Uncategorized

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The Hives Come Alive

I wasn’t planning on writing about this concert I went to three days ago, but I just can’t get it out of my head. Seeing The Hives was special to me for a multitude of reasons. I remember back in 2004 when I went out and bought Tyrannosaurus Hives on opening day (the first time I’d bought an album on opening day). It ruled my summer and ever since I’ve longed to see them live. I used to constantly reread a 2004 issue of Spin magazine I had proclaiming they were ” The Best Live Band in the World!” Maybe that was true for 2004 (probably not), but it wasn’t until last friday that I could finally weigh in on the matter. The result being one of the best shows I’ve ever been to, and definitely the most physical.

The Hives are a band that feed on endless applause. Like frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almvquist continually said at friday’s show “Were like vampires except we thirst for applause”. When that sustenance was achieved from the crowd The Hives seemed to gain an almost superhuman amount of energy that I’ve never experienced at a show. Though there were factors even beyond the music that made this show so memorable. For one it was at Seattle’s Showbox Market, a small venue that immediately gives you an intimate experience no matter where you’re seated. I was surprised to see The Hives playing such a small venue but pleased because of my next point. This was the closet I’d ever been to a band that I liked. I’m talking front row, at least when I wasn’t being clobbered by the audience around me.

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Impressions of Guild Wars 2

Guild Wars 2 is out today, more than seven years since the first game was released. Back in 2005, I was dead set against paying a monthly fee for a game, especially one I had to buy first. So, while the world flocked to World of Warcraft, I played on silly private Ragnarok Online servers. Guild Wars was my first taste of a real MMORPG, a first hit that is now a full-blown addiction. Since then, I’ve played World of Warcraft and its expansions, City of Villains, The Lord of The Rings Online, Champions Online, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Star Trek Online, Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online and probably others that I’m not remembering right now. Guild Wars 2 has made a better first impression than any of them.

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50 Things I Learned from Seeing The Beach Boys Live.

Yesterday I had the fine pleasure of seeing the legendary Beach Boys live at the Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville, WA. Though I’m always hesitant to see a “Nostalgia Act” it’s hard to resist when it’s one of the greatest American bands of all time. So in honor of the show and the band’s 50th anniversary, here’s 50 things I learned from seeing The Beach Boys live.

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R.I.P. Adam “MCA” Yauch

I know we don’t do RIP’s as frequently as we used to, just because well, a lot of celebrities die all the time.  But I figure it’d be a shame for me to not at least pay some kind of tribute to a guy who was at the heart of a band that I like so much that I’ve listened to all their albums.  Adam Yauch, or better known as MCA, died earlier today at the age of 47 as the result of a long battle with cancer that started back in 2009.  I had been aware that this was something he’d been dealing with, but it’s still a surprise when anyone so young and full of tenacity succumbs to such a thing.

Yauch started the Beastie Boys in 1979 with Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock Horowitz as part of New York’s underground punk scene.  They eventually made the leap to another then-burgeoning form of underground music, hip-hop, and the rest as they say is history.  The Beasties burst on to the scene with the multi-platinum License To Ill in 1986, and never missed a beat from there.  Each album was a new adventure into some new sound, as these guys always seemed primed to re-invent themselves.  And that’s basically why these guys always have been, and probably always will be my favorite hip-hop artists of all time, because they never confined themselves to the passing trends of a genre that sees so few artist that last 5 years, let alone 25 years.  MCA always struck me as the wise elder statesman of the Beastie Boys, and I can’t imagine Mike D and Ad-Rock carrying on with the Beasties name with out him, so I really have no idea what’ll happen with them.  What I do know is I’ll probably be listening to Paul’s Boutique more than a few times over the next day or so.

A Silent Victory!

Seems like I usually write some kind of afterthought about Oscar night, so here we go again. Oscar vet Billy Crystal was back at the helm and even though he was a little cheesy with no shortage on movie puns, it was still a nice change of pace from last year. Anne Hathaway and James Franco? What were they thinking? Billy wasn’t really funny but at least he seems to be comfortable doing something he clearly enjoys. So hopefully the Academy will stop experimenting with strange non-comedian hosts and just let the funny people do what they do best.

The ceremony opened with movie montage (as it often does) featuring Crystal which was probably his best moment, but I still the rest of his old school approach to the classiest night in showbiz. As for who brought home the gold? I was very satisfied. Most of my personal favorites won in their respective categories, the exception being Viola Davis losing to Meryl Streep. I didn’t see The Iron Lady so I don’t know if Streep was truly deserving or if it was just the Academy throwing her bone after, but it doesn’t bother me, I’m sure she’s usually pretty darn good. But The Artist was the big winner of the night and I couldn’t be happier. When Natalie Portman or “NaPo” as Sean calls her called Jean Dujardin’s name in the best actor category? I was ecstatic, it was easily my favorite performance of the year. Really this is one of the first years in awhile where I really have no complaints. The Artist won, Bret Mckenzie won for his song in The Muppets, and now Dean Pelton from Community has an oscar fro screenwriting, let the good times roll.

I Choose You!

Ah the Oscars, my favorite TV event of the whole year. So many have criticized this prestigious ceremony over the years for many different reasons. Some say it focuses more on the best marketed movies than the actual best movies, and there could be some truth to that. Though for the most part I believe the Academy makes the right decisions regarding who they nominate and who they award. I just love the Oscars because it celebrates the movies and hey, sometimes it’s even funny… Though certainly not last year. Luckily the host with most Billy Crystal is back at the helm and the field of nominees is pretty solid. Though you probably wont see much variance in my list from most critic’s lists as there always seems to be that strange point where everyone agrees on the same things. So who knows, maybe I’ll be way off with some of these, I like surprises.

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