The Killing Moon
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Did anyone see the Lunar Eclipse last nite? Well it was pretty cool except the cloud cover was a bit too thick to see clearly. At 10:23pm, you could see the moon's color and by 11:45pm it was completely covered in red. The last time I have seen the blood red moon was back in '99 when I was in Oregon. I had clear skies and it was one of the coolest things to see.
Along with the eclipse, the Boston Red Soxs finally won the World Series and broke the curse. That was a sight to see and I think there are bigger things to come for Boston. Now if the Cubs win next year, than we know the apocalypse is amongst us.
Some easy trivia, if anyone can name where the title came from, I will make u a copy of it.
Posted by mardenhill 10/28/2004 09:32:00 AM 3 comments
Mosh!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
http://www.ifilm.com/viralvideo?ifilmid=2654122
If you havn't seen the new eminem video, check it out. This video captures more of the youth sentiment than any rock the vote tv show could ever do. There is more anger in this than all of political ads combined between both candidates. I have debated with people at work who think this will not transfer into votes that the people will be too lazy, stoned or apathetic to vote. I disagree, I think eminem has tapped into the psyche of the youth of today and will succeed on getting people to the polls.
West Wing is on so I will have to wrap this up. I will continue tomorrow.
Posted by mardenhill 10/27/2004 08:52:00 PM 0 comments
Answering Bell
Monday, October 25, 2004
Just sitting here listening to some amazing Ryan Adam's bootlegs. At this point you are wondering, where did Randy get these and how can I get them. Well I will let you in on a little secret, http://www.archive.org/audio/etreelisting-browse.php?collection=etree
this site contains live recordings of a ton of musicians. And the best thing is that they are free!!! Free and legal to download, all the artists have given permission to have these archived and available for download. Now before you get too excited, it takes a bit of work to get the tracks. Most of them are in .shn format which is short for shorten, I know not very creative but these are compressed .wav files but are still between 20 and 30 megs in size a piece. You can download a whole show which can be 300 to 800 megs in size which takes about 30 to 60 minutes and then convert the tracks to .mp3 format. You will need software to convert the .shn to .mp3 and if you want it let me know and I will send it to you. Most of the shows are coming straight off the board so the quality is very good compared to the traditional style of holding a recorder up in the air.
In other news check out this article regarding the future of radio.
http://www.slyck.com/news.php?story=588
This has to do with the pay for play that has been part of the radio world for years now. That is why there is such crap on the radio, whomever has the most money gets their artists played. Well hopefully Mr. Spitzer can put an end to this. Clear Channel has been a hug abuser of this pratice and maybe their precious empire will finally crumble to the ground.
Finally in music news, did anyone see the Ashley Simpson on SNL on Saturday? Well she was caught lip syncing the 2nd song, whomever cued up the song screwed it up and she was left dancing around and walking off stage. Not that she was an important person in the whole music timeline but she did have an MTV show and her cd debuted at number 1. This is a big blow for the talentless younger singer of Jessica and was the talk of the internet the last 2 days. Next week eminem is on, I hope they make fun of her on a skit and eminem blasts her during his performance.
Posted by mardenhill 10/25/2004 09:00:00 AM 1 comments
Just Aged 20 Years
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Well its official, I am now 50 years old but let me tell ya, it was fun. We had the Chrysler 300c, Crossfire, Pacifica, PT Cruiser and Magnum onsite for test drives and I took out both the 300c and the Crossfire. I have already tried the PT Cruiser but the Magnum was always out and the Pacifica, well no one really wants to drive one of them. As for the Crossfire, its a great little car, perfect for those mid life crisis's, lots of speed and snappy looking. Inside its very cramped, if you are over 6ft don't bother. The spoiler on the back comes up automatically when you hit a certain speed to add a downdraft to keep the car on the road. I found this annoying but it is necessary. The 300c is amazing and I would almost love to have one. It's so smooth, the ride is like floating on air and the inside is chalkful of luxury. Ok, let me be honest, I drive a focus with cloth seats so sitting in the 300c is way beyond my everyday ride. The car isn't a boat which is nice and u sit up pretty high in it. Would I ever buy one, probably not but I do have to say I did look pretty pimpin driving around in both cars. Today we have Drodge trucks available and Friday are jeeps. I will probably skip the trucks since I am slammed with work to do, and dependng on how things are on Friday I may have another update.
Posted by mardenhill 10/20/2004 01:53:00 PM 0 comments
Kind Of Blue
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Wow, I hadn't realized how long it has been since I have posted. Lets see, what has happened in the last week, well I watched Bush screw up yet another debate, went to Kalamazoo for Homecoming and decided to buy the new iMac. Kalamazoo was great, went to Bilbos and had pizza and cheezy sticks, and didn't have to eat the rest of the weekend. Found a new bar in Kzoo right down the street from Bells called Shakespears. This is a very cool place, they have about20 beers on tap which include Bells, Kraftbrau, Arcadia and other Michigan local brews. The bar serves food and mixed drinks so its a good all around place where u can get all your local faves w/o the limitations of the breweries next door. Plus there is shuffleboard, you can't beat that. I also went to the newly remodeled Wayside, well not newly since it has been like that for about 5 years but new for me. All I can say is this is probably the largest bar on the west side of state, there are about a million different levels with about a million tv screens. Would I go back, probably not but it was nice to be in a place not completely crawling in college kids. All of them were at the "New" place called Firehouse and the bulk of the Wayside were alumnis. The plus about the Wayside would be the tables, you are almost guarenteed to get one. I didn't make it to any of the old haunts but thats ok, next time.
And I almost forgot, there is now a roundabout in Kzoo, it is right when you pull into campus next to the new science bldg, the birdcage and business college. I have no idea how college kids can manage this but it looks pretty cool.
Posted by mardenhill 10/19/2004 08:39:00 AM 2 comments
Some Good News...Some Bad News
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Well I will start off with the bad news...
from www.excellentonline.com
Well it's not instantaneous, but it is happening. Dean Wareham is going to let LUNA go the way of Galaxie 500...
On October 26, we will release our seventh studio album, Rendezvous, on Jetset Records. This will be Luna’s final record. We will tour the United States and Europe over the next six months, playing our last shows in 2005."
This is another band that I have never seen live and now this time will be their last show. If you havn't signed up for emusic.com yet, Jetset Records is part of it and you will be able to get their new cd cheap or free if u have free downloads to use.
Ok for the good news....
http://www.swervedriver.com/downloads.asp
Head on over to the Swervedriver site and you can download all 4 cds for free. They are composed of live bootlegs and radio sessions. If you look, "Son Of A Mustang Ford" off of Raise was recorded at St Andrews in Detroit. I was at that show and it was awesome, they didn't sell t-shirts, pins or cds and there was a giveaway of a couple bags of goodies. My friend Joe won and got the cd, tshirt, stickers and poster which he gave to me.
Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2004 09:03:00 PM 3 comments
Frankenberry and Halloween
One of the best things about Halloween is that Frankenberry and BooBerry are brought back out and sold dirt cheap at Target. I picked up some Frankenberry and let me tell ya, its worth the $2 a box. The stuff if great, lots of marshmellows and strawberry flavored cereal. Its full of sugar that your teeth are furry after eating a bowl and you are forced to go brush them.
Now for neighborhood kids, I am trying to decide how much candy to buy this year for Halloween. Last year I had too much and only about 20 kids came thru the neighborhood. That may be due to Halloween being on a Saturday or that parents are a bunch of lame asses now that are afraid to let their kids run around and collect candy. I tell ya, gone are the days where u take off with your pillowcase and don't come back until the last light has been turned off and your bag is dragging on the ground. Moral of the story, go to Target and get some Frankenberry and BooBerry cereal its fun to eat.
Posted by mardenhill 10/12/2004 02:31:00 PM 3 comments
Turning 30
Monday, October 11, 2004
Well I woke up this morning as a 30 year old and I think since I made it this far I deserve a big present. I think I will go out and buy a new car, maybe a Hummer since its such a necessary city car. Ok, maybe not but I am still facing the dilemma on replacing my computer. I have 3 choices, build a new tower, buy a new pc with a flatscreen monitor or buy an iMac which is an all in one unit. Of course the iMac is the most expensive and the coolest but on the other hand, I am 30 and need to mark this anniversary. Feel free to post what you think I need to do, just to let u know if I do get an iMac you can still upload/download files from my computer.
Posted by mardenhill 10/11/2004 10:36:00 AM 3 comments
Oatmeal For Breakfast
Friday, October 08, 2004
Well I am sitting here just finishing up some oatmeal and listening to the new Joe Henry cd that I downloaded with the last of my free tracks from emusic. I had to click the activate button so now I will start using the 40 downloads I have paid for. BTW, the Joe Henry is very good, full of dark piano ballads with some jazz and folk mixed in. He has been lumped into the whole Adult Alternative scene which I guess is a fair thing but he is no Goo Goo Dolls. If you are not familiar with Joe, check out Fuse, thats probably his best record it has him on the cover with a monkey on his shoulder.
I just got a copy 0f the new Tears for Fears, havn't listened to it yet but will let you know if its worth it or not. They are coming to the State next month and its one of those shows that I am on the fence with. I feel like 2004 has been the screw all the crap music out there and lets bring back all the good stuff. I have a feeling that I may have already wrote this but maybe it was just me talking to someone so if its repeat I'm sorry. Its me turning 30 soon, I am losing my memory.
In political news, Edwards will be at the Royal Oak Music Theatre tonight for a DNC fundraising $250 can get you a ticket to watch the debate with him. Thats a little too much for me, what does he think we are, republicans who are made of money? Salon.com is reporting that the reason that Bush was all slumped over in the 1st debate was that he had a wireless transmitter on his back and someone was feeding him answers thru an earpiece.
Posted by mardenhill 10/08/2004 09:24:00 AM 1 comments
New Layout
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Well I decided to change the layout of the blog, the orange was getting to me. I had to add the links column back in which was a pain but its done. I wish there were more templates to choose from, I think u can go out to the internet but I am clueless when it comes to web design.
On a sad note, my pc has finally died my motherboard has kicked the bucket. So that means my ftp site is down until further notice. If you need anything please email me and I will burn it for you, otherwise you will have to wait until I replace my pc. I am contemplating buying a new iMac instead since I just use my computer at home for music, internet, email and digital camera. Problem is the price so that may not happen and then I am stuck either buying a new tower or building one. Either way it sucks since half my music is stored on a hard drive in my dead pc.
Now problem number 3, I took the time to encode my cds in Musicmatch using mp3 pro which makes smaller files but the sound is fine when played thru a jukebox that supports mp3 pro. Itunes does not which means that if I get a mac I will have to encode all my music again. I have been waiting to see if itunes will support it but I don't see that happening so I have a feeling this winter will be spent encoding all my cds once again. I may do this even if I don't switch to a mac, that way the files will sound better for anyone else who has them and not using Musicmatch.
Posted by mardenhill 10/07/2004 11:40:00 AM 0 comments
Blues Explosion - Damage
Well I just got the new Jon Spencer so if you need a copy let me know. Its amazing as usual but this one is all over the board. There keyboards, some boogie woogie and actual singing which is something I didn't Jon actually did. Don't listen to the Pitchfork review, they only gave it a 6.8 which is crap if you ask me. They also did review the new Nick Cave and gave it a better rating than that but still not as high as it should. I won't even talk about the R.E.M. review given, just goes to show that pretentious indie rockers are afraid of a popular band unless they are named Radiohead.
Getting back to Jon Spencer, he has Chuck D on one song "Hot Gossip" and I will agree with Pitchfork that its not a good song, probably the weakest on the cd. I am not a big fan of the lets have guest rap vocals to thow a curve ball to our fans, its destined to fail. The 1st song "Burn It Off" can easily be a on the radio and I guarentee 89x will be playing it come Nov 5th, the day before the show. "Crunchy" is the song that Jon sings on, I think this is his only song that is actually a full fledge song. This isn't a knock on Jon, but if you listen to Acme all songs seem like they are missing something but that is what makes the Blues Explosion the Blues Explosion. "Mars, Arizona" is classic Blues Explosion, lots of swagger, and fussed out guitar.
I did just get a copy of the new Rilo Kiley, my co-worker Andrey doesn't know what to think of it, well he doesn't know what to think of half the stuff I listen to. It just downloaded and I havn't really listened so I will let u know if its worth it or not.
If you havn't signed up for eMusic, you should. I just got the new Waxwings and talk about an awesome record. I have a feeling that they will be my Catherine Wheel, a band that I miss everytime they play and when I finally go see them, they break up that next year.
Posted by mardenhill 10/07/2004 09:15:00 AM 0 comments
Randy's Reissues
Saturday, October 02, 2004
I came up with this while cutting the grass and listening to my ipod. I was listening to Morphine's - Cure For Pain and decided that I should do a review of a cd that has been long forgotten but needs to be brought to life again. So every week I will come up with a cd that I think deserves another listen.
Morphine - Cure For Pain
We all love the 2 piece White Stripes style of music for the fact it differs from the standard rock band but Morphine was the group who really introduced unconventional to the alternative scene. Morphine was a Boston band who released their 1st cd in '92 and Cure For Pain in '93. They consisted of drums, sax and a 2 string slide bass. The music is dark and bluesy, a bit of jazz and rock n roll. Mark Sandman loves to sing about women and u will find half the songs are named for women. "Cure for pain" is the perfect singalong and "Sheila has an excellent sax line. The music sounds simple but fills the room with the deep baritone sax and bass lines. Guitarless music rarely finds its way onto the music scene let alone radio but Morphine was able to break this stride. Mark Sandman died in '99 while on stage in Europe and they released 5 cds plus 1 live bootleg from Detroit. All cds are a must have but Cure For Pain stands out as their best one. "I'm free now" flows like a conscience thought rather than a well thought out poem. I really think this was the beauty of Morphine, the songs sound like conversations you would have in a dark smoky bar. If you have never listened to "Cure For Pain" or havn't in a while pull it out, I promise you won't regret it.
Posted by mardenhill 10/02/2004 03:31:00 PM 1 comments
Detroit Wine Tasting
Just wanted to give u a review of the wine tasting that Erika and I went to at Ford Field last nite. There were about 800 wines with a large selection of Michigan wines to sample. There were lots of cheeses and crackers along with noodles, mushrooms, bread and other stuff to eat. As for the wine, it was not amazing but there were a few that I was happy to try. I had the Elk Cove Pinot Noir Roosevelt Single Vineyard from Oregon that was listed at $45, which was probably the best pinot I have ever tasted. I also had a few great zinfandels, Terra D'Oro Deaver Vineyards $23, Rancho Zabaco Chiotti Vineyard $20 and Belevedere Sonoma County $23 all worthy of buying. Erika found an excellect chocolate port Alvada Rich Madeira $29 that you can find at Costco cheaper. I had some good sparkling wines and champagnes but none that I can really remember. All the good ones were gone before I made it to the tables. For $10 you can get Ironstone's Petit Sryah that for the price is outstanding.
I made sure I hit the Michigan tables before leaving and was glad I did. I had the Tabor Hills Chardonnay which was very bad, it was flat with no big oak taste. I have thought about buying this before and thankful I didnt. I found 2 MI wines worthy tho, Peninsula Cellers Dry Gewurtzaminer $15 and their Cabernet Franc $15. I know you don't think about MI when it comes to these grapes but I did learn that MI has one of the best climates for them.
Overall, the event was a lot of fun, the crowd was a mix of young people in jeans up to old folks and your pretentious yuppies.
Afterwards Erika and I went to Agave for dinner which was very good and not too expensive. I recommend this place if you are looking for mexican and don't want to head down to Mexicantown. Also the food is a bit healthier and no waiting.
Posted by mardenhill 10/02/2004 02:22:00 PM 2 comments
Debate Aftermath
Friday, October 01, 2004
Well the 1st debate is over and I think its pretty clear who won. No it was not a slamdunk but man, Bush was a mess last nite. For starters, Bush leaned on the podium all nite, looked annoyed, impatient and angry on the cut aways and could not complete a thought. Come on, people on Jerry Springer talk more clearly than Bush did last nite. Looking at Drudge this morning they are trying to defend Bush saying he was tired from spending the day with hurricane victims. I had switched on Fox news last nite right afterwards and they were even hard pressed to say something positive about Bush last nite. This morning on Fox, the guy tried to defend Bush leaning on the podium stating that he has bad knees but put some training wheels on that mountain bike of his and some knee braces.
Kerry's performance was great, he needed to look at the camera more tho, that was pretty annoying on his part. Kerry was smart on the cut aways by taking notes and looking interested and stood tall. They bashed Gore in 2000 for all the same actions Bush did last nite, I hope the media follows up on that. Kerry was clear and not long winded which was something I was afraid of. I have a feeling that people will take another look at Kerry and if this was supposed to be Bush's strong suit I am almost embarrased to watch the next 2 debates. From the start Kerry put Bush on the defensive and came out clean after each response.
CNN / GALLUP POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE
Kerry: 53 Bush: 37
CBS POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:
Kerry: 44 Bush: 26 Tie: 30
ABC POLL ON WHO WON DEBATE:
Kerry: 45 Bush 36: Tie: 17
Posted by mardenhill 10/01/2004 09:01:00 AM 1 comments
