Theme Park Experience

Song in my head: "We Might As Well Be Strangers" by Keane The throat is on the mend and the fever has left, but I'm still taking today off from work. I don't think talking for seven hours straight will help it fully heal. So, the silent treatment continues for another day. Adding to what I said yesterday, "I'd rather be working than being sick and at home." I really enjoy working at where I work. While I like to be at home too, I can't be at either all the time. I just felt yesterday's post was a little too vague and sounded a tad on a "I hate work" side. While I've been laying low around the house, I did venture out last night and picked up the new Law of Inertia issue with interviews with Ian MacKaye, the Dillinger Escape Plan and Sparta. Good stuff and more info for research. Grant Hart and Bob Mould played together recently. Read all about it here . Today is Ryan Reynolds' birthday. While he may be best kno...

Song in my head: "Get Your Hands Off of My Woman" by Ben Folds (originally done by the Darkness) Wasn't feeling very well yesterday so I'm not at work today. Strange as it may sound, but I actually enjoy working instead of being sick at home. I think my voice just needs to rest for the day. I'll see how long I can go without saying a word. To follow-up the recent announcement about who's playing Superman, here's a link to see what Brandon Routh looks like. An Undressed alum. Rumors about when the first Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith trailer is coming is on Cinescape . Harry Potter author JK Rowling has her own website and the great thing about it, she actually updates it! If you haven't heard, she is going to have her third child next year, but she is still working very hard on the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince . People I know like to speculate who the Half Blood Prince is. I have no clue. I watc...

Until today, I've never understood why people would want to celebrate a singer's date of death. I thought people getting together every year to mourn sounded a tad morbid. Now that it's been a year since Elliott Smith passed on, I don't think it's morbid to reflect and remember. I never knew him and I never saw him in concert. I did walk by him on an incredibly hot day in Austin. Even though I was more familiar with his name and face, I had yet to get into his music. While a lot of people I know had been introduced to his music through Good Will Hunting and/or Either/Or , my full introduction to his music was with XO , his first record for DreamWorks. My friend Matt had suggested that I check out XO and without ever hearing a note, I picked it up on a rather gray winter day. It took me a couple of listens to really get into it because most of the music I was into at the time was harder, louder and faster than Elliott's folk-tinged songs. But I kept...

Album listened to this afternoon: Ted Leo/Pharmacists Shake the Sheets Ted Leo is the man. I know this has been said before, but I think it should be said more. I was introduced to his music when he and the Pharmacists opened for the Dismemberment Plan a few years ago. Very rare is it that I get wowed by an opening band that I've never heard of before. Red Animal War was one and Ted Leo/Pharmacists was another one. It's a little hard to put into words other than just listening and seeing him play live. I plan on seeing him play next week. If you've never heard Ted Leo's work, I would describe it as having shades of 1977-1979 era the Jam and Elvis Costello, but that's just a start. I can't think of a lot of other current bands out there that are like his, but if you like either the Jam or Elvis Costello, check him out. Shake the Sheets is his fourth proper LP and it is on Lookout! Records .

Album listened to this morning: Jimmy Eat World Futures Pitchfork had mentioned this recently, but MTV.com checks in with an article on . . And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's next record. Punknews.org has some good news about the Screeching Weasel back catalog: Starting in February of `05, Asian Man Records will be re-releasing the out of print Screeching Weasel catalog. They'll be putting out BoogadaBoogadaBoogada , followed by My Brain Hurts , Wiggle , Anthem For A New Tomorrow , How To Make Enemies and Irritate People and finally Kill The Musicians . Word is that Asian Man will also re-release The Riverdales self-titled debut and Phase Three full lenth. All the releases will be re-mastered with new artwork new liner notes by the band members, and other extras to be announced. Rolling Stone.com has an article about a documentary on the late-great Jeff Buckley that recently premiered in New York. By the way, Buckley's Grace recently got rei...

Song in my head: "Storytime" by Channels So I picked up Jimmy Eat World's Futures with the bonus disc this afternoon. Turns out, the bonus disc is a collection of all of the songs in demo form. Nice touch for an alternate view of the record. While not radically different from the LP versions, it's good to hear an album in progress. Also sweet are some song-by-song comments from the band. Nice little headline in The Onion today: Drummer Unwanted

Jack Rabid checks in with an update on the next Big Takeover issue: Interviews with: Wilco (cover) Franz Ferdinand Nick Cave Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz & Greg Graffin All three surviving members of the reunited MC5 American Music Club Sloan Chris Stamey of the dBs The Libertines Hope of the States The Diodes and the history of 1977 Ontario punk Stiff Little Fingers Jeremy Enigk of Fire Theft and Sunny Day Real Estate Dr. Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesiser The Rezillos and more, along with tons of record reviews. Jack is also proud to announce Pink Frost/Big Takeover Records. First release is from Doug Gillard of the-band-name-soon-to-be-changed-back-to-Robert-Pollard, Guided By Voices. Second release is from Jack's own band, Last Burning Embers. Very cool.