An Early Birthday Present

My sister and brother-in-law got me Ecto-1 for my birthday. Putting it together was a ton of fun. Of course I watched the Real Ghostbusters as I put Ecto-1 together.

St. Vincent at the Chicago Theater.

Photo Credit: Me

Tuesday December 2nd, 2014 will be an important date for me musically. It's the date I saw St. Vincent for the first time. She was performing there as a part of WXRT's Holiday Bash. For the past seven years my musically advanced friend Gina has been telling me to check St. Vincent out. With great shame, I must admit that I did not heed her advice until earlier this year when St. Vincent's self-titled fourth album was released.

It was like an epiphany. Listening to that album for the first time was like hearing Arcade Fire, William Elliott Whitmore, or the Beatles for the first time. I was hooked, and vowed that I would see her live. So naturally I was incredibly excited back in October when this show was announced.

I'm still in the middle of processing her performance, but here is what I've concluded thus far.

1. St. Vincent is this generation's David Bowie. She is an artist in ever sense of the word, but you don't have to explain that. She just is. In fact after seeing her performance, there is little doubt in my mind that she will be added to the list of important artists.

2. Absolutely amazing live performance. During her hour and forty-five minute set, St. Vincent absolutely captivated her audience. From her two monologues on life, to running into the crowd, jumping on a gentleman's shoulders to finish a guitar solo, to her dance moves, your eyes never faltered from her. Add to all this activity she sounded impeccable.

3. Her catalog is much deeper than I originally imagined, and I cannot wait to discover all of the hidden treasures of her music that lie in front of me.

But one item really stands out. Before St. Vincent began her performance, there was an announcement asking the audience to refrain from taking pictures of the performance, and instead enjoy the moment. In a society that prides itself on our digital presence and the amount of "likes" or "followers" we can get, it was really refreshing to forget all of that and just enjoy the performance that was in front of us.

I for one will not forget it.

A Do It Yourself Music Video

When I was little, I would always go to the library and pick up one of those "chose your own adventure books". I always enjoyed picking the wrong adventure, and then going back to the folk in the road and choosing the other option.

Well, Coldplay has just previewed a brand new interactive music video much in the same vain as the old chose your own adventure books. Below is a small preview.

John Lennon Mix CD

I recently did an experiment. For year's I've loved John Lennon's Double Fantasy and Milk & Honey LPs. Both albums are terrific examples of Lennon being at peace and happy with his life. (Which make these albums even more tragic.)

But I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of Yoko Ono's singing/songs on these albums, and often found myself skipping her tracks. Sorry John :( So I finally decided to make a mix CD of just Lennon's songs from these two albums. And let me tell you the results are terrific!!!

I call the mix CD "A Double Fantasy of Milk & Honey", and below is the track-listing. As I'm listening to it, I found myself noticing things that I never noticed before. For example Grow Old with Me and My Little Flower Princess are two grossly underrated songs. Especially Grow Old with Me. There's a gentleness to the song that is captivating.

I highly recommend any music fan go out and re-discover this great music. It's classic, yet modern all at the same time.

1. (Just Like) Starting Over
2. Cleanup Time
3. Nobody Told Me
4. I'm Losing You
5. Dear Yoko
6. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
7. Watching the Wheels
8. I Don't Want to Face It
9. Borrowed Time
10. My Little Flower Princess
11. I'm Stepping Out
12. Woman
13. Grow Old with Me

Absolutley Amazing Pictures

NASA, ESA, ESO

NASA, ESA, ESO

I was on Tumblr today, and I came across these pictures of the Veil Nebula. Words cannot express how exquisite these photographs are. Here's the link to the rest of the images here.

Radiotopia

www.radiotopia.fm

For the last two years, I have been a fan of the Public Radio Exchange, also known as PRX. (www.prx.org.) Essentially PRX is like a syndication network for radio programs and podcasts. On PRX broadcasters allows other radio station to purchase the broadcasting rights to their programs.

One of the main contributors to PRX is a brilliant broadcaster/podcaster named Roman Mars. His podcast 99% Invisible is without a doubt one of the best podcasts I've heard in the last year. The twist and turns of Mars' storytelling always keeps me on the edge of my seat while I listen to them. It's phenomenal.

A few weeks ago, Mars announced a Kickstarter for a new project of his called Radiotopia. It's described on Kickstarter as "[A] kind of Justice League for smart documentarians and sound artists." which is really cool.

I love the energy and excited that is project is creating for radio and podcasting. It's refreshing to know that it is still a viable medium, and that "radio" can be so good, that people will spend their hard earned money supporting it. This could be the start of something big.

Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

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A couple of days after I wrote about the upcoming DC cinematic universe, Marvel announce phase 3 of the universe. Holy crap!!! It is stacked. They are:

Captain America Civil War
Guardians of the Galaxy 2
Thor: Ragnarok
Captain Marvel
Black Panther
Doctor Strange
Inhumans

And the big ones Avengers: The Infinity War Parts 1 & 2. Now as I admitted before, I'm more of a DC fan, however I am really excited for this slate of films. Civil War is one of the best comic book stories I've ever read, and I just finished The Infinity Gauntlet which is a ton of fun. My biggest question is where does Marvel go after this? Does Avengers: The Infinity War Parts 1 & 2 mean the end is coming?

For us comic book fans, the next 5 years will have us see almost 20 superhero/comic book movies. Hopefully the momentum and quality of these films continue.