measure of any TV show: can you keep people coming back? For seven seasons, despite the criticisms and flaws, Entourage has done just that.

Now, even without mob bosses, drug wars, a mysterious island (or even critical acclaim), people will flock back yet again for the final eight episodes to see the conclusion of the gang’s story.

Genius.

Play Them Songs: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 'Mojo'

2010-07-19T23:44:00.001-05:00

I am a huge fan of classic rock. I mean I LOVE it. Led Zeppelin changed my life. But, as a personal rule of sorts, I don't buy new CDs by "old" artists. This stems from an experience I had in high school. For reasons still unclear, I decided to buy Aerosmith's 2001 release Just Push Play -- and it was awful.

However, a few weeks ago I was at Best Buy and saw that Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' new CD, Mojo, was only $10. So I picked it up.

Mojo sees Petty and his boys go back to Petty's Southern roots with a blues-infused rock and roll record. Right from the start, with "Jefferson Jericho Blues," Mojo displays an upbeat, guitar-driven foundation that continues throughout with tracks "Candy," "U.S. 41" and "I Should Have Known It."

With a few slower numbers to balance itself out, Mojo makes for a fairly solid listen. It isn't Petty's best, nor does it have any signature standout singles that have made Petty so famous. But what it gives you is a different side of Petty.

If you listen to Petty's library, you'll hear a very tight, very focused band that takes a very professional approach to their music. The case can even be made for calling Petty a perfectionist, if you recall the tale of how Petty broke his hand punching a wall after becoming frustrated while recording the song "Rebels" on the Southern Accents album (of course, drugs are also to blame for the incident).

Mojo, on the other hand, presents Petty and the band at arguably their most relaxed. While it doesn't posses the raw swagger of someone like The Rolling Stones, the blues influence does give the album a very laid back vibe.

It's not perfect, but the album is a gratifying listen for any Petty fans looking for something fresh. Plus, it got me to repeal my ban.

Cycle of CDs: The Lemonheads - 'It's a Shame About Ray' (1992)

2010-07-10T15:29:00.021-05:00

Yes, the first song I ever heard by the Lemonheads was a cover that they did. It truly defined them for me, though, at least for at least a little while. Their version of "Mrs. Robinson" was great for various reasons: it was already a popular song, it gave the band a chance to let people know their style, and they did a hell of a job of putting their spin on it. I really regret not putting it on my list of favorite covers.

And, I pretty much of bought It's a Shame About Ray because of that cover song.

The Lemonheads, almost as their name implies, were (and still are on most counts) just a perfect, sweet, pop band. Most folks will label them as indie, rock, or alternative, but that's not the case. They are pop.

See, it goes back to at least part of my theory on cover bands -- they used to be a great stepping stone for bands to get their start and to learn their trade before doing it themselves. It wasn't shameful or dull. People, not very different from today, like to go out and hear a band play their favorite songs. Forty and fifty years ago, though, popular songs played on the radio were actually good. The Beatles were a pop band. So were Elvis, Jerry Lee, and Chuck Berry. Who would be ashamed to play Beatles covers, even if it was "I Want to Hold Your Hand"? Somewhere, I would venture to say just after Michael Jackson peaked, pop music became disgusting, simplifying its music, its words, and its range. Our culture, on the whole, became dumb. What would a cover band have to play now that is considered "popular"? Miley Cyrus? The Black-Eyed Peas? Katie Perry? Those are usually names I see on the Top 40 Lists.

I've digressed. True, guitar-driven pop music still exists, though, and it's still as good as some of the original pop music of the late Fifties and Sixties -- you know, back when bands played their instruments and at least wrote some of their songs.

That's where The Lemonheads fall in the musical spectrum for me. And, It's a Shame About Ray is a wonderful, guitar-driven, pop record. I'd go so far to call it a masterpiece of its time if it wasn't for "Ceiling Fan in My Spoon," which isn't bad. It just sounds lacking compared to the rest of the tracks.

But, oh my God, the rest of the CD? I've never gotten tired of it.

First of all, the sentimental tracks are just beautifully made, no matter their content. Take "My Drug Buddy," a tale of two friends (I like to assume one of them is a girl), who are friends due to their shared interest in drugs, maybe beyond. "Hannah and Gabi," a cute tune of beginnings and doubt, has one of my favorite lines on the entire record ("Though it wasn't hard or far/I walked you to your car").

The rockers are just plain fun. The opening, hectic riff of "Rockin' Stroll" starts the album off perfectly. "Kitchen," another song of romantic beginnings, can't be beat, either, especially with lines like, "I'll tell you things I know you like to know/Treat me to cake every night" and "We repeat the same stories/But, of course, never in front of friends/How it all started in the kitchen/Remember the time when you said we could wait a while?/You'd let me know when you changed your mind/Yeah, I was sad for some time."

Add that to the fact that Juliana Hatfield played bass and sang idealized backing vocals for the album, and you've got a collection of songs that you'll want around forever.

Nevermind Evan Dando's dick-and-douche personality in his live shows. Forget the cover, which was originally included only as a bonus track. You'll get addicted to the simple greatness that is The Lemonheads with this one CD.

Cycle of CDs: Hole - 'Live Through This' (1994)

2010-07-08T14:12:00.007-05:00

When I was sixteen or thereabouts, I hung out with these older folks around our incredibly small town. It was a tiny commune of people who were "cool." At least, that's the way I looked at them before I "joined" the group. Looking back, I don't think any of us considered ourselves to be cool at all; we just liked to do the same things, i.e. drink, and we liked to listen to a lot of the same music. We tried our best to keep each other abreast of bands and songs.

In that group was an even smaller subgroup of two older girls that I thought were just the hottest things ever. For one reason or another, they took me up as a friend and I was sometimes allowed to hang out with them.

Anyway, they loved Hole. They thought Courtney Love was the shit. When I was around them, we would listen to Live Through This constantly. Since it was almost always on cassette tape, we would listen to all of side one, flip it, and listen to all of side two while riding around and finding cemeteries to haunt. I would've liked the CD on my own. That's my theory, anyway. The fact that they were jamming it at all hours in Tiny Town, U.S.A. like the roll n' roll, bad-ass bitches they were certainly didn't hurt.

I recently double checked myself, though, to see if I would still like it. I got the CD out and put it in the car for a couple of days. I just let it play straight through, just like the old days.

My conclusion? It's still flawless. It is a rock masterpiece, easily, that is roughly themed around doing drugs and having to furiously grow up due to several obstacles, many of which center around a baby entering one's life. Just polished in just the right spots, perfectly raw in all other areas.

Look, forget the contraversy of whether Courtney wrote all the songs or not. She would've had to have been influenced by Kurt, right? Of course! She was married and lived with him for years. Did he write some of the album? Take a listen to Hole's first. It's similar to Live Through This; her latest work reflects that she has some talent, even if it may be fading. Honestly, I don't know.

More importantly, I don't care. If he did write some of it, that's fine. The album is still a motherfucker. It would be very different if she didn't (or couldn't) play her own instrument(s). She did, as far as I know -- that's usually not the argument I ever hear against the album. For more on that type of controversy, scroll down and read the third-to-last paragraph here. There are your rock gods for you, tweens.

The lyrics on Hole's second album are stout, man; it doesn't matter if you are male or female. Who can't relate to high school being a factory to keep everyone formulaic -- a place where you'd do anything to fit in -- especially when said with such beautiful brashness? ("Well, I went to school/In Olympia/We look the same/We talk the same/We even fuck the same.")

Haven't we all dealt with self-conscious issues, even if they aren't quite drug induced? ("I am/doll arms/big veins/dog bait/Yeah, they really want you/They really do.")

Surely you've been jealous, right? ("Was she asking for it?/Was she asking nice?/If she was asking for it/Did she ask you twice?")

I'm telling you, haters, subside with the did-she-or-didn't-she-write-it shit and embrace this raging, wonderful, rock n' roll record.

In fact, when I first saw/heard this video on MTV, I was sold, even if those cool chicks had already somewhat sold me on Live Through This:

Sorry that it skips, but you get the idea.

Editor's Note: This is number thirteen of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Cycle of CDs: The Flaming Lips - 'Transmissions from the Satellite Heart' (1993)

2010-06-29T11:57:00.006-05:00

The evolution of MTV's programming amazes me. In bad move, worse move, to horrid move, MTV went from a place to catch some varied music and an occasional funny show to being the channel that brought us the unwatchable shit known as "The Jersey Shore." (I judge people who claim with pride that they watch this crap.)

Back in the day, MTV was still devoted enough to music to incorporate it into their programming. Remember "Remote Control," which brought us our first sight of a young Adam Sandler? How about "Beavis and Butthead"? I watched Beavis and Butthead from almost day one -- I remember catching them late night in a hotel room in Mobile and laughing while loving the music. I found them funny, 'till they wore out their welcome in my house. But, before that day, they played the recent, odd-ball videos and commented on them from their couch, much like my friends and I did. Even when the stopped being funny, I'd still tune in to see if they'd play "Punk Rock Girl" or an awesome Violent Femmes tune.

That's where I first saw The Flaming Lips with their psyhed-out crazy, if not interesting, "She Don't Use Jelly" video. It was catchy. I sang along. I loved it. About half of my friends did not. I went out and bought the cassette tape. Hell, as it turned out, the whole tape was amazing!

It started out with a bit more serious song, if not equally as fun. "Turn it On," with its talk of supporting radio that plays things totally different than corporate stations, sort of predicted what MTV was going to become ("If it ain't got no relation/To all those other stations/Turn it on").

The album, as a whole, is a joyful one that perfectly tempers its loud, boisterious, original rock with the sporadic slower songs.

The thick riffs on here are loud and crunchy as if they are played from a wall of Marshall stacks. They also stick with you for you to hum along to on a summer day.

Sure, the Lips would go on to be praised for their later albums (they deserved it, too), but I always will love this one. A full theme had yet to emerge for the album as a whole, but I still think that the theme of fun prevails. Summer music from a time when MTV gave a shit about artists rather than the almighty, shitty-show dollar! Can you imagine that now? Grab it, 'cause I know you got it, and turn it on.

Editor's Note: This is number twelve of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Cycle of CDs: Ryan Bingham - 'Roadhouse Sun' (2009)

2010-06-28T13:11:00.005-05:00

When I first heard Ryan Bingham's song "The Weary Kind" for the movie Crazy Heart, I wasn't impressed. I thought that the movie people had gotten it wrong; they could've found a better song. It was bland to me. (Trivia note: that's Bingham in Bad Blake's back-up band in the bowling alley scene of Crazy Heart.)

Then I caught Ryan Bingham on the episode of Austin City Limits with The Drive-by Truckers. I thought, "Shit yeah. That's more like it." He was backed with a great alt-country band, was wearing a cowboy hat with Converse All Stars, and sang better songs than "The Weary Kind." So, I ordered his CD.

Bingham has that voice that I like. It's very much in the vein of Ben Nichols of Lucero. What's lacking is his songwriting. He's good, don't get me wrong. And this album has some great stories, lines, and music; however, you know deep down, he's yet to write his best song.

One of the standout tracks is "Dylan's Hard Rain," which references the Bob Dylan classic while reflecting on the current state of America. I especially like the line in it where Bingham considers the idea of legalizing weed: "On the border of Tijuana/People are growing truckloads of marijuana/Maybe someday our friends will be American farmers." Not bad.

Where he falters is in his repetitiveness. Even within his verses, he repeats a lot of the same lines that aren't particularly the strongest in the song ("When the day is done/I was born a bad man's son").

His slow songs are really slow, too. They are a nice break from the rest of the CD, but they do tend to bog the album down a little.

The production is great, though, and the music is fantastic.

It's a good effort, but it's not the best thing in the world. If you like country or alt-country, you'll like Bingham's Roadhouse Sun. You may not like all of it, but it has some really great moments. I'd be willing to hear more.

Editor's Note: This is the eleventh of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Cycle of CDs: Damien Jurado - 'Saint Bartlett' (2010)

2010-06-27T08:57:00.004-05:00

It didn't take long after being introduced to Damien Jurado that I was sold on him as a favorite musician. A friend happened to hear his music being played in a record store. He liked it, bought it, and brought it to me to listen on a visit to Tuscaloosa. That album was Where Shall You Take Me?

Fast forward several years ahead and a few albums later, and we have Jurado's Saint Bartlett, his most recent release. I picked this up on the day of his show last week, and I'm glad I did, as he played the entire album from start to finish with a band that did an excellent job of layering the songs without stepping on the important aspects of Jurado's work: his vocals and his words.

The album is like that, too. This is as good as production gets. In it, you can pick up ambient sounds, odd instruments, and beautiful noises; however, none of it takes away from the songs.

If you like Jurado, you do because of his knack of turning the plain, ordinary thoughts into things of extremely haunting beauty. The amazing thing is that he absolutely never goes cliche. You just won't find overused phrases in any of his works. He is a master at using simple words and having them sound brand new, and I think he does this by not overdoing any one particular thing.

Jurado is probably most famous for his brief snippets of life and bringing out the depth of their normalness. There's always a hint of sadness in Jurado's work that truly sticks with you; for exammple, even we tries to go positive, he just can't help but bring it back down to Earth ("I wish that/I could float/Float up from the ground/I will never know/What that's like").

That tinge of sadness prevelant throughout his songs doesn't depress you, though. It lifts you up and helps you to know that we're all the same -- it's the univeral notion that great authors accomplish consistently. Jurado's work is equally consistent, too; I've yet to hear a CD of his that wasn't great.

I honestly could go on and on about him. I'll just leave you with it, though. Go to his myspace and listen to some of his new tracks. Like an urban John Prine, he gets what life is. Maybe more importantly, he also gets what life isn't.

This is a master at work. I cannot stop listening. If he and his songs aren't an argument for the support of local record stores, I don't know what is.

Editor's Note: This is the tenth of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

The Not-So-Weekly List: My Top 5 Concerts

2010-06-22T05:14:00.004-05:00

There are few feelings in life better than seeing a band you absolutely love live in person. Everybody remembers their first… actually, I don’t. I was about three and my parents took me along with them to see Alabama and The Charlie Daniels Band. I imagine it was awesome, though.

Seeing your favorite band live is a rite of passage among American teenagers. It gives older generations a chance to relive their youth. A good rock and roll show can change a life in such a profound way – young kid sees favorite band, buys guitar next day, grows up and forms Nirvana (I don’t know if that’s how that actually happened, but it feels right).

(On the flip side, the profound change could also be: teenage girl goes to concert, meets teenage boy, 20 years later their child finds out they were conceived at a Poison concert. Rock and roll means well…)

Reading Blaine’s excellent CD-reminiscing series got me to thinking about the many concerts I have seen in my life, and I tried (damn hard as it was) to come up with the best concerts I have ever seen/remembered.

Honorable mention:
Al Green, Little Richard, B.B. King. Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, summer 2007 – Reason #45436 I love my mother: earlier that summer, she plainly states to me over dinner one night, “Hey, I have two extra tickets to see B.B. King, Al Green, and Little Richard in August. Wanna come?”

City Stages 2008. Birmingham, summer 2008 – Among the many wonderful acts I saw that weekend: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Roots, The Wailers, Shooter Jennings, and the Dexateens. Oh, and I managed to get backstage for Al Green.

5. Lucero. Bottletree Café, Birmingham, summer 2008 – I had heard a Lucero song or two via my roommate at the time, and they piqued my interest. But then she invited me along to this show, and Lucero completely won me over. Packed house, everybody singing at the top of their lungs, loving every minute of it, and the band gave the love right back.

4. Powerman 5000 w/ Shinedown and Reach 454. Shakey’s Bar, Hershey, PA, summer 2003 – Reading that lineup, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of “uhhh… say what?” Let me explain: I was 19, and still in my “I really love mosh pits” phase – and it really didn’t get any better than a Powerman 5000 pit. Also, they were probably my favorite hard rock band at the time, and happen to be really cool guys. Below is a picture of myself with lead singer Spider (little brother of Rob Zombie), in the summer of 2006, when I had the pleasure of meeting the band at an exclusive XM radio show in D.C. But I digress...

The bar had a ceiling about two inches above your head. The amps were stacked high and wide. It was about 103 degrees, so before the show even started everybody was covered in sweat. After one unmemorable band (Reach 454), some little unknown band took the stage and really caught everyone’s attention (little did anyone in the audience know they just saw a band who would go on to make two platinum albums).

Then Powerman took the stage. For the first four songs of their set, the ENTIRE crowd was a mosh pit. You didn’t have a choice. Bodies collided, sweat poured, ear drums burst. We assaulted by rock and roll for an hour and a half. After the show everyone just stood there, as if waiting for the roof to collapse because we sure as hell couldn’t find anything better outside the bar than what we just witnessed.

Bonus story: On the way back to my friend’s apartment in York, PA, we stopped at a Denny’s to chow down at about one in the morning. The four of us were all still soaking wet, and the restaurant was ice cold. We devoured our Grand Slams while shivering like the dickens, yelling at each other because our ears wouldn’t stop ringing for a week. We couldn’t have gotten more “oh my god, look at those crackheads” looks even if we busted out a pipe and sparked up right then and there.

3. Alabama Farewell Tour. Hershey Park Stadium, Hershey, PA, summer 2003 – I grew up listening to Alabama and nothing else. It’s all my dad would play in his vehicle, and it’s all I would listen to in my room. I’ve seen them more times than I can count. So naturally, there was no way I was going to miss their last tour. About 30 minutes in, Randy Owen informs the crowd that there is lightning on the way and we have to break for safety. 30 minutes roll by. An hour passes. 90 minutes gone by, and nothing but rain, thunder and the sky falling. Finally, while ignoring the pleas of those wanting to give up and go home, I hear the crackling of a P.A. system. They tell us the show will go on. The boys from Ft. Payne get back on stage, and finish their entire set, time be damned.

I’ve seen them play tighter shows. I’ve seen them with the cowboy from the second season of the Real World opening. I even got to go on stage with them once. But that show will forever stay with me because of their dedication to their fans; and appropriately enough they finished with “The Fans.” The only reason my favorite show from my favorite band isn’t #1? They didn’t play “My Home’s in Alabama,” and I'm still disappointed to this day.

2. Crush Cancer Benefit, featuring Dexateens, Model Citizen, Carroll County Picture Show. Egan’s Bar, Tuscaloosa, AL, spring 2009 – For the first time ever, Egan’s asked me to pay a cover. But, it was for a great cause, so I didn’t mind one bit. What I didn’t know was that I would get a show I would’ve gladly paid $50 to see. Model Citizen opened and blew the doors off the way they always seem to do, almost daring those who followed to even come close to their performance. CCPS followed and gave everyone a breather.

Then awoke the sleeping monster that was the Dexateens live at Egan’s. I had never seen them there before, and I probably will never get to again. But their show that night reassured me that rock and roll is meant to be loud, fast, and oh so dirty. It was nasty, it was sweaty, and it was everything our parents warned us about. After the show I ended up at someone’s house shooting guns in their backyard, then drinking whiskey in their hot tub. Any other night that would’ve been the highlight. That particular night it seemed like a formality.

1. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers w/ The Black Crowes. Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, summer 2005 – Earlier in this post, I mentioned the concert as a rite of passage. If you grow up around Baltimore, you absolutely must see a show at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Physically, it’s a huge amphitheater tucked away in the woods. Spiritually, it’s where a young adult growing up in central Maryland goes to experience life at its fullest… by dying. I don’t know who started it, or why; but when you see a show so amazing that it makes you forget the life you knew before you heard the opening note, then you’ve died at Merriweather.

In July 2005, my friend Ben and I went to see Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play with opening act The Black Crowes. We danced in the mud with complete strangers. We drank overpriced beer, smuggled liquor and euphoria. We sang arm-in-arm with whoever was in reach. I was even told “you look like a guy who knows about some shrooms.” (I didn’t.) We compared stories with other concert-goers. We wished it would never end.

We died.

Cycle of CDs: Old 97s - 'Satellite Rides' (2000)

2010-06-21T13:30:00.007-05:00

Nashville, in its current state as a music city, produces pop. That's it. Other than the occasional exception, artists who have to fight tooth and nail to even get heard because they don't fit the tween/pop/faux-country mold, there's little argument to be made that country-music radio is pop; most of it is even horrid, unlikeable pop garbage.

Then there's there are the Old 97s. These Dallas-based musicians really do the job that Nashville should have began doing years ago but have since dropped the ball -- they take country and pop, mix it together, write good songs, play their instruments, and keep it from sounding like shit.

I forgot exactly how I got into the Old 97s. I just remember it was sometime between 1998-1999. I remember asking a friend who had internet access to burn me as much as she could of them using either Napster or a similar program. It basically turned out to be a greatest hits CD of them for me, and I liked them a lot.

A lot of those greatest-hits songs, I came to find out, were on Satellite Rides, a fine pop-country-rock CD with a bad album cover. Rhett Miller, lead singer and co-songwriter, writes killer lines. Maybe the best of them appear in "Buick City Complex," a song where the narrator's dying town of Flint, Michigan is inspiring him to quickly find love, lust, or both. In it, Miller croons, "They're tearing the Buick City Complex down/I think we're the only people left in town/Where are you gonna move?/Where are you gonna move?/Do you wanna mess around?"

Other songs have similar, catchy lines. Take these from "Designs on You": "I don't want to make you excited/Except, secretly, I do/I'd be lying if I said I didn't have designs on you." Pretty good, right?

Another narrator asks if he's arrived too late to find his lover or if she has died in his absence ("Am I Too Late").

There's not a real clunker on the album, although "Can't Get a Line" is a bit weak compared to the others. And though Miller's pristine-quality vocals aren't ragged at all, it never takes away from the authenticity, songwriting, and musicianship. This is a keeper.

Hear Them Songs: A Short Take on Local Music

2010-06-18T11:39:00.002-05:00

I'm guilty as charged. Somewhere along the line, I have not practiced what I have preached.

Last night, I went to Egan's to watch the game and to stick around for a band, Dividing Numbers. A guy I have come to know fronts the band, so I thought that I would listen to a few of their songs. I'm really glad I did go, but was also sad.

As it turns out, it was their last show, which really stinks. They seemed like a band that was getting its collective wheels firmly rolling. They not only had potential to be good, they were already there. Why had I not seen them beforehand? Laziness? Schedule conflicts?

Egan's wasn't flooded with people, but Dividing Numbers had a good crowd. I think if they would've had more support somewhere along the line, they would still try to continue even though a member of the band is moving away (I think).

Don't let their low-fi recordings on myspace fool you, either. They sounded better live. And they did something that I don't see from enough bands when playing Egan's: they played at a volume that was comfortable. Why do all bands insist on making your ears bleed? The craft should be focused on the songs and getting them to sound good for the listener.

I digress. The point is this: we, including myself, should support music as much as we can. Often we'll find little diamonds in the rough like Dividing Numbers.

Cycle of CDs: Pedro the Lion - 'Control' (2002)

2010-06-17T09:38:00.007-05:00

When listening to the opening song of Pedro the Lion's Control, brace yourself for some serious shit -- as if you couldn't tell from the slowing beat and droning guitars. David Bazan sings of a man who tells his wife, "I told her I loved her/And she told me she loved me/And I mostly believed her/And she mostly believed me." It's overpowering. It knocks the damn breath out of you. And that's the first song.

Bazan, pretty much Pedro the Lion for all intents and purposes as the line-up has changed more than a baby's diaper, wrote Control to be about a specific man, with all the songs sort of chronicling different points in this average guy's life. It could be anyone; the picture Bazan has painted is so realistic. Along with the backing music, these images also serve to make the album extremely heavy. Bazan does manage to pick up the pace from the initial drone of the opening track, but the bare-bones rawness of the plain-spoken lyrics keep the entire work rooted in this darkness that is normalcy. This is both John Prine and Raymond Carver, minus all humor.

Bazan's unnamed character goes through doubt ("Options"), infidelity ("Rapture"), shit-hole, corporate work ("Penetration"), child-rearing ("Progress"), regret ("Magazine"), and eventually death ("Priests and Paramedics"). Does he find redemption at the end of the tunnel?

I won't spoil it completely and tell you what the corporate everyman finds out in the end, or even how he dies, but I will say that if you can handle the deepness of your own life, you should probably examine Pedro the Lion's Control, too. It's not an entertaining piece as much as it is a masterful, thematic CD that works almost as a movie.

The stark lyrics will stick with you.

"He wakes up screaming/'Oh my God, am I gonna die?/Am I gonna die?'/As they strapped his arms down to his sides/At times like these they'd been taught to lie/'Buddy just calm down, you'll be alright.'"

Editor's Note: This is the eighth of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Random Cool Shit: "With a Little Help From My Friends"

2010-06-15T23:48:00.003-05:00

A recent response from a reader (thanks Hayley) reminded me of a video; I don't recall if it was Ham Bagby that showed it to me or if I introduced it to him.

Anyway, it's Joe Cocker doing "With a Little Help From My Friends," written, of course, by some little band from England in the Sixties. I'm not sure who it was; nonetheless, did you know the words to Cocker's version? They are very different that what you may remember hearing on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

You can find the startling information by watching this video, which has the lyrics provided:

It never fails to make me laugh.

Cycle of CDs: Lucero - 'Tennesse' (2002) & 'That Much Further West' (2004)

2010-06-14T14:45:00.011-05:00

I am a sucker for a voice that is different, less clean, or just plain rough. In fact, the prettier the vocals on an album or fronting a band, the less likely I am to like it. Give me someone whose vocals crack, break, or just plain bleed throughout the song. I need a hell of a lot of reality. You'd better be able to convince me of what you're saying, and sometimes that's what a song needs -- a ragged voice. I like to use the analogy that loving only those singers that belt out tunes beautifully and pitch-perfect is like always pulling for the guys/girls who are just naturally athletic, not the poor, regular sap who is training his/her ass off every day to get to their goal. (Obviously, there are some exceptions to that. I'll not get into here.)

I got my first Lucero CD in the early spring of 2006. Thanks to Pandora Radio, I happened across one of their songs from Nobody's Darlings. I liked it; all of the songs on the CD was really up my alley: rough vocals, great songwriting, rocking songs.

I soaked in Nobody's Darlings, but soon bought Tennessee and That Much Further West almost back to back. I can't remember which of those I picked up first.

It's hard to really have a favorite Lucero CD. I go through the three I've mentioned more than the rest, but if all I could own was Tennessee, I reckon I could live with it. It may have my favorite song of Lucero's on it, which also includes Ben Nichols' best lines he has yet to write. It's "Chain Link Fence," in which Nichols blasts: "Now it's the end of the summer, and I'm just 21/I been in California for the last two months/And there weren't no girls like her out there/Her boyfriend don't like me, and I think that's fair." You can take that shit to the bank.

What makes Lucero songs appealing are the subtle differences they opt for in the studio work of both these CDs. Upon first listen, you may think many of them follow a similar format; however, go back and catch that hint of piano in "Ain't So Lonely" or the banjo in "Old Sad Songs." Lucero won't break any mold that they have made for themselves, but they don't have to that.

The guest appearance of Cory Branan, prevalent in the opening track, "Sweet Little Thing," as well as hidden throughout other songs also makes me smile every time I listen. What a refrain he helps bring to life there -- "A kiss'll make you close your eyes/A kiss won't make you stay/Sweet, little thing."

The companion CD to Tennessee could be That Much Further West. Granted, the guys started throwing a hint of some (very entertaining and different) electric drum beats in That Much Further West. No real worries, because it works. It's not the distraction one might think, especially when the normal kit is still in the mix.

But when the workday is done, it's got to be about the songs. They are what really attract people to Lucero. You can get over Ben Nichols' voice or you can't; that's pretty cut and dry. After that, it's the songs. And, shit man, he can write them.

That Much Further West has almost as many winners as Tennessee. We've lived through these relationships in these songs ("See never says hi to me more/And that's a pretty good way for her to even the score"), and most of us have thought these things ("I just wanted to make my grandfather proud/Even though he's not around/He's been gone since I was thirteen/And I'm still worried what he'd think about me").

While I prefer Tennessee to That Much Further West just a bit more, the later does have "Tears Don't Matter Much" as well as a really cool bonus disc. What they give you with the bonus CD are all the songs from the original release with a twist. They are different in some manner. While it seems Nichols uses a few of the same vocals on these repeats, they give you acoustic takes for some, completely different arrangements on others, and live versions of "Joining the Army" and "Tonight Ain't Gonna be Good." It's nice to see a band actually use the bonus disc for something that is also worthy of a listen.

So, give them a try. I'm willing to bet that you'll either straight love them or you'll be disgusted. They are quite a polarizing band. Hell, I even managed to convince Toby Hartleroad they were worth checking out, so maybe that says something.

Editor's Note: This is the sixth and seventh of a series of essays where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

The Not-So-Weekly List: Top Five Covers of All Time

2010-06-11T20:57:00.010-05:00

I recently read this little, hipster blog about the San Fran band Girls doing a cover of a song called "It's the End of the World." You may remember that one, once done right by the glorious Skeeter Davis. Girls, the band, did an okay version of the song. I'll give them that. But, to see this hipster gushing on and on about it made me sick. I thought, "What an ass. She probably has never heard Skeeter's take on this." That was probably wrong of me, but it made me think of what covers almost bested the original.*

I'd be amiss not to mention a few of those that I found honorable to mention. It was a hard list to make, but these artists came damn close to capturing what the original song did while putting their own twist on it.

Honorable mentions (in no particular order): Rage Against the Machine - "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (Bruce Springsteen); Louis Armstrong - "Moon River" (Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini); Townes Van Zandt - "Dead Flowers" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards); Marilyn Manson - "Sweet Dreams" (Dave Stewart)

5. Ray Charles - "You Don't Know Me" (Cindy Walker/Eddy Arnold)
To me, this version is amazing. The sheer beauty of it alone makes it an immediate classic for anyone who hears it, but when you put the song in the hands of Ray Charles, well, you have something that exceeds amazing. What you have is a song one that not only breathtaking, but perhaps the best song about goodbye one can imagine.

4. Pearl Jam - "Crazy Mary" (Victoria Williams)
Not being known for a spectacular voice, Victoria Williams is known in many circles for her impressive songwriting, focusing on her life in the South. Give "Crazy Mary" to Pearl Jam, though, and you've got a haunting set of lyrics about a good night gone bad. Veder's voice was made for this one. The song builds to the climax where you realize what the driver did, and there's no turning back. Though the studio version that Pearl Jam did for the tribute album to Williams is timeless, it can become even better live, where McCredy breaks through with an attacking lead that cuts with a build up of loud, erratic notes.

3.Lucero - "Kiss the Bottle" (Jawbreaker)
The idea of this list was to create a list of the five best works where an artist has taken the words and music of a song and made it his or hers, either by improving the original or by adding something that completely makes it new again. If you know Lucero, you know their sound. But listen to Jawbreaker's original version, and it's not quite the same, other than the lyrics. Lucero take take it, own it, give it that Lucero sound, and work it even better than Jawbreaker's. These lyrics were meant for Ben Nichols' whiskey-soaked voice to sing.

2. Johnny Cash - "Hurt" (Nine Inch Nails)
When Trent Reznor first heard Cash's version, he and Zach de la Rocha were about to leave the studio and go eat. Instead, Reznor had to sit down for a moment. That about sums up the first time I heard it, too, which was while watching the still desperate, gripping, amazing video. I dare you to listen and watch and try not to feel something.

1. Jimi Hendrix - "All Along the Watchtower" (Bob Dylan)
What else could there be? Let's be honest: there are so many bad, wretched versions of this song, which is only one of the reasons why Hendrix owns the number one spot. (Take Dave Matthews' cover of "Watchtower" where he simply builds and calms; it's so boring and tame -- too bad that's the version cover bands tend to try to emulate now.) Compare Bob Dylan's with Jimi's. No, they are nothing alike. Yes, they stand on their own, away from one another. They could even have different words or chord progressions, but they don't. (Hendrix does play his in Am, where Dylan opted for the C#m in his.) Even Dylan admitted that after hearing Hendrix's version, he can't help but try and play it like that. The original is a sparse, three-chord vision of the end of times. Hendrix makes it a full-blown apolocalpse.

*Editor's Note: Ham Bagby once said that there has never been a cover that even came close to the original version, no matter who or what it is. He's got a debatable point, you know.

Cycle of CDs: Dinosaur, Jr. - 'Hand it Over' (1997)

2010-06-08T23:30:00.020-05:00

J. Mascis has been a hero of mine since 1993. Maybe it was actually in '94 that he become legendary to me; nonetheless, the point is this: there has always been something about him and his band, Dinosaur, Jr., that have made me want to crank up the car stereo and become just a bit introspective. My friend once said that if Mascis' songs were a color, they would be purple.

I got a close pal a Dinosaur, Jr. CD (Where You Been) for a graduation present, but it was actually me who got hooked.

Well, the album cover for Dinosaur, Jr.'s 1997 release Hand It Over won't win any awards, but it was certainly purple.

I can't remember how I came to get this one in particular, but I think I made a copy (on cassette tape, you bet) of it from someone. Of course, I loved it. I didn't fall for it quite as much as Where You Been, which I think to be one of Mascis' greatest albums, but I certainly liked it better than Without a Sound, which came out just before this one, Hand it Over.

Hand It Over is jammed full of what makes J. Mascis and Dinosaur, Jr. awesome: snake-like, overdone, heartfelt guitar solos; common, throwaway phrases used in a way to make you think differently about the words altogether; and, of course, J. Mascis' half-growl, half-mumble that is his voice. I love them all. Together, these components kick ass and make you genuinely feel something that I can only relate to something along the lines of having that first date, first kiss, first dance, or first whatever. You take your pick. Mascis' words, and more importantly, his hum-along melodies, take you back to that place.

Hell, I don't know. Maybe not.

One thing is for sure -- as previously stated, he has a way of using the common and making it sound original. Take "Gettin' Rough" with the simple statement, "There must be one kiss/So, give me hope/I know I've been that way too long" played up to perfection. Put those lyrics in another artist's hands, they sound pedestrian. With Mascis' insane falsetto that he sometimes employs, and instead, you've got chills.

The choices for the songs are a little different than other Dinosaur, Jr. albums. of a drummer. "I'm Insane" has a trumpet. A piccolo carries the melody for "Never Bought It."

It's these things that make me want to go on and on. I'll save some talk of Mascis' oddness and guitar anticss for another post.

I'll leave you with the lyrics from "Never Bought It." Take a listen below and see what I mean about him twisting the simplistic phrases for his own meaning:

"I've believed you every day/And now suddenly I see it/It's not just me who threw it away."

Editor's Note: This is the fifth of a series of articles where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Cycle of CDs: The Rolling Stones - 'Exile on Main St.' (1972/2010)

2010-06-06T23:12:00.010-05:00

I really wish I was rich. I could've bought the Super Deluxe Edition of the Rolling Stones' ragged and wonderful album Exile on Main St.; however, I am not rich. I had to settle for the more working-class Deluxe Edition. Oh well.

Look, there's been enough that's been written and said about this one, so I won't waste any time giving you endless facts and details. See the video below, too. It is amazing that they recorded it in such conditions, out of a basement (dungeon?) of a castle in France. The title alludes to the Stones' flight out of England to avoid high taxes.

This album sounds great. Are the bonus tracks mandatory to have? Well, for a Stones fan, they kind of are. "Plundered my Soul" is pretty good, as is "Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren)" but the stand-out track of the bonus CD is "Dancing in the Light" where a lady's appearance suddenly changes for the better with a little help of a doctor or two ("Now that your nose got some redefining/You look like a million bucks").

These bonus tracks aren't the best of the Stones, obviously. What they do have is a fun factor that carries over from Exile on Main St. It's cool to see how "Good Time Women" turned into "Tumbling Dice." It's entertaining to have those different takes of "Loving Cup" and "Soul Survivor" (though the alternate take of "Soul Survivor" is nowhere near as good as the one picked for the album).

There are so many great tracks from the original album that I'll dare not begin to recommend one, though "Rocks Off" is one of favorite songs, ever. The bottom line is simple: if you love rock n' roll -- real, dirty, raw, busted, bluesy, drugged-out rock n' roll -- you'd be hard pressed to find a better album. In fact, if someone were to say that this is one of the best albums in rock's history, I couldn't really argue with them.

The Rolling Stones are rock n' roll, and Exile on Main St. is one of their better works to show to those who doubt them.

If you don't like the Stones, you may like Dave Matthews songs, your little jazz ears will be bleeding after a dose of Exile, and you're fucking lame.

This will probably be a really interesting documentary. I vote someone buys it for me, comes over to the house, and we get all Keith Richards like to watch it.

Editor's Note: This is the fourth of a series of articles where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection.

Cycle of CDs: My Morning Jacket - 'It Still Moves' (2003)

2010-06-04T16:47:00.008-05:00

I didn't know a lot about My Morning Jacket before I bought It Still Moves, and quite frankly, I still don't know a bundle on the guys. It remains the only My Morning Jacket recording I own; however, other than reverb-heavy lead singer Jim James insisting on going by Yim Yames when he does solo projects (it's not even that amusing the first time, Jim), I do like them. I also imagine that I would love them even that much more if I were to see them live, overdone reverb vocals or not.

Almost all of the songs on the CD are long by radio standards with nearly each one clocking in at over five minutes. They do not drone on, though, in a jam-band sense that would make them annoying or distracting. Instead, they have a take-me-for-a-drive feel to them. This album has proven to me to be a good companion on a trip to the beach.

To add to that, even the sad, slower songs ("People have always told me/That bars are dark and lonely/And talk is often cheap and filled with air") have a certain, good vibe to them that makes you tap your foot, smile, or both, even if the lyrics tell you to do otherwise.

The centerpiece of the album, and maybe the best on it, is "One Big Holiday." It's a rocker that has these beautiful guitar attacks throughout that seem to have a healthy dose of Lynyrd Skynyrd influence. When I hear that song played over the loud speakers at Egan's, it almost always puts me in a good, rockin' mood. It takes me back to a good place even though when I was originally listening to it a lot, I was not in many very good places. Does that make sense? It doesn't matter.

I guess I just have to stop and say thanks to Nathan Pitts for turning me on to this one. I don't remember how he did it -- maybe it was just a suggestion -- but the CD gets a several spins almost every summer.

Hope you enjoy the video of back when Jim James was kinda crazy lookin', completely hidden with hair, and Conan was where he belonged.

Editor's Note: This is the third of a series of articles where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection to see how they stand, why he bought them, where the music takes him now, and other general musings.

Cylce of CDs: Merle Haggard - 'If I Could Only Fly' (2000)

2010-06-04T01:01:00.006-05:00

When I went to see Merle Haggard some six or seven years ago, what really stuck with me (other than the show was completely flawless), was that he played the title song from his two-year-old album "If I Could Only Fly." Technically, he was still touring behind the album with the same name, not having released anything since it. It's one of those that can get to you, if you aren't careful.

It took me a while to discover that the song "If I Could Only Fly" was older than Haggard's 2000 album itself and was written by Blaze Foley, who is also a great songwriter.

I didn't get Hag's If I Could Only Fly when it was originally released in 2000, but I did hear the title track on 90.7 once or twice on a Sunday or two, many years ago. Perhaps this is shocking, but sure enough, The Capstone (or, as it was called then, "New Rock") played wonderful songs by wonderful artists. I most often caught Merle's version of the song during the classic (*ahem* real) country show that came on Sunday mornings. I needed that old, and sometimes-new-but-still-great, country during those hours more than I did any time else. I'm positive that if I was up and listening, I was hungover and driving for food or, even worse, the family's house. It was great to have Merle and Bobby Bare there for the ride.

Instead, I finally got around to getting the CD in the mail this week. I've given it a complete listen a few times, and some things stand out to me:

-It is musically wonderful. It feels like a classic Hag album, a la Big City, minus the breath-taking hits that just simply floor you.

-The production is also top notch. It's easy to return to the CD for a listen after the first and second.

-The songs are rather short, blunt, and autobiographical. Sometimes, the words are so straightforward, it takes you back to a personal experience of your own. Take to the opening couplet of the entire disc, where Hag admits, "Watching while some old friends do a line/Holding back the want to end my own addicted mind," and what you get is Haggard as his stark best. Other times, the lyrics stumble, but it is only a slight stumble ("When you need someone to turn to/Turn to me").

-Haggard, in 2000 and now, is still doing things his way, which included making an honest, problem-filled country album: ("The kids don't want my cigarettes around/They say it's time that dad should lay tobacco down.")

-The opening track, "Wishing All These Old Things Were New," is as good as Haggard gets. It's a slight shame that this disc gets overlooked. His take on "If I Could Only Fly" is worth the price of the CD alone, but there are those classic Merle songs sprinkled throughout. It's as great as it is sometimes dark. Just listen below:

I would say get this if you love Merle Haggard. If you don't love Merle Haggard, you won't like this record, and you won't like a lot of classic country records in general, so prevalent is his influence. You may want to move to another section of the store while in Oz.

(Editor's Note: This is only the second of a series of articles where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection to see how they stand, why he bought them, where the music takes him now, and other general musings.)

Cycle of CDs: Smashing Pumpkins - 'Pisces Iscariot' (1994)

2010-06-02T17:22:00.007-05:00

Oh, Billy Corgan. I suppose you captured my teenage years and the angst that went along with them as well as several of your musical generation.

Such is Pisces Iscariot. It is almost too full of trite, emo lyrics, but the music is there. Sure, this was a collection of B Sides, but I want my collection of B Sides to kick ass as much as any regular album with the exception of perhaps a cohesive feeling between every song. Why else would you even bother to release them later? I guess for the fans, of which I am/was one.

I really liked the Smashing Pumpkins when they had all their original, dysfunctional members. In all actuality, they shine pretty well for this to be a CD of B Sides. I remember upon first hearing it that James Iha's "Blew Away" was the best track on the album. Ol' William Corgan hardly ever let any of Iha's songs appear on the Smashing Pumpkins' albums. He should've. Especially after listening to this live version of the song, which is even a bit better than the studio one.

Now I can appreciate the loud rockers on the CD more than I could as an angst-riddled teen. I wanted my sad lyrics with some slight volume but not much. I'm glad I have this CD. I'll play it again and again, even as I lose the teen dramas and get adult ones.

Editor's Note: This is the first of a series of articles where the author takes a look and listen into every CD he has in his collection to see how they stand, why he bought them, where the music takes him now, and other general musings.

On the Tube: 'You Don't Know Jack'

2010-05-30T04:03:00.004-05:00

I went to the movies this evening and caught Robin Hood. It was a fine film - the acting, directing, and cinematography were all superb. It could've withstood about fifteen minutes of it to have hit the editing floor, but otherwise, it was quite entertaining. Go see it if you want to see a good (not great or perfect) movie.

I also watched an HBO film You Don't Know Jack about Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was played by Al Pacino. I watched it in two parts, mostly due to the length paired with my laziness and the fact that I went to the movies to see the previously mentioned piece. Now, having said that I watched the HBO film in two parts is not to say that it was boring. Quite the opposite. Tt wasn't, especially the second half of it. I honestly am not sure that Al Pacino doesn't top himself playing Dr. Kevorkian. He did what Heath Ledger did for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight: he made it to where I couldn't make it be Al Pacino any more while I was watching it. He became the doctor of death. He was him.

Maybe what made You Don't Know Jack so enthralling is that it seemed to be very truthful to the events and how they happened. I didn't hear anything that really sounded like the truth being stretched, and they even went so far as to use actual video documentation of Dr. Kevorkian's assisted suicides on almost all of his patients. Yes, that's in the movie.

He made many excellent points during the movie. More importantly, he made really great points in his actual life (some of the lines were used in the film). I love movies that make me think. They are important to our culture.

What do you think? Or, do you?

Lastly, I found it interesting how both Robin Hood and You Don't Know Jack had some similarities with their protagonists. They are truly men of the people, fighting an antiquated law to help others, no matter the danger it may bring to them.

You should really watch those youtube videos when you have the time. They should get the ball rolling on thinking, I hope.

In the Theater: Kick-Ass & Iron Man 2

2010-05-07T17:57:00.004-05:00

Comic book movies are a tricky venture. It's easy to get them wrong: you can make it too cheesy and unbelievable; and on the other hand, you can take it too seriously suck all of the fun out of it. But, when you get it just right, you make an incredibly entertaining, exhilarating movie experience.

This week, I saw two movies that managed to find the right mixture: Kick-Ass and Iron Man 2.

Kick-Ass is the tale of ordinary people who decide to become "super" heroes -- kind of like Watchmen, but without the super-serious overtones and gigantic blue penis.

What ensues is a shit-ton of hilarity and good story-telling. It's nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary (kid wants to do good, becomes superhero; others want revenge, become superheroes), but it is something that Hollywood hasn't seen too much of lately: a damn-good movie that's well-written, well-directed, and well-acted.

As you can tell from the red band trailer above, it ain't exactly a kid-friendly flick. There's intense language, and a pretty good load of violence. To top it off, an 11-year-old girl calls someone a cunt -- if that ain't funny to you, well then it's best we not hang out.

What Kick-Ass excels at is reminding people that going to the movies is supposed to be fun. It doesn't sacrifice story for action, and it has its share of "whoa" moments. It's definitely something I'd recommend you see.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Iron Man 2, the more serious sequel to the surprise hit of 2008.

Sequels are always towing a thin line. They're often held up to the high standard of the original movies, and if the originals were successful, the bar is almost impossible to reach. Ultimately, you want to expand on the success of the first one, take what worked and improve on what didn't.

Iron Man 2 had a tall task at hand. The first movie revived Robert Downey, Jr.'s career, raised the bar for comic book movies in general, and took a mildly-popular comic book hero and turned him into a national icon.

The result? A success in my book. It expanded on Downey's Tony Stark character extremely well. We see how Stark has taken his new role as a superhero, and how it affects both his business and personal life, and the lives of those around him like Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). We see the toll it takes on those who envy and despise him, like Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell).

It provided much more action than the first, which is almost a given in any series. While maybe it wasn't as "smart" as the first, it didn't necessarily need to be. The first established the Stark/Iron Man character, along with Potts and Rhodes. It set the universe for Iron Man. It gave us a foundation to sit upon.

Iron Man 2 probably isn't better than the first, but it doesn't need to be. We all know this is at least a trilogy, maybe even a series. So IM2 just needed to move the series along without setting it back. Sequels are almost never glaringly better than the first -- the short list of sequels that stack up to or exceed their widely-acclaimed original is pretty much limited to The Godfather 2, The Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight; and all of those can be debated through the night.

IM2 succeeded in moving the series along, and preparing us for the next movie. It introduced new conflicts -- be they new enemies or personal conflict within Stark. It gave us a wider scope of the universe Iron Man lives in. And, as far as the Marvel movie universe goes, it definitely further moved us towards The Avengers.

In the end, we come back to the acting, particularly Downey and his transcendent portrayal of Tony Stark. The subtleties that Downey adds to the character are just perfect, he is by far the best cast of any superhero out there (Christian Bale's Batman/Bruce Wayne is also worth noting, but that damned Batman voice he does loses him points).

Add to that the superb surrounding cast of Paltrow, Cheadle (who was a solid replacement for Terrence Howard, although for some reason I just liked Howard more for the role), and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Fury's role was definitely more vital in this film, namely in moving along The Avengers storyline, but also in helping Stark with his internal strife.

Add in three excellent new additions, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko, and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, and you have a ton to build on for future installments. Rockwell's portrayal of Hammer almost rivaled Downey's Stark, and really showed a lot of potential for becoming a superb antagonist in Iron Man's universe. Johansson wasn't vying for any Oscars, but she fulfilled the role she was cast for. It also helped a whole hell of a lot that every look on her face said either "I'm going to kick the shit out of you" or "I'm going to fuck your brains out." And Rourke served as a much better villian than Jeff Bridge's Obadiah Stane.

So, while the writing (and probably the directing) could have been better, the acting more than made up for it. It's a must see for fans of the series and comic book fans alike, and a pretty damn solid venture for those who want to see a good action flick.

Random Cool Shit: "Machete" Trailer

2010-05-05T20:47:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure the above qualifies as a "guy thing" -- but really, who cares? That trailer exudes awesomeness on every level. I want.

The Weekly List: Reasons the Blog Has Been Neglected

2010-04-19T19:56:00.002-05:00

Look, we're sorry. We know we haven't been posting as much as we should. Now, we're not gonna sit here and make excuses. But you, our loyal and faithful reader, do deserve to know why we've been slacking.

T.D. and C.R. went to Austin for South by Southwest.

And T.D. wrote it about it here.

Blaine is a superhero, he has a busy schedule.

By day, he educates the youth of Alabama. By night, he's one of Tuscaloosa's finest rock & roll singers.

Whiskey.

No explanation needed.

We're busy practicing to become pro 'rasslers.

Fear The Syndicate.

Government conspiracy.

When in doubt, blame The Man.

Play Them Songs: Drive-By Truckers -- The Big To-Do

2010-04-12T22:19:00.003-05:00

Whenever you listen to a Drive-By Truckers record, there comes a point in the album when you can't help but reach over and crank the son of a bitch up. The boys (and girl) just can't help but unleash their inner-Skynyrd and play loud, rowdy Southern Rock (fitting, because in every album's liner notes Patterson Hood reminds listeners to "turn it up loud").

On their new album, The Big To-Do, they waste no time getting to that moment, cranking it up from the very beginning. And for the first four tracks, DBT doesn't let off the gas pedal. Patterson Hood delivers his steady, workmanlike tales of small-town, down-trodden life in songs like "The Fourth Night of My Drinking" and "Drag the Lake Charlie" -- the latter being a particularly hard rocker, and arguably the high point of the album.

Mike Cooley unfortunately only delivers three songs on this album, but what he lacks in quantity he damn sure makes up in quality, both as a songwriter and as a guitarist. "Birthday Boy" is vintage Cooley: straightforward rock & roll with incredible lyrics. "Get Downtown" is a swinging, up-tempo number that fits right along with Hood's "This Fucking Job" as DBT's take on the current economy.

The biggest disappointment isn't a weak track, but rather two they decided to include as bonus tracks on other mediums. If you buy your copy from iTunes, you get DBT's awesome cover of KISS's "Strutter." The vinyl version comes with "Girls Who Smoke" -- a song that was instantly my favorite when I heard them play it live.

Through and through, while not their best record, it's a solid effort from DBT. Shonna Tucker adds two decent tracks, and the band itself sounds as tight as they ever have. There may not be a timeless track that becomes your all-time favorite, but the album will get plenty of plays in your stereo (or on your iTunes, iPod, iPad, Zune, or whatever the hell it is you kids listen to your music on these days).

Birthday Boy - Drive-By Trucke...

Drag The Lake Charlie - Drive-...

Get Downtown - Drive-By Trucke...

Play Them Songs: Shooter Jennings -- Black Ribbons

2010-03-30T21:41:00.003-05:00

Shooter Jennings is an interesting guy. Of course, growing up on a tour bus as the son of country music legend Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, that’s no real surprise.

But Shooter’s latest effort, Black Ribbons, is just plain weird – even for a guy whose first band was self-described as “Guns N Roses meets Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

Just five years removed from his debut album, Put the O Back in Country, Jennings and his backing band The .357s transformed themselves into Hierophant for a rock concept album. The album is centered around a DJ defiantly playing Hierophant – the world’s most controversial band – on his last night on the airwaves before the government takes over his station.

The DJ, Will O’ The Wisp, is voiced by none-other than Stephen King (who has actually name-dropped Jennings in one of his stories). Wisp makes several appearances on the album on his “Last Light Radio” station, setting up songs and going on lengthy diatribes about the woes and evils of censorship and the downfall of freedom of expression in society. At one point he mentions the lack of music on his station, proclaiming that most of it is “processed bubble gum bullshit” and not worthy of airplay. At another point, Wisp recalls his early days as a DJ, mentioning his “Killing for peace is like fucking for chastity” button – which happens to be the image on the disc itself.

Wisp’s rants fit very well in hand with the odd, counterculture imagery of the CD and packing. The cover is a complex, occult-like drawing. The inside sleeve acts as a pop-up book of sorts. At first glance, the outside displays an American flag having been burnt at one end. Upon opening, four crows come out and surround the flag. When you flip it, there’s an extremely perplexing image of a man wearing a sheep-mask handing a little girl a present wrapped in black paper and black ribbons; and beaming from the man’s eyes to the little girl’s is the lyrics to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Inside, there stands a single desk with a lone microphone, emptied Styrofoam cup and turned-over chair inside of a dark forest where every tree has a black ribbon tied around it. And, aside from the aforementioned disc, you get a tarot card of a colored version of the cover art, with different messages on the back – luckily, mine reads “innocent.”

Between the art and Wisp’s rants, the album seems like it’d be better fit as a Bush-Era record, railing against the War on Terrorism and Patriot Act.

Musically, however, it actually works as a solid effort against the corporate-saturated radio of today. Jennings reasoned in one interview that “I think the whole thing is a metaphor for how hard it's been to get my voice heard.” So maybe it’s just Jennings expressing his outrage at modern-day country radio, pissed that Taylor Swift keeps winning awards for her “country” music. In reality, that’s no different than the tone of his first three albums, it’s just presented in a different form.

The songs are intricate but simple, bending genres while still presenting familiar tunes. There’s a song about lost love (“All of This Could Have Been Yours”), a song for his daughter (“God Bless Alabama”), and a song for his critics (“Fuck You, I’m Famous”). The music ranges from Nine Inch Nails-esque electronica to Pink Floyd – had they grown up in Memphis listening to Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. There are slow-rolling piano-led ballads that lead into guitar-heavy rockers. Alone, the songs wouldn’t work, and there really isn't a stand out track that will become your favorite; but paired with King’s Wisp character and his musings, the album as a whole is a successful foray into concept-creativity.

Diehard fans of Jennings and Outlaw Country probably won’t enjoy it, as it sounds nothing like Jennings’ previous three alt-country/Southern rock efforts. But it’s worth a listen for anyone willing to forget for a minute that this is Waylon’s boy, and just listen to an artist conveying his frustrations with trying to make his own name on today’s radio.

God Bless Alabama - Shooter Je...

All of this Could Have Been Yo...

When the Radio Goes Dead - Sho...

Hear Them Songs: Druid City Arts Festival

2010-03-24T18:33:00.000-05:00

Druid City Arts Festival, Tuscaloosa, AL, Saturday March 27, 2010

Who says you have to travel cross country to see a good festival? There's one right here in Tuscaloosa, this Saturday, March 27th. The first ever Druid City Arts Festival takes place, featuring a cavalcade of local artists and musicians for all to enjoy.

This event is a great chance to get out in the beautiful Spring weather (forecast of 72 degrees and mostly sunny) and support your local artists and see just how diverse and unique Tuscaloosa can really be.

The Festival takes place at the old CityFest Lot downtown, and it runs from 2-9 pm. Price of admission? FREE. The afternoon event is open to the public, and is all-ages. There will be a ton of featured visual artists, as well as a killer lineup of musicians, including Sparrow and the Ghost, Kate Taylor, The Hypsys, and Act of Congress.

Now cue the TV infomercial guy: "But wait, there's more!"

After the activities downtown, there are five different after-parties all around Tuscaloosa. Little Willie's, The Booth, Egan's, Innisfree, and Brown's Corner are all hosting DCAF after-parties, featuring great acts like Taylor Hollingsworth, Blaine Duncan & The Lookers, Callooh! Callay!, Baak Gwai, Ben Joseph and plently more. Best of all, one $5 wristband will get you into any of these bars.

For more information about the event and artists involved, including an exact schedule for the DCAF and all after-parties, click here and here.

Random Cool Shit: The Bear

2010-03-11T22:02:00.005-06:00

Thanks to Corey Hannah for the following video.

Nathan Pitts worked well on our self-titled album, showing up on time, helping with ideas when they were needed, and never griping about doing three or four takes of the same song. I asked Nathan to be on our album because I knew he was good at about anything he picked up to play, and I knew he played with taste.

Now his band, co-formed with his wife Amber Murray and called The Bear, seems to be gaining more and more attention. It is for rightful reason.

Check out a relaxed, cool performance of The Bear. They have recently added members to the group, and things are sounding superb. I am looking forward to recordings from them as well as shows. These are dedicated folks involved with The Bear, so hopefully sometime this year, we can expect one, if not both.

Hope you enjoy.

The Bear - "Can't Change Your Mind" live at Rivertown Coffee from Corey Hannah on Vimeo.

Hear Them Songs: Black Willis Band with Twinside

2010-03-10T19:28:00.003-06:00

Black Willis Band with Twinside -- Egan's, Tuscaloosa, AL, Sat. March 13, 2010

Normally a staple for at least one or two Egan's shows during football season, Black Willis Band are guys who rock with equal parts swagger and Southern rock. They play loud and in your face. I've never seen them when they didn't tear the place down. They have become especially gratifying with their switch of David Swatzell from bass to co-lead guitar.

This time, they bring with them a new band from our local Birmingham music scene: Twinside.

To my knowledge, Twinside has never played a show in Tuscaloosa, so it's a good reason for all of us to practice what we preach about local music: go see them, find out if we like them, then continue to support them if we do enjoy their show. Quite frankly, there's no better time to see them than at Egan's -- there's never a cover there, so you don't have to worry about that door charge. If it is of any interest to you, Twinside is fronted by a female singer/guitarist. It's nice to see ladies getting their rock n' roll out there, too.

See y'all there.

Coming Soon: Iron Man 2

2010-03-09T02:05:00.001-06:00

I almost cannot express how excited I am for May 7th to roll around. Almost. I have been looking forward to Iron Man 2 since the credits rolled on the first one, and the Nick Fury scene after the credits only got me giddier.

I'm not exactly a comic book geek (I don't own any, save for a copy of the Watchmen collection), but I thoroughly enjoy the comic book universe. The culture fascinates me, really. You have these outlandish heroes and villains, with their huge battles and crazy adventures; but their stories are really commentaries on race, religion, politics and society in general.

And now, we have comic book movie adaptations that are actually good movies, and a well done comic book movie is almost the perfect movie theater experience. It takes you away from reality, throws a few jokes at you, gives you some cool special effects, and engrosses you in a good story. It's pure entertainment.

Now, not every comic book movie is good, but recently the ante has been upped, and some damn fine movies have been made. The reason for this, besides excellent writing, is studios have hit some home runs with their casting. Christopher Nolan's Batman series is the top dog overall, with Christian Bale portraying a solid Batman, with support from Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman and of course Heath Ledger's legendary turn as The Joker.

But the Iron Man series isn't far behind. Robert Downey, Jr. is amazing as Iron Man, specifically because he is a perfect Tony Stark. With support from Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges, the first movie was a certified hit, and would've been the talk of 2008 if not for The Dark Knight. Add in Samuel L. Jackson's cameo as Nick Fury, and the series has extreme potential to entertain for years to come.

Looking ahead to this spring's sequel, Downey is joined once again by Paltrow. Oscar nominee Don Cheadle replaces Howard, and they're joined by the revived Mickey Rourke, the beautiful Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell (and maybe Jackson makes another cameo...). Jon Favreau is directing once again, and director continuity in a series makes a big difference.

With that cast, and the success of the first movie, Iron Man 2 has a lot of promise. I know I'll be there on May 7th.

The Weekly List: Top Five Reasons to Watch 'Sling Blade' Again

2010-03-08T16:27:00.020-06:00

The first time I saw Sling Blade, I remember it clearly: I was at home and had went down to one of Sulligent's video rental palaces (it was a more prosperous time in Sulligent when there was actually more than one store to rent a movie). I had not heard a thing about Billy Bob Thorton's masterpiece, but the reviews on the box seemed interesting enough. I had nothing to do even though it was a weekend; Sulligent presented such problems. Anyway, I watched it after coming home late at night. No one else watched it with me. It really moved me in so many ways. To touch on a previous post on this blog, it sort of did for me what good Southern writing can do: it captured the South in a true way, a way that doesn't feel fake or distant.

In no particular order, I present the reasons for you to watch it again (or the first time, if something is wrong with you):

1. The Authenticity: If you've lived in the South, you know the speech in the movie is pretty spot on; however, if you grew up in a small, Southern town, you know that the film really captures almost everything about that lifestyle in it: the gossiping about Karl and Vaughan's lives, the simple interactions of the townsfolk, the particular care to note the exact phrasing of the speech (i.e., listen to Karl say "wash"), and the fact that it was filmed in a small town with its quaint houses and dollar store.

2. The Endless Amount of Funny Quotes: Maybe it is because of their dead-on accents and phrasing or maybe it is because of the great writing. Whatever it is, this movie is as fun to quote as any you've ever seen. Just take these: "I reckon I ain't got no reason to kill nobody," "I play cards with J.P. Shelnutt, Chief of Po-lice!" "I'll whip the dogshit outta you, Vaughan!" "Coffee makes me a might bit nervous," or my personal favorite, "Aw, hell, I always wanted to kill him myself. Asshole's all he was."

3. Dwight Yoakam's Shitty Band: The true irony is knowing that every single band member in Doyle's crappy group of night owls in this movie is a legendary musician. The lyricist is none other than Col. Bruce Hampton, known for making folks dance in and around Tuscaloosa from time to time when he tours through the city. "We Ain't a Damn Band" Randy is the legendary Ian Moore. The guy in the wheelchair, who sadly is thrown around by Doyle in the movie, is recently-deceased, marvelous songwriter Vic Chesnutt. The drummer? Well, he is Mickey Jones, and he did very little but back Bob Dylan during Dylan's 1966 World Tour -- you know, the one where Dylan was heckled as being a "Judas" for going electric. (For a little more insight, The Band backed Dylan for that tour, but Levon Helm had felt so much strain during the American leg of it that he opted to stay back home in the States. This left Jones as the replacement and the change to live in fame as well.)

4. The Soundtrack: If you've never paid attention to the beauty of the soundtrack, that alone is reason enough to Netflix Sling Blade right now. It is at times haunting, sad, and rocking, but it never gets in the way of things. Daniel Lanois, a great musician in his own right, handled the music for this film wonderfully. He's also an excellent producer -- his work with U2 and Bob Dylan have won him quite a few awards.

5. The Subplots: Sure, the story revolves around Karl, the foreshadowing his first speech gives, and his mental state as he's released into the real world again, but the real fun also lies in all the subplots of the movie: it is a gorgeous tale of a friendship, a story of outsiders in a small town, and a take on moral dilemmas. Try not to smile when Vaughan reveals his little (yet obvious) secret to Karl or when Karl is set up with one of Linda's "friends."

Quite frankly, Sling Blade is flawless. I may have to go watch it myself right now.

Hear Them Songs: Vulture Whale at The Nick

2010-03-04T18:14:00.001-06:00

Vulture Whale with Lamb Handler, Fervor, and The Bohannons -- The Nick, Birmingham, AL, Saturday March 6, 2010

Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you're a lot like us when it comes to your definition of a good night out: loud, kick-ass music in a dingy, smoke-filled, dim-lit bar.

Well ain't y'all just some lucky bastards this weekend, because Birmingham's own Vulture Whale will be bringing the house down at The Nick in Birmingham this Saturday, March 6th.

Vulture Whale brings a bluesy, Southern punk sound to a blistering live show. If you haven't seen them live, or heard them at all, do your self a favor and get out to this show. After all, The Nick is a great place for your first time.

The first time I saw Vulture Whale was at a Rolling Stones tribute show, and even playing someone else's songs they caught my attention... and then I saw them do their own stuff, and I was sold. Check it out for yourself:

Teedy - Vulture Whale

(You may need to sign up to listen to that, but it's free and Lala is a great site to hear music, so go ahead.)

Joining them will be Charlotte's Lamb Handler -- who may have the best band description I've ever seen: "If Muddy Waters met Queens of the Stone Age, had a kid then Howlin' Wolf met the Dixie Dregs and had a kid... And by some miracle those kids got it on... well that union would be Lamb Handler." -- Atlanta alternative rock band Fervor, and The Bohannons, straight from Chattanooga.

If the music ain't enough to sell you, just go for The Nick itself. Great prices, great atmosphere, and you'll probably make some new friends while you're there.

In the Theater: Shutter Island

2010-03-03T14:50:00.003-06:00

The following is an email conversation between C.R. and T.D. about Shutter Island, the new thriller from Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

TD: Well, it was fucking intense, that's for sure. I spent the whole time debating the on-screen events in my head. I would think one thing, then immediately change my mind during the next scene. One thing's certain: it wasn't your typical Scorcese flick.

CR: As the film progressed, I inched closer and closer to the edge of my seat. I thought the pacing was excellent. I was never bored and never felt like checking the time.

TD: Oh yeah, it definitely passed the time check test. It was by far the most thought-provoking movie I've seen in awhile.

I though Leonardo DiCaprio was brilliant. Is he the best actor alive?

CR: I'd rather pay for a ticket to see him than just about any other living actor. The audience connects with him the instant he appears on screen. That's what makes this movie worthwhile. You genuinely care about what happens to DiCarpio's character. If he didn't pull that off, Shutter Island would be nothing more than a puzzle with moving pictures.

TD: He is definitely on my list of actors who I'll pay to see without question. His characters all have amazing depth, which is why the audience cares so much; and it's amazing to see how deep into his roles he gets. There are plenty of incredible guys out there, but there is not a single other actor I can think of that could've pulled off that character.

But this movie wasn't just DiCaprio. All of the supporting actors were very solid, from Mark Ruffalo to a small cameo by Jackie Earle Haley. I think that was all possible because of the way Scorsese crafted Laeta Kalogridis's screenplay into such a gripping affair without being gimmicky or predictable -- which I was worried about with Scorsese's first forray into the genre.

CR: I can't complain about the supporting cast, either. Don't forget Ben Kingsley, who plays a memorable role as the doctor behind Shutter Island. He's nearly as engrossing as DiCaprio, which is no easy feat.

I've heard a lot of chatter that, in fact, this movie is one big gimmick. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it, but I'd argue that Shutter Island is far from a one-trick pony. Really, I couldn't care less about the twist. That's not to say it isn't a good one, because I thought it was well done. I just don't watch a movie to play detective. Sure, there are plenty of clues (some more obvious than others) throughout the film. But, I'd rather sit back and enjoy the ride, rather than try to figure out the twist before the director decides to reveal it.

TD: Yeah, I don't buy into that gimmick crap. It's not like Scorsese threw some crappy M. Night Shyamalan twist into it. I understand asking questions and trying to figure things out, but that's not the bottom line with a movie like this. The bottom line is watching it play out and seeing why it happened.

CR: So, I think we both agree that Shutter Island is a must-see for all movie lovers?

TD: Definitely. Between Scorsese and DiCaprio, it's worth the money.

The Weekly List: 5 Favorite Video Games of All-Time

2010-02-28T18:59:00.002-06:00

Unless your name is Hank Hill, you've probably enjoyed playing a few vidjagames in your lifetime. I know I have. I grew up with Mario, moved on to Sonic, and have risen up through the first two Playstations and now play with trash-talking, pre-pubescent punks all around the world on XBox Live.

They're a great way to relieve stress, connect with buddies, wind-down from the day, or just have a shit-ton of fun. So here's my five favorite games of all-time.

5. Super Street Fighter II

Best fighting game ever. The diversity of the characters, the special-moves, the combos. And of course, Haduken. No fighting game has ever lived up to this one for me.

4. Micro Machines V3

My friends and I played this game to death, played it until it resurrected, and then we played it to death again. It was ADDICTING. One your own, you played through races and won cars. Then you got together with your friends and pitted your cars against one another, winner take all. Things got heated.

3. Tecmo Super Bowl

Forget Madden, this is the game that started it all for video game football. Real teams, real players, real action. Naturally, the 49ers and Bo Jackson's Raiders are banned when playing with friends.

2. Super Mario Bros. 3

The best game ever made. Period. It's so good, I still have an original NES, and I still play this game. I really don't need to sell you on this game, because if you don't like it, you're a pinko commie bastard. Bonus points for best cover art ever.

1. The NCAA Football series

I was raised on Alabama football. I worship in the church of college football. So, naturally, any college football game will grab my attention. I've played this EA Sports series since it was Bill Walsh's College Football back on Sega Genesis. Many a controller has been broken playing against friends. The NCAA Dynasty was the thing to do in the dorms. NCAA release day should be a holiday.

On DVD: 'Big Fan'

2010-02-28T00:23:00.004-06:00

Paul Aufiero loves the New York Giants. In fact, he would be the exemplar of a fanatic: he goes to the home games with his friend Sal, and although they don't have tickets to get in the stadium each week, they hook up a television to their car battery to watch the game in the parking lot -- obviously, just being there matters to this ultimate fan.

Paul's day-to-day life is less than spectacular. He's happy, but his lawyer brother and dentist's assistant sister think that he needs to move out of his mother's house, find a better job than parking attendant career he has, and get on with life. That's not in Paul's plans.

Paul's life takes a dramatic turn when he meets his favorite Giants' player in person at a strip club, and the athlete beats him senseless, hospitalizing Paul for days.

The conflict in the movie is almost strictly an internal one, and it makes the film to seem somewhat slow paced. It's also a character study on a certain type of person. It is not, however, a comedy, which it has been sometimes billed as being.

The movie certainly takes off after Paul's beating, but it stalls for a few pivotal minutes shortly afterward. The ending seems to make up for it all as it is a tense, suspenseful few moments, which lets you wonder just how Paul will ultimately handle the situation and his life.

Also, the movie held my interest because I know these people. The best moments showed Paul regularly calling in to the sports-talk radio station, even going so far as to write out his remarks before he dials. This would be as if Shane from Centerpoint got a beat down by Mount Cody. (That was for all you Finebaum listeners.)

The movie is a pretty interesting and deep look at this guy named Paul Aufiero. Patton Oswalt really does a good job as the lead role. The acting, directing, and writing are all fine. This one won't blow you away, but it certainly works well enough to watch. Just don't think that it's going to be hilarious or that it's solely about football.

2 1/2 stars (out of five)

Hear Them Songs: Sweetdog's Birthday Show

2010-02-24T17:49:00.010-06:00

Sweetdog's Birthday Show -- Mellow Mushroom Upstairs Bar, Tuscaloosa, AL, Fri, Feb 26, 2010

We here at The Alabama Take love a musical showcase, especially one this fantastic.

Every year, Craig "Sweetdog" Pickering, or The Midnight Mayor to some of you, puts together a special show for his birthday, and this year ain't no different.

This one has got a little bit, if not a lot, for us all. Headlining the show will be famous Memphis guitar player and songwriter Monsieur Jeffrey Evans, made known by his excellent songs, including "Spyder Blues." Backing him will be his Southern Aces. Evans has played with them all, but the Southern Aces are as good as a group as one could find, featuring Sweetdog, Taylor Hollingsworth, Terrence Bishop, and J.D. Mark. Evans, with the help of The Midnight Mayor, usually finds his way down to Tuscaloosa about once a year, but it has been a little over that amount of time since he's locally rocked one. In all honesty, a sole blog should be devoted to Evans and his Southern Aces, but we'll leave that for another day. Just know if you like a blend of Memphis soul, rockabilly, and deep songwriting, you'll enjoy this show. You'll find what seems like a short set is not just chock full of excellent songs -- also included are interesting back stories and hilarious banter.

Rounding out the bill will be punk-rock, Memphis greats River City Tanlines; Columbus, Mississippi power-pop rockers The Motions; and special guests, Tuscaloosa's own rock royalty, Baak Gwai.

This line-up only comes around once in a while. You'll be there, I'm sure, getting your five dollars worth and more.

In The Theater: 'Crazy Heart'

2010-02-22T17:54:00.006-06:00

Crazy Heart is a simple, but engrossing, tale of an old, grizzled country singer who has hit his peak and faces the downside of the mountain of fame. Playing bowling alleys and dive bars have taken their toll on Bad Blake, as does every bottle of whiskey that he downs. And, he downs quite a few, causing his relationship with his new friend and reporter Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to become more than a little troubled.

This is undoubtedly a character-driven movie. If you are looking for the most enlivened plot in the world, you may be disappointed; however, that's not to say the movie isn't extremely entertaining.

Watching these characters is what keeps you in your seat, and the acting is sublime. Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake is a better fit than anyone else I can imagine. Sadly, what most people are figuring out in Hollywood is that the dude can act. There's no questioning it -- he deserves the Oscar that he will most likely win as he nails every scene. It's haunting how much you can see Waylon Jennings and hear Bill Joe Shaver in this role and in his voice, respectively.

Every thing in the movie is believable, including Gyllenhaal's performance (not to be overlooked). There's only a little back story, but you don't need it -- it is written in all the lines in Bad Blake's face. The only thing lacking is the ending, but you won't hear me complain too much.

Finally the movie wouldn't be nearly as believable as it is if Bad Blake didn't have his songs. They are a character in and of themselves. They are great country music. It makes you wonder why Nashville cannot get it right any more, yet Hollywood does. (It's probably because they have T Bone Burnett working as the music producer for the soundtrack.)

If you like music and are intrigued by the idea of what it takes to make it, you'll love this film. Forget that people are calling it this year's answer to The Wrestler -- this one's worth keeping because of its own merits.

4 stars (out of 5)

In Print: 'The Lovely Bones'

2010-02-15T19:15:00.008-06:00

The Lovely Bones, the first novel by author Alice Sebold, tells the first-person account of Susie Salmon, a fourteen-year-old girl who is raped and murdered by a man from her neighborhood. Susie relates her story to the reader as she tries to adjust to her heaven, watch her family on back on Earth painstakingly adjust to life without her, and follow her murderer to his possible next victim.

The Lovely Bones starts out interestingly enough with the murder of its very protagonist. It goes to shit from there, though.

It is almost impossible to read as it is so poorly written. When it is not being vague about certain, important aspects of its plot (is Susie in heaven or viewing Earth?), it is simply cringe inducing. Take the lines Susie speaks about watching her mother in a particularly poorly foreshadowed event: "[i]n the darkness she imagined herself to be within her own heart, and a vision of the enlarged drawing from her doctor's office entered her head..." Yes, the writing is that bad much of the time.

If you can imagine, the ending of the novel is even more ridiculous. I actually made it that far, believe it or not. You can tell that it was just thrown in to try to tie up a lose end. It doesn't work.

I have heard that the movie version of this novel is equally bad, and it's no wonder. There's not much to work with here. It is a novel by an author who has yet to find her voice. The plot, while interesting, should have ended mid-way through the novel. It's too bad that it doesn't.

½ a star (out of 5)

On DVD: Beer Wars

2010-02-13T14:50:00.002-06:00

I love beer. It's delicious, it brings people together, it goes great with food, and it makes me happy. Of course, like pretty much every other goddamned thing I love (music, movies, college football), giant corporations are trying to ruin it.

Sadly, it's problem that goes largely unnoticed by the general public. That's what filmmaker Anat Baron hopes to change with her 2009 documentary, Beer Wars. Beer Wars focuses on the American beer industry, specifically the control that the major companies like Anheuser-Busch have over the industry.

The film follows two smaller brewers in Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Breweries, and Rhonda Kallman of New Century Brewing Company. Baron chronicles their struggles as Calagione tries to expand his brewery and fight through the barriers placed by the big boys, and Kallman tries to get her company off of the ground.

Baron explores how the large breweries use their distinct monetary advantage to corner the market through advertising and lobbyists. In one particularly revealing scene, Calagione gets a cease and desist order from Anheuser-Busch lawyers demanding he stop using the names of two of his beers, citing that they are too similar to AB beers. Thing is, Dogfish actually came out with their beers before AB.

The film is very successful at getting inside the industry, thanks to Baron's past experience as general manager of Mike's Hard Lemonade. She presents her argument very intelligently and thoroughly, and is also fairly entertaining along the way. While she has an obvious bias, the film is still a solid, thought-provoking and compelling documentary.

If you love/like beer, this is definitely worth your time.

The Weekly List: 5 Bands That Should Play Another Show

2010-02-12T12:19:00.009-06:00

(Editor's note: For the sake of argument, I consider many Birmingham bands to be a part of the Tuscaloosa music scene. It's only a forty-five minute drive; it feels like a second home when I visit that city.)

The music scene around Tuscaloosa, as with any arts collective around a college town, ebbs and flows. What makes it sad is that when the music scene flourishes, and it usually does so in cycles, you find that some bands have quit playing shows for whatever reason. Sometimes they re-form after a while. Many times they don't.

This is my call to see these particular five bands play again, whether they are on a hiatus or have stopped completely. The scene around Tuscaloosa, while good and growing, needs these bands to maintain what they once helped keep thriving when they were playing shows with regularity.

And, quite frankly, these bands are great enough to lay a dollar or two down for a rowdy night of entertainment. In no particular order:

1. ARKADELPHIA

The last incarnation of this band with the addition of keys had brought it to a higher level. The music was soulful, melodic, cocky, lustful, and Goddamn excellent. Of course, the heart and soul of this band are the songs of front man and songwriter Lee Bains III. The man can flat-out write rock n' roll riffs, as well as beautiful ballads. Rock n' roll was about getting people to dance, and Arkadelphia never failed. They always put on a good show. Bains is also sitting on an album that may never see the light of day. It's our Chinese Democracy, minus the shittiness.

2. SQUIRRELHOUSE

If you went to a Squirrelhouse show and didn't dance at least a little, something was wrong with you, not the band. Even with a mid-stream change of lead guitar playing from Patrick O'Sullivan to Micah Crane, the band didn't falter like some might. If you've heard the band's teases from their new album -- "All That Shit" from their MySpace or their latest video for "Apocalypso" -- you know that the writing, both musically and lyrically, is growing. But, where are the performances? Bogged down with school in Austin, Texas, songwriter Paul Hanninen will hopefully have time for some shows sooner than later.

3. 13GHOSTS

13ghosts' shows were methodical and building. They were perfect for the stoner in all of us. They had the right balance and blend of Southern rock and thoughtful balladry. Brad Armstrong's guitar strings were well worn from being bent over and over by show's end. Add that with his and Trey Mclemore's songwriting, and they put on powerful shows. And when you consider the fact that they were so masterful in the studio, you can't help but wonder why this band isn't playing at least once a month somewhere, if not more. Check out "Photographs" on their MySpace. It's a wonderful, well-written, and well-played song.

4. THE GOODNIGHT NOBODIES

When I first heard the song "You've Traveled Before" by the Goodnight Nobodies, it was stuck in my head for weeks on end (in a good way). I don't think that the recording of it that they have on their myspace page does it quite the justice that they do it in a live show; however, like all bands on this list, it's been entirely too long since they've played. You want to talk about rowdy and fun? That's what a Goodnight Nobodies' show was (and hopefully still is), pure and simple. Come on back to Egan's, guys, if you don't play anywhere else in the world again. They tear it up.

5. THE BANGTAIL CATS

The last time I saw this (now-defunct) band, my friend and I looked at one another and said, "This is the best I've ever heard them," which, by the way, was not a cut on their previously-played shows. They were simply growing. It didn't look like they were slowing down, either. The next thing I know, they broke up for this reason or that after only releasing one album, The Get Down. Why they broke up isn't my concern; I just want to see them again. Their songs, sounds, and chemistry were getting solid as hell, and I was eager to go along for the ride. Sadly, two of their members have been meshed with pieces of the Southpaw Bandits and have been reduced to a cover band. It's almost as if they quit just as they were getting a head of steam.

You put all these bands on one bill, and not only would they pack the place, but they would tear it down. If/when they do play shows, go see them. Maybe that's why some of them stopped when they did -- they thought that no one really cared or listened. Well, shit, I do, and I can't wait to see them play them songs again.

Hear Them Songs: Druid City Arts Benefit Concert

2010-02-11T18:53:00.004-06:00

Druid City Arts Benefit Concert featuring The Motions and Sparrow & the Ghost -- Little Willie's, Tuscaloosa, AL, Sat. Feb. 13, 2010

Well, after the big date--be it dinner, a movie, or just snuggle time (with yourself), take it all down to Little Willie's for some live music.

You've heard of the Motions. Now it's time to see them if you haven't already. Little Willie's is a great room to catch a show, too.

Plus, this concert is designed to help benefit the Druid City Arts. The great, hardworking folks at Druid City Arts plan to bring us the Druid City Arts Festival in late March, and they'll need our help to do it.

You have to support folks who are trying to make something happen with the Tuscaloosa music scene, not the likes of which have been seen since the fabled Tuscapalooza. It's truly about time we have a music and arts festival that bases itself on Alabama (and, believe it or not, mostly Tuscaloosa) music. In fact, with the daytime line up and bar participation they have so far for the Druid City Arts Festival in March, this is promising to be one of the best music and arts festivals ever in Tuscaloosa.

So, go hear some great music, see some great musicians you may have only heard about at this point, support the local scene, and help make Tuscaloosa get better all in one night.

(Hint: if you really wanted to see the Motions, they play the night before at Egan's for free. Go see that they are truly talented; that way you can brag to your date that you are an old fan of theirs on Saturday night when you are all together at Little Willie's.)

Random Cool Shit: Custom Made

2010-02-09T19:46:00.006-06:00

Actually, this video might force us to change the name of this particular post to "Random Awesome Shit" instead of "Random Cool Shit."

Not to make this blog focus solely on wrestling (it won't), I just couldn't let this one go without sharing. Every few months, I'll dig this video back up from youtube and watch it again. It's worth it. Let me explain what you should do: even if you hate wrestling, don't turn it off during the opening speech by Ric Flair. It will all come together.

You see, what he's doing in those opening minutes is what's called "cutting a promo" in professional wrestling. This proves he was simply stunning at what others may simply call "talking shit." Hey, it's an art form, even if it isn't credited as being one. The proof is all there, though - if you can put it to music and end up with a hilarious, yet great, rap song, you must be pretty damn good, if not custom made.

The Weekly List: The 5 Best Wrestling Finshers of All Time

2010-02-06T12:57:00.003-06:00

We here at The Alabama Take are all professional wrestling fans (and it is still pro wrestling, Vince McMahon, not “sports entertainment”), and we ain’t afraid to admit it. It’s theater, plain and simple, and it’s damn good theater when the writers get it right.

But, this isn’t about me convincing you to start watching rasslin’, nope. Rather, I was watching the Royal Rumble the other night, and as usual it turned into a finisher-fest at one point. Wrestling historian I am, I've decided to make a list of the best finishers in pro wrestling history (you lucky dogs).

In the words of The Rock: Just bring it.

5. Shooting Star Press – Evan Bourne

Pure athleticism. It’s not only amazing that Bourne can pull off the maneuver, but just look at the height he gets. It almost pains me to make this the only high-flying move on this list over Randy Savage’s flying elbow drop, but I just can’t deny the awesomeness that is the Shooting Star Press.

4. DDT – Jake “The Snake” Roberts/Raven

I’ve always been a sucker for a good DDT. It may be tame, but a really well executed DDT just resonates through an arena. Jake Roberts lays claim to inventing the move, and nobody has done it better since him – maybe with the exception of Raven and his version, the Evenflow/Raven Effect.

3. Figure-Four Leg Lock – “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair

Some might argue that the Sharpshooter/Scorpion Death Lock is more fearsome. Others may say that Kurt Angle’s anklelock is more intense. But no submission move matches the Figure-Four, applied by the one and only Ric Flair. Wooooo!

2. Stone Cold Stunner – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

This one has it all. It looks devastating. It can come out of nowhere. It gets a huge pop from the crowd. And then after all of that, he flips you off, talks trash, and drinks beer in your face. That’s the bottom line.

1. Canadian Destroyer – Petey Williams

Yeah, that just happened. No, you probably haven’t heard of him or seen this before. Why? Because TNA writers are morons, that’s why. But still, he gave us this; and when he can pull it off, it’s damn impressive.

Hear Them Songs: Haiti Relief Benefit Showcase

2010-02-04T14:30:00.004-06:00

Haiti Relief Benefit featuring Holly Puckett, Adam Morrow of Callooh! Callay!, and Blaine Duncan -- The Mellow Mushroom, Tuscaloosa, AL, Sat. Feb 6, 2010

We all know what the main attraction is this weekend, but you gotta have something to do before Sunday, right?

Well, Saturday night is an excellent chance for you to get out, have fun and help those in need all at the same time. The Mellow Mushroom is hosting a Haiti Relief Benefit Showcase, presented by SHARE and the Planet Weekly, featuring acoustic acts from Holly Puckett, Adam Morrow of Callooh! Callay!, Blaine Duncan and DJ Sugarfree.

The cover is $10, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross. Now, if you're bitching about losing a Hamilton consider this: the money goes to a good cause, and there's -- wait for it -- FREE pizza (!). That's right, free pizza from the Mellow Mushroom.

So, let's review: $10 gets you four great acts, pizza and a good feeling that you helped a great cause. What else you got to do?

Random Cool Shit: The Wire's 100 Greatest Quotes

2010-02-01T12:44:00.005-06:00

The Wire. In this man's opinion, it's the best television drama ever created. Luckily, someone took a ton of time to create this montage of some of the best quotes from the show.

Couple of notes: it's long, 10 minutes to be exact. Also, wouldn't watch it at work if I were you. Finally, if you haven't seen The Wire, what the hell are you waiting for?

Concert Review: Drive-By Truckers w/ Dexateens

2010-02-01T02:38:00.001-06:00

After finishing a song, Dexateens front-man Elliott McPherson paused, took a look at an almost full-capacity Jupiter crowd and proclaimed, “It’s about damn time Tuscaloosa showed up for a rock and roll show! Roll Tide!”

With that the crowd roared back, and the band ripped into their next song.

McPherson was right. Tuscaloosa showed up in full force for the Drive-By Truckers and Dexateens; and the bands responded by giving the people a full-fledged rock and roll assault. Ironic, days after I made this post that I was part of a spectacular atmosphere for a T-town show.

The hometown boys set the tone for the night with their fast-paced, boisterous opening act. Their trademark on-stage charisma flowed through the crowd, and tagged with their impressive stable of punk-infused Southern rock (including – if my ears did not deceive me – a new number or two), ignited the spirits of the audience.

Then the Truckers rode in, full of whiskey and swagger, ready to pick up where the Dexateens left off. Patterson Hood was just a smilin’ fool, launching into songs while talking up a storm and spreading cheer through the faithful like some rock and roll Santa Claus.

With a library stocked full of crowd favorites, DBT really couldn’t go wrong with their selections, playing old standards like “Let There Be Rock,” “Lookout Mountain,” “Women Without Whiskey,” “3 Dimes Down,” “Marry Me,” and “18 Wheels of Love.” And, true to the souvenir guy’s word to me before the show, the boys (and girl) even broke out a good number of new songs from their upcoming album, The Big To-Do.

But what really fueled the show was the audience. Receptive and responsive, they could feel the music and the bands fed off of the energy; and it paid off in a great encore. Kicked off by DBT throwing a curveball and rocking KISS’s “Strutter,” the Dexateens then joined them for a few songs, including Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” and Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died.”

All and all, it was an outstanding show, hopefully indicative of things to come. Because when bands get that kind of turnout, word gets around, and maybe we’ll get more than cover bands in such an underutilized joint like the Jupiter (of course, that’s a whole ‘nother story…).

Until then, let there be rock.

In the Theater: 'Book of Eli'

2010-01-31T19:34:00.005-06:00

What made Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis sign up for The Book of Eli? They are quality actors. Granted, it is not the absolute worst movie any of the three have done (Kunis was in American Psycho II after all). Maybe it looked better on paper.

The Book of Eli wants to be a good movie, but the writing falls through about half of the way into the film. The forced plot twists at the end do nothing to save it, even if one of them makes you want to watch the movie again (yes, sadly).

What you have is another post-apocalyptic film that takes cliche plot lines from different movies to tie them together into one. It doesn't work.

In it, Eli (Denzel! Denzel!) is on his way, by foot no less, to the west coast many years after a nuclear war (they tell us that early, don't fear). Civilization has been destroyed, and there are but few remnants left of what life was like before the war. If you're read The Road, seen its movie counterpart, or have vague memories of the Mad Max movies, you already know all the bad shit that can go down after disasters as big as this happen to Earth. It's the same thing here except that Eli has a book that people want, especially the bad people like Oldman's character Carnegie. Somehow or another Solara (Kunis) gets involved. Who cares?

Even though it's another post-apocalyptic movie, it's still horribly unrealistic, especially for a movie with a large budget: take a look at the "rocks" when Eli is shown by Solara where Carnegie gets the water that he sells in his bar.

The plot twists, if you could really call them that, at the end do nothing but make the movie longer and a little more dumb. The acting is decent enough, but by the time you deal with everything else that's bad, it's too little, too late.

Look, if you loved The Postman, by all means, rent this movie when it is on DVD and waste a Sunday. Otherwise, get Mad Max.

1 and ½ stars (out of 5)

Missing: Tuscaloosa Music Scene

2010-01-25T23:20:00.004-06:00

“Play them songs!” The man with a beer in his hand, boots on his feet and rhythm in his step yells out from the dance floor in front of the stage.

It’s a wonderful sight – to see a person so in love with the music invading their ears, to see someone so in tune with their senses and so carefree with their inhibitions that they recognize a damn good thing when it comes strutting out an amplifier and smacks them straight upside their head.

Unfortunately, it’s a sight we don’t get to see much here in Tuscaloosa. Instead, we get fist pumps to Def Leppard and drunken crooning about Josie’s distant vacation. Our town has been invaded by, taken over, and raped & pillaged by the cover band – and we don’t seem to have put up much of a fight.

It’s an infestation and an epidemic. One aided by complacency, apathy and ignorance. It’s a damn problem, and it needs to be fixed.

But how?

There was a time that Tuscaloosa wasn’t afraid to cultivate a music scene, one that had character, personality and passion. When The Strip was still alive, before The Booth and Cheap Shots became victims to the University’s greed. Used to be, seeing the name of a good band on a marquee wasn’t a special occasion – it was a privilege to live in a town that birthed so many of them.

So where did it all go? What went wrong?

Well, there are multiple contributing factors. For one, as mentioned above, many classic music venues around town are dead and gone. No longer does The Booth hold its classic spot on the corner of The Strip (instead it has a new, incredibly illogical, smaller, cramped location in the heart of downtown construction). No more do bands rock The Chukker until twilight.

Two, there just aren't as many original bands as there used to be. For whatever reason, they just left. Maybe the creativity in Tuscaloosa has been drained by some cosmic force. Maybe they all just left for greener pastures (Athens, Austin, Nashville, etc.). It's unexplainable, but it happened. True, there are still some bands around -- and a few that are amazing. But it just isn't the same as it used to be.

Finally, the town became too accepting of the ongoing changes. Yes, there are a significant number of people who care about the local music scene, who want things to change, who know this town could be so much better. But, by and large, the general population just doesn't care about what's going on onstage. They want to hear songs they know, and don't give a damn if they hear the same songs every night.

But things can change. We can bring the music back to Tuscaloosa. We can make this town a musical force to be reckoned with.

How you ask?

Obviously, it would be nice for some fresh venues to emerge as new rock establishments. Venues that give prime slots (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights) to original bands. A bar built specifically for music would kill in this town. Yes, there are some suitable venues around here. But there aren't enough.

However, more than anything, we need to change. We need to pack out bars for our local bands. We need to spread the word about the great music that does exist in Tuscaloosa. We need to start form new bands, and start a new generation of Tuscaloosa music.

Basically, we need to play them songs.

In the Theater: 'The Road'

2010-01-24T11:34:00.005-06:00

In case you couldn't tell from the trailer above, The Road is not for the weak-hearted.

Based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, The Road is the dramatic story of a man and his son's journey in a post-apocalyptic world that is as frightening a movie as any that has actually been labeled horror. Simple things that we take for granted, like eating and having clean water to drink, are only part of their struggle on their walk to a southern coast in an America that viewers will recognize only by the deteriorated roads, burned landscapes, and dilapidated houses. When the world will not bear fruit of any sort, the people that are left alive will turn to unthinkable ways to survive.

Fans of the novel should rejoice. John Hillcoat (director of the very interesting movie The Proposition) sticks as close to McCarthy's vision as what is probably possible with one exception. And just like in the novel, it is never really clear how the world ended up in such a cataclysmic state; however, the movie, like the novel, sticks to the basic themes of love and survival (and the question of which comes first).

Though there aren't many actors throughout the film, none of them disappoint. In fact, every actor that has a major role, with the exception of one or two, is well known and has been featured in many parts in movies and on television. I won't spoil any surprises, but know that each of them are even more believable as they've been anywhere else.

The stars of the movie adaptation are Viggo Mortensen and the young Kodi Smit-McPhee. Smit-McPhee is absolutely amazing in his role as the unnamed boy. Mortensen, too, is stunning. This is as good as acting and directing get. They waste not a scene.

While I rave about the director and actors' work, it's also as important to note that the cinematography is just as amazing - the land around them is almost as important of a character as well, and some scenes are horrifying simply because the imagery of McCarthy's novel could not have been better captured. This is a change you can envision actually happening to our own world if things were to change for the utmost worse (ahem). Apparently, they used almost no CGI effects, either. This is impressive film making.

Quite frankly, the film is almost unbearable to watch in that it is so terrifying; as a viewer, you never feel comfortable, happy, or satisfied, which has nothing to do with the movie being bad at any point. Even during the brisk moments of peacefulness, you simply know it won't last. I imagine that parents would find this movie particularly haunting.

It's probably best summarized by a stray character in the movie, who when asked if he ever thinks of suicide, responds, "In a world like this, who can afford such luxuries?"

The Road is a grim, raw look at love in its most simple form. We may not yet know what it is like to live in a world where finding the bare essentials of life are our daily struggle, but we do know the feeling of love. The Road shows us exactly what love can and cannot do. Go see it.

4 ½ stars (out of 5)

In Print: 'Shake the Devil Off'

2010-01-16T16:55:00.005-06:00

The murder-suicide of Zack and Addie is as haunting as it is bizarre.

What you know is that Zack murdered Addie; he dismembered her, storing parts of her body in the stove, on the oven, and in the refrigerator. What he also did was create one of the most gruesome crimes ever for the city of New Orleans.

What you don’t know is why he did it.

In Shake the Devil Off, Ethan Brown chronicles the story of Zack and Addie, perhaps the very symbols of post-Katrina New Orleans. It is a murder-suicide that seems straight from fiction, but their story is sadly true.

Normally, I do not read what some consider to be “true crime” novels, and I don’t really consider this one to be one out of that genre. It just doesn’t read like that. Sure, there are the details and facts leading up to Addie’s murder and Zack’s suicide; however, Brown takes the second half of the novel to try to tackle the tough issues, making the story of Zack and Addie more about the fall of New Orleans itself and the nation that let it down in the aftermath of the hurricane. This is a story of America, not just one of its cities or two of its citizens (with Zack even being a former solider).

Brown does the hardest thing for an author who documents such an atrocity: he makes you feel like an insider looking out rather than the other way around. And while he gives the needed details of everyone’s life involved in the story of Zack and Addie, he never bogs down or bores. It is a fast-paced book, and though it is at times painful, it is still an engrossing read.

This book would have to be considered a must read for anyone who lives in the city of New Orleans or loves it. Brown gives you a vivid feel for the city even if you’ve never been, and he takes you through one of its worst moments that doesn’t seem to have ended.

3 ½ stars (out of 5)

In the Theater: 'Youth in Revolt'

2010-01-11T19:08:00.009-06:00

Surrounded by sexually active (and, at times, trashy) adults and peers, sixteen-year-old Nick Twisp finds that his virginity is losing its luster, if it ever had any. With the bad luck of a funny last name (try saying it aloud) and the help of sexually ignorant friends, Nick attempts a plan to get carnally and spatially closer to Sheeni, whom he believes to be the love of his young life. Nick’s story really takes an enlivening turn when he invents Francois Dillinger, his mustached, cigarette-puffing alter ego (also played by Cera) that is the funniest part of the movie.

This is truly a Michael Cera movie, even more so than Superbad, and he does a good job of carrying it, especially as Francois. You can probably imagine his character of Nick—it’s been a similar persona that he’s used since the days of Arrested Development. The movie is great when it also lets the minor roles shine. A few even steal a little of the movie from Cera—take Zach Galifianakis briefly showing up as Nick’s mother’s boyfriend or Fred Willard as Nick’s neighbor.

It is a funny movie, but no more so than when Francois arrives. The scene involving his father’s car had me laughing out loud. However, it would have been nice to see a few of the other characters even more involved at times. The script is especially sharp and entertaining to follow. (For instance, don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to write “God’s Perfect Asshole” on things.) The script is so full of dry humor that sometimes it feels like it never lets up on it. When the director does allow the characters to finally play the roles in a more serious tone, it is quick and unemotional.

In the end, it’s a really funny, entertaining film that is never lewd but does occasionally enjoy its R rating. I bet the book is even better.

2 ½ stars (out of 5)