The Otter Limits

NHL Roundup (1.28.12)

2012-01-28T23:11:00.001-06:00

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Atlantic Division

Rangers

Flyers

Penguins

Devils

Islanders

Northeast Division

Bruins

Senators

Maple Leafs

Canadiens

Sabres

Southeast Division

Capitals

Panthers

Jets

Lightning

Hurricanes

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Central Division

Red Wings

Blues

Predators

Blackhawks

Blue Jackets

Northwest Division

Canucks

Wild

Avalanche

Flames

Oilers

Pacific Division

Sharks

Kings

Stars

Coyotes

Mighty Ducks

STATS LEADERS

Points Leaders

Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh) - 58

Claude Giroux (Philadelphia) - 55

Marian Hossa (Chicago) - 53

Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit) - 53

Goals Leaders

Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) - 32

Jonathan Toews (Chicago) - 27

James Neal (Pittsburgh) - 27

Wins Leaders

Jimmy Howard (Detroit) - 30

Pekka Rinne (Nashville) - 28

Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) - 26

Save Percentage Leaders

Brian Elliott (St Louis) - .938

Tuukka Rask (Boston) - .938

Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers) - .937

ESPN NHL Power Rankings (Top 10)

New York Rangers

Boston Bruins

Detroit Red Wings

St Louis Blues

Chicago Blackhawks

Philadelphia Flyers

Nashville Predators

Vancouver Canucks

San Jose Sharks

Pittsburgh Penguins

Saturday Afternoon Shuffle (1.28.12)

2012-01-28T12:18:00.002-06:00

Heart is Gone - Roustabouts (from the album The Only One)
Of Pirates, Cowboys and Lawyers - Ryan Harvey w/Tom Frampton (from the album The Revolution Will Not Be Amplified)
My Best Friend - Weezer (from the album Make Believe)
May the Future Forgive Us - Fall City Shakedown (from the album Birds + Leaves)
Haight Street - Anberlin (from the album New Surrender)
Brushing of the Wings - Traindodge (from the album Wolves)
Fashion Victim - Green Day (from the album Warning)
Fun Tonight - The Riverdales (from the album The Riverdales)
She Sells Sanctuary - Cult (from the album Love)
Trust - Megadeth (from the album Cryptic Writings)
Bro Hymn - Pennywise (from the album Pennywise)

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.27.12)

2012-01-27T09:37:00.002-06:00

Getting ready to record some vocals for Otisburg this morning. Hopefully today's shuffle will help me prepare for that.

Beautiful Day - U2 (from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind)
Who We Are - Haste the Day (from the album That They May Know You)
Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants (from the album Flood)
Brace Face - Nerd Alert (from the 2009 Demo)
Nearly Impossible - Face to Face (from the album Ignorance is Bliss)
Little Devotional - Taking Back Sunday (from the album Where You Want To Be)
High Lonesome - Gaslight Anthem (from the album The '59 Sound)
I Don't Want to Grow Up - Descendents (from the album I Don't Want to Grow Up)
Smoke You Out - The Donnas (from the album Bitchin')
Mass Nerder - Descendents (from the album Cool To Be You)
Pull Me Closer, Violent Dancer - Project 86 (from the album Rival Factions)
Crab - Weezer (from the album Weezer - Green)

2012 South Carolina Primary Results

2012-01-26T07:56:00.000-06:00

I meant to post this earlier but I guess I forgot to.

The winner of the South Carolina Republican Presidential primary by a pretty good margin (and quite surprisingly) is former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Not only did he take first place but he proved to many people that Mitt Romney is not necessarily the Republican Party's golden boy for the nomination. Gingrich beat out Romney by over 10 points.

Here are the actual results:

Newt Gingrich - 40.4%
Mitt Romney - 27.8%
Rick Santorum - 17%
Ron Paul - 13%

Next primary up is Florida, which takes place on the 31st of January.

By the way, for those of you that are interested, Oklahoma's primary this year is on March 6 and the Washington caucus is on March 3.

Thursday Morning Shuffle (1.26.12)

2012-01-26T07:46:00.003-06:00

Jolene - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from the album Love Their Country)
Forever - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Live on Lansdowne)
End of Your Time - Smoking Popes (from the album Destination Failure)
When the Love is Right - Tourniquet (from the album Carry the Wounded)
I Hung My Head - Johnny Cash (from the album American IV: The Man Comes Around)
Unconditional - Face to Face (from the album How to Ruin Everything)
Cold Feelings - Social Distortion (from the album Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell)
Kiss Off - Violent Femmes (from the album Violent Femmes)
Losing Hand - Season to Risk (from the album Men are Monkeys, Robots Win)
Under the Knife - Rise Against (from the album The Sufferer & the Witness)
It's a Long Way to the Top If You Wanna Rock n Roll - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Singles Collection Volume 2)
www.sara - All (from the album Problematic)

2012: The Year of Otisburg!

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000-06:00

Check this out, new post at the Otisburg blog!

Interview with Tom Guild

2012-01-20T10:42:00.005-06:00

Tom Guild is a retired Professor of Business from the University of Central Oklahoma.

He is currently running for United States Congress in Oklahoma's 5th district against Congressman James Lankford. He is running for the Democratic nomination of this office.

You can view more information about him at his website here.

Below is an interview that I conducted with Tom via e-mail this past week.

First question, in a nutshell, why are you running for Congress?

The middle class is being squeezed. The right wing has tried to engage in right wing social engineering and kill Medicare in the Republican U.S. House in April 2011. Medicare has lowered the poverty rate for seniors since 1966 from 30% to 7.5% and has increased the percentage of seniors with health care from 49% to virtually 100%. Ending Medicare would devastate the middle class and impoverish millions of American seniors.

The right wing also wants to privatize Social Security. Prior to the passage of Social Security in 1935, middle class Americans had virtually no savings to rely on in their retirement years and lived by and large in difficult circumstances in their golden years. Today, when approximately 20% of Americans retire, their only income each month is their Social Security checks. Privatizing Social Security would destabilize and destroy the program. Social Security is financed independently through employer and employee contributions and is sound and 100% solvent through 2036. It earned 4.6% on its investments in 2010 and has $2.6 Trillion in assets. Privatization would allow Wall Street to get its hands on trillions of additional dollars in middle class assets, and as we have learned in the recent economic meltdown, we can’t always count on Wall Street to do the right thing with their investors’ money.

Most of the Republicans in Congress oppose having the wealthiest in our society pay their fair share of taxes. House Republicans oppose repeal of the George W. Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, singles with annual incomes over $200,000 and couples with annual incomes over $250,000. Repealing these tax cuts, and going back to the rates that were in effect during the Clinton Presidency, would cut the national budget deficit approximately $800 Billion over the next ten years.

Why should the voters choose you over your opponent, James Lankford?

I support preserving Medicare. We need to mend it not end it. Lankford voted for the Ryan Plan in April 2011 which passed the Republican House. The Ryan Plan ends Medicare for those who are 54 and under. They would no longer have basic health coverage when they reach age 65, would not have doctor and hospital stays covered, would not be entitled to stay in skilled nursing facilities, nor be entitled to home health care, and they would lose the right to go to the doctor/hospital of their choice who/that accept Medicare. It would cost the average 54-year old an additional $180,000 for health care coverage at age 65 and the average 44-year old an additional $287,000 at age 65 if the Ryan Plan becomes law. Medicare would be replaced with a voucher and affected Americans would be forced to go into the market and attempt to purchase health care insurance that they can afford. We would go back to the system which existed prior to 1966 with a huge poverty rate for seniors, and more than 50% of seniors lacking health care coverage. This would be devastating to the middle class.

Lankford has said on multiple occasions that he wants to privatize Social Security. Social Security has kept millions of American seniors out of poverty since 1935. Social Security can pay 100% of anticipated benefits through 2036 and after 2036 can pay 77% of anticipated benefits from non interest income. The Social Security Trust Funds earned 4.6% interest in 2010 and had a very low .9% administration cost in 2010. Privatizing Social Security would destabilize and destroy the program and devastate many Americans in the middle class. It is another case of right wing social engineering that must be stopped.

Lankford opposed repealing don’t ask, don’t tell in the military. I strongly favored repeal.

Lankford opposes requiring groups that run political ads form disclosing their donors. I strongly favor transparency and legally requiring such donors to be disclosed.

What do you think are the 3 most pressing problems facing the United States and how would you address those problems?

1) We need to protect Medicare and mend it not end it.

2) We need to preserve Social Security and not privatize the most popular and effective program in U.S. history.

3) We need to adequately fund public education which will lead to the creation of good paying jobs and careers. There is a conscious effort by some on the right to defund public education, which will ultimately destroy public education. Public education is the great equalizer. Public schools are a great democratic institution. It gives all children the opportunity to work hard and realistically expect to achieve the American dream. Destroying the public schools by design or by neglect would be the greatest mistake our country could make. We need a well educated people to have a strong democracy and to compete in the world marketplace for the best and highest paying careers for our citizens.

Public education is the gateway to a well educated workforce and attracting good paying jobs and careers. As we strengthen our education system, we strengthen our country and secure our place in the world economy. Support for public education will do more to create good careers for our citizens than any single thing we can do.

What is your stance on public broadcasting?

I fully support PBS and federal funding for PBS and favor state support for OETA. Public broadcasting tends to be less partisan and ideological, and is a rich source of information and entertainment.

What is your preferred source of news?

I read several newspapers and several blogs on a regular basis. I also enjoy books on American history, which give me perspective on current events and possible approaches and solutions to today’s problems.

What do you think is the best way to create more jobs in the United States?

We also need to rebuild our infrastructure—roads, bridges, highways, interstates, airports and schools. This is an investment in our future and will attract business from all over the world. This will afford businesses the opportunity to operate in a progressive environment, with well educated and motivated and well trained employees.

How do you feel about the voting and election laws in the United States, and more specifically the state of Oklahoma?

Our democracy is strengthened when the largest number of our citizens vote and participate in the political process. Recent efforts to make it more difficult to register and vote are moves in the wrong direction. The problem in our state and nation is that too few vote and participate in the electoral process, rather than the other way around.

What is your stance on term limits and salary caps for elected officials?

I favor term limits for all politicians, including members of Congress. As to members of Congress, I think no one should serve more than 12 years total in Congress. For example, if someone serves 6 years in the U.S. House, they should be limited to no more than an additional 6 years in the U.S. Senate or a total of 12 years in Congress.

Congressmen should take a pay cut and be paid no more than $100,000 a year. We need citizen legislators, not those who want to get rich on the public dole.

What sort of ideas do you support for tax reform?

The Bush tax cuts for the wealthy should be repealed. The cap for the amount of income subject to payroll taxes should be raised gradually. This would strengthen programs dependent on payroll taxes as their main or sole source of funding. It would also reduce the enormous burden now placed squarely on Americans in the middle class.

What are your thoughts on the Fair Tax?

I oppose the “fair tax” in the versions I have read about because it shifts the tax burden from the wealthiest Americans to the middle class and working poor. In other words, the “fair tax” is regrettably unfair!

In regards to the federal budget, where would you make cuts first and why?

We could reduce the budget deficit by approximately $800 Billion over ten years by simply repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. We can reduce spending by hundreds of billions of dollars by winding down our involvement in Afghanistan. Already the projections are that the budget deficit will be under $1 Trillion for the next fiscal year. We need to make targeted investments in infrastructure and public education to create a strong environment for job growth, which will lead to additional revenues and lower the deficit. Until we escape the current great recession, begun during the Bush Administration, we need to be careful that we don’t cut federal spending too precipitously, and make the economy and the deficit worse. We seem to be moving slowly in the right direction and slowly regaining our economic footing in the last few months. We need to be careful not to pursue strategies that reverse our recent gains.

Any final thoughts?

If you favor preserving Medicare, protecting Social Security, promoting transparency in campaign finance, promoting public education and pushing our state and country in the direction of becoming more diverse and welcoming to people from all backgrounds and walks of life, I’m your guy!

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.20.12)

2012-01-20T09:02:00.002-06:00

Holy Ghost Haunted - John Moreland & the Dust Bowl Souls (from the album Everything the Hard Way)
21st Century Opium War - Ryan Harvey (from the album Blowback)
Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash (from the album London Calling)
State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam (from the album Rearviewmirror)
Hey Suburbia - Screeching Weasel (from the album Boogadaboogadaboogada!)
Christian Rock - John Moreland & the Dust Bowl Souls (from the album Everything the Hard Way)
Down on the Corner - Creedence Clearwater Revival (from the album Willy and the Poor Boys)
Pretty Much Empty - John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from the album Things I Can't Control) very strange that John Moreland is showing up randomly on my iTunes shuffle today.
Closer - Kings of Leon (from the album Only By the Night)
Sunset Strip Bitch - Eve 6 (from the album Horrorscope)
Alright Lets Go - John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from the album Things I Can't Control) so weird!!!

Interview with John Moreland

2012-01-18T21:21:00.003-06:00

John Moreland is an alt-country/rock artist based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has been releasing EPs and LPs since 2006 both by himself and along with the bands Black Gold Band and his new band, the Dust Bowl Souls.

Here is an interview that I conducted with him via e-mail today, January 18..............................

1. When did you first start playing music and what got you started?

i started playing music when i was 10 years old. my family had just moved to Tulsa from northern Kentucky, so i didn't really have any friends yet, and i was pretty bored. my dad played guitar, so i asked him to teach me some chords.

2. What bands and/or solo artists are your biggest musical influences?

holland-dozier-holland, randy newman, steve earle, john fogerty, leon russell, a lot more.

3. Are there any artists that you would like to work with that you haven't been able to yet?

plenty, but i don't know how realistic most of them are. buddy miller would be at the top of the list.

Here are some songwriting questions:

4. What comes first. Music or lyrics?

usually music and a couple lines of lyrics come at the same time, and then i'll finish the lyrics later.

5. Are your songs a collaborative effort or do you write them yourself?

not collaborative at all. i've only co-written twice.

6. Which do you prefer, recording or playing live. Why?

recording. playing live scares the hell out of me.

Here is a question for the gearheads:

7. What kind of gear do you use when recording and playing live?

when i'm recording, it depends on where i'm recording and what gear is available there, and also what song(s) i'm recording, because i wanna use gear that's appropriate for the song and how i want it to come across. live, i play a martin 000X1AE. when i play with a band, i play a stratocaster w/ a tele deluxe neck. it was given to me, and i really don't know anything about it. and a fender hot rod deville 2x12.

8. Your latest album [Everything the Hard Way] was released with the Dust Bowl Souls, what happened to the Black Gold Band?

we broke up in december 2009.

9. What are your thoughts on the music scene here in Oklahoma?

it's weird.

10. Have any record labels shown any interest in signing you?

nope.

11. Are there any labels you would be interested in working with?

any label that could help me. i don't really have a preference.

12. In your opinion, what are the 3 best musical releases in 2011 (not including your own)?

glossary - long live all of us
des ark - don't rock the boat, sink the fucker
preservation hall jazz band & del mccoury band - american legacies

13. Whats next for you?

make another record, play more shows. same as always.

Currently Reading: A Man Without a Country

2012-01-18T21:06:00.001-06:00

TITLE: A Man Without a Country
AUTHOR: Kurt Vonnegut
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2005
PUBLISHER: Seven Stories Press

Another one of the few Vonnegut books that I haven't read. From what I have heard about this book, this is less a work of fiction than it is a commentary on life and politics in America. In fact, I found the book itself in the non-fiction section of the library rather than the fiction section that I normally get my Vonnegut books from.

I have read some pretty cool quotes from this book so I am really looking forward to tearing through this one.

Wednesday Night Shuffle (1.18.12)

2012-01-18T20:21:00.005-06:00

It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite - NOFX (from the album So Long & Thanks for All the Shoes)
Self Destruct - The Roustabouts (from the album The Only One)
The Reason - Defiance, Ohio (from the album Midwestern Minutes)
Rusty Cage - Soundgarden (from the album Badmotorfinger)
One Eighty By Summer - Taking Back Sunday (from the album Where You Want To Be)
Driving Nowhere - Helmet (from the album Aftertaste)
Skinhead on the MBTA - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Do or Die)
Iron Fist - Motorhead (from the album No Remorse)
Back and Forth - Foo Fighters (from the album Wasting Light)
Making You Cry - Screeching Weasel (from the album My Brain Hurts)
Typical Love Story - Otisburg (from the album Born Yesterday)
Young Love Lost in a Flood - John Moreland & the Dust Bowl Souls (from the album Everything the Hard Way)

Here I Am Playing With LirvA at the Conservatory

2012-01-17T00:06:00.002-06:00

Top 8 Songs of 2011

2012-01-16T21:46:00.004-06:00

I have been meaning to do this for a while but it has taken me a while to compile the list. This is a list of the 8 Best Songs that were released in 2011.

I was trying to sort the list in order of preference but after several attempts, I discovered that this was a futile attempt.

So here is the list in no particular order:

Darkness - They Stay Dead (released in March on EP)
This Is Only a Test - Smoking Popes (released in March on This Is Only a Test)
Make It Stop - Rise Against (released in March on Endgame)
Peg O My Heart - Dropkick Murphys (released in March on Going Out in Style)
Walk - Foo Fighters (released in April on Wasting Light)
Faith - Taking Back Sunday (released in June on Taking Back Sunday)
Hold Captive - Kill the Reflection (released in October on Together Apart)
Low - John Moreland and the Dust Bowl Souls (released in November on Everything the Hard Way)*

*Figuring out which song was the best on this album was really difficult. The entire album is really amazing and one of the songs from this album HAD to show up on this list.

Sunday Afternoon Shuffle (1.15.12)

2012-01-15T16:39:00.002-06:00

Can't Stop the Killer - Emery (from the album I'm Only A Man)
Grace - Stavesacre (from the album How to Live With a Curse)
Euro Trash - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Boys on the Docks)
Nocturnal - Eve 6 (from the album Horrorscope)
You Fail Sometimes - Number One Gun (from the album Celebrate Mistakes)
Homemade Speed - Blatz (from the album The Shit Split)
One Foot Before the Other - Frank Turner (from the album England Keep My Bones)
Ruin My Night - John Moreland & the Black Gold Band (from the album Things I Can't Control)
Nobody's Fool - Cinderella (from the album Night Songs)
Where My Mouth Is - Taking Back Sunday (from the album New Again)
This World - All (from the album Pummel

Currently Reading: The Rolling Stone Interviews

2012-01-13T22:53:00.002-06:00

TITLE: The Rolling Stone Interviews
AUTHOR: Various; Edited by Jann Wenner and Joe Levy
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2007
PUBLISHER: Back Bay Books

Here is another one I picked up from the library recently. This book is a compilation of several interviews from Rolling Stone magazine that were done between 1968 and 2005.

It includes interviews with such notable names as Pete Townshend, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, George Lucas, Bill Murray, Jack Nicholson, Eric Clapton, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Garcia, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Cobain, the Dalai Lama, Ozzy Osbourne and Bono, among many others.

I have not read them all but I have read most of them and so far my favorites interviews are the Bruce Springsteen interview, which was done in August of 1992 and the interview done with Bill Clinton, which was done in December 2000.

Currently Reading: Gender Blender

2012-01-13T22:43:00.001-06:00

TITLE: Gender Blender
AUTHOR: Blake Nelson
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2006
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press

After reading Blake Nelson's book Rockstar Superstar, I went looking for more of his stuff at the library. This book Gender Blender was the first one I found so I picked it up and read it.

Overall, not really as good as my previous read. The writing itself is good, same style as he wrote in Rockstar. The story itself, I think is what made it not as good.

Gender Blender is basically another one of those body switch stories this one told from the perspective of two 6th graders (a boy and a girl) who wind up switching bodies and how they deal with and how they figure out how to switch back. This type of story has been done over and over again in so many different ways. It really makes me wonder why Nelson would have wrote a story on this sort of subject matter unless he really thinks that people are not tired of this subject.

I am.

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.13.12)

2012-01-13T08:01:00.002-06:00

Sweet Caroline - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (from the album Have a Ball)
Fight or Flight - Face to Face (from the album How to Ruin Everything)
Angels Wings - Social Distortion (from the album Sex, Love and Rock n Roll)
If All Else Fails Play Dead - Red City Radio (from the album To the Sons & Daughters of Woody Guthrie)
Snooper vs the Red Baron - The Staggers (from the album One Heartbeat Away From Hell)
Sidewalk Warrior - Screeching Warrior (from the album Emo)
Manifest Democracy - Ryan Harvey (from the album Blowback)
Tempation Tide - Sebadoh (from the album Bakesale)
The Gauntlet - Dropkick Murphys (from the album Live on St Patricks Day)
Operation Mindcrime - Queensrcyhe (from the album Operation Mindcrime)
Christmas Vacation - Descendents (from the album Hallraker)

Crust Punk: Genre of the Momentmu

2012-01-12T23:49:00.001-06:00

Crust punk is a form of hardcore punk that was heavily influenced by anarcho-punk bands such as Crass or Aus-Rotten. Musically, it mixes elements of metal and is characterized by its heavy and dirty sound. It is normally fast tempo'd and the vocals are usually screamed, shrieked or growled. Lyrically, songs of this genre are typically political in nature.

Some notable bands of this genre include Filth, Amebix, Nausea and Doom.

Filth: Discography of the Moment

2012-01-12T23:37:00.003-06:00

On my lunch break the other day I drove a few blocks away to the new Bricktown location of Guestroom Records. While there I spotted the infamous Shit Split that this band did with Blatz back in 1990 (this album has been re-issued at least 2 times that I know of) and I had to pick it up.

Filth was a hardcore punk rock band that originally formed in 1989 in East Bay, California. It was put together by various members of the bands Isocracy and The Vagrants. They were a type of hardcore punk that a lot of people called "crust" punk. They were not together long, lasting from 1989 to 1992. They did, however, have a short-lived reunion in 2010, lasting for 4 shows.

Here is their discography:

Live the Chaos

Released in 1990 by Lookout! Records; Re-released in 2000 by Life is Abuse Records; Re-released again in 2008 by Silver Sprocket Records.

Produced by Kevin Army and Filth

Band lineup:

Jake Sayles - vocals; Mike-0 the Psycho - bass; Dave Henwood - drums; Jim Gray - guitar; Len Rokk - guitar

Tracks: 4

"Today's Lesson" "Lust for Glory" "Hate" "Freedom"

If You Can See Through It...It Ain't Coffee

Compilation album released in 1990 by Very Small Records

Various producers

No lineup changes.

Tracks: 4 (1 Filth song)

"Scarred for Life" - recorded by Kevin Army

The Shit Split (w/Blatz)

Released in 1990 by Lookout!; Re-released in 2000 by Life is Abuse; Re-released again in 2008 by Alternative Tentacles.

No lineup changes.

Produced by Kevin Army

Tracks: 14 (7 Filth songs)

"The List" "You Are Shit" "Night of Rage" "Filth" "Violence as a Solution" "Scarred for Life" and "Banned from the Pubs"

This Is Why We Are the Drunks (split w/Submachine)

Released in 1992 by Rust Records

Produced by Scott Warner.

Lineup changes:

Dave Henwood was replaced on drums by Toby (who was eventually replaced at some point in time by Joey Perales shortly before the band broke up).

Tracks: 5 (2 Filth songs)

"Buttshits" and "Dear Fuck"

There's a Faggot in the Pit

Compilation album released in 1992 by Bobo Records

Various producers

No lineup changes.

Tracks: 5 (1 Filth song)

"Filth"

Rise Against Plays "Blind"

2012-01-11T20:41:00.003-06:00

This song is my favorite Face to Face song and here is a clip I found on YouTube of Rise Against doing a cover of it. It is amazing!!!

Rise Against: Discography of the Moment

2012-01-11T20:35:00.002-06:00

Rise Against was started in 1999 in Chicago, Illinois. This punk rock band was originally called Transistor Revolt, changing their name to Rise Against after signing with Fat Wreck Chords.

My friend Dave did a review of their album Endgame on his website here.

Here are some Rise Against websites:

Official Website
Rise Against Wiki article
Rise Against Facebook page
Rise Against MySpace page

Here is their Discography:

Transistor Revolt
Released independently in 2000
Produced by Mr Precision
Band lineup:
Tim McIIrath - vocals; Mr Precision - guitar; Joe Principe - bass; Toni Tintari - drums
Tracks: 4

The Unraveling
Released in April 2001 by Fat Wreck Chords
Produced by Mass Giorgini
Lineup changes:
Toni Tintari was replaced on drums by Dan Lumley
Tracks: 16

Revolutions Per Minute
Released in April 2003 by Fat Wreck Chords
Produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore
Lineup changes:
Dan Lumley was replaced on drums by Brandon Barnes and Mr Precision was replaced on guitar by Todd Mohney
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Like the Angel" and "Heaven Knows"

Siren Song of the Counter Culture
Released in August 2004 by Geffen Records
Produced by Garth Richardson
Lineup changes:
Todd Mohney was replaced on guitar by Chris Chasse
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Give It All" "Swing Life Away" "Life Less Frightening" and "Paper Wings"
Charts:
#136 on the Billboard 200

The Sufferer and the Witness
Released in July 2006 by Geffen
Produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore
No lineup changes
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Ready to Fall" "Prayer of the Refugee" "The Good Left Undone" "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Approaching Curve"
Charts:
#10 on the US Billboard 200
#2 on the US Billboard Rock Albums chart

This Is Noise
Released in July 2007 by Geffen
Various producers
No lineup changes
Tracks: 5
This EP contains some B-sides and some stuff previously released on soundtrack albums (including a couple of Black Flag covers)

Appeal to Reason
Released in October 2008 by DGC/Interscope
Produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore
Lineup changes:
Zach Blair replaced Chris Chasse on guitar
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Re-education" "Audience of One" and "Savior"
Charts:
#3 on the US Billboard 200
#2 on the US Billboard Rock Albums chart
#1 on the US Billboard Digital Albums chart
#1 on the Canadian Albums chart

Rise Against/Anti-Flag Split
Released in February 2009 by DGC
Tracks: 2

Endgame
Released in March 2011 by DGC/Interscope
Produced by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore
No lineup changes
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Help Is on the Way" "Make It Stop" and "Satellite"
Charts:
#2 on the US Billboard 200
#1 on the US Billboard Rock Albums chart
#1 on the US Billboard Digital Albums chart
#1 on the Canadian Albums chart
#1 on the UK Rock Albums chart

Join the Ranks
Released in May 2011 by Fat Wreck Chords
No lineup changes
Tracks: 3

Rise Against/Face to Face Split
Released in May 2011 by Folsom Records
Tracks: 2

Wednesday Night Shuffle (1.11.12)

2012-01-11T17:45:00.002-06:00

I'll Follow the Sun - The Beatles (from the album Beatles '65)
This Is Only a Test - Smoking Popes (from the album This Is Only a Test)
Copping Z - All (from the album Allroy's Revenge)
Boot Stamping on a Human Face Forever - Bad Religion (from the album The Empire Strikes First)
Mary - Kings of Leon (from the album Come Around Sundown)
Here With Me - Descendents (from the album Cool To Be You)
Last Breath Aboard - Season to Risk (from the album The Shattering)
Drinking Alone Again - Ryan Harvey (from the album The Revolution Will Not Be Amplified)
Edie (Ciao Baby) - The Cult (from the album Sonic Temple)
It's So Hard - The Donnas (from the album Gold Medal)
Losing My Mind - Weezer (from the album Death to False Metal)

Quote(s) of the Day (1.11.2012)

2012-01-11T17:14:00.001-06:00

"Another term for preventive war is aggressive war - starting wars because someday somebody might do something to us...."

"All initiation of force is a violation of someone else's rights, whether initiated by an individual or the state, for the benefit of an individual or group of individuals, even if it's supposed to be for the benefit of another individual or group of individuals."

"As recent as the year 2000 we won elections by saying we shouldn't be the policemen of the world, and that we should not be nation building. And its time we got those values back into this country."

"War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures."

- - Ron Paul

2012 New Hampshire Primary Results

2012-01-10T21:31:00.002-06:00

According to various news sources, Mitt Romney has won the Republican Presidential primary in New Hampshire.

Ron Paul took 2nd place, followed by Jon Huntsman in 3rd and Newt Gingrich in 4th. 5th place was taken by Rick Santorum.

Looking at the results right now, Romney's lead over Paul is not staggering so I don't think that this primary really means a whole lot at this point. It shows that Romney still has a long way to go in order to tie up the Republican nomination and shows that Paul might have a small chance at an upset.

Quote of the Day (1-10-2012)

2012-01-10T17:11:00.000-06:00

"So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.”

- - Kurt Vonnegut A Man Without a Country

Results of the 2012 Presidential Election Poll

2012-01-10T16:45:00.002-06:00

The question was asked: "If the Election for President Was Held Today, Who Would You Vote For?"

The answers are in and the votes have been counted.

The winner......winning a staggering 57% of the votes is.............

Barack Obama.

This surprises me quite a bit.

Anyway, 2nd place, with 28% of the vote, goes to Ron Paul.

3rd place went to Mitt Romney, who had 14% of the vote.

Newt Gingrich and Gary Johnson both received 0 (zero) votes.

The Lament of a Political Blogger

2012-01-10T15:04:00.002-06:00

Does it seem to you like the power of the vote is not as credible lately? Or was it ever?

It's as if voting doesn't hold the power it once did. That is, if it ever was powerful to begin with.

It doesn't seem to matter anymore. As if the winners of any given political contest is decided before it begins.

So, we can, if we choose, to become active in the political process. We can blog about the process as much as we want. But in the end, our cries and speeches and rants mean absolutely nothing.

And yet, we continue to torture ourselves, continually writing about politics. Blogging. Saturating our Facebook and Twitter pages. Somehow fooling ourselves into thinking that what we say matters.

So why do we do it?

Perhaps we are masochists and enjoy the torture. Perhaps we have not yet lost hope and still think that we might be reaching someone out there that might feel the same way we do. Perhaps we just can't think of anything else to write about. LoL!

Perhaps it could be that even though our votes and rantings are meaningless, the topic is still interesting enough to us to continue writing about this dribble.

We are the political bloggers. We are the not so silent masses. We are the amateur pundits of America, striving to hold on to some sort of democracy by providing slightly educated commentary to a system that may or may not be broken and without hope. No matter the results of the political processes, we are certain that we could have done a better job.

No matter how much it may seem like futile efforts, we will never abandon our quest for a better tomorrow. We will never surrender to the hopelessness that politics in America has seem to have become.

Sunday Morning Shuffle (1/8/12)

2012-01-08T09:32:00.004-06:00

Hateful Notebook - Descendents (from the album Everything Sucks)
Ruin My Night - John Moreland and the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can't Control)
Bring the People Together - Live (from Birds of Pray)
Into the Dark - The Julian Theory (from Live @ Club Laga, Pittsburgh 10.13.2001)
Ride the Lightning - Metallica (from Ride the Lightning)
No Love At All - Kill the Reflection (from Together....Apart)
Everything Must Go - Taking Back Sunday (from New Again)
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd (from Wish You Were Here)
The Baghdad Vacation - Ryan Harvey (from The New Enclosures)
This Is Such a Pity - Weezer (from Make Believe)
The KKK Took My Baby Away - Ramones (Pleasant Dreams)

Saturday Morning Shuffle (1.7.11)

2012-01-07T09:00:00.002-06:00

She's a Knockout - Social Distortion (from the album Social Distortion)
Follow the Sound - Smoking Popes (from Destination Failure)
Billie Jean - Chris Cornell (from Carry On)
Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan (from The Freewheelin Bob Dylan)
Tack - Descendents (from Cool To Be You)
Under the Knife - Motorhead (from No Remorse)
F.O.D. - Green Day (from Dookie)
Raising the Bar to A New Personal Low - Red City Radio (from Midwestern Hymnals)
Out of Focus - Face to Face (from Reactionary)
I Wanna Live - Ramones (from Halfway to Sanity)
The Terrible Secret - Emery (from The Question)

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.6.12)

2012-01-06T07:54:00.002-06:00

Along the Way - Bad Religion (from the EP Back to the Known)
Permanent - Acceptance (from the album Black Lines to Battlefields)
Bottom of the Bottle - Riot Squad (from the album Riot Squad)
We Say - Stavesacre (from the album How to Live With a Curse)
Christie Road - Green Day (from the album Kerplunk!)
Handout - Face to Face (from the album Face to Face)
Late Again - MxPx (from the album Panic)
Jamie - Weezer (from the Weezer blue Deluxe Edition)
Hot Boxin - The Donnas (from the album Get Skintight)
Foreclosure of a Dream - Megadeth (from the album Countdown to Extinction)
Walk On - U2 (from the album All That You Can't Leave Behind)

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 17)

2012-01-04T00:00:00.001-06:00

Week 17 Scores

Packers 45, Lions 41
49ers 34, Rams 27
Dolphins 19, Jets 17
Bears 17, Vikings 13
Patriots 49, Bills 21
Saints 45, Panthers 17
Eagles 34, Redskins 10
Jaguars 19, Colts 13
Titans 23, Texans 22
Falcons 45, Buccaneers 24
Ravens 24, Bengals 16
Steelers 13, Browns 9
Chiefs 7, Broncos 3
Chargers 38, Raiders 26
Cardinals 23, Seahawks 20
Giants 31, Cowboys 14

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Eagles
Cowboys
Redskins

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Buccaneers

West
49ers
Cardinals
Seahawks
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Jets
Dolphins
Bills

North
Ravens
Steelers
Bengals
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Broncos
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs

STATS

Passing Leaders (QB Rating)
Aaron Rodgers (Packers) - 122.5
Drew Brees (Saints) - 110.6
Tom Brady (Patriots) - 105.6

Passing Leaders (Yards)
Drew Brees - 5476
Tom Brady - 5235
Matthew Stafford (Detroit) - 5038

Passing Leaders (TDs)
Drew Brees - 46
Aaron Rodgers - 45
Matthew Stafford - 41

Rushing Leaders (Yards)
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) - 1606
Ray Rice (Ravens) - 1364
Michael Turner (Falcons) - 1340

Rushing Leaders (TDs)
LeSean McCoy (Eagles) - 17
Cam Newton (Panthers) - 14
Adrian Peterson (Vikings) - 12

Receiving Leaders (Yards)
Calvin Johnson (Lions) - 1681
Wes Welker (Patriots) - 1569
Victor Cruz (Giants) - 1536

Receiving Leaders (TDs)
Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) - 17
Calvin Johnson - 16
Jordy Nelson (Packers) - 15

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Atlanta Falcons
Detroit Lions
New York Giants
Houston Texans

NHL Roundup (1-1-12)

2012-01-01T22:18:00.002-06:00

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Atlantic Division
Rangers
Flyers
Penguins
Devils
Islanders

Northeast Division
Bruins
Senators
Maple Leafs
Sabres
Canadiens

Southeast Division
Panthers
Jets
Capitals
Lightning
Hurricanes

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Central Division
Blackhawks
Red Wings
Blues
Predators
Blue Jackets

Northwest Division
Canucks
Wild
Avalanche
Flames
Oilers

Pacific Division
Kings
Stars
Sharks
Coyotes
Mighty Ducks

STATS LEADERS

Points Leaders
Henrik Sedin (Vancouver) - 46
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia) - 45
Phil Kessel (Toronto) - 44
Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) - 44

Goals Leaders
Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) - 26
Marian Gaborik (New York Rangers) - 22
Phil Kessel - 21
Jonathan Toews (Chicago) - 21
James Neal (Pittsburgh) - 21

Wins Leaders
Jimmy Howard (Detroit) - 23
Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) - 19
Pekka Rinne (Nashville) - 18

Save Percentage Leaders
Tuukka Rask (Boston) - .945
Tim Thomas (Boston) - .939
Brian Elliott (St Louis) - .938

ESPN NHL Power Rankings (Top 10)
Boston Bruins
Chicago Blackhawks
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
St Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
San Jose Sharks
Minnesota Wild

Currently Reading: Rock Star Superstar

2012-01-01T21:21:00.005-06:00

TITLE: Rock Star Superstar

AUTHOR: Blake Nelson

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2004

PUBLISHER: Penguin Group

I found this book in the clearance rack of Half Price Books several months ago. It looked interesting from the blurb on the inside cover. Never got around to reading it until today.

It's about this high school kid that is the son of a musician and is a musician himself. Plays in the high school jazz band and plays in a Top 40 cover band.

His world gets turned upside down when he starts playing for an indie punk band.

It's the story of the life of a band through the eyes of a 17-year-old boy along with all the normal life stuff that goes on in the life of a teenager.

It was obviously written for a much younger audience than I am but I really liked it. I guess that shows something about my maturity level, LoL!

Anyway, I liked it. I wouldn't mind seeing a movie made out of it.

Quote of the Day (Dec 31)

2011-12-31T00:13:00.001-06:00

"America should have minded her own business and stayed out of the World War. If you hadn't entered the war the Allies would have made peace with Germany in the Spring of 1917. Had we made peace then there would have been no collapse in Russia followed by Communism, no breakdown in Italy followed by Fascism, and Germany would not have signed the Versailles Treaty, which has enthroned Nazism in Germany. If America had stayed out of the war, all these 'isms' wouldn't today be sweeping the continent of Europe and breaking down parliamentary government - and if England had made peace early in 1917, it would have saved over one million British, French, American, and other lives."

- - Winston Churchill (1936)

Thursday Evening Shuffle (12.29.11)

2011-12-29T18:57:00.000-06:00

I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones (from the album Road to Ruin)
The Star Spangled Banner - U2 (from the album Rattle and Hum)
Rte. 66 - Project 86 (from The Kane Mutiny EP)
Nothing Left to Say But Goodbye - Audioslave (from Revelations)
Politics - All (from Breaking Things)
Undone - Season to Risk (from Season to Risk)
Not Afraid - Acceptance (from Not Afraid)
Centuries Deep - Ryan Harvey (from Ordinary Heroes)
Holding Out For a Hero - Emery (from Punk Goes 80s)
Why Good People Suffer - Stavesacre (from Stavz'a'ker)
Mass Nerder - Descendents (from Cool To Be You)

Presidential Election Poll

2011-12-29T00:15:00.002-06:00

The poll I propose today is...

If the Presidential election were held today, which candidate would you vote for?

Your choices are........

Barack Obama

Ron Paul

Newt Gingrich

Mitt Romney

Gary Johnson

I thought about including an "Other" choice but nobody that chooses "Other" ever posts a comment on who that "Other" choice is so it does not help me tally the results much at all.

Happy voting!!!

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 16)

2011-12-28T17:02:00.000-06:00

Week 16 Scores

Colts 19, Texans 16
Bills 40, Broncos 14
Bengals 23, Cardinals 16
Titans 23, Jaguars 17
Raiders 16, Chiefs 13
Patriots 27, Dolphins 24
Giants 29, Jets 14
Steelers 27, Rams 0
Vikings 33, Redskins 26
Panthers 48, Buccaneers 16
Ravens 20, Browns 14
Lions 38, Chargers 10
Eagles 20, Cowboys 7
49ers 19, Seahawks 17 :(
Packers 35, Bears 21
Saints 45, Falcons 16

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Buccaneers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

North
Ravens
Steelers
Bengals
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Broncos
Raiders
Chargers
Chiefs

STATS

Passing Leaders (QB Rating)
Aaron Rodgers (Packers) - 122.5
Drew Brees (Saints) - 108.4
Tom Brady (Patriots) - 105.1

Passing Leaders (Yards)
Drew Brees - 5087
Tom Brady - 4897
Aaron Rodgers - 4643

Passing Leaders (TDs)
Aaron Rodgers - 45
Drew Brees - 41
Tom Brady - 36

Rushing Leaders (Yards)
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) - 1437
LeSean McCoy (Eagles) - 1309
Arian Foster (Texans) - 1224

Rushing Leaders (TDs)
LeSean McCoy - 17
Cam Newton (Panthers) - 14
Adrian Peterson (Vikings) - 12

Receiving Leaders (Yards)
Wes Welker (Patriots) - 1518
Calvin Johnson (Lions) - 1437
Victor Cruz (Giants) - 1358

Receiving Leaders (TDs)
Calvin Johnson - 15
Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) - 15
Jordy Nelson (Packers) - 12

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Green Bay Packers
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers
Detroit Lions
Atlanta Falcons
Houston Texans
Cincinnati Bengals

Wednesday Morning Shuffle (12.28.11)

2011-12-28T08:09:00.003-06:00

Perfect Situation - Weezer (from the album Make Believe)
Churches are Serial Killers - Emery (from In Shallow Seas We Sail)
Create the Slum - Ryan Harvey (from The New Enclosures)
Dorothy - Alkaline Trio (from This Addiction)
Reclusion - Anberlin (from Cities)
Drinking Yourself Into the Future - Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
Alright, Lets Go - John Moreland (from Thing I Can't Control)
Goodbye California - Otisburg (from Born Yesterday)
The Dirty Glass - Dropkick Murphys (from Live on Lansdowne)
Stefanie - Smoking Popes (from Stay Down)
Damage Inside My Head - Kill the Reflection (from Together...Apart)

Tuesday Morning Shuffle (12.27.11)

2011-12-27T07:49:00.002-06:00

State of Love and Trust - Pearl Jam (from the Singles soundtrack)
Refrain - All (from the album Mass Nerder)
The Green Fields of France - Dropkick Murphys (from The Warriors Code)
We're Nothing Without You - The Juliana Theory (from Emotion is Dead)
Istanbul - They Might Be Giants (from Flood)
Resignation - Face to Face (from Face to Face)
Stay Lucky - The Gaslight Anthem (from American Slang)
Driving Nowhere - Helmet (from Aftertaste)
Sink Into Me - Taking Back Sunday (from New Again)
Norwegian Wood - The Beatles (from Rubber Soul)
Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy - Ramones (from Leave Home)

Monday Afternoon Shuffle (12.26.11)

2011-12-26T13:58:00.002-06:00

Buddy Holly - Weezer (from the album Weezer)
Think the World - All (from the album Mass Nerder)
Cindy's on Methadone - Screeching Weasel (from My Brain Hurts)
Center of the City - The Roustabouts (from The Only One)
Highway 101 - Social Distortion (from Sex, Love and Rock N Roll)
I've Got Mono - Smoking Popes (from This Is Only a Test)
Dog and Pony Show - Descendents (from Cool To Be You)
She's Got Everything - Stephen Egerton w/Milo (from The 7 Degrees of Stephen Egerton)
Basket Case - Green Day (from Dookie)
Just Like Them - All (from Allroy Saves)
Operation Rescue - Bad Religion (from Against The Grain)

My Favorite Xmas Album

2011-12-24T10:33:00.003-06:00

My favorite Xmas album is Duvall's O Holy Night.

Duvall is the band that Smoking Pope's Josh Caterer put together after he disbanded the Popes back in 1999 after he decided to devote more of his work and time to his Christian life.

In my opinion, there really wasn't a whole lot of difference between the Popes and Duvall, musically. Lyrically, he dealt with more "Christian" themes, I suppose but at the same time a lot of the songs could easily translate into Smoking Popes songs.

But I digress.....

O Holy Night was released in October 2004 by Asian Man Records.

On this album Duvall plays 10 holiday classics with the same pop punk style in which they play their normal repotoire.

Here is the track listing:

Angels We Have Heard on High

Tell It On the Mountain

Do You Hear What I Hear

Little Drummer Boy

O Holy Night

Joy to the World

Light of the Stable

Away in a Manger

O Come All Ye Faithful

Jesus Christ

You can find this album on iTunes and Amazon MP3. I would highly suggest you check it out to complete for holiday music collection.

Xmas Eve Shuffle (12.24.11)

2011-12-24T10:29:00.001-06:00

Cute Without the "E" - Taking Back Sunday (from the album Tell All Your Friends)
The Party Song - Emery (from I'm Only a Man)
Song of Faith - Haste the Day (from Burning Bridges)
Ten in 2010 - Bad Religion (from The Grey Race)
Congratulations - The Juliana Theory (from Love)
Curse of a Fallen Soul - Dropkick Murphys (from The Gang's All Here)
Everlong - Foo Fighters (from The Colour and the Shape)
50th and Western - Red City Radio (from The Dangers of Standing Still)
In a Little While - U2 (from All That You Can't Leave Behind)
Betterman - Pearl Jam (from Vitalogy)
My Brain Hurts - Screeching Weasel (from My Brain Hurts)

Coming Soon in 2012!

2011-12-24T01:36:00.000-06:00

This is a list of movies scheduled to be released in 2012 that I am looking forward to seeing:

Underworld: Awakening: I'm a big fan of this vampire movie saga. Loved the first 2. The 3rd one was ehhh.....ok. Kate Beckinsale returns in this 4th one.

The Avengers: Iron Man, Thor, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America and the Hulk all in one movie AND directed by Joss Whedon? Heck yeah!

Men in Black 3: I really liked the first 2 and based on what I've seen in the trailers, this one looks pretty good too.

G.I. Joe Retaliation: I used to read these comics and even though the first one was not the best adaptation (specifically, the way they screwed up the origins of both Snake Eyes and Duke...well ok, they actually screwed up the origins of pretty much everybody), it did have its moments. Based on the teaser trailers I've seen, this one looks like it might be a little better.

The Amazing Spider-Man: I'm not really expecting much out of this reboot but it is a comic book movie so of course I have to see it. Who knows, maybe it will surprise me and be better than it's 3 movie predecessor.

The Dark Knight Rises: This is the movie that I am most looking forward to being released. The worst thing about this movie is waiting until July for the darn thing to be released!

Total Recall: Other than the fact that they have Colin Farrell playing the character that Arnold played in the 1990 version, it might be interesting. I have read that is follows the novelette it is based on (Philip K. Dick's We Can Remember It For You Wholesale) more closely.

The Expendables 2: What the heck. The first one was good enough to see what they do with this franchise again. Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme join the cast in this sequel to the 2010 film.

Dredd: I have not read a whole heck of a lot of stuff about this movie, just bits and pieces here and there. But it's a comic book movie based on a really cool character. Heck, I even liked the 1995 one with Stallone. It can't be much worse than that, right?

Red Dawn: I have been hearing rumors about this remake of the 1984 film for several years and it is about time they finally decide to put it out. In this one, it is the North Koreans invading the country rather than the Russians and Cubans. I wonder if they had to re-write and/or re-shoot some stuff in this due to the recent death of Kim Jong-il? Hmmm....

Currently Reading: Jailbird

2011-12-23T23:10:00.001-06:00

TITLE: Jailbird
AUTHOR: Kurt Vonnegut
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1979
PUBLISHER: Dial Press (Random House)

Borrowed yet another Vonnegut book from the library. There are very few books of his out there now that I have not read. This one just happens to be one of those.

Here is the blurb on the back of book:

"Jailbird takes us into a fractured and comic, pure Vonnegut world of high crimes and misdemeanors in government—and in the heart. This wry tale follows bumbling bureaucrat Walter F. Starbuck from Harvard to the Nixon White House to the penitentiary as Watergate’s least known co-conspirator. But the humor turns dark when Vonnegut shines his spotlight on the cold hearts and calculated greed of the mighty, giving a razor-sharp edge to an unforgettable portrait of power and politics in our times."

Currently Reading: Pearl Jam Twenty

2011-12-23T20:30:00.000-06:00

TITLE: Pearl Jam: Twenty
AUTHOR: Various contributors including members of the band, Peter Buck, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, Ian MacKaye, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Mike Watt, and Neil Young.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2001
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster

This book chronicles the last twenty years of the band who are celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the release of the album Ten (my Lord, has it been that long?!). It contains stories about the band from various contributors.

It was released in conjunction with a DVD and a soundtrack album of the same name.

Queens of the Stone Age: Discography of the Moment

2011-12-17T15:14:00.001-06:00

Queens of the Stone Age (QOTSA) is a rock band that was formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California from the ashes of Kyuss (see Kyuss: DoTM).

LINKS
Official Website
QOTSA Wiki article

DISCOGRAPHY

Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age
Split/compilation EP released in December 1997 by Man's Ruin Records.
Produced by Josh Homme
Band lineup:
Josh Homme - guitar/vocals; Van Conner - bass; Vic Indrizzo - drums
Tracks: 6 (3 by Kyuss and 3 by QOTSA)
Singles:
"If Only Everything"

Queens of the Stone Age
Released in September 1998 by Loosegroove Records; re-released in March 2011 by Domino Records
Produced by QOTSA
Band lineup:
Josh Homme - vocals/guitar/bass; Alfredo Hernandez - drums
Tracks: 11 (14 on the re-issue)
Singles:
"If Only"

Rated R
Released in June 2000 by Interscope Records
Produced by Chris Goss and Josh Homme
Lineup changes:
Nick Oliveri joined on bass; Gene Trautmann replaced Alfredo Hernandez on drums
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret" and "Feel Good Hit of the Summer"

Songs for the Deaf
Released in August 2002
Produced by Josh Homme, Adam Kasper and Eric Valentine
Lineup changes:
Gene Trautman was replaced on drums by Dave Grohl
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"No One Knows" "Go With the Flow" and "First It Giveth"
Charts:
#17 on the Billboard 200

Stone Age Compilcation
Compilation released in October 2004 by Interscope
Produced by QOTSA
No lineup changes
Tracks: 6 (contains B-sides and covers)

Lullabies to Paralyze
Released in March 2005 by Interscrope
Produced by Josh Homme and Joe Barresi
Lineup changes:
Nick Oliveri was replaced on bass by Troy Van Leeuwen; Joey Castillo replaced Dave Grohl on drums
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Little Sister" "In My Head" and "Burn the Witch"
Charts:
#5 on the Billboard 200

Over the Years and Through the Woods
Live album released in November 2005 by Interscope
Produced by Josh Homme and Randi Wilens
Tracks: 14

Era Vulgaris
Released in June 2007 by Interscope
Produced by Josh Homme and Chris Goss
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Sick Sick Sick" "3s and 7s" and "Make It Wit Chu"
Charts:
#14 on the Billboard 200

Kyuss: Discography of the Moment

2011-12-16T17:40:00.004-06:00

Kyuss was a rock band that formed in 1988 (originally as Katzenjammer) in Palm Desert, California (near Palm Springs). Their music has been characterized as stoner rock. They disbanded in 1995 and guitar player Josh Homme formed Queens of the Stone Age. In 2010, some of its founding members put together a Kyuss Lives reunion tour.

LINKS

Kyuss Wiki article
Kyuss Lives Website

DISCOGRAPHY

Sons of Kyuss
Released in April 1990 by Smash Productions
Produced by Catherine Enny and Ron Krown
Band lineup:
John Garcia - vocals; Josh Homme - guitar; Chris Cockrell - bass; Brant Bjork - drums
Tracks: 8

Wretch
Released in September 1991 by Dali Records
Produced by Kyuss, Catherine Enny and Ron Krown
Lineup changes:
Nick Oliveri replaced Chris Cockrell on bass
Tracks: 11

Blues for the Red Sun
Released in June 1992 by Dali
Produced by Kyuss and Chris Goss
No lineup changes
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Thong Song" "Green Machine"

Welcome to Sky Valley
Released in June 1994 by Elektra Records
Produced by Kyuss and Chris Goss
Lineup changes:
Nick Oliveri was replaced on bass by Scott Reeder
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Demon Cleaner" "Gardenia"

And the Circus Leaves Town
Released in July 1995 by Elektra
Produced by Kyuss and Chris Goss
Lineup changes:
Alfredo Hernandez replaced Brant Bjork on drums
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"One Inch Man"

Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age
Compilation/split album released in December 1997 by Man's Ruin Records
No lineup changes
Tracks: 6 (1st 3 were performed by Kyuss, last 3 were performed by Queens of the Stone Age)
Singles:
"Into the Void"

Muchas Gracias
Compilation album released in November 2000 by Elektra
Tracks: 15

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 14)

2011-12-14T01:33:00.004-06:00

WEEK 14 SCORES

Steelers 14, Browns 3
Texans 20, Bengals 19
Lions 34, Vikings 28
Saints 22, Titans 17
Eagles 26, Dolphins 10
Jets 37, Chiefs 10
Patriots 34, Redskins 27
Falcons 31, Panthers 23
Jaguars 41, Buccaneers 14
Ravens 24, Colts 10
Broncos 13, Bears 10
Cardinals 21, 49ers 19
Packers 46, Raiders 16
Chargers 37, Bills 10
Giants 37, Cowboys 34
Seahawks 30, Rams 13

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Buccaneers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

North
Ravens
Steelers
Bengals
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Broncos
Raiders
Chargers
Chiefs

STATS LEADERS

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 123.3
Tom Brady (New England) - 106
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 105.9

Passing Yards
Drew Brees - 4368
Tom Brady - 4273
Aaron Rodgers - 4125

Passing TDs
Aaron Rodgers - 39
Tom Brady - 33
Drew Brees - 32

Rushing Yards
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) - 1222
LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) - 1172
Michael Turner (Atlanta) - 1068

Rushing TDs
LeSean McCoy - 14
Cam Newton (Carolina) - 13
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 11

Receving Yards
Wes Welker (New England) - 1339
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 1217
Victor Cruz (New York Giants) - 1150

Receiving TDs
Rob Gronkowski (New England) - 15
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - 12
Jordy Nelson (Green Bay) - 10

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)

Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburg Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Houston Texans
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
New York Jets

Otisburg Now on SoundCloud

2011-12-12T17:01:00.000-06:00

You can now listen to (and download) the Born Yesterday re-issue at SoundCloud.

NHL Roundup 2011 (12.8.11)

2011-12-08T21:56:00.000-06:00

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Atlantic
Flyers
Penguins
Rangers
Devils
Islanders

Northeast
Bruins
Maple Leafs
Sabres
Senators
Canadiens

Southeast
Panthers
Capitals
Jets
Lightning
Hurricanes

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Central
Blackhawks
Red Wings
Blues
Predators
Blue Jackets

Northwest
Wild
Canucks
Oilers
Avalanche
Flames

Pacific
Coyotes
Stars
Kings
Sharks
Mighty Ducks

STATS

Points Leaders
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia) - 36
Phil Kessel (Toronto) - 35
Daniel Sedin (Vancouver) - 33

Goals Leaders
Phil Kessel - 17
Jonathan Toews (Chicago) - 17
Milan Michalek (Ottawa) - 17

Wins (Goalies)
Jimmy Howard (Detroit) - 15
Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) - 14
Mike Smith (Phoenix) - 13

Saves Percentage (Goalies)
Brian Elliott (St Louis) - .944
Tim Thomas (Boston) - .940
Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles) - .934

ESPN's NHL Power Rankings (Top 10)

Boston Bruins
New York Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
Minnesota Wild
Chicago Blackhawks
Philadelphia Flyers
Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
Florida Panthers

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 13)

2011-12-08T21:31:00.001-06:00

Yeah I know, I am super behind on these things (not having my laptop had a severly detrimental effect on my blogging) so I'm going to just start us off with this last week.

WEEK 13 SCORES

Seahawks 31, Eagles 14 :D
Titans 23, Bills 17
Chiefs 10, Bears 3
Dolphins 34, Raiders 14
Broncos 35, Vikings 32
Patriots 31, Colts 24 How did that game end up so close?!?
Steelers 35, Bengals 7
Panthers 38, Buccaneers 19
Jets 34, Redskins 19
Texans 17, Falcons 10
Ravens 24, Browns 10
Packers 38, Giants 35
Cardinals 19, Cowboys 13
49ers 26, Rams 0
Saints 31, Lions 17
Chargers 38, Jaguars 14

NFC STANDINGS

East
Cowboys
Giants
Eagles
Redskins

North
Packers
Bears
Lions
Vikings

South
Saints
Falcons
Panthers
Buccaneers

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

North
Ravens
Steelers
Bengals
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Broncos
Raiders
Chiefs
Chargers

STATS

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 125.3
Tom Brady (New England) - 105.9
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 105.5

Passing Yards
Drew Brees - 4031
Tom Brady - 3916
Aaron Rodgers - 3844

TDs
Aaron Rodgers - 37
Tom Brady - 30
Drew Brees - 30

Rushing Yards
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) - 1137
LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) - 1134
Matt Forte (Chicago) - 997

Rushing TDs
Cam Newton (Carolina) - 13
LeSean McCoy - 12
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 11

Receiving Yards
Wes Welker (New England) - 1253
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 1092
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) 1092

Receiving TDs
Rob Gronkowski (New England) - 13
Calvin Johnson - 12
Greg Jennings (Green Bay) - 9

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)

Green Bay Packers
Baltimore Ravens
San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
New England Patriots
Houston Texans
Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos

Honorable Mentions: Albums Released in 2011

2011-12-08T20:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was The Top 7 Albums Released in 2011. Today, however, I decided to put a list together of other albums that were released this year that were good and worthy of note but just not good enough to make the cut on the final 7. A list of honorable mentions so to speak.

So here they are, listed chronologically, in order of month of release:

Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes
Social Distortion album released in January by Epitaph Records.
Highlights: "Road Zombie" and "Machine Gun Blues"

Live on Ten Legs
Live album released by Pearl Jam in January by Monkeywrench.
Highlights: "Rearviewmirror" and a cover of Public Image Ltd's "Public Image"

Dangers of Standing Still
Red City Radio album released in February by Paper and Plastick.
Highlights: "Spinning in Circles is a Gateway Drug" and "Too Much Whiskey, Not Enough Blankets"

Go Down Under
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes EP released in February by Fat Wreck Chords.
Highlights: "Never Tear Us Apart" and "All Out of Love"

We Do What We Want
Released by Emery in March by Solid State.
Highlights: "The Cheval Glass" and "Scissors"

They Stay Dead
They Stay Dead EP released independently in March.
Highlights: "Transmission"

Live on I-5
Live album released by Soundgarden in March by A&M.
Highlights: "Fell on Black Days" and "Ty Cobb"

Ordinary Heroes
Ryan Harvey album released in June by Riot Folk.
Highlights: "Ordinary Heroes" and "Far Away From Here"

England Keep My Bones
Frank Turner album released in June by Epitaph Records.
Highlights: "I Still Believe"

Worship Music
Anthrax album released in September by Megaforce.
Highlights: "Fight Em Til You Can't" and "The Devil You Know"
This album is noteworthy because is marks the return of vocalist Joey Belladonna and is the first album recorded with him since 1990's Persistence of Time.

Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage
Compilation album released by R.E.M. in November by Warner Brothers.
Highlights: too many to name
The end of an era. The only reason that this album did not make the Top 7 is because I was restricting the list from non-compilation albums.

Cursed
They Stay Dead EP released independently in November.
Highlights: "Never Forget"

Thursday Night Shuffle (12.8.11)

2011-12-08T20:04:00.000-06:00

In Vein - Alkaline Trio (from the album Agony & Irony)
Grab Your Heart - Smoking Popes (from Stay Down)
Supersonic - Bad Religion (from The Process of Belief)
Thin Line - Dag Nasty (from Can I Say)
Forever - Dropkick Murphys (from Live on Lansdowne)
When the Love is Right - Tourniquet (from Carry the Wounded)
I Love Rock n Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (from I Love Rock n Roll)
Be Yourself - Audioslave (from Out of Exile)
Iraq - Ryan Harvey (from Iraq - Songs of Life and Death)
Walk the Walk - Face to Face (from Face to Face)
Your Racist Friend - They Might Be Giants (from Flood)
Foreclosure of a Dream - Megadeth (from Countdown to Extinction)

Top Albums of 2011

2011-12-07T23:31:00.020-06:00

Well I figured it was about the right time of year to put this list out.

This list is sorted in descending preferential order. That is, the very best album of 2011 is #1 and #7 is the 7th Best Album of 2011. Get it? Good. So here it is without further fanfare...........

The Top 7 Albums Released in 2011:

7...........Born Yesterday - Otisburg

Ok, so putting this one of this one on the list is mostly just a shameless plug but hey, it's my list, bite me. LoL!

Also, this album probably shouldn't be on this list because it was originally released in 2007 but it was re-issued by Suburban Empire Records in December with a couple of extra tracks.

If I had to pick a favorite song of my own on this album, it would really have to be the opening track "Goodbye California." Others have mentioned that the song "Hey Jennifer" is their favorite so I guess that is a good one too.

6...........Carnival of Schadenfreude - Screeching Weasel

Yeah, so the guy is a colossal jerk but he still knows how to write a catchy tune!

This one was released in November. In 2011, Screeching Weasel also released First World Manifesto but it really wasn't as good as Carnival.

My favorite tracks on this album are "Carnival of Schadenfreude" "The Parasite Murders" and "No Reason to Lie"

5...........Going Out in Style - Dropkick Murphys

I remember being very excited that this album was coming out. When it was finally released, I can definitely say that I was not disappointed. It was released in March.

Favorites on this one were the title track, "Peg o My Heart" and "The Irish Rover"

4...........iTunes Sessions with Gaslight Anthem

I'm not really sure if this should really be included on this list either because it was not exactly a traditional release. That is, there was no physical presence of this album. It was digital only and you could only get it on iTunes. But, as I said before, it's my list, get over it.

This one was released by iTunes in October.

2011 was the year that I actually got into Gaslight Anthem. In fact, over the past few months, they have been quickly climbing up my favorite bands list ladder.

My favorites on this release are a cover of The Who's "Baby O Riley," a cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee" (quite honestly, they put the original version to shame), another cover of Pearl Jam's "State of Love and Trust" (very good job by them), and a stripped down version of their own "Boxer" which was originally released on American Slang. There is also an interview with Brian Fallon on here that is pretty cool.

3...........Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday

This album was released in June and reunites the lineup from their first album, 2002s Tell All Your Friends. I have to say that this album might even be better than 2009s New Again, which I thought was a really good album. I only just recently found out that this album was released and strangely have not been able to absorb all of it but what I have heard definitely earned it a high spot on this list.

My favorites on the album right now are "Faith" "Sad Savior" "Since You're Gone" and "You Got Me"

2...........Wasting Light- Foo Fighters

Wasting Light is the band's first studio release since 2007s Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. An interesting fact about this album, which was released in April, was recorded in Dave Grohl's garage, as opposed to a fancy studio. The idea behind this was that they wanted to get back to being a rock band. I have to say Dave Grohl is a pretty amazing songwriter and often comes up with some really great gems. Wasting Light is no different. Really good album all around.

My favorites on it are "Walk" "Bridge Burning" and "Back and Forth"

And the pick for #1 Album of 2011 goes to............................................................................................

This Is Only a Test - Smoking Popes

What can I say? Great band. Great album. So glad that this band got back together. Really glad that I got to see them perform at Oklahoma City's Conservatory. I did a review of this album back in July on this blog so you can check it out by clicking here.

This album is packed full of such great material picking my favorites was pretty hard but I would have to say that the main favorites are "Diary of a Teen Tragedy" "This Is Only a Test" "College" and "Punk Band."

Sunday Shuffle (12.4.11)

2011-12-04T11:53:00.002-06:00

Been a while since I've done one of these:

Nehalem - Everclear (from the album Sparkle and Fade)
Temptation Tide - Sebadoh (from Bakesale)
Churches are Serial Killers - Emery (from In Shallow Seas We Sail)
Pay the Main - The Offspring (from Americana)
Brushing of the Wings - Traindodge (from Wolves)
It Coulda Been Me - Social Distortion (from Social Distortion)
Hands All Over - Soundgarden (from Louder Than Love)
Light Legal - Kill the Reflection (from Indie Craft Bizaar)
Your Place in Paradise - John Moreland and the Black Gold Band (from Things I Can't Control)
Icons - Face to Face (from Reactionary)
Smile - Weezer (from Weezer - Green Album

The Re-Issue Lives

2011-12-03T19:22:00.000-06:00

As if you have not guessed by the title of the post, the Born Yesterday re-issue WILL happen!

We worked out some things with the format of the song files and think we have figured out a way to get the songs to work with iTunes.

If everything goes well, the re-issue will be released on December 20th!

You will be able to download the album at iTunes, Amazon mP3, Google Music Store, Napster

Rhapsody, eMusic, Last.fm, Zune, among others.

The Melvins: Discography of the Moment

2011-12-02T22:13:00.002-06:00

The Melvins are a rock band that originally formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their influences include bands such as Black Flag, Flipper, the Wipers, and Kiss. The tempo of their music is somewhat slow and their sound is very heavy.

Here are some links where you can find out information about them:
The Official Melvins website
The Melvins Wiki article
A Melvins fan site (pretty good one actually)
A Melvins Bulletin Board

Here is the discography. It's pretty lengthy.

Six Songs
Released in February 1986 by C/Z Records
Produced by Chris Hanzsek
Band lineup:
Buzz Osbourne - guitar, vocals; Matt Lukin - bass, vocals; Dale Crover - drums
Tracks: 6

Gluey Porch Treatments
Released in 1987 by Alchemy Records; re-issued in 1999 by Ipecac
Produced by Mark Deutron and Carl Herlofsson
No lineup changes
Tracks: 17; 29 on the re-issue

Ozma
Released in 1989 by Boner Records
Produced by Matt Deutron
Lineup changes:
Matt Lukin was replaced on bass by Lori Black (daughter of Shirley Temple)
Tracks: 16

With Yo Heart Not Yo Hands
Released in 1990 by Sympathy for the Record Industry
Produced by Jonathan Burnside and Billy Anderson
No lineup changes
Tracks: 3

Your Choice Live Series Volume 12
Live album released in 1991 by Your Choice Records
Produced by Tobby Hoizinger
No lineup changes
Tracks: 8

Tanx
Released in 1991 by Boner
Produced by John Peel
No lineup changes
Tracks: 3

Bullhead
Released in 1991 by Boner
Produced by Jonathan Burnside
No lineup changes
Tracks: 8

Eggnog
Released in 1991 by Boner
Produced by Jonathan Burnside and Billy Anderson
No lineup changes
Tracks: 4

King Buzzo
"Solo" album released in 1992 by Boner
Produced by Barret Jones, Buzz Osbourne and Dave Grohl
Band lineup:
King Buzzo - vocals, guitar, bass; Dave Grohl - vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Tracks: 4
This and the next 2 albums on the list were a parody of the Kiss solo albums that were released in 1978.

Dale Crover
"Solo" album released in 1992 by Boner
Produced by Greg Freeman and Dale Crover
Band lineup:
Dale Crover - vocals, guitar, drums; Debbi Shane - bass
Tracks: 4

Joe Preston
"Solo" album released in 1992 by Boner
Produced by Jeff Brangley
Band lineup:
Joe Preston - vocals (unsure of other players)
Tracks: 3

Lysol
Released in 1992 by Boner
Produced by Boner
Lineup changes:
Lori Black was replaced on bass by Joe Preston
Tracks: 6

Houdini
Released in September 1993 by Atlantic Records
Produced by Melvins and Kury Cobain
Lineup changes:
Lori Black returned on bass for this album, replacing Joe Preston
Tracks: 13

Prick
Released in August 1994 by Amphetamine Reptile Records
Produced by Melvins
Lineup changes:
Lori Black was replaced (again) on bass by Mark Deutron
Tracks: 11

Stoner Witch
Released in October 1994 by Atlantic
Produced by Melvins and GGGarth
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11

Tora Tora Tora
Released in 1995 by X-Mas Records
Produced by Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 8

Stag
Released in July 1996 by Atlantic
Produced by Melvins, GGGarth and Joe Barresi
No lineup changes
Tracks: 16

Honky
Released in May 1997 by Amphetamine Reptile
Produced by Melvins and Jose Barresi
No lineup changes
Tracks: 10

Singles 1-12
Compilation album released in August 1997 by Amphetamine Reptile
Various producers
Varioius lineups
Tracks: 24

Alive at the F**ker Club
Live album released in 1998 by Amphetamine Reptile
No lineup changes
Tracks: 7

The Maggot
Released in May 1999 by Ipecac Recordings
Produced by Melvins and Tim Green
Lineup changes:
Mark Deutron was replaced on bass by Kevin Rutmanis
Tracks: 8
This is the 1st of the 3-part trilogy that was released by Ipecac

The Bootlicker
Released in August 1999 by Ipecac
Produced by Melvins and Tim Green
No lineup changes
Tracks: 9

The Crybaby
Released in February 2000 by Ipecac
Produced by Melvins, Tim Green, Tool, Ryeland Allison and Vince DeFranco
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11

Live at Slim's 8-Track Tape
Live album released in 1999 by Life is Abuse Records
Produced by the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 14

The Trilogy Vinyl
Compilation album released in February 2000
Tracks: 28

Electroretard
Released in February 2001 by Mans' Ruin Records
Produced by Tim Green and Joe Barresi
No lineup changes
Tracks: 8

Colossus of Destiny
Live album released in April 2001 by Ipecac
Produced by Randy Hawkins and Kurt Schlegle
No lineup changes
Tracks: 2

Millennium Monsterwork 2000
Live album released in April 2002 by Ipecac
Produced by Vince DeFranco
No lineup changes [additional personnel included Mike Patton on vocals, Dave Lombardo on additional drums, and Trevor Dunn on additional bass]
Tracks: 19
This was a recording of a live show where the Melvins and Buzzo's side project, Fantomas, shared the same stage.

Hostile Ambient Takeover
Released in April 2002 by Ipecac
Produced by Toshi Kasai
No lineup changes
Tracks: 8

26 Songs
Compilation album released in March 2003 by Ipecac
Various producers
Tracks: 26

Melvinmania: Best of the Atlantic Years
Compilation album released in September 2003 by Atlantic
Produced by Carlos Anaia
Various lineups
Tracks: 15

Neither Here Nor There
Compilation album released in March 2004 by Ipecac
Various producers
Various lineups
Tracks: 18

Pigs of the Roman Empire
Released in August 2004 by Ipecac
Producer by B. Lustmord
No lineup changes [additional personnel included B. Lustmord, Adam Jones and Sir David Scott Stone]
Tracks: 9
This is an album comprised of 2 bands: the Melvins and Lustmord

Never Breathe What You Can't See
Released in October 2004 by Alternative Tentacles
Produced by Ali North and Marshall Lawless
No lineup changes [additional personnel included Adam Jones and Jello Biafra)
Tracks: 8

The End
Live album released in January 2005 by Enturruption
Produced by the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 10

Mangled Demos from 1983
Compilation album released in May 2005 by Ipecac
Produced by the Melvins
This was recorded by the original 1983 lineup of Buzz, Matt Lukin on bass and Mike Dillard on drums.
Tracks: 23

Sieg Howdy!
Released in September 2005 by Alternative Tentacles
Produced by Ali North and Marshall Lawless
No lineup changes [additional personnel included Adam Jones, Jello Biafra and Mike Scaccia]
Tracks: 10

A Live History of Gluttony and Lust
Live album released in May 2006 by Ipecac
Produced by the Melvins
Lineup changes:
Kevin Rutmanis was replaced on bass by Trevor Dunn
Tracks: 13

A Senile Animal
Released in October 2006 by Ipecac
Produced by the Melvins
Lineup changes:
Trevor Dunn was replaced on bass by Jared Warren and Coady Willis joined as a 2nd drummer
Tracks: 10

Smash the State
Compilation album released in August 2007 by Amphetamine Reptile
No lineup changes
Tracks: 13

Manchild 3: The Making Love Demos
Compilation album released in October 2007 by Bifocal Media
Produced by the Melvins
Recorded by the 1986 lineup of Buzz, Matt Lukin and Dale Crover
Tracks: 8

Nude With Boots
Released in July 2008 by Ipecac
Produced by Toshi Kasai and the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11

Melvins vs Minneapolis
Live album released in August 2008 by Amphetamine Reptile
Produced by the Melvins
Various lineups
Tracks: 108

Pick Your Battles
Live album released in 2009 by Bifocal Media
Produced by the Melvins and Toshi Kasai
No lineup changes
Tracks: 15

Chicken Switch
Re-mix album released in September 2009 by Ipecac
Various producers
Various lineups
Tracks: 16
This was an album of Melvins songs re-mixed by experimental artists

Sludge Glamorous
Released in January 2010 by From the Nursery Records
Produced by the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 3

The Bride Screamed Murder
Released in June 2010 by Ipecac
Produced by the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 9

Hurray For Me, Fuk You
Released in September 2010 by Amphetamine Reptile
Produced by Toshi Kasai
No lineup changes
Tracks: 1

Endless Residency
Live box set released in May 2011 by Amphetamine Reptile
Various producers
Various lineups
Tracks: a bunch

Sugar Daddy
Live album released in May 2011 by Ipecac
Produced by the Melvins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 13

Up and Running Again

2011-12-02T22:11:00.001-06:00

You might have noticed that I have not blogged for a while.

This is because my laptop has been out of commission for quite some time.

Well, the ole girl is back up and running and so the blog continues!

Grindcore: Genre of the Moment

2011-11-11T22:36:00.002-06:00

Grindcore is a form of heavy metal that combines elements of death metal, industrial metal, and hardcore punk. The main characteristics of grindcore include heavily distorted and de-tuned guitars, very fast tempos and incomprehensible vocals. Its lyrics tend to lean toward socio-political themes as well as gore. Many grindcore songs are extremely short in length, gaining them the term ‘microsong.’

Early pioneers of the genre include Napalm Death, Siege and Repulsion who drew their influences from a variety of bands including Minor Threat, Black Flag, Venom, Motorhead, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, Metallica, Septic Death and Sodom, among others.

Bands of this genre include:

Agoraphobic Nosebleed
Brutal Truth
Carcass
Dance Club Massacre
Dying Fetus
Godflesh
Painkiller
Napalm Death
Mortification

Here are some links where you can read more about the genre:

Grindcore Wiki article
List of grindcore bands

Subsanity: Discography of the Moment

2011-11-11T18:02:00.001-06:00

Subsanity, originally called Torment was an Oklahoma City-based grind core/doom metal band that was formed in 1991. They disbanded in the early 2000s but the singer is currently in another local band called A Fate Far Worse.

Subsanity
Released in 1992 by War Wax Records.
Recorded at Cornerstone Studio, Oklahoma City.
Tracks: 4

Psycho Dubs
Released in July 1995 by War Wax
Recorded at Psycho Studios in Norman, OK
Produced by David Hyde
Band lineup:
Mike Standridge - vocals; David Arnette - guitar; DJ Richardson - guitar; Brad Day - drums; Neil Weighar - bass
Tracks: 10

Post Apocalyptic Doom Attack
Compilation album released independently in 1996
Various producers
No lineup changes
Tracks: 15

Lost on Earth
Released in October 1996 by War Wax
Recorded at Premier Studios in Oklahoma City, OK
Produced by Kurt Campbell and James Randall
Lineup changes:
Neil Weighar replaced on bass by Tim Wolfenbarger; DJ Richardson replaced on guitar by Chris Greenway
Tracks: 4

Human is Shit
Released in April 1997 by War Wax
Recorded at Premiere Studio in Oklahoma City
Produced by Kirk Campbell and Subsanity
No lineup changes
Tracks: 6

Future is War
Released in January 1999 by War Wax
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11

Logic Plague
Released in 2002 by Selfish Fucker Records
Tracks: 5

Here are some Subsanity videos:

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 9)

2011-11-11T17:22:00.001-06:00

I forgot to do this earlier this week.

WEEK 9 SCORES

Jets 27, Bills 11
Cowboys 23, Seahawks 13
Falcons 31, Colts 7
Dolphins 31, Chiefs 3
Saints 27, Buccaneers 16
49ers 19, Redskins 11
Texans 30, Browns 12
Bengals 24, Titans 17
Broncos 38, Raiders 24
Giants 24, Patriots 20
Cardinals 19, Rams 13
Packers 45, Chargers 38
Ravens 23, Steelers 20
Bears 30, Eagles 24

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Falcons
Buccaneers
Panthers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

North
Bengals
Ravens
Steelers
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Raiders
Chiefs
Chargers
Broncos

Passing Leaders - Yards
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 3004
Philip Rivers (San Diego) - 2743
Tom Brady (New England) - 2703

Passing Leaders - TDs
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 24
Drew Brees - 21
Tom Brady - 20

Passing Leaders - QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers - 129.1
Drew Brees - 100.6
Tom Brady - 100.0

Rushing Leaders - Yards
LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) - 825
Matt Forte (Chicago) - 805
Fred Jackson (Buffalo) - 803

Rushing Leaders - TDs
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 9
LeSean McCoy - 9
Michael Turner (Atlanta) - 7

Receiving Leaders - Yards
Wes Welker (New England) - 960
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 918
Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh) - 868

Receiving Leaders - TDs
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - 11
Wes Welker - 6
vincent Jackson (San Diego) - 6

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49ers
Baltimore Ravens
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
New York Giants
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals

So being around the half-way point of the season, now is probably a good time to list my own personal picks for who will win their respective divisions.

In the NFC East, I'm going with the Giants.
In the NFC North, Green Bay will probably win and go undefeated.
In the NFC South, New Orleans will probably win it.
In the NFC West, I'm pretty sure that the 49ers are going to take that division.

Overall in the NFC, I'm thinking that Green Bay will probably take it all.

New England will take the AFC East.
Baltimore will take the AFC North.
Houston will take the AFC South (although Tennessee might be able to squeak by them).
Oakland will take the AFC West.

Overall in the AFC, I'm going to go with either New England or Baltimore to take it all.

Top 6 Albums from Lookout! Records

2011-11-07T20:17:00.001-06:00

This is the next installment of Favorite Albums from [insert record label here]. Today, we are looking at another legendary punk rock record label, Lookout! Records.

6......Get Skintight
This Donnas album was released in June 1999 and includes songs such as "You Don't Wanna Call" "Hook It Up" and "Get Outta My Room."

5......The Donnas Turn 21
Turn 21 was The Donnas last album on Lookout before they signed to Atlantic Records. It was released in January 2001 and includes songs such as "Are You Gonna Move It For Me" "Do You Wanna Hit It?" "Play My Game" "Midnite Snack" and "You've Got a Crush on Me"

4......Riverdales
The eponymous debut from former Screeching Weasel members was released in 1995. It includes the songs "Fun Tonight" "Judy Go Home" "Back to You" "She's Gonna Break Your Heart" and "In Your Dreams," among others.

3......Kerplunk!
Released in January 1992, this was Green Day's last album with Lookout before signing with Reprise Records.
It includes "2000 Light Years Away" "Christie Road" "Welcome to Paradise" "and "No One Knows."

2......Anthem for a New Tomorrow
This Screeching Weasel album was released in 1993 and is one of my favorite Weasel albums. It includes songs such as "I'm Gonna Strangle You" "I, Robot" "Every Night" "Totally" and "A New Tomorrow."

1......My Brain Hurts
This other really great album by Screeching Weasel was released in 1991 and includes songs such as "Making You Cry" "Guest List" "Veronica Hates Me" "Cindys on Methadone" "The Science of Myth" and "My Brain Hurts."

College Football Roundup 2011 (11.6.11)

2011-11-06T21:19:00.000-06:00

BIG 12 SCORES
Texas 52, Texas Tech 20
Oklahoma 41, Texas A&M 25
Oklahoma State 52, Kansas State 45
Iowa State 13, Kansas 10
Baylor 42, Missouri 39

PAC 12 SCORES
USC 42, Colorado 17
Stanford 38, Oregon State 13
Utah 34, Arizona 21
Oregon 34, Washington 17
California 30, Washington State 7
UCLA 29, Arizona State 28

BIG 12 STANDINGS
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Kansas State
Texas
Texas A&M
Baylor
Missouri
Iowa State
Texas Tech
Kansas

PAC 12 STANDINGS

North
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
California
Oregon State
Washington State

South
UCLA
Arizona State
USC
Utah
Arizona
Colorado

AP TOP 10
LSU
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Alabama
Boise State
Oregon
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Clemson
Virginia Tech

BCS TOP 10
LSU
Oklahoma State
Alabama
Stanford
Boise State
Oklahoma
Oregon
Arkansas
Clemson
Virginia Tech

Passing Leaders - Yards
Case Keenum (Houston) - 3626
Landry Jones (OU) - 3349
Nick Foles (Arizona) - 3260
Brandon Weeden (OSU) - 3212

Passing Leaders - TDs
Case Keenum - 34
Kellen Moore (Boise State) - 29
Matt Barkley (USC) - 28

Rushing Leaders - Yards
Ronnie Hillman (San Deigo State) - 1158
Henry Josey (Missouri) - 1130
David Wilson (Virginia Tech) - 1126

Rushing Leaders - TDs
Montee Ball (Wisconsin) - 21
Bernard Pierce (Temple) - 19
Collin Klein (Kansas State) - 19
Joseph Randle (OSU) - 18

Receiving Leaders - Yards
Jordan White (WMU) - 1164
Ryan Broyles (OU) - 1157
Patrick Edwards (Houston) - 1148

Receiving Leaders - TDs
Justin Blackmon (OSU) - 12
Patrick Edwards (Houston) - 11
Tyler Shoemaker (Boise State) - 11

Top 9 Albums Released by Epitaph Records

2011-11-06T19:54:00.000-06:00

Dave from Oklahoma Lefty suggested I start doing some lists on my favorite albums from specific record labels. I thought it was a great idea so here is the first installment, based on the legendary California punk rock record label, Epitaph Records.

Epitaph Records is based in Hollywood and was started in 1980 by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. It was mainly started as a record label to release his own band's (Bad Religion) album but it eventually branched out and has signed some of punk rock's best artists.

It even has a couple of subsidiary labels including Hellcat Records and ANTI- Records.

So here is my list, my top 9 favorite albums released by Epitaph Records, in descending order of preference...or is that ascending order...i dunno...the last one is my absolute favorite release....

9......Pennywise
Pennywise was the first album to be released on Epitaph Records by the melodic punk rock band of the same name. It was released in October 1991.

8......White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
This album is the first NOFX album released by Epitaph. It was released in November 1992 and includes some great songs including "Bob" and "Liza and Louise."

7......Punk in Drublic
This album was the follow-up album to NOFX's White Trash...... This one was released in July 1994 and contains songs such as "Don't Call me White" "The Brews" and "Linoleium."

6......Recipe for Hate
This first Bad Religion album to show up on this list (there are more coming I assure you). This was the last album that they recorded for Epitaph before leaving for major label Atlantic Records. It was released in September 1993. Some of the great songs on this one were "American Jesus" "Struck a Nerve" and "All Good Soldiers."

5......Mass Nerder
This album was the first album released by Epitaph by the band ALL. It was released in May 1998 and includes the songs "Until I Say So" "Refrain" and "Until Then."

4......So Long and Thanks for all the Shoes
Another NOFX entry on the list, this one was released in November 1997. Some gems on this album are "Monosyllabic Girl" "All Outta Angst" "Kill Rock Stars" and "Quart in Session."

3......Suffer
Suffer is thought by some to be Bad Religion's quintessential album. This is definitely the album that (in my opinion) really put them on the punk rock map, so to speak. It was released in September 1988 and includes songs such as "Give You Nothing" "Suffer" "Do What You Want" and "You Are the Government."

2......No Control
This follow-up to Bad Religion's Suffer is actually my favorite Bad Religion album. It was released in November 1989. It includes songs such as "I Want Something More" "You" "It Must Look Pretty Appealing" "I Want to Conquer the World" "No Control" and "Change of Ideas."

1......Everything Sucks
This Descendents album was the first, last and only of theirs to be released by Epitaph. It was the first album of theirs to be released after their "reformation", that is, their reunion with singer Milo Aukerman. It is a great album and usually ends up on one of my favorite albums of all time lists. It was released in September 1996. Some of the great songs on this album are "I'm the One" "Rotting Out" "Sick-O-Me" "When I Get Old" "She Loves Me" "Hateful Notebook" "We" and "Thank You."

Stay tuned for the next installment of Top Albums from [insert record label here] coming soon!

Top 4 Bands from Orange County

2011-11-06T17:25:00.000-06:00

Today, we are stopping in an area of California called Orange County. Orange County is an area of California that includes cities such as Huntington Beach, Fullterton, Anaheim, among many others.

4............PROJECT 86

Project 86 is a Christian hardcore rock band that formed in 1996 by singer Andrew Schwab and drummer Alex Albert. Although they are known primarily as being a post-hardcore act, their music often incorporates other styles such as gothic metal and some elements of hip-hop.

Links
Official website
Project 86 MySpace page
Project 86 Wiki article

Studio albums (EPs included):
Project 86 (1998); Drawing Black Lines (2000); Truthless Heroes (2002); Songs To Burn Your Bridges By (2003); And the Rest Will Follow (2005); The Kane Mutiny EP (2007); Rival Factions (2007); This Time of Year EP (2008); Picket Fence Cartel (2009)

They released one live album in 2010 titled 15.Live

My favorites:
One-Armed Man; Little Green Men; Your Heroes Are Dead; The Spy Hunter; The Great Golden Gate Disaster; Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy; Sincerely, Ichabod; All of Me; Necktie Remedy; Evil (A Chorus of Resistance); Pull Me Closer, Violent Dancer; The Kane Mutiny; Lucretia My Reflection (Sisters of Mercy cover); Destroyer; The Butcher

3............THE OFFSPRING

The Offspring, if you aren't aware, are a punk rock band that was put together in 1984 by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel in Huntington Beach. They were originally called Manic Subsidal.

Links:
Official website
Offspring Wiki article

Studio albums:
The Offspring (1989); Baghdad EP (1991); Ignition (1992); Smash (1994); Ixnay on the Hombre (1997); Club Me EP (1997); Americana (1998); A Piece of Americana EP (1998); Conspiracy of One (2000); Splinter (2003); Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace (2008)

Compilation albums:
The Offspring Collection (1999); Greatest Hits (2005); Happy Hour! (2010)

My favorites:
Gotta Get Away; Gone Away; All I Want; Pretty Fly for a White Guy; The Kids Aren't Alright; Want You Bad; Million Miles Away; Hit That; Hammerhead; You're Gonna Go Far, Kid; Kristy, Are You Doing Okay?

2............AGENT ORANGE

Agent Orange is a punk rock band that was formed in 1979. Musically, they incorporate a lot of surf rock into their music. The band lineup basically rotates around its one sustainable member, singer/guitarist Mike Palm. I have seen this band several times and even had the chance to hang out with on a couple of occasions. They are still active although they really don't release much music all that often. They mostly just play live.

Links:
Official website
Agent Orange Wiki article

Studio albums (EPs included):
Bloodstains EP (1979); Living in Darkness (1981); Bitchin Summer EP (1982); When You Leave Expect It EP (1984); This Is the Voice (1986); Virtually Indestructible (1996)

They released one live album, Real Live Sound in 1990 and one compilation, Blood Stained Hitz.
My favorites:
Everything Turns Grey; Miserlou (Dick Dale cover); The Last Goodbye; Bloodstains; Living in Darkness; In Your Dreams Tonight; This Is All I Need; Let It Burn; Unsafe At Any Speed; So Close and Yet So Far

1............SOCIAL DISTORTION

Social Distortion, of course, is a punk rock band that was formed in 1978 by Mike Ness in Fullerton, CA. The original line-up consisted of 3 guys that left the band to start another Orange County punk band, The Adolescents. This is another band whose lineup rotates around the front man, Mike Ness.

Links:
Official website
Social D Wiki article

Studio albums:
Mommy's Little Monster (1983); Prison Bound (1988); Social Distortion (1990); Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992); White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996); Sex, Love and Rock n Roll (2004); Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (2011)

Compilation albums:
Mainliner: Wreckage from the Past (1995); Greatest Hits (2007)

They also released on live album, Live at the Roxy in 1998.

My favorites:
Another State of Mind; Telling Them; Mommys Little Monster; Prison Bound; So Far Away; Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover); Sick Boys; Story of My Life; Cold Feelings; Bad Luck; King of Fools; Under My Thumb (Rolling Stones cover); Dear Lover; Don't Drag Me Down; I Was Wrong; Through These Eyes; When the Angels Sing; Down Here With the Rest of Us; Reach for the Sky; Don't Take Me for Granted; Angel's Wings; Road Zombie; Machine Gun Blues

Here are some other bands from the Orange County area:
Adolescents
Avenged Sevenfold
Reel Big Fish
Zebrahead
The Vandals
Velvet Revolver
Plankeye
No Doubt
Kottonmouth Kings
Lit
Stryper
Save Ferris
Sugar Ray
Supernova
Thrice

Top 3 Bands from Arizona

2011-11-05T23:17:00.001-05:00

Let's make a quick stop in Arizona!

3............ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD

This is a folk punk band that formed in 2004 in Phoenix, Arizona. It consists of 2 guys, Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty. This band even played in Oklahoma City recently opening up for Frank Turner. I, of course, was stuck at work and could not go to the show.

Studio albums (EPs included):
Candy Cigarettes and Cap Guns (2005); Issue Problems (2006); People That Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World (2007); Art of the Underground (2007); Only God Can Judge Me (2008); Operation Stackola (2009); Holiday Inn Gainseville (2009); Can't Maintain (2009); Knife Man (2011)

Links:
Official website
AJJ Myspace page
AJJ Wiki article

2............MEAT PUPPETS

This rock band was also formed in Phoenix in 1980 by the Kirkwood brothers (Curt and Cris). They have broken up and reunited a couple of times and have changed labels several times.

Studio albums (EPs included):
In a Car (1981); Meat Puppets (1982); Meat Puppets 2 (1984); Up on the Sun (1985); Out My Way (1986); Mirage (1987); Huevos (1987); Monsters (1989); Forbidden Places (1991); Too High to Die (1994); Raw Meat (1994); No Joke! (1995); You Love Me (1999); Golden Lies (2000); Rise to Your Knees (2007); Sewn Together (2009); Lollipop (2011)

Live albums:
Live in Montana (1999); Live (2002);

Compilation albums:
No Strings Attached (1990); Meat Puppets 8 (1999); Classic Puppets (2004); Rare Meat (2005)

Favorite songs:
Plateau; Lake of Fire; The Void; Backwater

Links:
Official website
Meat Puppets Wiki article

1............GIN BLOSSOMS

Gin Blossoms are a pop rock band that formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They disbanded in 1997 but returned in 2002. This band really puts out some good pop rock songs. Aside from being #1 on the Arizona list this band would probably end up on a Top 20 bands overall list of mine.

Studio albums (EPs included):
Dusted (1989); Up and Crumbling (1991); New Miserable Experience (1992); Shut Up and Smoke (1994); Congratulations I'm Sorry (1996); Major Lodge Victory (2006); No Chocolate Cake (2010)

They released 2 compilation albums Outside Looking In, released in 1999 and 20th Century Masters, released in 2003. They have also released one live album in 2009 titled simply Live in Concert.

Favorite songs:
Found Out About You; Hey Jealousy; Allison Road; Until I Fall Away; Day Job; Follow You Down; Highwire; Not Only Numb; Perfectly Still; As Long as It Matters; Til I Hear It From You; Long Time Gone

Links:
Official website
GB MySpace page
GB Twitter page
GB Wiki article

Other Arizona based bands worth mentioning:
Alice Cooper
Flotsam and Jetsam
Mr. Mister (only sort of worth mentioning - lol)
Sacred Reich
Machines of Loving Grace
Supersuckers
JFA

Top 5 Bands from Illinois

2011-11-05T17:08:00.000-05:00

Here's my next installment of top bands from [insert location here]. Today, we are stopping the state of

Illinois.

5............BIG BLACK
This punk band hails from Evanston, Illinois and formed in 1981. They disbanded in 1987. They were

known for highly distorted guitars and using a drum machine rather than an actual drummer. As well as

being a punk band, they are known as being one of the pioneers of industrial rock. They were also a

band that heavily advocated a DIY (Do It Yourself) ethic.

Studio albums released:
Lungs (1982); Bulldozer (1983); Racer-X (1984); Atomizer (1986); Headache (1987); Songs About

Fucking (1987);

Live albums released:
Sound of Impact (1987); Pigpile (1992)

Compilation albums released:
The Hammer Party (1986); The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape (1992)

My favorite songs of theirs:
Fists of Love; The Power of Independent Trucking; The Model; Bad Penny; L Dopa; Il Duce

Links:
Big Black Wiki article

4............CHEAP TRICK
This rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1973 and has been performing every since.

Studio albums released:
Cheap Trick (1977); In Color (1977); Heaven Tonight (1978); Dream Police (1979); Found All the Parts

(1980); All Shook Up (1980); One on One (1982); Next Position Please (1983); Standing on the Edge

(1985); The Doctor (1986); Lap of Luxury (1988); Busted (1990); Woke Up With a Monster (1994);

Cheap Trick (1997); Special One (2003); Rockford (2006); The Latest (2009)

Live albums released:
Cheap Trick at Budokan (1979); Budokan 2 (1993); Cheap Trick at Budokan: The Complete Concert

(1998); Music for Hangovers (1999); Silver (2001); Sessions@AOL (2005); Sgt Pepper Live (2009)

Cheap Trick has also released 13 compilation albums between 1991 and 2009.

My favorite songs of theirs:
I Want You To Want Me; Southern Girls; Surrender; Dream Police; Voices; If You Want My Love; She's

Tight; The Flame

Links:
Official website
Cheap Trick Wiki article

3............ALKALINE TRIO
This punk rock band was formed in McHenry, Illiniois in 1996 by Matt Skiba, Rob Doran and Glenn Porter. Matt, of course, is the only "original" member left in the band.

Studio albums released:
Goddamnit (1998); Maybe I'll Catch Fire (2000); From Here to Infirmary (2001); Good Mourning (2003); Crimson (2005); Agony and Irony (2008); This Addiction (2010); Damnesia (2011)

EPs released:
For Your Lungs Only (1998); I Lied My Face Off (1999)

Compilation albums released:
Alkaline Trio (2000); Remains (2007)

My favorite songs of theirs:
Clavicle; Radio; Private Eye; Queen of Pain; This Could Be Love; All on Black; Emma; Time to Waste; Mercy Me; Dethbed; Sadie; This Addiction; Dine, Dine My Darling; Lead Poisoning; Off the Map; Draculina; Eating Me Alive

Links:
Official website
Alkaline Trio Wiki article
Alkaline Trio MySpace page

2............SCREECHING WEASEL
This punk band was formed in 1986 in Chicago, Illinois by Ben Foster (Ben Weasel) and John Pierson

(John Jughead). This band has broken up and re-formed with so many different line-ups so many times,

I quit counting a long time ago. Although Ben can come off as quite an arse fairly often, the songwriting

is great and their contribution to the pop-punk scene can never be ignored.

Studio albums released:
Screeching Weasel (1987); Boogadaboogadaboogada! (1988); My Brain Hurts (1991); Ramones

(1992); Wiggle (1993); Anthem for a New Tomorrow (1993); How to Make Enemies and Irritate People

(1994); Bark Like a Dog (1996); Television City Dream (1997); Emo (1999); Teen Punks in Heat (2000);

First World Manifesto (2011);

EPs released:
Punkhouse (1989); Pervo Devo (1991); Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions (1991); Happy, Horny, Gay

and Sassy (1992); Radio Blast (1993); You Broke My Fucking Heart (1993); Suzanne Is Getting Married

(1994); Formula 27 (1996); Major Label Debut (1998); Jesus Hates You (1999); Carnival of

Schadenfreude (2011)

Compilation albums released:
Kill the Musicians (1995); Beat is on the Brat (1998); Thank You Very Little (2000); Weasel Mania (2005)

My favorite songs of theirs:
Murder in the Brady House; I Hate Led Zeppelin; Dingbat; My Right; Hey Suburbia; Making You Cry;

Guest List; Veronica Hates Me; Cindys on Methadone; Science of Myth; My Brain Hurts; Automatic

Rejector; I'm Gonna Strangle You; I, Robot; A New Tomorrow; Totally; Every Night; Cool Kids; First Day

of Summer; You'll Be in My Dreams Today; Your Name Is Tattooed on My Heart; Count to Three; Speed

of Mutation; Acknowledge; Sidewalk Warrior

Links:
Official website
Allmusic website
SW Wiki article

1............SMOKING POPES / DUVALL
The Smoking Popes, an awesome pop-punk band, were formed in Chicago in 1991 by the Caterer brothers (Josh, Matt and Eli). They disbanded in 1999 and re-formed in 2005. On a side note, during the time the Popes were not together, Josh Caterer formed Duvall . The members of the band were essentially former members of the Popes. To me Duvall is basically a Christian version of the Smoking Popes.

Studio albums released:
Get Fired (1993); Born to Quit (1994); Destination Failure (1997); The Party's Over (2001); Stay Down (2008); This Is Only a Test (2011);

EPs released:
Inoculator (1991); Break Up (1992); 2 (1993); Egg Nog (1997)

Live albums released:
Live (2000); At Metro (2006)

Compilation albums released:
1991-1998 (1999); It's Been a Long Day (2010)

My favorite songs of theirs:
Brand New Hairstyle; Writing a Letter; Let Them Die; Not That Kind of Girlfriend; Let's Hear It for Love; Midnight Moon; Rubella; Need You Around; Adena; Star Struck One/No More Smiles; Megan; Pretty Pathetic; Welcome to Janesville; If You Don't Care; Stefanie; Stay Down; Wish We Were; This Is Only a Test; College; Punk Band; Diary of a Teen Tragedy;

Links:
Official website
Smoking Popes Wiki article

Here is a list of a bunch of other bands from Illinois that are good but didn't make the cut (be on the lookout for a dotm on one or more of these bands soon):

Smashing Pumpkins
Veruca Salt
Chevelle
Chicago
Dwarves
Fall Out Boy
The Jesus Lizard
Ministry
The Methadones
Naked Raygun
Pigface
Stabbing Westward
Superchick
The Tossers
Wilco
BarlowGirl
Jars of Clay
Survivor
Whitecross
Styx

NHL Roundup 2011 (11.4.11)

2011-11-04T18:46:00.000-05:00

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Atlantic
Penguins
Flyers
Rangers
Devils
Islanders

Northeast
Maple Leafs
Senators
Sabres
Canadiens
Bruins

Southeast
Capitals
Panthers
Hurricanes
Lightning
Jets

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Central
Blackhawks
Predators
Red Wings
Blues
Blue Jackets

Northwest
Oilers
Wild
Avalanche
Canucks
Flames

Pacific
Stars
Sharks
Coyotes
Kings
Mighty Ducks

Points Leaders
Phil Kessel (Toronto) - 21
Claude Giroux (Philadelphia) - 17
Thomas Vanek (Buffalo) - 16

Goals Leaders
Phil Kessel - 10
James Neal (Pittsburg) - 9
Claude Giroux - 8

Wins Leaders
Kari Lehtonen (Dallas) - 8
Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh) - 7
Tomas Vokoun (Washington) - 7

Saves Leaders
Pekka Rinne (Nasvhille) - 307
Craig Anderson (Ottawa) - 294
Kari Lehtonen - 287

Saves Percentage
Josh Harding (Minnesota) - .964
Nikolai Khabibulin (Edmonton) - .963
Kari Lehtonen - .947

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Washington Capitals
Edmonton Oilers
Dallas Stars
San Jose Sharks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Chicago Blackhawks
Pittsubrgh Penguins
Ottawa Senators
Los Angeles Kings
Philadelphia Flyers

Buddy Holly: Discography of the Moment

2011-11-03T18:47:00.000-05:00

Buddy Holly was....uhm....duh! How can you not know who Buddy Holly is!!!

Ok, for those musical morons out there........

Rock and roll singer/songwriters Buddy Holly, whose real name was Charles Holley, was born in September 1936 in Lubbock, Texas. Although his musical career was cut short due to an airplane crash, his legacy was enormous. His music inspired other artists such as The Beatles (who named their band, in a way, after his band, The Crickets) and his influence on music can still be seen today (Weezer's "Buddy Holly" was released in 1994).

The song "American Pie" written and performed by Don McLean in 1971, is about Buddy Holly.

Here are some Buddy Holly links:
Official (I think) website
Buddy Holly Wiki article

DISCOGRAPHY

The Chirping Crickets
Released in November 1957 by Brunswick Records
Produced by Norman Petty
Band lineup (Buddy Holly and the Crickets):
Buddy Holly - vocals, guitar; Jerry Allison - drums; Joe Mauldin - bass; Niki Sullivan - guitar
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"That'll Be the Day" "Oh Boy"

Buddy Holly
Released in February 1958 by Brunswick
Produced by Norman Petty and Bob Thiele
Lineup changes:
Niki Sullivan left the lineup for all but one track.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Peggy Sue" "Words of Love" "I'm Gonna Love You Too"

That'll Be the Day
Released in April 1958 by Decca Records
Produced by Owen Bradley
Lineup changes:
This was considered a solo album for Buddy Holly and such he had session musicians playing on this album.
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Girl on My Mind"

There have been over 20 compilation albums released between1959 and 2009. Interesting that an artist that only released 3 studio albums has so many compilation albums with his name on it.

My favorite songs by him are "Oh Boy!" "Not Fade Away" "Maybe Baby" "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue."

The Last: Disography of the Moment

2011-11-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

The Last are a power pop band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1976 by the Nolte Brothers (Joe, Mike and David). This band came out around the same time as bands such as Black Flag, the Descendents, and the Circle Jerks.

Here are some links:
Official website
The Last MySpace page
The Last Wiki article

DISCOGRAPHY

LA Explosion
Released in 1979 by Bomp! Records
Produced by John Harrison and The Last.
Band lineup:
Mike Nolte - vocals; Joe Nolte - guitar, vocals; David Nolte - bass; Jack Reynolds - drums.
Tracks: 15
Singles:
She Don't Know Why I'm Here; Every Summer Day;

Look Again
Released in 1980 by Backlash Records.
Produced by The Last
No lineup changes
Tracks: 12

Fade to Black
Released in 1982 by Bomp!
Produced by The Last.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 4

Painting Smiles on a Dead Man
Released in 1985 by Lolita Records.
Produced by Bill Inglot.
Lineup changes:
Half-way through recording David Nolte was replaced on bass by John Rosewall. Jack Reynolds was replaced on drums by John Frank.
Tracks: 12

Confession
Released in 1988 by SST Records.
Produced by Bill Stevenson.
Lineup changes:
John Rosewall was replaced on bass by Larry Manke and John Frank was replaced on drums by Dave Nazworthy.
Tracks: 12

Awakening
Released in 1989 by SST.
Produced by Bill Stevenson.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12

Gin and Innuendoes
Released in 1996 by SST.
Produced by Earl Mankey.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 16

Danger
Released in 2008 by Owned & Operated Records.
This was supposed to have been released in 2008 by O&O but I can't find any information about it anymore. Even the O&O website doesn't have any information about it. *shrugs*

DCs New 52: November 3, 2011

2011-11-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

I decided to just start doing these on a weekly basis rather than a monthly basis.

Action Comics #3
The 3rd issue of Action Comics continues Superman's fairly new career as a superhero. The police still don't like them and the fact that he is from another planet is fueling some major anti-alien hysteria from the public. To be honest, the story hasn't really been grabbing me and there is a strong chance that #3 is the last issue of Action Comics that I will buy.

Green Arrow #3
The third issue of Green Arrow picks up where we left off last month with Oliver about to square off with a teen of evil metahumans that find joy in recording their fights and streaming them on the Internet. This time they are proclaiming the death of Green Arrow live on the Internet. The fight itself takes up almost all of the comic and it is a pretty good fight even though G.A. really doesn't have any powers.

Detective Comics #3
As it turns out, the Gotham Ripper is a new villain that goes by the name of The Dollmaker. He gets his name from the fact that he rips people apart and makes dolls out of their skin. In issue #3 of Detective Comics, Batman finds himself drugged by the Dollmaker and about to be "operated" on to be sold as a collectible. No sign of Joker in this one but at the very end, the Dollmaker pits Batman against a group of "Jokers."

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 8)

2011-11-03T17:31:00.001-05:00

WEEK 8 SCORES

Titans 27, Colts 10
Rams 31, Saints 21
Giants 20, Dolphins 17
Vikings 24, Panthers 21
Ravens 30, Cardinals 27
Texans 24, Jaguars 14
Bills 23, Redskins 0
Lions 45, Broncos 10
Steelers 25, Patriots 17
49ers 20, Browns 10
Bengals 34, Seahawks 12
Eagles 34, Cowboys 7
Chiefs 23, Chargers 20

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Eagels
Cowboys
Redskins

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons
Panthers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Bills
Patriots
Jets
Dolphins

North
Steelers
Bengals
Ravens
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Chiefs
Chargers
Raiders
Broncos

PASSING LEADERS

Yards
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 2746
Cam Newton (Carolina) - 2393
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 2372

TDs
Aaron Rodgers - 20
Drew Brees - 19
Matthew Stafford (Detroit) - 19

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers - 125.7
Tom Brady (New England) - 104.4
Eli Manning (NY Giants) - 102.1

RUSHING LEADERS

Yards
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 798
LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia) - 754
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) - 740

TDs
Adrian Peterson - 9
LeSean McCoy - 8
Beanie Wells (Arizona) - 7
Cam Newton (Carolina) - 7

RECEIVING LEADERS

Yards
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 918
Wes Welker (New England) - 824
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - 804

TDs
Calvin Johnson - 11
Wes Welker - 6
Scott Chandler (Buffalo) - 6

ESPN Power Rankings (Top 10)
Green Bay Packers
San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Baltimore Ravens
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
NY Giants
Chicago Bears

Alt-Country: Genre of the Moment

2011-10-30T22:37:00.000-05:00

I wrote this genre of the moment at the request of Dave from Oklahoma Lefty.

Alternative country, also known as Alt-Country (and sometimes called insurgent country) is a subgenre of country music but it is not very similar to popular country music. Musically, it is basically a mixture of bluegrass, rockabilly, folk rock and punk. To me, the idea of mixing punk and country music sounds a bit strange but in some cases, it really does work. It most cases, the lyrical content is more punk than country while the music itself is more country or bluegrass, or in some cases, folk-sy.

The term alternative country started in the 1990s to describe...well, basically any artist that did not follow the aesthetics of mainstream country music. However, even though the term alternative country did not come about until the 1990s, Jason and the Scorcher's, which is one of the first bands to try and create a hybrid of country and punk, formed in 1981.

To me, alternative country incorporates the hillbilly sound of country, with punk lyrical content and a DIY (Do It Yourself) attitude reminescent of punk music. Bands that are a part of this subgenre are not the typical commericalized country music that is played on the radio these days. Personally, I would think that if Johnny Cash had started making music in the 1990s instead of when he did, he would probably be considered alt-country. That's just my opinion though, however, Wikipedia does put Johnny Cash in their list of alternative country musicians (then again, they also put both Gaslight Anthem and Kings of Leon in that list and that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me).

To me, the line between folk punk and alt country is a very fine one at times.

Here are some websites where you can learn more about the genre:

Wiki article
What is Insurgent Country?
About.com article

Here is a list of some alternative country artists/bands:

Jason and the Scorchers
500 Miles to Memphis
Armchair Martian
Band of Horses
Drag the River
Nine Pound Hammer
Drive By Truckers
Hayseed Dixie
The Jayhawks
Groovy Rednecks
Uncle Tupelo
Wilco

Midnight Oil: Discography of the Moment

2011-10-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

Midnight Oil is a rock band that formed in Sydney, Australia, originally in 1972 as Farm before changing their name to Midnight Oil in 1976, after adding vocalist Peter Garrett to their lineup. Before Garrett joined, they were only playing covers of songs by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin. The band dis-banded in 2002 but have played a couple of reunion shows here and there to benefit various causes.

Their music and lyrical content was known to be motivated by political and socio-economic issues.

Vocalist Peter Garrett has been a member of the Australian Parliament since 2004.

Here are some links where you can find out some more information about the band:
Official website
Midnight Oil Allmusic page
Deadheart - A fan website
Midnight Oil Wiki article

DISCOGRAPHY

Midnight Oil
Released in November 1978 by Sprint Music
Produced by Keith Walker
Band lineup:
Peter Garrett - vocals; Rob Hirst - drums; Jim Oginie - guitar, keyboards; Andrew James - bass; Martin Rotsey - guitar
Tracks: 7
Singles:
"Run By Night"

Head Injuries
Released in 1979 by Sprint Music
Produced by Leszek J Karski
No lineup changes
Tracks: 9

Bird Noises
Released in 1980 by Sprint Music
Produced by Leszek J Karski
No lineup changes
Tracks: 4

Place without a Postcard
Released in 1981 by Sprint Music
Produced by Glyn Johns
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Don't Wanna Be the One" "Armistice Day"

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Released in November 1982 by Columbia Records
Produced by Nick Launay and Midnight Oil
No lineup changes
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"Power and the Passion" "Read About It" "US Forces"

Red Sails in the Sunset
Released in October 1984 by Columbia
Produced by Nick Launay and Midnight Oil
No lineup changes
Tracks: 12

Species Deceases
Released in August 1985 by Columbia
Produced by Midnight Oil and Francois Kevorkian
No lineup changes
Tracks: 4

Diesel and Dust
Released in August 1987 by Columbia
Produced by Warne Livesey and Midnight Oil
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"The Dead Heart" "Beds Are Burning" "Put Down That Weapon" "Dreamworld"

Blue Sky Mining
Released in February 1990 by Columbia
Produced by Warne Livesey and Midnight Oil
Lineup changes:
Bones Hillman replaced Andrew James on bass
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Blue Sky Mine" "Forgotten Years" "Bedlam Bridge" "Kind of the Mountain" "One Country"

The Green Disc
Released in 1990 by Columbia
Produced by Warne Livesey and Midnight Oil
Lineup changes:
Peter Gifford replaced Bones Hillman on bass
Tracks: 15

Scream in Blue
Live album released in May 1992 by Columbia
Produced by Midnight Oil and Keith Walker
Tracks: 13

Earth and Sun and Moon
Released in April 1993 by Columbia
Produced by Nick Launay and Midnight Oil
Lineup changes:
Bones Hillman returned on bass
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Truganini" "My Country" "In the Valley" "Drums of Heaven" "Outbreak of Love"

Breathe
Released in October 1996 by CBS Records
Produced by Malcolm Burn
No lineup changes
Tracks: 13
Singles:
"Underwater" "Surfs Up Tonight"

20,000 Watt RSL
Compilation album released in October 1997 by CBS
Various producers
Tracks: 18

Redneck Wonderland
Released in November 1998 by Columbia
Produced by Warne Livesey, Majoo and Midnight Oil
No lineup changes
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Redneck Wonderland" "White Skin Black Heart" "Cemetary in My Mind"

The Real Thing
Compilation album released in July 2000 by Sony Music
Various producers
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"The Real Thing"

Capricornia
Released in February 2002 by Sony
Produced by Warne Livesey
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Golden Age"

Best of Both Worlds
Live album released in April 2004 by ABC Music
Produced by Keith Walker, Justin Heitman and Jim Moginie
Tracks: 28

Flat Chat
Compilation album released in August 2006 by Sony BMG
Various producers
Tracks: 18

College Football Roundup 2011 (10.30.11)

2011-10-30T16:58:00.000-05:00

BIG 12 SCORES

Missouri 38, Texas A&M 31
Oklahoma State 59, Baylor 24
Iowa State 41, Texas Tech 7
Oklahoma 58, Kansas State 17
Texas 43, Kansas 0

PAC 12 SCORES

Oregon 43, Washington State 28
Arizona State 48, Colorado 14
UCLA 31, California 14
Stanford 56, USC 48
Utah 27, Oregon State 8
Washington 42, Arizona 31

BIG 12 STANDINGS
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Kansas State
Texas A&M
Texas
Texas Tech
Missouri
Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas

PAC 12 STANDINGS

North
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
Oregon State
California
Washington State

South
Arizona State
USC
UCLA
Utah
Arizona
Colorado

AP TOP 10
LSU
Alabama
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Boise State
Oregon
Oklahoma
Arkansas
Nebraska
South Carolina

BCS TOP 10
LSU
Alabama
Oklahoma State
Boise State
Clemson
Stanford
Oregon
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Arkansas

PASSING LEADERS

Yards
Case Keenum (Houston) - 3219
Landry Jones (OU) - 3094
Nick Foles (Arizona) - 2934

TDs
Case Keenum - 32
Landry Jones - 26
Tajh Boyd (Clemson) - 25

RUSHING LEADERS

Yards
David Wilson (VT) - 1126
Ronnie Hillman (San Diego State) - 1019
Henry Josey (Missouri) - 1001

TDs
Montee Ball (Wisconsin) - 18
Bernard Pierce (Temple) - 18
Trent Richardson (Alabama) - 17

RECEIVING LEADERS

Yards
Jordan White (WMU) - 1164
Ryan Broyles (OU) - 1070
Patrick Edwards (Houston) - 1069

TDs
Patrick Edwards - 11
Justin Blackmon (OSU) - 10
Sammy Watkins (Clemson) - 10

HEISMAN WATCH
Player (Team/Position) / Total Votes:
Andrew Luck (Stanford - QB) / 73
Trent Richardson (Alabama - RB) / 51
Kellen Moore (Boise State - QB) / 43
Tajh Boyd (Clemson - QB) / 19
Russell Wilson (Wisconsin - QB) / 18
Robert Griffin III (Baylor - QB) / 14
Case Keenum (Houston - QB) / 3
Sammy Watkins (Clemson - WR) / 2
Landry Jones (OU - QB) / 1
Brandon Weeden (OSU - QB) / 1

Top 4 Bands from Pennsylvania

2011-10-30T16:10:00.001-05:00

Time for the next installment of top bands from [insert location here].....this time we are stopping in the

state of Pennsylvania.

5..........WEEN
Ween was formed in New Hope, Pennsylvania (very tiny town in Eastern PA) in 1984 by Aaron Freeman

and Mickey Melchiondo (aka Gene and Dean Ween) while in 8th grade. To pin one style of music on this

band is nearly impossible. They are heavy into experimentation and incorporate elements of various

musical genres. I saw this band live at the Will Rogers Theater in Oklahoma City in 2000. They are just

as weird live as they are on their albums.

Studio albums released:
The Crucial Squeegie Lip (1986); Axis: Bold as Boognish (1987); Erica Peterson'a Flaming Crib Death

(1987); GodWeenSatan: The Oneness (1990); The Pod (1991); Pure Guava (1992); Chocolate and

Cheese (1994); 12 Golden Country Greats (1996); The Mollusk (1997); Craters of the Sac (1999); White

Pepper (2000); Quebec (2003); Shinola Volume 1 (2005); The Friends EP (2007); La Cucaracha (2007);

Live albums released:
The Live Brain Wedgie/WAD (1988); Paintin' the Town Brown (1999); Live in Toronto Canada (2001);

Live at Stubb's (2002); All Request Live (2003); Live in Chicago (2004); At the Cat's Cradle (2008);

Compilation albums released:
Prime 5 (1989);

Favorite Songs:
You Fucked Up; I Can't Put My Finger On It (it's really hard to come up with too many of my favorite

songs because most of their songs are just....weird).

Links:
Official website
Ween MySpace page
Another Official website
Ween Wiki article

4..........LIVE
This rock band was put together in York, Pennsylvania in 1988. They disbanded in 2009 but reunited

without lead singer Ed Kowalczyk in 2011.

Studio albums released:
Divided Mind, Divided Planet (1990); Four Songs (1991); Mental Jewelry (1991); Throwing Copper

(1994); Secret Samadhi (1997); The Distance to Here (1999); V (2001); Birds of Pray (2003); Songs from

Black Mountain (2006)

Compilation albums released:
Awake (2004); Radiant Sea (2007)

They released one live album, Live at the Paradiso in 2008.

Favorite songs:
The Dam at Otter Creek; Selling the Drama; I Alone; Lightning Crashes; Rattlesnake; Lakini's Juice; The

Dolphin's Cry; Heaven; She

Links:
Official website
Live Wiki article

3..........CINDERELLA
Formed in 1983 in Philadelphia by Tom Keifer and Eric Brittingham, this glam-metal band was more or

less discovered by Jon Bon Jovi after he saw one of their shows in Philadelphia.

Studio albums released:
Night Songs (1986); Long Cold Winter (1988); Heartbreak Station (1990); Still Climbing (1994

Compilation albums released:
Once Upon A (1997); 20th Century Masters (2000); Winning Combinations (2002); Rocked, Wired and

Bluesed (2005); Gold (2006); Best Ballads (2008)

Live albums released:
Live Train to Heartbreak Station (1991); Live at the Key Club (1999); Live From the Gypsy Road (2004);

In Concert (2004); Live (2005); Extended Versions (2006); Gypsy Road Live (2006); Nobodys Fool Live

(2008); Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Tokyo Dome (2009); Live at the Mohegan Sun (2009)

Favorite songs:
Night Songs; Shake Me; Nobodys Fool; Somebody Save Me; Gypsy Road; Don't KNow What You Got;

The More Things Change; Shelter Me; Heartbreak Station

Links:
Official website
Cinderella Wiki article
Cinderella Allmusic page

2..........THE DEAD MILKMEN
Another band from Philadelphia, this punk rock band started in 1983 after a few years of remaining a

bedroom recording project for Joe Genaro (aka Joe Jack Talcum). Lyrically, most of their content in

satirical in nature. Their lineup has been relatively consistent throughout the years, replacing only

bassist Dave Schulthise due to his suicide in 2004.

Studio albums released:
Big Lizard in My Backyard (1985); Eat Your Paisley (1986); Bucky Fellini (1987); Beelzebubba (1988);

Metaphysical Graffiti (1990); Soul Rotation (1992); Not Richard, But Dick (1993); Stoney's Extra Stout

(1995); The King in Yellow (2011)

Compilation albums released:
Now We Are 10 (1993); Death Rides a Pale Cow (1997); Cream of the Crop (1998); Now We Are 20

(2003)

They released 1 live album, Chaos Rules - Live at the Trocadero in 1994.

Favorite songs:
Tiny Town; VFW; Big Lizard in my Backyard; Takin Retards to the Zoo; Right Wing Pigeons; Bitchin'

Camaro; Stuart; I Walk the Thinnest Line; Punk Rock Girl;

Links:
Official website
Jack Talcum personal website
Rodney Anonymous personal website
Dead Milkmen Wiki article

1..........THE JULIANA THEORY
This rock band was formed in 1997 in Greensburg, PA. The music of this band is kind of hard to pin down but I really like it and it is unfortunate that this band broke up. They were on Tooth & Nail Records from 1999-2001, after which they signed and released one album with Epic Records (Love). After leaving Epic Records, they released the album DeadbeatSweethearbeat on Abacus Recordings before disbanding. They broke up in 2006 but did some reunion shows in 2010 but perhaps they will get back together and record some new stuff soon.

Studio albums released (EPs included):
Understand This is a Dream (1999); Emotion is Dead (2000); Music from Another Room (2001); Love (2003); Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (2005)

1 compilation album titled A Small Noise was released by Tooth and Nail Records in 2006 and 1 live album titled Live 10.13.2011 was released (also by Tooth and Nail Records) in 2003.

In addition, there are 5 live albums that were released in 2006 by Instant Live Recordings (a company that distributes digital live recordings of concerts using portable recording vans). These albums were:
Troubadour in West Hollywood CA; Scrappy's in Tucson AZ; Numbskull in San Luis Obispo CA; Neckbeard's in Tempe AZ; Chain Reaction in Anaheim CA

Favorite songs:
This is Not a Love Song; To the Tune of 5000 Screaming Children; If I Told You This Was Killing Me Would You Stop; We're Nothing Without You; Jewel to Sparkle; This Is a Lovesong...for the Loveless; Shotgun Serenade

Links:
Official website
TJT's PureVolume site
TJT's Wiki article

Here is a short list of some other bands from Pennsylvania (and in parentheses is the city they hail from):
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Philadelphia)
Bloodhound Gang (Collegeville)
The Hooters (Philadelphia)
Aus-Rotten (Pittsburgh)
Anti-Flag (Pittsburgh)
Zao (Greensburg)

Video Game Review: Arkham City

2011-10-29T21:44:00.004-05:00

I've never done a video game review before (mostly because I really don't play many video games) so I thought it would be a good time to do my first one for the game Batman: Arkham City.

Batman: Arkham City was released on October 18, 2011. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios, whose other products include Batman: Arkham Asylum and Urban Chaos: Riot Response. The storyline was written by Paul Dini who has written for television programs such as He-Man, Transformers, Batman Beyond, as well as for several comic books, including DCs Detective Comics. He also wrote the storyline for Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Arkham City, of course, is a sequel to 2009's Arkham Asylum and like its predecessor is an open world concept, which basically describes a game where the player can roam around the environment freely.

So let me give you some background on the game for those that don't know much about it.

Arkham Asylum takes place in, surprise, Arkham Asylum, and chronicles Batman's search for The Joker, who has escaped custody...again. At the beginning of this game, Batman is delivering Joker to the guards at Arkham during which a rescue is made by an unknown villain, presumably Harley Quinn. Throughout the game, Batman is trying to track Joker down so he can get him back into custody, while at the same time trying to solve the mystery of the Titan formula, which Joker has apparently stolen during his escape with the help of other criminals such as Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and Bane, among others. At the same time all of this is going on, Batman is forced to deal with many of The Riddler's little games. All in all, it is a great game. Good graphics, good fighting sequences, good storyline, just all around a great game.

That is where Arkham City comes into play. It has been a year (game-time) since the events of Arkham Asylum have occurred and former Arkham warden Quincy Sharp has been elected mayor of Gotham City. One of his first acts is to section off a portion of old Gotham City and turn it into a maximum security prison (due to the fact that both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison were virtually destroyed during the events of Arkham Asylum). In this prison-city, criminals are allowed to roam free as long as they do not try to escape. Mayor Sharp gives control of this prison-city to psychologist and arch-villain Hugo Strange. In the game, Bruce Wayne is giving a speech and is kidnapped and transported inside the gates of Arkham City.

During the game, aside from the main mission, which is to try and essentially take down Arkham City once and for all, there are several different side missions which pit Batman against quite a few villains that are not part of the main storyline.

As great a game as Arkham Asylum was, Arkham City actually puts it to shame. The graphics are better, the combat is better, the storyline is better (and more mysterious), the villains are better (and more plentiful). The developers really outdid themselves when they put this game out.

I bought it at Best Buy which includes a downloadable pack that allows you to play the challenge maps (basically training sessions) as Robin/Red Robin. Also, during the game, you switch back and forth between playing as Batman and playing as Catwoman (if you remembered to download the Catwoman pack when you first got the game). On November 1, there will be another download pack made available that allows you to play as Nightwing.

This game is really cool and I suggest anyone that is a Batman fan or a video game fan go out and buy this one if you haven't already.

By the way, Paul Dini wrote a graphic novel that chronicles the time between Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, simply titled Arkham City.

Metalcore: Genre of the Moment

2011-10-29T21:10:00.001-05:00

Metalcore is a genre of rock music that fuses hardcore punk and heavy metal. It emphasizes mostly heavy metal elements in addition to slow, intense breakdowns. Its influences include bands such as Black Flag, Black Sabbath, the Exploited, Corrosion of Conformity, Suicide Tendencies, Slayer, Agnostic Front, and Motorhead, just to name a few. One of the first bands to be considered a metalcore band was Biohazard.

Vocally, the music is a combination of screaming and clean during the chorus of a song while. Musical elements include double bass drumming, dropped guitar tunings, and harmonized guitar riffs.

Some of the bands that are included in this genre include Killswitch Engage, Underoath, All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, The Devil Wears Prada, Avenged Sevenfold, Beloved, Haste the Day, Demon Hunter, Lamb of God, Norma Jean, and Zao.

Here are some links where I was able to find some information about this genre:

Wiki article
About.com article

Killswitch Engage: Discography of the Moment

2011-10-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

Killswitch Engage is a metalcore band that formed in 1999 in Westfield, Massachusetts from the ashes of metal bands Overcast and Aftershock.

Here are some links where you can read more stuff about them:
Official website
KSE Wiki article

DISCOGRAPHY

Killswitch Engage
Released in July 2000 by Ferret Music
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
Band lineup:
Jesse Leach - vocals; Joel Stroetzel - guitar; Mike D'Antonio - bass; Adam Dutkiewicz - drums
Tracks: 9

Alive or Just Breathing
Released in May 2002 by Roadrunner Records
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
No lineup changes
Tracks: 12

The End of Heartache
Released in May 2004 by Roadrunner; re-released as a special edition in 2005.
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz
Lineup changes:
Jesse Leach was replaced on vocals by Howard Jones; Justin Foley replaced Adam on drums and Adam stayed with the band as a 2nd guitarist.
Tracks: 12 (18 on the special edition)
Singles:
"Rose of Sharyn" "The End of Heartache" and "A Bid Farewell"
Charts:
#21 on the Billboard 200

As Daylight Dies
Released in November 2006 by Roadrunner; re-released as a special edition in August 2007
Produced by Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11 (15 on the special edition)
Singles:
"My Curse" "The Arms of Sorrow" "Holy Diver" and "This is Absolution"
Charts:
#32 on the Billboard 200

Killswitch Engage
Released in June 2009 by Roadrunner
Produced by Brendan O'Brien and Adam Dutkiewicz
No lineup changes
Tracks: 11 (15 on a special edition that was released at the same time as the original)
Singles:
"Reckoning" "Starting Over" "Take Me Away" and "Save Me"
Charts:
#7 on the Billboard 200; #29 on the UK Albums Chart

Top 4 Bands from Massachusetts

2011-10-29T20:36:00.001-05:00

Here is my next post in the Top Bands from [insert location here] series.....bands from the state of Massachusetts. There really were a lot of them so narrowing them down to 4 was quite difficult but here they are...enjoy!

THE CARS

This legendary rock band was formed in 1976 in Boston, Massachusetts by Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr, originally as a cover band. They were together until February 1988 and reunited in 2010 without Orr, who died in 2000 from pancreatic cancer.

Studio albums released:
The Cars (1978); Candy-O (1979); Panorama (1980); Shake It Up (1981); Heartbeat City (1984); Door to Door (1987); Move Like This (2011)

Compilation albums released:
Greatest Hits (1985); Just What I Needed (1995); Shake It Up & Other Hits (2001); Complete Greatest Hits (2002); The Essentials (2005)

Favorite Songs:
Just What I Needed; You're All I've Got Tonight; Let's Go; Hello Again; Drive; You Might Think

Links:
Official website
Cars Facebook page
Cars MySpace page
Cars Wiki article

BOSTON

This rock band was formed in Boston in 1976 by Tom Scholz after recruiting musicians from various bands that he had played with in the late 60s/early 70s while studying at MIT.
They have never officially disbanded but this is one band that takes its time putting albums out.

Studio albums released:
Boston (1976); Don't Look Back (1978); Third Stage (1986); Walk On (1994); Corporate America (2002)

They have released one album, simply titled Greatest Hits in 1997.

Favorite songs:
More Than a Feeling; Peace of Mind; Don't Look Back; Amanda; We're Ready; To Be a Man; Can'tcha Say You Believe in Me;

Links:
Official website
Boston Wiki article

PIXIES

This rock band, also originally from Boston, began its career in 1986 when Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis) and Joey Santiago put it together while attending the University of Massachusetts. They disbanded in 1994 and reunited in 2004. Although commercially they were not that successful a band, they are one of the most influential bands to come from their time period in my opinion. Their style of music contains elements of surf rock and their lyrical content typically goes into the bizarre.

Studio albums released (EPs included):
Come on Pilgrim (1987); Surfer Rosa (1988); Doolittle (1989); Bossanova (1990); Trompe Le Monde (1991)

Compilation albums released:
Death to the Pixies (1997); Pixies at the BBC (1998); Complete B Sides (2001); Pixies (2002); Wave of Mutilation (2004); Minotaur (2009)

They have released 12 live albums in collaboration with a company called Disc Live during their 2004 reunion tour.

Favorite songs:
Caribou; Nimrod's Son; Bone Machine; Gigantic; Where is My Mind; Debaser; Wave of Mutilation; Here Comes Your Man; Monkey Gone to Heaven; Gouge Away; Cevilia Ann; Planet of Sound; Alec Eiffel; Head On; Letter to Memphis; Subbacultcha

Links:
Official website
Pixies Wiki article

DROPKICK MURPHYS

This band was formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996 by Ken Casey and Mike McColgan. They play a brand of Celtic punk that mixes traditional punk rock music with Irish folk music.

Studio albums released (EPs included):
Boys on the Docks (1997); Do or Die (1998); The Gang's All Here (1999); Sing Loud Sing Proud (2001); Blackout (2003); Tessie (2004); The Warriors Code (2005); The Meanest of Times (2007); Going Out in Style (2011)

Compilation albums:
The Early Years (1998); The Singles Collection Volume 1 (2000); The Singles Collection Volume 2 (2005)

Live albums:
Live on St Patricks Day (2002); Live on Lansdowne (2010)

Favorite songs:
Cadence to Arms; Caught in a Jar; Boys on the Docks; Amazing Grace; For Boston; Which Side Are You On; Forever; The Gauntlet; Walk Away; Fields of Athenry; The Dirty Glass; Tessie; 21 Guitar Salute; It's a Long Way to the Top; Halloween; The Warriors Code; Captain Kelly's Kitchen; I'm Shipping Up to Boston; Famous for Nothing; God Willing; The State of Massachusetts; Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced; Going Out in Style

Links:
Official website
Dropkick Murphys Wiki article

Here is a list of some other bands from Massachusetts that were worth putting on here but not quite good enough to make the Top 4 list:

The Lemonheads
Letters to Cleo
Belly
Blake Babies
Buffalo Tom
Extreme
The Breeders
Dinosaur Jr
Sebadoh
The J. Geils Band
Killswitch Engage
Godsmack
Morphine
Aerosmith

DCs New 52: October

2011-10-29T15:59:00.001-05:00

DCs New 52: October

Here’s my “mini-reviews” on DC Comic’s New 52 titles (the ones that I read anyway) for the month of October, excluding the one’s that I did on the last post (DC’s New 52 – September).

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Batman and Robin #2
Same writer/artist team as last issue (Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason).
Not really much to say about this comic. Storyline from issue #1 continues. Batman still doesn’t trust Damion, although he is starting to come around a little bit. Still, I personally don’t like Damion as Robin and I’m not a huge fan of the storyline so it is quite possible I might stop reading this title.

Superboy #2
Scott Lobdell and Rob Silva return to write and draw the 2nd issue of this title.
In this issue, the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agency finally lets Superboy out of his “cage” to test his skills.

OCTOBER 19, 2011

Batman #2
I really like this storyline. Batman is still hunting a mysterious new villain, although it appears that this villain, who has a long and secret past, somehow already knows him. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo return from issue #1 for their writing and penciling duties.

Justice League #2
The awesome writing/drawing team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee continue this very interesting story.
This is still one of the better storylines in the new 52. This is a title that, as far as I can tell, is definitely set in a new universe. In this issue, Batman and Green Lantern square off against The Man of Steel, and are basically getting their butts handing to them….until The Flash shows up.

Nightwing #2
Nightwing #2 was released this week but I did not pick it up. It is one of those titles that I pretty much decided not to continue reading. The first issue didn’t really impress me enough to want to continue buying it.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2
I still think this comic, written by Scott Lobdell and drawn by Kenneth Rocafort, is one of the best, if not THE best, title of the new 52. Great, great story. This one is even better than the first issue. It delves a little bit into Jason Todd’s past and links it with his present mission. Great read.

OCTOBER 26, 2011

All-Star Western #2
Another one of my favorites of the new 52. Writer Justin Gray and artist Jimmy Palmiotti continue the story about Jonah Hex and Amaedus Arkham teaming up to search for a serial killer in post-Civil War Gotham City. They begin to uncover some very nasty secrets about the already beginning criminal underworld of Gotham City.

Batman: The Dark Knight #2
Writing/drawing team of David Finch, Paul Jenkins, Richard Friend and Jay Fabok pick up the story from the end of last month’s issue with Batman fighting a quite difference Two-Face after which he ends up on the trail of a “white rabbit” only to catch up with a very different Joker. Elements of this story remind me slightly of some of the elements of the Arkham Asylum video game’s storyline.

The Flash #2
Same writing/drawing team from last month returns. In this storyline, it appears that Barry Allen is still trying to learn how to completely tap into the Speed Force, which he begins to do by “thinking” faster. It culminates in an unknown group of villains somehow stripping him of his powers altogether, or at least that is how I am interpreting what is going on with the last page of the comic. To be completely honest, I am kind of disappointed overall with the new Flash series.

Superman #2
George Perez and Jesus Merino return to spin a new Superman story. In the 1st issue, Superman has to fight this weird fire-type monster that he seems to think knows something about the planet Krypton. In this issue, he fights another “invisible” monster that is somehow linked to the monster from the 1st issue. All in all, this title is really not grabbing me and I might not continue to read it.

Teen Titans #2
Another good story brought to us by Scott Lobdell and drawn by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund. Good storyline (obviously if it is written by Lobdell). In this issue, we finally find out that Kid Flash is Bart Allen (so it appears that Wally West does not exist in this universe as far as I can tell, which is kind of irritating personally). Superboy still has not met up with the team. Red Robin and Wonder Girl (but don’t call her that, she hates that) are the focus of this issue as they search for the meta-teens that are being rounded up by some government agency.

In the future, I am thinking that I might do this on a weekly basis rather than a monthly basis. Still tossing that idea around.

Top 4 Bands from San Francisco

2011-10-28T19:18:00.000-05:00

Here's the next installment of my "Top Bands of [insert location here]"....today we are stopping the bus in San Francisco, California.....enjoy!

4............JOURNEY

Rock band formed in 1973.

Studio albums released:
Journey (1985); Look into the Future (1976); Next (1977); Infinity (1978); Evolution (1979); Departure (1980); Escape (1981); Frontiers (1983); Raised on Radio (1986); Trial by Fire (1996); Arrival (2001); Red 13 (2002); Generations (2005); Revelation (2008); Eclipse (2011)

Live albums released:
Captures (1981); Greatest Hits Live (1998); Live in Houston (2005)

Compilation albums released:
In the Beginning (1980); Star-Box (1988); Greatest Hits (1988); The Ballade (1991); Time (1992); The Journey Continues (2001); The Essential Journey (2001); Open Arms (2004); Don't Stop Believin (2009); Greatest Hits Volume 2 (2011)

Favorite songs:
Wheel in the Sky; Any Way You Want It; Don't Stop Believin'; Who's Crying Now; Open Arms; Separate Ways; Faithfully; Raised on Radio

Links:
Official website
Journey Wiki article

3............DEAD KENNEDYS

Formed in 1978 by guitarist Raymond Pepperell, aka East Bay Ray. Musically, the Dead Kennedys were a mix of hardcore punk and the British form of punk rock that existed in the 1970s. Their lyrics typically deal with political and social issues, which can make them a tad dated but it is near impossible to deny their legendary status in the punk community.

Studio albums released:
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980); In God We Trust Inc (1981, actually an EP); Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982); Frankenchrist (1985); Bedtime for Democracy (1986)

Live Albums released:
A Skateboard Party (1983); Mutiny on the Bay (2001); Live at the Deaf Club (2004)

Compilation albums released:
Not So Quiet on the Western Front (1982); Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987); Milking the Sacred Cow (2007)

Favorite Songs:
Kill the Poor; California Uber Alles; Holiday in Cambodia; Viva Las Vegas; Nazi Punks Fuck Off; Rawhide; Bleed for Me; Police Truck; Chickenshit Conformist; Too Drunk to Fuck; Life Sentence; Pull My Strings;

Links:
Official website
DK Wiki article
DK Bio on Alternative Tentacles

2............FLIPPER

This noise punk band formed in 1979. They broke up in 1987 when founding member and bassist/vocalist Will Shatter died of a drug overdose. Since then, they have reunited and broken up twice. At one point in time, former Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic played bass for this band (he played with them from 2006 and 2009).

Studio albums released:
Album - Generic Flipper (1982); Gone Fishin (1984); American Grafishy (1993); Love (2009)

Live albums released:
Blow'n Chunks (1984); Public Flipper Limited (1986); Numberg Fish Trials (1991); Live at CBGBs (1997); Fight (2009)

They have also released one compilation album, titled Sex Bomb Baby in 1988.

Favorite Songs:
Life Is Cheap; Shed No Tears; Way of the World; Sex Bomb; The Light, the Sound, the Rhythm, the Noise; Someday; May the Truth Be Known; Love Canal; Ha Ha Ha; In Your Arms;

Links:
Official website
Flipper Facebook page
Flipper Wiki article

1............FAITH NO MORE

Originally called Faith No Man, this rock band was started in 1981 by bass player Billy Gould, drummer Mike Bordin, singer Michael Morris and keyboardist Wade Worthington. Morris and Worthington left a year later and the band re-named themselves Faith No More. The band has gone through numerious line-up changes throughout its 20+ year career. They actually broke up in 1998 and re-formed in 2009.

Studio albums released:
We Care a Lot (1985); Introduce Yourself (1987); The Real Thing (1989); Angel Dust (1992); King for a Day...Fool for a Lifetime (1995); Album of the Year (1997)

Compilation albums released:
Who Cares a Lot? (1998); This Is It (2003); Epic and Other Hits (2005); The Platinum Collection (2006); The Works (2008); The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection (2009); Midlife Crisis (2010

Favorite Songs:
We Care a Lot; From Out of Nowhere; Falling to Pieces; Land of Sunshine; Caffeine; Midlife Crisis; Smaller and Smaller; Jizzlobber; A Small Victory; Be Aggressive; Get Out; Digging the Grave; Ashes to Ashes

They released 1 live album, Live at the Brixton Academy, in 1991.

Links:
Official website
FNM Wiki article

NOFX was going to be on this list until I found out during my research that they were actually originally from Los Angeles so that disqualifies them.

Here is a list of some other bands from San Francisco that did not make this list:

Avengers
Grateful Dead
Huey Lewis and the News
Negative Trend
Night Ranger
Pansy Division
Steve Miller Band

There are quite a bit more but I'm not listing them all.

Against Me - Discography of the Moment

2011-10-27T22:33:00.000-05:00

Against Me is a punk rock band that was formed in Naples, Florida in 1997 by Tom Gabel. Originally, it was conceived as a solo act featuring only vocals and acoustic guitar and eventually adding a drummer in Kevin Mahon.

Here are some links where you can read more about them:
Offical website
Against Me Wiki article

Against Me
Released in 2000 by Crasshole Records
Produced by Against Me
Band lineup:
Tom Gabel - vocals, guitar; Kevin Mahon - drums, vocals
Tracks: 5

Crimes as Forgiven by Against Me
Released in 2001 by Plan-It-X Records
Produced by Against Me
No lineup changes
Tracks: 6

Against Me
Released in 2001 by Sabot Productions
Produced by Against Me
No lineup changes
Tracks: 6

Against Me is Reinventing Axl Rose
Released in March 2002 by No Idea Records
Produced by Rob McGregor
Lineup changes:
Kevin Mahon was replaced on drums by Warren Oakes; James Bowman was added as a 2nd guitarist and Dustin Fridkin was added on bass
Tracks: 11

Against Me as the Eternal Cowboy
Released in November 2003 by Fat Wreck Chords.
Produced by Rob McGregor
Lineup changes:
Dustin Fridkin was replaced on bass by Andrew Seward
Tracks: 11
Singles:
"Cavalier Eternal" and "Sink, Florida, Sink"

Searching for a Former Clarity
Released in September 2005 by Fat Wreck Chords
Produced by J Robbins
No lineup changes
Tracks: 15
Singles:
"Don't Lose Touch" and "From Her Lips to God's Ears"

Americans Abroad. Against Me Live in London
Live album released in March 2006 by Fat Wreck Chords
Tracks: 17

New Wave
Released in July 2007 by Sire Records; re-released as a deluxe edition in June 2008 by Fargo Records
Produced by Butch Vig
No lineup changes
Tracks: 10 (15 on the deluxe edition)
Singles:
"White People for Peace" "Thrash Unreal" "Stop" and "New Wave"
Charts/Other Accolades:
#57 on the US Billboard 200
#1 on Spin Magazine's Album of the Year
#9 on Rolling Stone magazine's Top 50 Albums of 2007

New Wave B-Sides
Released in July 2008 for Amazon's mP3 service only
Tracks: 5

The Original Cowboy
Released in July 2009 by Fat Wreck Chords
Produced by Rob McGregor
Tracks: 8
This album is a collection of demos and unreleased songs from the Against Me as the Eternal Cowboy sessions.

White Crosses
Released in June 2010 by Sire Records
Produced by Butch Vig and Alan Moulder
Lineup changes:
Warren Oakes was replaced on drums by George Rebelo
Tracks: 10
Singles:
"I Was a Teenage Anarchist" and "High Pressure Low"
Charts:
#34 on the US Billboard 200

Total Clarity
Released in May 2011 by Fat Wreck Chords
Produced by J Robbins
Tracks: 15
This album is a collection of demos and unreleased songs from the Searching for a Former Clarity sessions.

Black Crosses
Released in July 2011 by Total Treble Music
Produced by Against Me
Tracks: 14
This album is a collection of demos and unreleased songs from the White Crosses sessions.

Post-Hardcore: Genre of the Moment

2011-10-27T20:00:00.002-05:00

Post-hardcore is a label that, from what I can tell, is basically just an offshoot of hardcore punk. While hardcore punk was defined by music that had a very fast tempo and heavy bass, post-hardcore went outside this definition with more complex arrangements, going beyond the typical power chord arrangement that is definitive of most punk rock bands. In addition to moving beyond the complex arrangements, the music typically mixes elements of other styles of music such as jazz and soul.

Personally, I think a post-hardcore punk band is basically what I would call a bunch of guys from a formerly punk rock band that learned how to play their instruments. LoL!

The Washington DC hardcore scene was highly influential in the origins of the post-hardcore movement, which was led, in part, by a number of the bands that released their music through the DIY (Do It Yourself) label, Dischord Records.

Some of the bands included in a list of post-hardcore bands would be:
Fugazi
Big Black
Emery
Embrace
Girls Against Boys
Helmet
Hot Water Music
The Used
June of 44
Shellac
Rites of Spring
Quicksand
Naked Raygun
Nomeansno
The Nation of Ulysses
Lungfish
Killdozer
Jawbox
The Jesus Lizard

If I had to choose a list of favorite post-hardcore acts, I would go with Fugazi, Emery, Big Black and Helmet.

In many ways, post-hardcore sounds a lot like indie rock. The main difference between, in my opinion, by who the particular bands would quote as influences. While a post-hardcore band would, of course, list mostly hardcore-punk and other punk rock bands, an indie rock band would list its influences in mostly pop bands and bands of other types of rock music.

You can read a lot more about the genre itself, as well as a pretty decent history of the genre at the Wiki article here.

Top 4 Bands from Washington DC

2011-10-27T19:43:00.001-05:00

While trying to decide on another music-related post to do, I rescued again by my friend Dave from Oklahoma Lefty who suggested I do a post similar to my recent Top 5 Bands from New Jersey.

Today, as the title of this post clearly states, I am putting together my Top 4 favorite bands from Washington D.C.

So here they are, in order of preference (again, the best one is saved for last)....Enjoy!

4..........DAG NASTY
This punk band formed in 1985 by former Minor Threat member Brian Baker and vocalist Shawn Brown. Shawn was eventually replaced on vocals by former ALL vocalist Dave Smalley. Smalley himself left the band in 1986 and was replaced by Peter Cortner.

Studio albums released (5):
Can I Say (1986); Wig Out at Denkos (1987); Field Day (1988); Four on the Floor (1992); Minority of One (2002)

They also released an EP, titled Trouble Is in 1988 and a compilation album, 85-86 in 1991.

Links:
Official website
Dag Nasty Wiki article

3..........BAD BRAINS
This hardcore punk band started in 1977. They are considered one of the "founding fathers" of hardcore punk rock. Even though they are a hardcore punk band, their music mixes elements of reggae and jazz fusion as well. In fact, when they first got together they were a jazz fusion band using the name Mind Power. This band has broken up and reunited several times.

Studio albums released (8):
Bad Brains (1982); Rock for Light (1983); I Against I (1986); Quickness (1989); Rise (1993); God of Love (1995); I and I Survived (2002); Build a Nation (2007)

EPs released (2):
Spirit Electricity (1991); The Omega Sessions (1997)
Live albums released (4):
Live (1989); The Youth are Getting Restless (1990); A Bad Brains Reunion Live from Maritime Hall (2001); Live at CBGB 1982 (2006)

Compilation albums released (3):
Black Dots (1996); Banned in DC (2003); Pay to Cum (2006)

Links:
Official website
Bad Brains MySpace page
Bad Brains Allmusic site
Bad Brains Wiki article

2..........MINOR THREAT
This short-lived but influential hardcore punk band started up in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. They are considered one of the pioneers of the DIY (Do It Yourself) movement and also considered the band that started the "straight edge" movement.

They released 1 studio albums, Out of Step in 1983.

They released 3 EPs:
Minor Threat (1981); In My Eyes (1981); Salad Days (1985)

They also released 1 compilation album, titled Complete Discography in 1989.

My favorite songs of theirs include:
Straight Edge; I Don't Wanna Hear It; In My Eyes; Guilty of Being White; Out of Step; Good Guys Don't Wear White.

Links:
Minor Threat page on Dischord Records
Minor Threat Wiki article

1..........Fugazi
This post-hardcore band was formed in 1987 by former Minor Threat vocalist Ian MacKaye. They have been on hiatus since 2003 due to the members' various side projects.

Studio albums released (6):
Repeater (1990); Steady Diet of Nothing (1991); In on the Kill Taker (1993); Red Medicine (1995); End Hits (1998); The Argument (2001)

EPs released (2):
Fugazi (1988); Margin Walker (1989)

They have released 1 live album, titled Fugazi Live Series in 2004 and 1 compilation, titled 13 Songs in 1989.

My favorite songs of theirs:
Waiting Room; Margin Walker; Provisional; Turnover; Repeater; Blueprint; Shut the Door; Exit Only; Do You Like Me; Fell, Destroyed

Links:
Fugazi page at Dischord Records
Fugazi Wiki article

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 7)

2011-10-27T17:52:00.001-05:00

Forgot to do this earlier this week.

WEEK 7 SCORES

Browns 6, Seahawk 3 :(
Falcons 23, Lions 16
Texans 41, Titans 7
Broncos 18, Miami 15
Jets 27, Chargers 21
Bears 24, Buccaneers 18
Panthers 33, Redskins 30
Chiefs 28, Raiders 0
Steelers 32, Cardinals 20
Cowboys 34, Rams 7
Packers 33, Vikings 27
Saints 62, Colts 7
Jaguars 12, Ravens 7

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Bills
Jets
Dolphins

North
Steelers
Bengals
Ravens
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Cowboys
Redskins
Eagles

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons
Panthers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

STATS

Passing Yards
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 2477
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 2372
Tom Brady (New England) - 2163

Passing TDs
Aaron Rodgers - 20
Drew Brees - 18
Tom Brady - 16

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers - 125.7
Tom Brady - 104.8
Drew Brees - 104.6

Rushing Yards
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 712
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville) - 677
Matt Forte (Chicago) - 672

Rushing TDs
Adrian Peterson - 8
Cam Newton (Carolina) - 7
Michael Turner (Atlanta) - 6

Receiving Yards
Wes Welker (Patriots) - 785
Steve Smith (Panthers) - 675
Jimmy Graham (Saints) - 620

Receiving TDs
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 818
Wes Welker (New England) - 785
Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh) - 730

Tackles
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - 10
Wes Welker (New England) - 6
Laxico Burress (New York Jets) - 6

ESPN Power Rankings (First 10)
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
San Franciso 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers
Chicago Bears

Top 5 Bands from New Jersey

2011-10-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

This is a list thatDave from Oklahoma Lefty suggested I do.

It is a list of who I think are the 5 Best Bands/Artists to come from New Jersey. So here they are in descending order of importance....that is, the best one is saved for the last......

5..........Blues Traveler

This rock band was put together in 1987 in Princeton, New Jersey. They are a rock band that is heavily influenced by blues, folk, soul and southern rock.

Studio albums released (10):
Blues Traveler (1990); Travelers and Thieves (1991); Save His Soul (1993); Four (1994); Straight On till Morning (1997); Decisions of the Sky (2000); Bridge (2001); Truth Be Told (2003); Bastardos (2005); Cover Yourself (2007); North Hollywood Shootout (2008)

Live albums released (5):
On Tour Forever (1992); Live From the Fall (1996); What You and I Have Been Through(2002); Live on the Rocks; Bastardos en Vivo! (2004)

Compilation albums released (2):
1,000,000 People Can't Be Wrong (1995); Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics (2002)

My favorite songs of theirs are "Run Around" and "Hook" both from the 1994 album Four.

Links:
Official Website
Blues Traveler Wiki article

4..........Bon Jovi

Yeah, so what? I like Bon Jovi. Sue me. They put out some good music, lemme alone!
Anyway, this rock band was formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983.

Studio albums released (11):
Bon Jovi (1984); 7800 Fahrenheit (1985); Slippery When Wet (1986); New Jersey (1988); Keep the Faith (1992); These Days (1995); Crush (2000); Bounce (2002); Have a Nice Day (2005); Lost Highway (2007); The Circle (2009).

They released 1 live album: One Wild Night Live (2001)

Compilation albums released (4):
Cross Road (1994); Tokyo Road (2001); This Left Feels Right (2003); Greatest Hits (2010)
They have also released a box set: 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong (2004)

Favorite Songs:
Runaway; Livin on a Prayer; Wanted Dead or Alive; I'd Die For You; I'll Be There For You; Born to Be My Baby; Bed of Roses; This Ain't a Love Song; It's My Life; Have a Nice Day

Links:
Official Website
Bon Jovi Facebook site
Bon Jovi Wiki article

3..........The Misfits

This horror punk band was formed in 1977 in Lodi, New Jersey by Glenn Danzig.
They have gone through several lineup changes since their inception. They disbanded in 1983 but re-united in 1995 without Danzig.

Studio albums released (10):
Beware (1980); 3 Hits From Hell (1981); Walk Among Us (1982); Earth AD/Wolfs Blood (1983); American Psycho (1997); Static Age (1997); Famous Monsters (1999); Project 1950 (2003); Psycho in the Wax Museum (2006); The Devil's Rain (2011);

Live albums released (2):
Evilive (1987); Evilive II (1998)

Compilation albums released (4):
Legacy of Brutality (1985); Misfits (aka Collection) (1986); Collection II (1995); Cuts from the Crypt (2001)

They also released a self-titled box set in 1996.

Favorites songs:
I Turned Into a Martian; Skulls; Astro Zombies; Teenagers From Mars; London Dungeon; Ghouls Night Out; Hybrid Moments; Halloween; She; Die Die My Darling; Dig Up Her Bones; Mars Attacks; Don't Open Til Doomsday; Hell Night; Scream; Saturday Night;

Links:
Official Website
Misfits Wiki article

2..........Gaslight Anthem

This rock band was formed in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 2005, making it the newest band on this list.
Their music has elements of punk, soul, and rock. As I have stated about this band before, they kind of remind me of a mixture between Bruce Springsteen, Social Distortion and Paul Westerberg.

Studio albums released (4):
Sink or Swim (2007); Senor and the Queen (2008); The 59 Sound (2008); American Slang (2010)

They have released 1 live album, Live at Park Avenue in 2009.

They also recently released an iTunes Session live EP on November 18.

Favorite Songs:
Great Expectations; The 59 Sound; Old White Lincoln; American Slang; Bring It On; The Diamond Church Street Choir; Boxer; The Spirit of Jazz;

Links:
Official Website
Gaslight Anthem Facebook site
Gaslight Anthem MySpace page
Fan site
Gaslight Anthem Wiki article

1...........Bruce Springsteen

Hell, where to begin!!! The Boss!
He was born in September 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey and began his professional singing career in 1965 with a band called The Castiles.
He has also played for bands such as Earth, Steel Mill, Dr Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and Sundance Blues Band before starting the Bruce Springsteen Band (and the E Street Band).

Studio albums released (17):
Greetings from Asbury Park (1973); The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (1973); Born to Run (1975); Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978); The River (1980); Nebraska (1982); Born in the USA (1984); Tunnel of Love (1987); Human Touch (1992); Lucky Town (1992); The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995); The Rising (2002); Devils and Dust (2005); We Shall Overcome (2006); Magic (2007); Working on a Dream (2009); The Promise (2010)

Live albums released (5):
Live/1975-85 (1986); MTV Unplugged (1993); Live in New York City (2001); Hammersmith Odeon London (2006); Live in Dublin (2007)

Compilation albums released (6):
Greatest Hits (1995); Tracks (1998); 18 Tracks (1999); The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003); Greatest Hits (2009); The Collection (2010)

He has also released 2 box sets:
Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition (2005); The Promise: Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (2010)

Favorites songs (wow, where to begin):
Born to Run; Badlands; Hungry Heart; Fade Away; The River; Atlantic City; Born in the USA; I'm on Fire; Glory Days; Fire; Human Touch; Streets of Philadelphia; Pink Cadillac

Links:
Official website
Bruce Springsteen Wiki article

For those that are interested, here is a list of some other bands that hail from Jersey:
The Smithereens
Adrenalin O.D.
Mucky Pup
Samhain
Danzig
Skid Row
The Bouncing Souls
My Chemical Romance
Kool and the Gang
Jonas Brothers
The Isley Brothers
Saves the Day

College Football Roundup 2011 (10.23.11)

2011-10-23T14:20:00.000-05:00

PAC 12 SCORES
Arizona 48, UCLA 12
Oregon 45, Colorado 2
USC 31, Notre Dame 17 :(
Oregon State 44, Washington STate 21
California 34, Utah 10
Stanford 65, Washington 21 :(

BIG 12 SCORES
Kansas State 59, Kansas 21
Texas A&M 33, Iowa State 17
Oklahoma State 45, Missouri 24
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38

PAC 12 STANDINGS
North
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
Oregon State
California
Washington State
South
Arizona State
USC
UCLA
Arizona
Utah
Colorado

BIG 12 STANDINGS
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
Texas
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas

AP TOP 10
LSU
Alabama
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Boise State
Clemson
Oregon
Arkansas
Michigan State
Kansas State

BCS TOP 10
LSU
Alabama
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Boise State
Wisconsin
Clemson
Stanford
Arkansas
Oregon

PASSING LEADERS

Yards
Case Keenum (Houston) - 2685
Seth Doege (Texas Tech) - 2608
Landry Jones (OU) - 2589
Brandon Weeden (OSU) @ 6th with 2436

TDs
Kellen Moore (Boise State) - 24
Tajh Boyd (Clemson) - 24
Case Keenum (Houston) - 23

RUSHING LEADERS

Yards
David Wilson (Vermont) - 984
Trent Richardson (Alabama) - 962
Bobbie Rouse (Fresno State) - 941

TDs
Bernard Pierce (Temple) - 18
Montee Ball (Wisconsin) - 17
Trent Richardson (Alabama) - 17

RECEIVING LEADERS

Yards
Jordan White (Western Michigan) - 992
AJ Jenkins (Illinois) - 987
Keenan Allen (California) - 906

TDs
Sammy Watkins (Clemson) - 9
Kendall Wright (Baylor) - 9
Ryan Broyles (OU) - 9

Favorite Voices: Top 8

2011-10-22T22:05:00.002-05:00

Dave and I were talking about favorites singers earlier today.

Tuesday, he posted on his blog My Favorite Voices.

After the discussion about it, I decided to post my own favorites. So here is my Top 8 Favorite Singers...and strangely enough, I have put them in order of preference:

Josh Caterer (Smoking Popes and Duvall)
Chad Price (ALL and Drag the River)
Paul McCartney (The Beatles and solo)
Milo Aukerman (Descendents)
Mark Salomon (Stavesacre)
Rivers Cuomo (Weezer)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
Trevor Keith (Face to Face)

Best Batman Graphic Novels

2011-10-21T17:41:00.001-05:00

Back in 2005, IGN did a list of the 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels.

I have listed the top 10 here (in parentheses next to the title is the writer and the artist):

10. Hush (Jeph Loeb / Jim Lee)
9. Batman and Dracula: Red Rain (Doug Moench / Kelley Jones)
8. Dark Victory (Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale)
7. Son of the Demon (Mike Barr / Jerry Bingham)
6. The Cult (Jim Starlin / Bernie Wrightson)
5. The Long Halloween (Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale)
4. Arkham Asylum (Grant Morrison / Dave McKean)
3. The Killing Joke (Alan Moore / Brian Bollard)
2. The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)
1. Batman: Year One (Frank Miller / Dave Mazzucchelli)

I have to admit that I have only read 7 of these 10 and I agree for the most part with the 1st 5. I think Hush should be a little higher in the list and I am a little surprised that Contagion did not make the top 25 at all.

I think if I were making the list and including titles that came out after 2005, this would be my list (but not in any particular order because I really don't think I could pick a favorite, other than Batman Year One. That would always be on the top of my list):

Batman: Year One
The Long Halloween
The Dark Knight Returns
The Killing Joke
Arkham Asylum
Hush
Cacophony
The Widening Gyre
All Star Batman and Robin
Batman: Black and White

The Riverdales: Discography of the Moment

2011-10-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

The Riverdales were a pop punk band from Chicago, Illinois. This band was essentially a side project for Screeching Weasel's Ben Weasel. It formed in 1994 and its name comes from the town where the Archie Comics kids live.

LINKS
Riverdales MySpace site
Riverdales Allmusic site
Riverdales Wiki site

DISCOGRAPHY

Riverdales
Released in July 1995 by Lookout! Records; Re-released in October 2006 by Asian Man Records.
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Billie Joe Armstrong.
Band lineup:
Ben Foster - guitar, vocals; Dan Schafer - bass, vocals; Dan Sullivan - drums, vocals.
Tracks: 12
Singles:
"Back to You" "Fun Tonight"

Storm the Streets
Released in July 1997 by Honest Don's Records.
Produced by Mass Giorgini and Ben Foster.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 14
Singles:
"Blood on the Ice"

Phase 3
Released in July 2003 by 1-4-5 Records; re-released in October 2008 by Asian Man Records.
Produced by Mass Giorini and Ben Foster.
Lineup changes:
Dan Sullivan was replaced on drums by Dan Lumley.
Tracks: 17

Invasion USA
Released in July 2009 by Asian Man.
Produced by Justin Perkins.
Lineup changes:
Dan Lumley was replaced on drums by Adam Cargin.
Tracks: 14

Tarantula
Released in June 2010 by Recess Records.
Produced by Justin Perkins.
Lineup changes:
Simon Lamb was added as a 2nd guitarist.
Tracks: 14

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 6)

2011-10-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

WEEK 6 SCORES

Green Bay 24, St Louis 3
NY Giants 27, Buffalo 24
Cincinnati 27, Indianapolis 17
Atlanta 31, Carolina 17
San Francisco 25, Detroit 19
Philadelphia 20, Washington 13
Pittsburgh 17, Jacksonville 13
Oakland 24, Cleveland 17
Baltimore 29, Houston 14
Tampa Bay 26, New Orleans 20
New England 20, Dallas 16
Chicago 39, Minnesota 10
NY Jets 24, Miami 6

AFC STANDINGS

East
Patriots
Bills
Jets
Dolphins

North
Ravens
Bengals
Steelers
Browns

South
Titans
Texans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos

NFC STANDINGS

East
Giants
Redskins
Cowboys
Eagles

North
Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

South
Buccaneers
Saints
Falcons
Panthers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

STATS

Passing Yards
Tom Brady (Patriots) - 2163
Drew Brees (Saints) - 2152
Aaron Rodgers (Packers) - 2031

Passing TDs
Aaron Rodgers - 17
Tom Brady - 16
Matthew Stanford (Lions) - 15

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers - 122.5
Tom Brady - 104.8
Eli Manning (Giants) - 101.1
By the way, Tavaris Jackson, QB for the Seahawks, is ranked 22nd in QB rating (81.0)@@

Rushing Yards
Darren McFadden (Raiders) - 610
Fred Jackson (Bills) - 601
Maurice Jones-Drew (Jaguars) - 572
Marshawn Lynch, RB for the Seahawks has 239.

Rushing TDs
Adrian Peterson (Vikings) - 7
Michael Turner (Falcons) - 6
LeSean McCoy (Eagles) - 6
Marshawn Lynch....2.

Receiving Yards
Wes Welker (Patriots) - 785
Steve Smith (Panthers) - 675
Jimmy Graham (Saints) - 620

Receiving TDs
Calvin Johnson (Lions) - 9
Wes Welker (Patriots) - 6
Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) - 5

Tackles
Pat Angerer (Colts) - 73
Kavell Conner (Colts) - 58
George Wilson (Bills) - 57

ESPN Power Rankings (First 10)
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots
Baltimore Ravens
San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints
Detroit Lions
San Diego Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Oakland Raiders
Buffalo Bills

College Football Roundup 2011 (10.18.11)

2011-10-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

BIG 12 SCORES

Texas A&M 55, Baylor 28
Missouri 52, Iowa State 17
Oklahoma State 38, Texas 26
Oklahoma 47, Kansas 17
Kansas State 41, Texas Tech 34

PAC 12 SCORES

Washington 52, Colorado 24
Stanford 44, Washington State 14
USC 30, California 9
Utah 26, Pittsburgh 14
BYU 38, Oregon State 28
Oregon 41, Arizona State 27

BIG 12 STANDINGS
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Kansas State
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
Texas
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas

PAC 12 STANDINGS

North
Stanford
Oregon
Washington
Washington State
Oregon State
California

South
Arizona State
USC
UCLA
Utah
Colorado
Arizona

BIG 12 STATS

Passing Yards
Landry Jones (OU) - 2177
Seth Doege (Texas Tech) - 2167
Brandon Weeden (OSU) - 2098

Passing TDs
Robert Griffin (Baylor) - 22
Seth Doege (Texas Tech) - 18
Brandon Weeden (OSU) - 16

Rushing Yards
Henry Josey (Missouri) - 706
Dominique Whaley (OU) - 590
Terrance Ganaway (Baylor) - 565

Rushing TDs
Collin Klein (Kansas State) - 10
Joseph Randle (OSU) - 9
Dominique Whaley (OU) - 9

Receiving Yards
Ryan Broyles (OU) - 815
Kendall Wright (Baylor) - 757
Ryan Swope (Texas A&M) -619

Receiving TDs
Kendall Wright (Baylor) - 9
Ryan Broyles (OU) - 9
Eric Ward (Texas Tech) - 8

AP TOP 25 (FIRST 10)
LSU
Alabama
Oklahoma
Wisconsin
Boise State
Oklahoma State
Stanford
Clemson
Oregon
Arkansas

DCs New 52: September

2011-10-15T18:17:00.001-05:00

Anybody that knows anything about comics has probably heard the DC has done what they call a "soft reboot" of their universe. It started last month and they are calling it the New 52.

I thought I'd post my thoughts on the titles that I have read here.

AUGUST 31, 2011

Justice League #1
This was the only title released on this date. It was the "kick-off" of sorts for the new 52. This was a weird one. In this one Batman doesn't know who Green Lantern is. Green Lantern has heard of Batman but didn't realize he was real. And neither of them have ever met Superman...until the last page. Great read. It was written by one of the most awesome comic book writers out there these days, Geoff Johns. Add probably THE best comic book artist in recent history, Jim Lee to pencil it. You can't go wrong!

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

Action Comics #1
This one is a prequel of sorts. In this story, Superman has only been active as a superhero for about 6 months. The police don't like him. The public doesn't trust him. He can't fly yet. And he doesn't have his normal uniform. He wears a blue shirt with the Superman logo and a pair of jeans. Written by Grant Morrison and Penciled by Rags Morales.

Detective Comics #1
Drawn and written by Tony Daniel, this one is quite a different Batman story. In this one Batman is chasing an enemy that I have never heard of and at the end of the story it shows Joker in quite a different light.

Green Arrow #1
Not really sure what to say about this one. It was a decent story written by JT Krul. The artwork was pretty good. It was done by Dan Jurgens and George Perez. Nothing really fascinating or out of the ordinary about it but still a decent read.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Batman and Robin #1
This is one of the books that seems like it is taking place in the "normal" universe. Batman has taken back his cowl from Dick Grayson, Damion Wayne is Robin (although Batman doesn't trust him one bit), and Batman Incorporated (Batman's around the world) is still in effect. Written by Peter Tomas, artwork by Patrick Gleason.

Superboy #1
This one was written by Scott Lobdell (the writer for one of my favorite story lines, Age of Apocalypse) and the artwork was done by Rob Silva. This is a good one. At this point, Superboy is still an experiment locked away in a lab.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

Batman #1
Typical Batman story. By no means a bad thing. It is a great story. It is written by Scott Snyder. Drawn by Greg Capullo. Definitely worth picking this one up.

Nightwing #1
I was kind of excited about picking this one up but I have to be honest. It was kind of disappointing. I like the new Nightwing suit. The liked the artwork done by Eddy Barrows. But the story just wasn't all that impressive. It was written by Kyle Higgins.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
This comic is actually what I consider to be one of the break-through comics of the whole new 52. It was amazing. Written by Scott Lobdell and artwork by Kenneth Rocafort. This story teams up Red Hood (Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin), Arsenal (formerly known as Speedy, Green Arrow's former sidekick) and Starfire (some alien chick). This is really a great story and I can't wait for the next one and suggest it for all.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

All Star Western #1
I'm not really a big Jonah Hex fan personally but when I heard that this story takes place in Gotham City circa 1880s (post Civil War) I really had to check it out. I'm glad I did. It is a great story about Hex and Amedeus Arkham hunting down a serial killer. Artwork is teetering on a little lame (done by Moritat, whoever that is) but oddly it kind of works for the genre. It was written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. Looking forward to issue #2.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1
In this one, which is written and drawn by David Finch, our hero has to fight his way through Arkham Asylum only to find a familiar, yet very different, villain.

The Flash #1
This is the one that I really thought was going to explain why the new 52 happen, in a universal sense that is because it seemed to me that this event had something to do with the conclusion of the Flashpoint storyline. In that respect, this book was disappointing. It said nothing about these recent events in Barry Allen's life. Bummer. However, it was a good read anyway. Written by relative unknowns Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. Artwork done by Francis Manapul. In this one, Barry Allen is the Flash and it seems to me like Wally West never existed. I'm not really sure what is going on with this book. Kind of confusing. Definitely keeps me wanting more though.

Superman #1
Unlike Action Comics, which is basically a prequel story, Superman shows the hero as he is familiar to me. He has been in action for quite some time and is very familiar to everyone, a public that adores him. One strange thing about this story however is that in this universe Lois and Clark are not dating and never have. This one was written by comic great George Perez (Crisis on Infinite Earth) and the artwork is done by Jesus Merino (although the cover itself was done by Mr. Perez).

Teen Titans #1
This is another one that I was looking forward to. This is the only title (up to this point) where Tim Drake (pre-Damion Wayne Robin / Red Robin) appears. The main characters in this book are Red Robin, Kid Flash (I'm not sure who it is though. Could this be Wally? Or is it Bart Allen. Who knows?), Superboy (who actually doesn't show up in the book until the last page), and Wonder Girl. Another title written by Scott Lobdell and the artwork is done by Bretty Booth and Norm Rapmund. I'm looking forward to issue #2 on this one too.

OCTOBER 5, 2011

Action Comics #2
Issue 2 tells the story of Superman being captured and shows him being tortured (to no avail) by none other than Lex Luthor!

Detective Comics #2
Batman continues his search for a serial killer known as the Gotham Ripper.

Green Arrow #2
Oliver Queen goes on a search for a gang that is killing people and televising it via the internet. He finds them and it turns out this gang is comprised of some evil teen metahumans that whose goal was to capture Green Arrow and televise his execution. At the end of this story, our hero finds himself in a very sticky situation.

That is it for now but stay tuned. I will probably be doing these "reviews" on a weekly or maybe monthly basis. I have not decided which yet.

The titles that came out on October 12, 2011 (the ones that I bought anyway) were Batman and Robin #2, and Superboy #2. I have not read this yet so I will do my post on them at a later date.
The titles slated for release on October 19, 2011 (again, the ones that I will buy) are Batman #2, Justice League #2, and Red Hood and the Outlaws #2.
The titles I read that are scheduled for released on October 26, 2011 are All Star Western #2, Batman: The Dark Knight #2, The Flash #2, Superman #2, and Teen Titans #2.

Blast from the Past: Monster

2011-10-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

I did a guest article over at Dave's page (Oklahoma Lefty).

It is a "Blast from the Past" album review on R.E.M.s Monster.

Click here to go check it out!

The Methadones - Discography of the Moment

2011-10-14T22:10:00.000-05:00

The Methadones were a punk rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois by former Screeching Weasel bassist Dan Vapid (Dan Schafer). They formed in 1993 but went on hiatus shortly after its formation and re-formed in 1999.

DISCOGRAPHY

Ill At East
Released in December 2001 by A-F Records.
Band lineup:
Dan Schafer - vocals, guitar; Chris Barnard - bass; Dam Lumley - drums.
Tracks: 10

Career Objective
Released in July 2003 by Thick Records.
Produced by Mass Giorgini and The Methadones.
Lineup changes:
Chris Barnard left and was replaced on bass by Pete Mittler. Dan Lumley was replaced on drums by Mike Soucy. Mike Byrne was added as a 2nd guitarist.
Tracks: 11

Not Economically Viable
Released in November 2004 by Thick Records.
Produced by Mass Giorgini, The Methadones, and Philip Hill.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12

21st Century Power Pop Riot
Released in June 2006 by Red Scare Records.
Produced by The Methadones.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 13

This Won't Hurt
Released in July 10 2007 by Red Scare.
Produced by Matt Allison.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 12

I Believe
Released in 2009 by Underground Communique Records.
No lineup changes.
Produced by The Methadones.
Tracks: 2

Garry Glitter
Released in 2009 by It's Alive Records.
Produced by The Methadones.
Tracks: 2

The Methadones
Released in November 2010 by Solidarity Recordings.
Produced by Justin Perkins, Matt Allison and The Methadones.
No lineup changes.
Tracks: 16

NHL Roundup (10.14.11)

2011-10-14T20:11:00.000-05:00

Here it is folks! The first edition of this season's NHL Roundup!!!

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Atlantic
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
NY Islanders
New Jersey
NY Rangers

Northeast
Buffalo
Toronto
Montreal
Boston
Ottawa

Southeast
Washington
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Florida
Winnipeg Winnipeg is in the southeast???

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

Central
Detroit
Chicago
Nashville
St. Louis
Columbus

Northwest
Colorado
Minnesota
Edmonton
Vancouver
Calgary

Pacific
Dallas
Phoenix
Los Angeles
San Jose
Anaheim

Points Leaders
David Legwand (Predators) - 7
Kris Letang (Penguins) - 6
Erik Karlsson (Senators) - 6

Goals Leaders
James Neal (Penguins) - 4
Claude Giroux (Flyers) - 3
Anse Kopitar (Kings) - 3

Assists Leaders
Erik Karlsson (Senators) - 6
David Legwand (Predators) - 5
Kris Letang (Penguins) - 4

Wins Leaders (Goalies)
Kari Lehtonen (Stars) - 3
Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins) - 3
Ilya Bryzgalov (Flyers) - 3

Saves Leaders (Goalies)
Kari Lehtonen (Stars) - 113
Craig Anderson (Senators) - 110
Niklas Backstrom (Wild) - 103

ESPN NHL POWER RANKINGS (First 10)

Detroit Red Wings
Buffalo Sabres
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
Nashville Predators
Chicago Blackhawks
Vancouver Canucks
Los Angeles Kings

Star Trek Chronology

2011-10-11T20:20:00.005-05:00

This is a very simple chronology of Star Trek that I came up with:

1992-1996: Eugenics Wars
2049-2053: World War III
2063: First Contact (events from the past)
2151-2161: Star Trek: Enterprise
2156-2160: Earth-Romulan War
2161: United Federation of Planets if founded
2233-2258: Star Trek (2009 movie / alternate timeline)
2266-2269: Star Trek: The Original Series
2269-2270: Star Trek: The Animated Series
2271: The Motion Picture
2285: The Wrath of Khan
2285: The Search for Spock
2286: The Voyage Home
2287: The Final Frontier
2293: The Undiscovered Country
2363-2370: Star Trek: The Next Generation
2371: Generations
2373: First Contact
2369-2375: Deep Space Nine
2375: Insurrection
2371-2378: Star Trek: Voyager
2379: Nemesis

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 5)

2011-10-11T16:18:00.001-05:00

WEEK 5 SCORES

Bills 31 Eagles 24
Chiefs 28 Colts 24
Seahawks 36 Giants 25 :)
Vikings 34 Cardinals 10
Steelers 38 Titans 17
Saints 30 Panthers 27
Bengals 30 Jaguars 20
Raiders 25 Texans 20
49ers 48 Buccaneers 3
Chargers 29 Broncos 24
Patriots 30 Jets 21
Packers 25 Falcons 14
Lions 24 Bears 13

NFC STANDINGS

East
Redskins
Giants
Cowboys
Eagles

North
Lions
Packers
Bears
Vikings

South
Saints
Buccaneers
Falcons
Panthers

West
49ers
Seahawks
Cardinals
Rams

AFC STANDINGS

East
Bills
Patriots
Jets
Dolphins

North
Ravens
Bengals
Steelers
Browns

South
Texans
Titans
Jaguars
Colts

West
Chargers
Raiders
Chiefs
Broncos

STATS LEADERS

Passing Yards
Tom Brady (New Enland) - 1874
Drew Brees (New Orleans) - 1769
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 1721

Passing TDs
Brady (New England) - 14
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 14
Matthew Stafford (Detroit) - 13

QB Rating
Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay) - 122.9
Tom Brady (New England) - 109.5
Alex Smith (San Francisco) - 104.1

Rushing Yards
Darren McFadden (Oakland) - 519
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 498
Fred Jackson (Buffalo) - 480

Rushing TDs
Adrian Peterson (Minnesota) - 6
Beanie Wells (Arizona) - 6
Fred Jackson (Buffalo) - 5

Receiving Yards
Wes Welker (New England) - 740
Steve Smith (Carolina) - 609
Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh) - 536

Receiving TDs
Calvin Johnson (Detroit) - 9
Wes Welker (New England) - 5
Rob Gronkowski (New England) - 5

ESPN POWER RANKINGS (Top 10)
Green Bay Packers
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Detroit Lions
Baltimore Ravens
Buffalo Bills
San Diego Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Washington Redskins

The Otter Limits

NHL Roundup (1.28.12)

Saturday Afternoon Shuffle (1.28.12)

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.27.12)

2012 South Carolina Primary Results

Thursday Morning Shuffle (1.26.12)

2012: The Year of Otisburg!

Interview with Tom Guild

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.20.12)

Interview with John Moreland

Currently Reading: A Man Without a Country

Wednesday Night Shuffle (1.18.12)

Here I Am Playing With LirvA at the Conservatory

Top 8 Songs of 2011

Sunday Afternoon Shuffle (1.15.12)

Currently Reading: The Rolling Stone Interviews

Currently Reading: Gender Blender

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.13.12)

Crust Punk: Genre of the Momentmu

Filth: Discography of the Moment

Rise Against Plays "Blind"

Rise Against: Discography of the Moment

Wednesday Night Shuffle (1.11.12)

Quote(s) of the Day (1.11.2012)

2012 New Hampshire Primary Results

Quote of the Day (1-10-2012)

Results of the 2012 Presidential Election Poll

The Lament of a Political Blogger

Sunday Morning Shuffle (1/8/12)

Saturday Morning Shuffle (1.7.11)

Friday Morning Shuffle (1.6.12)

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 17)

NHL Roundup (1-1-12)

Currently Reading: Rock Star Superstar

Quote of the Day (Dec 31)

Thursday Evening Shuffle (12.29.11)

Presidential Election Poll

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 16)

Wednesday Morning Shuffle (12.28.11)

Tuesday Morning Shuffle (12.27.11)

Monday Afternoon Shuffle (12.26.11)

My Favorite Xmas Album

Xmas Eve Shuffle (12.24.11)

Coming Soon in 2012!

Currently Reading: Jailbird

Currently Reading: Pearl Jam Twenty

Queens of the Stone Age: Discography of the Moment

Kyuss: Discography of the Moment

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 14)

Otisburg Now on SoundCloud

NHL Roundup 2011 (12.8.11)

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 13)

Honorable Mentions: Albums Released in 2011

Thursday Night Shuffle (12.8.11)

Top Albums of 2011

Sunday Shuffle (12.4.11)

The Re-Issue Lives

The Melvins: Discography of the Moment

Up and Running Again

Grindcore: Genre of the Moment

Subsanity: Discography of the Moment

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 9)

Top 6 Albums from Lookout! Records

College Football Roundup 2011 (11.6.11)

Top 9 Albums Released by Epitaph Records

Top 4 Bands from Orange County

Top 3 Bands from Arizona

Top 5 Bands from Illinois

NHL Roundup 2011 (11.4.11)

Buddy Holly: Discography of the Moment

The Last: Disography of the Moment

DCs New 52: November 3, 2011

NFL Roundup 2011 (Week 8)

Alt-Country: Genre of the Moment

Midnight Oil: Discography of the Moment

College Football Roundup 2011 (10.30.11)

Top 4 Bands from Pennsylvania

Top 9 Video Games

Video Game Review: Arkham City

Metalcore: Genre of the Moment