Tuesday Afternoon Shuffle (8.30.11)

1. What's the Frequency Kenneth? - R.E.M. (from Monster)
2. The Devil You Know - Face to Face (from Ignorance is Bliss)
3. Going Down - Dag Nasty (from Four on the Floor)
4. The Gauntlet - Dropkick Murphys (from Live on St Patricks Day)
5. Queen of Pain - Alkaline Trio (from the Alkaline Trio/Hot Water Music split)
6. Peace on Earth - U2 (from All That You Can't Leave Behind)
7. At the Moment - Stavesacre (from Friction)
8. Wrong Again - All (Allroy for Prez)
9. Undone - Season to Risk (from Season to Risk)
10. Black - Pearl Jam (from Ten)
11. Cochise - Audioslave (from Audioslave)

Remy Zero: DoTM

I got the idea of doing a discography of this band tonight while watching Season 9 of Smallville. Remy Zero is a rock band that formed in 1989 in Birmingham, Alabama and is best known for performing the title song to Smallville, "Save Me."

Remy Zero
Released in January 1996 by Geffen Records.
Produced by Remy Zero.
Band lineup:
Cedric Lemoyne - bass; Cinjun Tate - vocals, guitar; Jeffrey Cain - guitar; Shelby Tate - vocals, guitar, keyboards. Gregory Slay - drums.
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"Temenos"

Villa Elaine
Released in August 1998 by Geffen.
Produced by David Bottrill and Remy Zero.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Prophecy"

Live On Morning Becomes Eclectic
Live album released in 1998 by KCRW.
Tracks: 7

The Golden Hum
Released in September 2001 by Elektra Records.
Produced by Jack Joseph Puig.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Save Me" and "Perfect Memory"

A Searchers
Released in November 2001 by Elektra.
Produced by Remy Zero.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 5

Remy Zero
Released in October 2010 by Communicating Vessels.
Produced by Remy Zero.
Lineup changes:
Drummer Gregory Slay passed away and was replaced by Chip Kilpatrick.
Tracks: 7

College Rock: Genre of the Moment

Dave from Oklahoma Lefty suggested I do a post on the College Rock genre for my next installment of Genre of the Moment, a column here on Otter Limits that I have not visited since January's Psychobilly post. So here it is, the next genre of the moment, college rock.

Before I even began to read anything about this genre, what I thought about the genre was not much. In fact, I really feel like the term college rock is as meaningless as the term alternative rock. It's just another name for a genre that the industry made up so they wouldn't have to saddle a band with a boring label like rock music and to make a band sound more interesting. That's my own theory anyway.

So, I dug in and started reading about college rock.

Interestingly enough, according to the Wikipedia article on College rock, the term itself was used prior to the term alternative and referred to the music that was played on college radio stations. It is supposed to mean a type of rock music that blends post-punk, New Wave, and melodic pop. In fact, when you pull up college rock in Wikipedia it comes up as simply a sub genre of alternative rock.

Some of the main examples of college rock include R.E.M., The Smiths, 10,000 Maniacs, and U2.

Besides Wikipedia, here are some places that you can research college rock if you are interested enough:

All Music Guide
About.Com 80s Music

Thursday Morning Shuffle (8-25-11)

1. In Shallow Seas We Sail - Emery (from the album In Shallow Seas We Sail)
2. My Heart - Third Day (from Come Together)
3. Goodbye Earl - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from Love Their Country)
4. The Word is Alive - Casting Crowns (from the Altar and the Door)
5. Its Never Too Late for Love - Smoking Popes (from Stay Down)
6. www.sara - All (from Problematic)
7. And I Love Her - The Beatles (from Something New)
8. Hold Me - Weezer (from Make Believe)
9. Calling - Trenches (from The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole)
10. Shattered - Dropkick Murphys (from Live on Lansdowne)
11. Goodbye - Philadelphia (The EP)

Demon Hunter: DoTM

Demon Hunter is a band that formed in Seattle, WA in 2000. They are a Christian heavy metal band.

Demon Hunter
Released in October 2002 by Solid State Records.
Produced by Aaron Sprikle.
Personnel:
Ryan Clark - vocals; Jon Dunn - bass; Don Clark - guitar; Kris McCaddon - guitar; Jesse Sprinkley - drums.
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"Infected" "Through the Black" and "My Throat is an Open Grave"

Summer of Darkness
Released in May 2004 by Solid State.
Produced by Aaron Sprinkle.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Not Ready to Die" and "My Heartstrings Come Undone"

The Triptych
Released in October 2005 by Solid State.
Produced by Aaron Sprinkle.
Personnel changes:
Ethan Luck replaced Kris McCaddon on guitar and Tim Watts replaced Jesse Sprinkle on drums.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Undying" "One Thousand Apologies" and "Not I"
Charts:
#136 on the US Billboard 200

Storm the Gates of Hell
Released in November 2007 by Solid State.
Produced by Aaron Sprinkle.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Fading Away" and "Carry Me Down"

Music From the Film 45 Days
Soundtrack/compilation album released in November 2008 by Solid State.

Tracks: 10

This contains songs from a documentary that was filmed about the band.

Live in Nashville

Live album released in January 2009 by Solid State.
Produced by Demon Hunter.
Tracks: 14

The World is a Thorn
Released in March 2010 by Solid State.
Produced by Aaron Sprinkle.
New band lineup:
Ryan Clark - vocals; Patrick Judge - guitar; Ryan Helm - guitar; Jonathan Dunn - bass; Timothy Watts - drums.
Tracks: 11
Charts:
#39 on the US Billboard 200.

Death, A Destination

Compilation album released in March 2011.

Tracks: 35

MLB Roundup 2011 (August 23)

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
New York Yankees
Boston
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Baltimore

Central
Detroit
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland
Minnesota
Kansas City

West
Texas
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland
Seattle

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Philadelphia
Atlanta
Washington
New York Mets
Florida

Central
Milwaukee
St. Louis
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh
Chicago Cubs
Houston

West
Arizona
San Francisco
Colorado
San Diego
Los Angeles Dodgers


STATS

Wins (Pitching)
Verlander (Tigers) - 19
Sabathia (Yankees) - 17
Roy Halladay (Phillies) - 15

Saves
Kimbrel (Braves) - 39
Valverde (Tigers) - 37
Axford (Brewers) - 37

ERA
Cueto (Reds) - 1.89
Weaver (Angels) - 2.10
Verlander (Tigers) - 2.28

Home Runs
Bautista (Blue Jays) - 36
Granderson (Yankees) - 35
Teixeira (Yankees) - 34

Hits
Gonzalez (Red Sox) - 174
Young (Rangers) - 172
Castro (Cubs) - 164

Batting Average
Gonzalez (Red Sox) - .343
Young (Rangers) - .338
Reyes (Mets) - .336

ESPN Power Rankings (1st 10)

Philadelphia Phillies
New York Yankees (boo!..........have i ever mentioned how much i don't like the Yankers?)
Boston Red Sox
Milwaukee Brewers
Atlanta Braves
Texas Rangers
Tampa Bay Rays
Arizona Diamondbacks
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Angels

Top 6 Dream Jobs

This is my list of the Top 6 jobs that I would like to have.....based on as close to order of preference as I can get.....

1. Professional Musician
2. Professional Blogger
3. Comic Book Store Owner
4. Records Store Owner
5. History or Government Teacher
6. Cab Driver

Winger: DoTM

And now...a discography of the greatest band ever to take the stage......lol..just kidding...

Winger is a band that was formed in New York City in 1988 by former Alice Cooper bassist Kip Winger.

Winger
Released in August 1988 by Atlantic Records.
Produced by Beau Hill.
Band lineup:
Kip Winger - vocals, bass; Reb Beach - guitar, vocals; Rod Morgenstein - drums, vocals; Paul Taylor - keyboards, vocals.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Madalaine" "Seventeen" "Headed for a Heartbreak" and "Hungry"
Charts:
#21 on the US Billboard 200.

In the Heart of the Young
Released in July 1990 by Atlantic.
Produced by Beau Hill.
Lineup changes:
Paul Taylor (keyboardist on previous album, also played guitar on this album).
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Can't Get Enuff" "Miles Away" and "Easy Come Easy Go"

Pull
Released in May 1993 by Atlantic.
Produced by Mike Shipley.
Lineup changes:
Paul Taylor left the band prior to the recording of this album.
Tracks: 10

The Very Best of Winger
Compilation album released in October 2001 by Atlantic/Rhino Records.
Tracks: 16 (including a new recording titled "On the Inside")

IV
Released in October 2006 by Frontiers Records.
Produced by Kip Winger.
Lineup changes:
John Roth was added as a 2nd guitarist and Cenk Eroglu was added on keyboards.
Tracks: 11

Demo Anthology
Released in July 2007 by Cleopatra Records.
Tracks: 38
Includes demo material from the sessions for the Winger and Pull albums.

Winger Live
Live album released in November 2007 by Frontiers.
Produced by Kip Winger.
Tracks: 20

Kama
Released in October 2009 by Frontiers.
Produced by Kip Winger.
Lineup changes:
Cenk Eroglu did not play on this album.
Tracks: 10

Warrant: DoTM

This discography of the moment is in memory of former Warrant singer Jani Lane. Jani (whose real name was John Oswald) was born in Ohio in 1964 and died a couple of days ago on August 11, 2011 in California.

The band Warrant, is a glam metal band from California that formed in Los Angeles in 1984.

DISCOGRAPHY

Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
Released in January 1989 by Columbia Records.
Produced by Beau Hill.
Band lineup:
Jani Lane - vocals; Joey Allen - guitar; Erik Turner - guitar; Jerry Dixon - bass; Steven Sweet - drums.
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"Heaven" "Down Boys" "Big Talk" and "Sometimes She Cries"
Charts:
Reached #10 on the US Billboard 200.

Cherry Pie
Released in September 1990 by Columbia.
Produced by Beau Hill.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Cherry Pie" "I Saw Red" "Blind Faith" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Charts:
Reached #7 on the US Billboard 200.

Dog Eat Dog
Released in August 1992 by Columbia.
Produced by Michael Wagener.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Machine Gun" "The Bitter Pill" and "Hole in My Wall"
Charts:
Reached #25 on the US Billboard 200.

Ultraphobic
Released in March 1995 by CMC International.
Produced by Beau Hill.
Lineup changes:
Rick Steier replaced Joey Allen on guitar; James Kottak replaced Steve Sweet on drums; Dave White was added on keyboards.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Family Picnic" "Stronger Now" and "Followed"

The Best of Warrant
Compilation album released in April 1996 by Sony Records.
Tracks: 16 (includes a cover of the Queen song "We Will Rock You")

Belly to Belly
Released in October 1996 by CMC.
Produced by Jerry Dixon, Jani Lane, Stefan Neary, Rick Steier and Erik Turner.
Lineup changes:
Bobby Born replaced James Kottak on drums. Dave White was dropped.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"A.Y.M." "Feels Good" and "Indian Giver"

Warrant Live 86-97
Live album released in July 1997 by Sanctuary Records.
Tracks: 16

Greatest and Latest
Released in 1999 by Deadline Records.
Produced by Warrant.
Band lineup:
Jani Lane - vocals, drums on some; Jerry Dixon - bass; Rick Steier - guitar; Erik Turner - guitar; Danny Wagner - keyboards; Bobby Borg - drums.
Tracks: 16
This album consists primarily of previously released material that was re-recorded. It also consists of 3 previously un-released songs.

Under the Influence
Released in June 2001 by Perris Records.
Produced by Matt Thorne and Warrant.
Lineup changes:
Rick Steier was replaced on guitar by Billy Morris; Bobby Born was replaced on drums by Mike Fasano; Danny Wagner was replaced on keyboards by Mike Morris.
Tracks: 11
This album consists primarily of cover songs of bands such as Aerosmith, Thin Lizzy, Nazareth, Queen, Cheap Trick, David Bowie, and AC/DC (among others) and also contains 2 new original tracks.

Then and Now
Compilation/live album released in May 2004 by Sanctuary.
Produced by Warrant, Beau Hill and Shay Baby.
Tracks: 12

Born Again
Released in 2006 by Deadline/Cleopatra Records.
Produced by Pat Regan.
Band lineup:
Jaime St James - vocals; Joey Allen - guitar; Erik Turner - guitar; Jerry Dixon - bass; Steve Sweet - drums.
Tracks: 12

Rockaholic
Released in May 2011 by Frontiers Records.
Produced by Keith Olsen.
Lineup changes:
Jaime St James was replaced on vocals by Robert Mason.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Life's A Song"

Currently Reading: Green Arrow Archers Quest

TITLE: Green Arrow: Archer's Quest

AUTHOR: Brad Meltzer (writer); Phil Hester (artist)

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2004

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

Last night I finished the Quiver story that I wrote about on Wednesday (Currently Reading: Green Arrow Quiver). It was a great story. Kevin Smith does some pretty good work on comics books (not really surprising) and his work on Green Arrow was definitely worth the read.

Archers Quest takes place after the events in Quiver. Quiver, of course, was a trade paperback (or graphic novel) that compiles Green Arrow issues #1-10. Archer's Quest compiles issues #16-21.

The above cover art is (as far as I have been able to tell) the cover art for the trade paperback (TPB). I do not actually own the TPB. I own the single issues themselves.

I have just started the story and have only completed issue #16 (part 1 of 6) and I am already hooked into the story. I can't wait to read the rest of the story. After that, I'm going to have to track down the TPB compiles issues #11-15 (which is apparently titled Sounds of Violence).

Thursday Morning Shuffle (8-11-11_

1. Clean Sheets - Descendents (from the album All)
2. Memphis Will Be Laid to Waste - Norma Jean (from Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child)
3. I Wasn't Born to Follow - Social Distortion (from Sex, Love and Rock n Roll)
4. Wild Honey - U2 (from All That You Can't Leave Behind)
5. That's Entertainment - Face to Face (from Standards and Practices)
6. You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight - The Juliana Theory (from Emotion is Dead)
7. Infected - Demon Hunter (from Demon Hunter)
8. Rusty Cage - Soundgarden (from Badmotorfinger)
9. Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd (from Wish You Were Here)

Weezer: The Videos

These are some videos I tracked down of Weezer doing other artist's songs.

Yet Another Weezer DoTM

I did one of these in May 2008.

I did another one in December 2008.

These guys just keep putting out albums so here is yet another update to the Weezer Discography.

The Kitchen Tapes
Released independently in 1992.
Produced by Weezer.
Band lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - vocals, guitar
Matt Sharp - bass, vocals
Jason Cropper - guitar
Pat Wilson - drums
Tracks: 8
Thief You've Taken All That Was Me; My Name is Jonas; Let's Sew Our Pants Together; Undone; Paperface; Say It Ain't So; Only In Dreams; The World Has Turned

Weezer (The Blue Album)
Released May 1994 by Geffen Records.
Produced by Ric Ocasek.
Personnel:
Rivers Cuomo - guitar, vocals; Pat Wilson - drums; Brian Bell - guitar; Matt Sharp - bass
Tracks: 10
"My Name is Jonas" "No One Else" "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" "Buddy Holly" "Undone" "Surf Wax America" "Say It Ain't So" "In the Garage" "Holiday" "Only In Dreams"
Charts:
#16 on the US Billboard 200; #23 on the UK Albums Chart;

Pinkerton
Released in September 1996 by DGC (Geffen).
Produced by Weezer.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 10
"Tired of Sex" "Getchoo" "No Other One" "Why Bother?" "Across the Sea" "The Good Life" "El Scorcho" "Pink Triangle" "Falling for You" "Butterfly"
Charts:
#19 on the US Billboard 200;

The Good Life
Released by DGC in Spring 1997.
Produced by Weezer.
Tracks: 5
The Good Life; Waiting On You; I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams;
The Good Life (acoustic); Pink Triangle (acoustic)

Weezer (The Green Album)
Released in May 2001 by Geffen.
Produced by Ric Ocasek.
Personnel changes:
Mikey Welsh replaced Matt Sharp on bass.
Tracks: 10
"Don't Let Go" "Photograph" "Hash Pipe" "Island in the Sun" "Crab" "Knock-down Drag-out" "Smile" "Simple Pages" "Glorious Day" "O Girlfriend"
Charts:
#4 on the US Billboard 200; #31 on the UK Albums Chart.

Maladroit
Released in May 2002 by Geffen.
Produced by Weezer, Chad Bamford and Rod Cervera.
Personnel changes:
Mikey Welsh was replaced by Scott Shriner.
Tracks: 13
"America Gigolo" "Dope Nose" "Keep Fishin" "Take Control" "Death and Destruction" "Slob" "Burndt Jamb" "Space Rock" "Slave" "Fall Together" "Possibilities" "Love Explosion" "December"
Charts:
#3 on the US Billboard 200; #16 on the UK Albums Chart;

The Lion and the Witch (live ep)
Released September 2002 by Geffen.
Recorded May 2002 in Japan.
Produced by Rupert Peasley.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 6
"Dope Nose" "Island in the Sun" "Falling for You" "Death and Destruction" "El Scorcho" "Holiday"

Weezer (Blue Deluxe Edition)
The deluxe edition was released in March 2004.
Included a re-mastered version of the 1994 album plus an additional disc of B-sides and rarities.
Tracks on the Bonus Disc: 14
Mykel and Carli; Susanne; My Evaline; Jamie' My Name is Jonas (live);
Surf Wax America (live); No One Else (acoustic); Undone (demo);
Paperface; Only In Dreams (demo); Lullaby for Wayne; I Swear It's True;
Say It Ain't So (demo); Jamie (acoustic)

Make Believe
Released May 2005 by DGC/Geffen.
Produced by Rick Rubin.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 12
"Beverly Hills" "Perfect Situation" "This is Such a Pity" "Hold Me" "Peace" 'We Are All on Drugs" "The Damage in Your Heart" "Pardon Me" "My Best Friend" "The Other Way" "Freak Me Out" "Haunt You Every Day"
Charts:
#2 on the US Billboard 200; #11 on the UK Albums Chart;

Winter Weezerland
Released December 2005 by Geffen.
Produced by Rupert Peasley.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 2
"The Christmas Song" 'Christmas Celebration"

Weezer (The Red Album)
Due to be released June 2008 by Geffen.
Produced by Rick Rubin, Jacknife Lee and Weezer.
No personnel changes.
Tracks: 10
"Troublemaker" "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" "Pork and Beans" "Heart Songs" "Everybody Get Dangerous" "Dreamin" "Thought I Knew" "Cold Dark World" "Automatic" "The Angel and the One"
Charts:
#4 on the US Billboard 200; #21 on the UK Albums Chart;

Six Hits
Greatest hits EP released in November 2008 by DGC exclusively for Best Buy.
Tracks: 6
Buddy Holly; Say It Ain't So; Hash Pipe; Island in the Sun; Beverly Hills; Perfect Situation

Christmas With Weezer
Released in December 2008 by DGC/Interscope.
Tracks: 6
We Wish You A Merry Christmas; O Come All Ye Faithful; O Holy Night;
The First Noel; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Silent Night;

Raditude
Released in November 2009 by DGC/Interscrope.
Produced by Dr Luke, Jacknife Lee, Polow Da Don, Butch Walker and Rivers Cuomo.
Band lineup:
Rivers Cuomo - vocals, guitar, keyboards; Brian Bell - guitar, backing vocals, keyboards; Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals, keyboards; Patrick Wilson - drums, guitar.
Tracks: 10
I Want You To; I'm Your Daddy; The Girl Got Hot; Cant Stop Partying; Put Me Back Together; Tripping Down the Freeway; Love is the Answer; Let It All Hang Out; In the Mall; I Don't Want to Let You Go;
Charts:
#7 on the US Billboard 200

Happy Record Store Day
Released in April 2010 by DGC.
Produced by Weezer.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 5
I'm Your Daddy; I Want You To; Why Bother?; Brain Stew (Green Day cover); Buddy Holly.

Hurley

Released in September 2010 by Epiatph Records.

Produced by Rivers Cuomo and Shawn Everett.

No lineup changes.

Tracks: 10

Memories; Ruling Me; Trainwrecked; Unspoken; Wheres My Sex?; Run Away; Hang On; Smart Girls; Brave New World; Time Flies.

Charts:

#6 on the US Billboard 200; #49 on the UK Albums Chart.

Death to False Metal
Released in November 2010 by Geffen Records.
Prodcued by Weezer, Rick Rubin, Shawn Everett and Rivers Cuomo.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 10 (consists of previously unreleased material)
Turning Up the Radio; I Don't Want Your Loving; Blowin My Stack: Losing My Mind; Everyone; I'm a Robot; Trampoline; The Odd Couple; Autopilot; Un-Break My Heart (cover of a Toni Braxton song)

Wednesday Morning Shuffle (8-9-11)

1. For Boston - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
2. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel (from the album So)
3. Carry Me Down - Demon Hunter (from Storm the Gates of Hell)
4. Fun Tonight - The Riverdales (from The Riverdales)
5. Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy - Project 86 (from Songs to Burn Your Bridges By)
6. Excuses - All (from Breaking Things)
7. So Long Self - MercyMe (from Coming Up to Breathe)
8. Sweet Caroline - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from Have a Ball)
9. Tomorrow - U2 (from October Deluxe Edition)
10. Jet Pack - Eve 6 from Horrorscope)
11. Glorified G - Pearl Jam (from Vs)

Currently Reading: Green Arrow Quiver

TITLE: Green Arrow: Quiver

AUTHOR: Kevin Smith (writer); Phil Hester (artist)

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2002

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

I've had this trade paperback for a while. I bought it the same day that I bought the Flash Rebirth trade paperback at the going out of business sale at Borders.

It chronicles the "resurrection" of Oliver Queen. I have not gotten that far into it but so far I really like the story.

After I'm done reading it, perhaps I will have more to say about it.

Currently Reading: While Mortals Sleep

TITLE: While Mortals Sleep

AUTHOR: Kurt Vonnegut

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2011

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

I came across this in the library and found it strange that I had found a Vonnegut book that I've never heard of. So of course I borrowed it. When I opened up the cover page and looked at the year it was published it make more sense. It was just recently published.

So this book is a collection of 16 short stories that Vonnegut wrote

that have never been published before. From what I have read about this book on various websites, these stories were written by Kurt very early in his career. Quite possibly even written before his most popular (in my opinion) novel, Slaughterhouse Five.

Anyway....I'm going to start reading it. I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Sunday Morning Shuffle (8/7/11)

1. I Wanna Live - Ramones (from Halfway to Sanity)
2. Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden (from Superunknown)
3. Ramble and Roll - Dropkick Murphys (from Sing Loud, Sing Proud)
4. In Between 4th and 2nd Street - Emery (from The Question)
5. Symbiotic - Living Sacrifice (from Conceived in Fire)
6. You - Bad Religion (from No Control)
7. Be Yourself - Audioslave (from Out of Exile)
8. The Place That Most Deny - Haste the Day (from Attack of the Wolf King)
9. I Don't Believe in Love - Queensryche (from Operation Mindcrime)

Saturday Night Shuffle (8-6-11)

1. The Secret - Emery (from the album The Weak's End)
2. Drunk Sincerity - Bad Religion (from The Grey Race)
3. Nearly Impossible - Face to Face (from Ignorance is Bliss)
4. Armatage Shanks - Green Day (from Insomniac)
5. Susanne - Weezer (from Weezer Deluxe Edition)
6. Rocket Man - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from Have a Ball)
7. Closer - Kings of Leon (from Only By the Night)
8. You Shook Me All Night Long - ACDC (from Back in Black)
9. The Enemy - John Moreland and the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can't Control)
10. Somebody - Depeche Mode (from Some Great Reward)
11. Haunted - Kelly Clarkson (from My December)
12. The Burden - Dropkick Murphys (from The Warriors Code)

Your Favorite Marvel and DC Characters

Comic Book Resources is doing a fan poll to find out the most popular DC and Marvel characters.

The poll, titled Your Favorite Marvel and DC Characters of All Time can be found here.

For those of you that are curious, here are my lists:


DC
1 Batman
2 Superman
3 Flash
4 Captain Marvel
5 Green Arrow
6 Green Lantern
7 Lex Luthor
8 General Zod
9 Nightwing
10 Robin

Marvel
1 Punisher
2 Hulk
3 Deadpool
4 Magneto
5 Wolverine
6 Silver Surfer
7 Doctor Doom
8 Thor
9 Cable
10 Captain America

MLB Roundup 2011 (August 6)

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East
Boston
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Baltimore

Central
Detroit
Cleveland
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota
Kansas City

West
Texas
Los Angeles Angels
Oakland
Seattle last place again...really? sad.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East
Philadelphia
Atlanta
New York Mets
Florida
Washington

Central
Milwaukee
St. Louis
Pittsburgh
Cincinnati
Chicago Cubs
Houston

West
Arizona
San Francisco
Colorado
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego

STATS

Wins (Pitching)
Sabthia (Yankees) - 16
Verlander (Tigers) - 16
Halladay (Phillies) - 14
Weaver (Angels) - 14

Saves
Wilson (Giants) - 33
Kimbrel (Braves) - 33
Valverde (Tigers) - 32
Axford (Brewers) - 32

ERA
Weaver (Angels) - 1.78
Cueto (Reds) - 2.06
Vogelsong (Giants) - 2.19

Home Runs
Bautista (Blue Jays) - 33
Teixeira (Yankees) - 32
Berkman (Cardinals) - 28
Granderson (Yankees) - 28

Hits
Gonzalez (Red Sox) - 159
Young (Rangers) - 150
Castro (Cubs) - 148

Batting Average
Gonzalez (Red Sox) - .352
Reyes (Mets) - .336
Young (Rangers) - .336

ESPN Power Rankings (1st 10)

Philadelphia Phillies
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees (boo!)
San Francisco Giants
Texas Rangers
Atlanta Braves
Los Angeles Angels
Milwaukee Brewers
St. Louis Cardinals
Detroit Tigers

Thursday Morning Shuffle (8-4-11)

Haven't done one of these in a while.....

1. Perfect Situation - Weezer (from Make Believe)
2. 180 Degrees - NOFX (from So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes)
3. It Takes One to Know One - The Donnas (from Gold Medal)
4. I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles (from Meet the Beatles!)
5. Sink Into Me - Taking Back Sunday (from New Again)
6. Too Much Whiskey Not Enough Blankets - Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
7. The Noose - The Offspring (from Splinter)
8. Reclusion - Anberlin (from Cities)
9. I Won't Lie Down - Face to Face (from Face to Face)

Otisburg Now on Bandcamp

Otisburg is now on Bandcamp!

Read the full article here at OtisburgRocks!

The Pros and Cons of Being a Digital Only Artist by Lefty

It is pretty safe to say, without doing any research that the vast majority of music consumed, procured, and purchased nowadays is done so digitally. Slowly but surely CDs are becoming a thing of the past (much to my chagrin) as MP3s have become the music medium of choice.

The same technological boom that changed the world with the personal computer and then the internet also changed how musicians record music. With the right software and computer, it became possible for artists to record their music at home without the expense of going to a studio. And after a while, the quality of those types of recordings got better and better allowing an artist the freedom to create his/her own music without spending hundreds of dollars (if not thousands) in the studio. A band could make a one-time investment in a high quality computer and high-end recording software and turn their bedroom into their own personal studio. Now said band can record their music whenever they want, but who will release it?

The DIY movement that began in the 1980s underground scene in America proved that you didn’t need a major label to put out a record. You could record the album and put it out yourself, on your own label. This was an amazing revelation that sparked one of the most influential and revolutionary periods in rock ‘n’ roll history. But it still took money to get it all done. Many of those bands and labels struggled to stay afloat (heck many of them struggled just to earn enough to eat) and even though the door to putting out your own records has been kicked open, it was still a daunting endeavor to undertake. Enter the internet. Once things with the internet started taking off and services like Napster began changing the way that people get their music, artists were able to release their musically completely independently. It took some time for all of this to fall into place (Napster launched in 1999 and it took probably a good seven or eight years before self-releasing music online really took hold) but now a band can record a record and release it through sites like BandCamp completely on their own. No label needed.

Thanks to technology, artists can have complete artistic freedom to record and release whatever they so choose without anyone telling them what to do. But the real question is, is this a good thing? Yes often record labels can be stifling to an artist, especially major record labels looking for a hit, but sometimes a label with the right perspective can help an artist hone his/her craft. To make a related comparison, I’d like to quote Jack Rabid’s review of Guided By Voices records Universal Truths and Cycles from the 2002 50th issue of The Big Takover (which I happened to be re-reading a few months ago at work). This quote is specifically discussing GBV leaving a bigger label and returning to a smaller one and how that affected the music.

Robert Pollard’s release from the TVT label, with whom he had irreconcilable differences, and subsequent return to his old Matador home is something he desired as a strong-willed, independent artist. But is it an improvement artistically? If one considers his tenure with TVT as his attempt to go for a bigger audience than the usual 100,000 or so he routinely sells—by honing and editing his material for a bigger label into the best it could be, then working with a strong producer to make it sound deeper—then his return to a more organic, less arduous approach could feel like a step back, a white flag waved, a surrender from the truly transcendent GBV we saw last time on the band’s most developed LP, the climacteric Isolation Drills.

Rabid goes on to say that “the results of this path were never guaranteed,” meaning that it doesn’t always work out having someone help in the production/development of a record.

The case mentioned above shows the results of going from one type of record label to another, but what if there were no labels involved? How many potentially great artists will be lost in the avalanche of self-released digital-only artists because they never got the proper guidance or support that they needed for their music to grow? Some artists need that guidance to help them become the best that they can be and with the digital revolution, many of those artists can potentially go right along writing and releasing music that is not as good as it could be.

In some cases, bands start out as digital only, recording and releasing music themselves; move on to working with a label. Case in point – Candy Heart released their debut album Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams in 2010 via BandCamp (see my review here). The record was quite good and the band has since signed to Kind of Like Records who will release their follow-up Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy in September. This is a path that I foresee a lot of the better digital-only bands following (I could see the same thing happen to a band like Wagers, whose 2011 digital-only releases I recently reviewed). I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a common phenomenon in the music industry. From a label stand point its great because they get to take on a band that potentially has an already large, worldwide, audience thanks to the internet. That’s less development that they will need to invest in. Plus the artist will have already asserted themselves and cultivated an audience that is bigger than their hometown.

How is this any different though then the way that things have been done for the past 30 years? With the internet a band can grow an audience without having to tour all over the world. From an investment standpoint, they have been able to create an audience without the expense or time of living in a van and putting their lives/jobs at home on hold. What’s good about this is that when said band/artist does tour there will potentially be more fans waiting to see them the first time they come to a particular city. Obviously this is the best-case scenario thinking. Just because you have a lot of fans of Facebook or followers on Twitter doesn’t mean that people will actually come out to see you play on a Tuesday night.

As I see it there are two major pros and three major cons to being a digital only artist.

The Pros –
> It’s cheaper and can be done completely independent of a record label. With doing digital only releases a band limits the cost to the recording process and if they are being self released, then the band gets the vast majority of the money from the sales of the songs and releases (minus any fees/cuts taken by sites like iTunes, BandCamp, etc.). This provides complete control to the artist for the sale and distribution of the release. It also gives them complete and total creative control over not only the music but the artwork, etc.

> More bands will be able to get there music out to be heard. Thanks to the digital age, artists have more opportunities to connect with their fans and get their music out there. Artists can get demos and new songs out to their fans nearly immediately if they so choose. They can also preview up coming releases by making individual tracks available to download prior to the release of their album.

The Cons –
> By doing digital only releases, artists have less merchandise to sell at shows. Even though people nowadays tend to buy/get a lot of their music online, many people often like to buy releases from bands at shows and that is harder to do with a digital only releases (it can be done buy selling a download code but that’s not as cool as leaving a show with a CD or record in hand).

> The flipside of avoiding working with a record label is that sometimes there are some very smart people at record labels that have a deep understanding on music and how to structure albums most affectively. There are times that an artist needs a guiding hand and with the digital revolution many bands are going to miss out on those opportunities.

> The flipside of the more bands will be able to get their music heard coin is the sad reality that there are a lot of pretty awful bands out there and now thanks to the internet their music becomes part of the thousands of other artists that people are able to sift through.

Obviously there are other pros and cons to this debate but as I see it, most of them tend to fall into the categories above.

The music industry is at a crossroads at the moment and it is still undecided whether or not the internet and digital age has been good or bad for music (you can hear an excellent discussion on this very issue from NPR’s Planet Money here). Personally I think that it has been both good and bad, just like there are good and bad aspects to being a digital only artist. Speaking purely as a fan and a music consumer, I prefer physical releases (CDs specially) to digital only releases. Have I been introduced to some great bands through the internet? Absolutely, and while I’m glad to have the releases on my computer that I do, for the ones that I really, really like, I pine to actually have the record as a CD so I can hold it and read the liner notes while listening to the music. This of course could be a generational thing. Those who have grown up with the MP3, they probably don’t have the same love for a hard copy of the release that someone who grew up with records, cassettes, and CDs does.

Finally, if you are at all curious about the history of the MP3 I highly suggest that you read The MP3: A History of Innovation and Betrayal from NPR’s The Record.