Theme Park Experience

This week's edition is with Meric Long from the Dodos. We had a pleasant little 10-minute chat and that's what you get.

Last week, I decided to make a purchase that some could say was foolish, but others could see as smart. And I couldn't help being self-conscious about it: I bought The Wire on DVD. There's a joke about being white and liking this HBO show that ran for five seasons. (Read probably the best explanation why right here .) Seems like everyone I know that has seen the show loves it, and will profess its greatness at any given moment. The day I purchased the set, I quipped on Facebook that I was "officially white." I have yet to hear anyone say a negative thing about this show, but there was some hesitation when I considered buying the whole shebang. This show was on HBO, a network that has its tendency to have original programming where people you don't normally root for as protagonists. But since this show's on HBO and not network TV, you can't say anything bad about it, right? Well, I still have burns from being a big fan of Six Feet Under bef...

Normally, I don't stay up incredibly late to cover a local band's set, but I didn't have to get up at 4am today. Here's my review of Burning Hotels' CD release show.

If your life was changed in 1991 or 1992 by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, you shouldn't be surprised there is renewed interest in talking about how good things were back then. You know, it's only been twenty years. (Cue rolling of eyes and head-slaps to those that remember this era like it was ten years ago.) From here on out for the rest of the year (and maybe some of next year too), you will hear plenty of reminders about how much albums like Nevermind and Ten were game-changers. Writer Simon Reynolds recently wrote an excellent piece about 90s nostalgia, tying it in with his book, Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Past . He starts off talking about how Nirvana's '92 performance at the Reading festival will be shown at this year's edition of the festival. Then he throws in plenty that is well worth your time. This got me thinking about how I have responded to news about Nevermind 's reissue, Pearl Jam's forthcoming documentary,...

This week's edition is with Casey from the Dear Hunter and Andrew from Life On Repeat. This is what happens when one guy answers the questions well in advance, but the answers are short and to the point. So when another band is playing in town and a member is willing to elaborate, you get this as an end result.

A little update on my golf game. I'm still playing and there's no reason to stop playing. Lately, Matt, myself, and Jeff (Matt's father) have ventured far and wide in the area to play. Sure, there are plenty of courses around here in the Dallas area alone, but we've recently played in Gainesville (which is about 90 minutes away) as well as in Marietta, Oklahoma. Why play so far away when there's so much to offer around here? Well, when my golf partners want to go there, I tag along. Prior to playing in Oklahoma, I had never stepped foot in the state. Yes, after living under the state for 26 years, I finally paid a visit. I'd like to go back there soon, just not when it's 105 and sunny. It felt like being in a fireplace, waiting for a match to be struck at any minute. There's an old-school charm to these courses and I love that. Shorter holes without any fancy water fountains or brand new houses next to the course. (Not that there's any wr...

The year has past its halfway mark and I'm still trying to climb up the Dark Tower with Roland and his ka-tet. I wasn't planning spending all this time dissecting Mid-World, thankee-sai, and Blaine the Mono, but that's how it's gone. You could ask why would I bother with such a difficult read. Well, since I'm a fan of easter eggs in books, TV shows, and movies, this series is ripe with them. And I still agree that if you read this mash-up of King Arthur , Lord of the Rings , and the Man With No Name trilogy, you have a much better understanding of Stephen King's other work. While I was in Florida, I read two non-King books in four days. Those who are friends with me on GoodReads know that is warp speed for me, but I think my patience with the Dark Tower series helped me immensely. The pacing of the series is slow, but after I read The Stand , I'm used to that. A few weeks ago, I decided to read a short story from Full Dark, No Stars in one morning...

This week's edition is with Kyle from the Globes. I'm glad the band is coming back to town, especially since they were here only a few months ago.

Busy weekend for me in terms of covering shows. Saw Torche Friday and it ruled. (Read the review here ). And I covered the Maleveller show on Saturday night. (Read the review here ) More stuff with Maleveller is in the works, so stay tuned.

The Shield is a show I missed while it was on the air, but I'm thankful the entire series is available on DVD. All accolades I've heard on the show have been proven to me and I'm swimming right along through the series. I know how the series ends, but how the show gets from what transpires in the pilot episode to the final episode intrigued me. As things twist and turn, I stay locked in. The thing is, I still want an element of surprise when those twists happen. But when merely looking up an actor's name on the Internet leads me towards spoiler territory, it's a little frustrating. I'm really bad with wondering, "Hey, I've seen this person in something before." It happens almost every time I watch a TV show or movie. I blame my natural curiosity to connect the dots. With The Shield , two actors in the first couple seasons were series regulars on AMC's The Killing . Looking one of them up online, I got a sneaky suspicion one of them wa...

This week's edition is with Andrew Elstner, lead guitarist from Torche. I saw them play a few years ago and was blown away. I'm glad they're coming back to blow Dada's roof off.

If you were to tell me as a kid that one day, I'd have to break my bodyboard in half after twenty years of usage, I'd probably break down and cry. Alas, that's what happened on my recent trip to Destin, Florida. But I did not break down. There was a time in my life (roughly, second grade through fifth) when I was immensely attracted to skateboarding, surfing, and California life. Hell, I even wanted to change my name to Steve because it was much more of a fitting (and cooler) name. Living in states (Louisiana and Texas, respectively) where an ocean with big waves was nowhere close, my mind was frequently facing west. I did go to California a couple of times during this period to visit relatives, but eventually, my body went in different directions, away from skating and surfing. And I blame puberty -- something I jokingly say ruined my life. I'd say the aura of skating and surfing really attracted me to this way of life. Yet when I constantly fell down trying t...

This week's edition is with a band I've only seen once, but loved immediately: Burning Hotels. I look forward to seeing them in a few weeks for their record release show at Club Dada.

Earlier today, I tweeted the following: While we moan about the lack of videos on MTV today, please remember that 120 MINUTES is back on the air. #goodwithbad Sure, I've heard plenty today about how shows like Jersey Shore and 16 and Pregnant dominate the airwaves that once belonged to all videos, all the time. As someone who watched MTV every day between 1987 and 1998, I rarely watch it now because its programming does not appeal to me whatsoever. However, I DVR-d the return of 120 Minutes on Saturday night and I plan on DVR-ing it for the foreseeable future. On a personal note, host Matt Pinfield was a major influence on me as I developed into the music fan that I am today. You can always impress people with your knowledge about music if you speak up. Prior to that, I kept that mostly locked up in my brain. All these years later, along with many different avenues to be exposed to new music, I fondly welcome back 120 Minutes . Artists that I am still fans of today were first ex...