New School Classic Rock
May 5, 2009 by Ryan
Here’s some new tunes I’ve been mildly obsessed with recently. Obsessed? What would you call it when two of the three are Jack White projects?
Lo-fi sound. Actually instruments! Talented musicians!
Love it.
Some have coined this genre Garage Rock Revival. I would almost call it Classic Rock Revival! Just listen to the third song…classic rock all the way!
The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather is comprised of Alison Mosshart (The Kills), Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age), Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes) and Jack White (The White Stripes and The Raconteurs)!
The band was formed and is based out of Nashville, which proves more than just country comes from out of “The Music City” and maybe that Jack White is spending all of his time there!
Kings of Leon
Maybe it’s an overstatement, but I think that “Only by the Night” might be the best album I’ve heard in the last year (that’s saying something with Viva la Vida)!
There’s something about Caleb Followill’s voice that gets me! It’s unique. It’s something in his phrasing, how he lets his notes escape almost too fast. This song, totally makes me think of a movie scene of some intense encounter of a guy and a girl giving in to the romantic tension they’ve built up. Woah!? I know! Did I just write that? Sorry, that’s what it really brings to mind!
The Raconteurs
“Although they deny that this is a side-project, the Raconteurs are a gang of musicians who are also involved in other bands” - Michele K-Tel
I know I posted a YouTube video, but for this song close your eyes! Wait for it…wait for the vocals…Okay, who does that sound like? Hello! Robert Plant? At least a little Led Zeppelin? I know a lot of people wrote off Jack White as a just part of the “The Band” thing that happened a while back, but I really think he’s one of the most talented musicians out there!
What do you think? You can call me crazy, it’s cool.
What are you listening to?
Following the Big Aristotle
November 25, 2008 by Ryan
The Diesel…
The Big Aristotle…
The Big Daddy…
The Big Shaqtus…
The Big Baryshnikov…
Shaquille O’Neal!
I remember when he first came into the league he made a huge impact, most memorably because he would always break the back boards. I remember even more fondly when he came to the Lakers and we went on a tear and won three straight championships! Of course there was the Kobe feuds, which I think the media way over-hyped and unfortunately led to the breakup of one of the best dynasties in recent memory. He went to Miami and delivered on his promise to bring a championship. Then he came to Phoenix, stepping into a system that many doubted he could fit in, but got slim and fit and sure enough ran right along Steve Nash. This year he is one of Hollingers top surprises of the season.
He impacted the league in a big way and he’s just stepped into a new league where he could have a huge impact…Twitter. Twitter? I would imagine many of you have never heard of it. Maybe you’ve heard me go off about it but didn’t really get it. My quick explanation is it’s somewhere in between instant messaging, texting & blogging. I could/should/will write a whole post about Twitter and how cool it is, but this post is about @the_real_shaq! Unlike some of the accounts on Twitter (Britney Spears aka @therealbritney & Barack Obama aka @barackobama) who have staffs doing posts, @the_real_shaq IS the real Shaq! Here’s some fun things I’ve seen since I’ve been following his updates:
- Shaq called one of his early followers who doubted it was really him and then invited him to a game! Here’s a story Mashable did about it.
- Shaq asking where he should go to Subway or Schlotsskys. He chose Subway, so I went too! Could be a huge marketing campaign to have what Shaq orders up at Subway. I guess he’d have to eat there everyday which I don’t know if I could do.
- Shaq and @PhoenixSunsGirl took pics at their “Twitter Tutorial”. She introduced him to Twitter. Still trying to get them to get Steve Nash on.
- Watching my friend Nate (@mollermarketing) campaigning to get Shaq to follow him…only to have him do it! He even gave him a few shout outs which will be huge for Nate!
I think Shaq coming to Twitter could have huge implications in bringing it into the mainstream. Check it out!
Don’t forget to follow me! @ryansmiller
Angels Step Up
July 29, 2008 by Ryan
For a couple of years now the Angels have held on to their talent pool so tightly, it started to frustrate their fanbase. I suspect they have been taking a page out of Oakland’s Moneyball, being in the same division. Finally, today, the Angels stepped up and dealt for a huge piece in pursuit of the Championship, dealing Casey Kotchman and a minor league pitcher for Mark Teixeira! He’s the power the Angels have needed to get over the top.
As it is, they are at the top! a full 3.5 games over the Chicago Cubs for the best record in the majors. Almost more meaningful is their recent dominance over the Red Sox, sweeping the last series and winning last night!
This is our year!
Remnants of the Bash Bros.
July 15, 2008 by Ryan
Down goes Canseco! War at the Shore: Vai Sikahema vs. Jose Canseco
It took all of a minute and a half for the 5′9″ BYU great, Vai Sikahema, to knock out the 6′4″ A’s great, Jose Canseco. The celebrity boxing match was put on for a good cause and Vai donated his $5,000 purse to the family of a Philadelphia police who was killed in the line of duty, according to Sikahema’s NBC affiliate where he works as a Philadelphia Eagles correspondent.
Here’s a video link to segments of the fight and here’s a great interview of Vai by a Utah radio station.
Let’s Do This Again Next Year
June 18, 2008 by Ryan
Congrats to Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett & Danny Ainge. I am glad to see them win. At least it’s not the Spurs or the Pistons.
There’s a good chance we can be doing this again next year. I don’t see the Celtics going anywhere. The Lakers will get Andrew Bynum back and probably pick up a few more defensive pieces. So, I hope this really is the start to another Lakers-Celtics Rivalry.
But the basketball season is over! I don’t want to hear anymore about it till next year. Go Angels!
The Wii: Bringing Husbands & Wives Closer Together
June 3, 2008 by Ryan
So I was watching Last Comic Standing and one of the female comedians was making a joke about how Halo 3 destroys relationships…something about how her boyfriend spends all day with a headset talking to little boys online. I tried to get my wife to play Halo with my friends and I but she inevitably ends up spinning in a corner staring at the sky.
Then came the Wii.
Hopefully, you’ve all had a chance to do the bowling. And I do mean all of you because even my grandparents have Wii bowled with us. The beautiful thing about the Wii is my wife loves it! I can play video games and not only is she okay with it, she plays with me. We’ve recently come across some new games that we’re kind of excited about:
The Flobots: Best Hip Hop I’ve Heard in a While
May 27, 2008 by Ryan
It’s sad but hip hop sucks right now.
I haven’t listened to a hip hop station in years! No one flows anymore, it’s basically one catchy phrase repeated to death. Last time I listened to hip hop radio I heard one song that was actually good, but it ended up being Nas’ Hip Hop is Dead.
It’s sad but the best hip hop I’ve heard in years is from a predominantly white group from Denver, Colorado! If you haven’t heard their single Handlebars, here’s a live performance on Last Call with Carson Daly. My wife watched this with me and she said, “They’re kinda intense!” To their credit, unlike most rap, they sound as good or better live than their radio single. Finally, a song I am motivated to learn all the lyrics like Warren G’s Regulators, Outkast’s Bombs Over Baghdad, or the Beastie Boys’ Paul Revere.
Their newest album reminds me of a jazz version of Rage Against the Machine. Yeah, jazz. They have a trumpet player and a female violinist (awesome)! And like Rage, they are political, so they might run contrary to your political views. If you want to hear some good music (and you’re secure in your political stance), check out the Flobots.
The Best Thing About Kobe
May 24, 2008 by Ryan
He’s the best player in the world. He is the current MVP. He can “manage the game [and] can get off at any time…” Doesn’t matter who guards him (even the defensive specialist dirtiest player in the league, Bruce Bowen). Doesn’t matter how many people guard him. In my opinion, he’s just as good as Jordan and maybe even better! (Debate for another post)
But that’s not the best thing about Kobe.
To explain, let me refer to a baseball movie, Fever Pitch. In the movie, the Sox just lost the game that put them down 0-3 in the playoffs and Jimmy Fallon and his buddies are at a bar. They are mourning their teams situation, thoroughly depressed. They look over and see several of the Sox players “eating”. How can they be eating like it’s just another game?! Jimmy Fallon has a revelation that these players have “perspective”. It’s just a game…blah blah blah.
My point. As a fan, I don’t want perspective! I want my teams to win! Every game! Every championship! Every year! Which brings me to the best thing about Kobe. He wants to win as much as I do! He wants to win every game. And no other player can also deliver like he does! But when he loses, you know he’s just as disappointed as you are as a fan with “no perspective”. And that’s just it. You can put your loyalty, love, fanaticism on Kobe and never be let down. You may lose every now and then, but you know that Kobe gave everything and is just as pissed as you are.
On the court he’s the real life superhero you fantasize being. I wish I could fly. He can. I wish I could hit every impossible shot with a sick move and a hand right in my face. He does every game! You want to vicariously be the best in the world? Become a fan of Kobe Bryant!
Discover New Music with TheSixtyOne.com
January 3, 2008 by Ryan
Just real quick…I ran across this website on Digg last night and spent a good hour messing with it:
Tons of cool music. Here are a few I liked:
It has a very cool interface (Digg-style voting, very quick music play, music continues to play while you surf).
Check it out!
New Bands I’m Diggin’
December 29, 2007 by Ryan
Again and again we’re seeing why we don’t need record companies. Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” shows that even big bands can release albums on their own over the internet. I recently ran across the Doritos Contest where they are going to give some band a big break and let them play the Super Bowl Halftime based off of internet voting. Actually, to be more accurate I ran across this post from TechCrunch, “Digg May Land Digg Girl Record Contract”. Which led me to Kina Grannis and the video to the right. The “Digg Song” that she did gained her lots of notoriety but she is definitely a much better artist than just a gimmick song.
After voting for Kina on the Doritos thing, I decided to listen to the 10 other finalists. All were pretty good, I imagine they had to be to get to be finalist, but a couple did stand out:
- Dominic Castillo & the Rock Savants: I’ll be voting for them in the contest as well. The song is a great “funny duet,” to quote them.
- Landon Austin: Great voice. He’s probably so popular right now at school!
- Barra Libre: I have to admit, I was going to skip over this one because of the spanish name…really stupid. Very cool, big band/almost ska feeling song. Definitely, listen to this one too!
I know that I’ve posted about it before but I still haven’t gotten over Paramore! I found on MTV the live performance that turned me on to them here and included one of the songs here.
Two, Three, Four!
After looking around MTV.com for that Paramore show I also ran into Flyleaf. Their single is catchy, particularly the chorus, enough to check them out.
