New Brothers From Another

The boys at Brothers From Another (Isaiah Sneed and Coleman DeLeon Jones) have just put out a new EP called Too Soon and, simply put, I am blown away. I don't know where to begin with this, Breeze and Goonstar--Jones and Sneed respectively--have really stepped up to the plate, it seems that this whole rappin' thing has turned from cool hobby to something serious, and it shows. They've managed to take the same subject matter (girls, girls, girls) and made itmore engaging and complex than most of the pros can do. Of course, it's not just the rhyming that's an improvement from June's Roots.Seeds.Stems, the production is 1000x fire as well. With beats from former Lakesiders Schuyler Karr and Morgan Backus and engineering from current student Spike Anderson, the sound is crisp and keeps me fiending for more.

Stand out tracks include "Poison Ivy" featuring guest MC Yola and "Candy". In the former, a chopped up vocal sample is layered across a thick bassline and drums a la J Dilla's headnodder "Won't Do". The latter features an ultra-jazzy upright bass and tons of smooth keys to top it off. All in all, this new release is supreme dope. I've already cycled through it at least four times, I can't figure out if it's because I know these guys or because this may be some of the freshest 206 sickness out this year. Props, props, props.

Also, ups to Catherine Schmidt for the artwork. Is there anything she can't do?

Links to other BFA downloads can be found at their blog: http://brothersfromanother.wordpress.com/

Avatar: $380 Million of Win

Just saw Avatar this weekend. Needless to say it more or less blew my mind. I saw this in 3D at Pacific Place with a bud and was thoroughly impressed. The plot and acting were so-so, good enough to engage me and cheesy enough for me to not take it so seriously. However the centerpiece of the whole production was the revolutionary new effects Mr. Cameron brought to this movie, twas quite insane. Wearing the glasses, it took me awhile to adjust to the 3D epicness but after about an hour it turned out to be quite manageable. Soon enough it looked real enough that I was in it, and all the glowing trees and flying pterodactyl/dragon/serpent things, well, you know.

In sum, great Christmas movie for anyone and everyone, except for those who can't spend more than 160 minutes without their phone on.

Parks and Recreation, Ep. 3

Just watched the new Parks and Recreation show on Hulu and I must say, though I'm already a pretty die hard fan (Aziz Ansari's stand-up and work on Human Giant is timeless, as well as the great Amy Poehler) this one was especially good. The basic premise is that Poehler's character, Pawnee, Indiana Deputy of Parks and Recreation Leslie Knope, is going to judge a beauty pageant. Soon after, her subordinate Tom Haverford finds out and also becomes a judge. The plot thickens, and we soon realize that the front runner, Trish is a typical pageant airhead of the Carrie Prejean variety. Blabbering her way to the judges hearts, she advocates for "Ourmerica", while the classical piano playing college student is left in the dust. The writers somehow managed a 12 Angry Men type climax as the judges "deliberate" on the winner. Social commentary weaves seemlessly with great writing and even better improv on the part of the actors. All in all, a great episode for a great show.

Second Podcast

Second podcast now up, discussing new TV shows for the upcoming fall season. If the title link doesn't work, click here: http://speedbrake.com/kindofnew/kindofnew2.mp3.

Enjoy!

Michael and Michael Have Issues

I would say that my favorite new show of the summer line up was definitely Comedy Central's Michael and Michael Have Issues. It's a show-within-a-show about two friends/comedians/co-workers and their daily exploits. It features Michael Ian Black (Run, Fatboy, Run, I Love the 70's/80's/90's, Stella) and Michael Showalter (The Baxter, Stella). The two met each other as freshman at New York University's Tisch School of Arts as theater students. They and 11 others which included Reno 911!'s Thomas Lennon, Ben Garant, Kerri Kenni-Silver, and recently Joe Lo Truglio (Lt. Jim Dangle, Deputies Junior, Weigel and Rizzo respectively) went on to form "The New Group", an improv comedy troupe, which eventually morphed into The State and finally a successful, groundbreaking sketch show that aired on MTV for three seasons.

Since the State, respective members have gone on in their own directions, but remain friends and from time to time, work partners. This is true of Black, Showalter. After years on the NY comedy circuit with fellow State member David Wain, they got their own show on Comedy Central, Stella" in 2005 where they played unemployed feckless idiots that seemed to have an unlimited disposable income. Though poorly rated, it has since garnered a cult following for its subtle humor and obscure references, tour dates across the country, and a possible movie deal.

The Michaels return once again to TV with their new show, a not entirely untrue portrayal of their working friendship and competitiveness. Both play themselves in what is most likely hyper fictionalized accounts of some of their favorite stories: playing office matchmaker, scamming some pot for their stressed out boss,one night stands at frat houses and more. The show balances the behind the scenes drama that goes into making a program as well as the program itself quite nicely. Somewhat juvenile sketches--which cleverly reflect how straight up dumb the guys are from time to time/all the time--are interspersed throughout each episode. British "fork" offerers, zombie runs and an all sweatpants retail store receive honorable mentions. But what really makes this show great is the chemistry of the cast. The show is anchored by the same kind of awkward, situational humor that has made shows like "The Office" successful, and it definitely works here as well.

Though, in the end, it's the two main characters that carry the show. Both Showalter and Black's characters seem to be in a state of arrested development, insecure and prone to hash out things with small, ineffectual fists. I cannot say that this show is terribly nuanced and complex, like some really good Stella and State episodes, but they come close. What the former didn't have was a wider appeal, which this show seems to be gaining steadily. And all without sacrificing the kind of dry wit that the two are known for, no matter how many easy sex jokes get in the way. I'm glad to see these guys working together again, and I hope to see them for a new season that's a little more than 7 episodes.

The Greatest State

Since hell has decided to visit Seattle for the week, I've taken inside to my semi-cool basement to relax with a coke float and the complete series of The State. For those of you who don't know, it was a bunch of college kids like Michael Ian Black/Showalter, Tom Lennon, Kerry Kenney, David Wain etc. Who ended up being people like Dangle and Junior from Reno 911! and both Michaels from Michael and Michael Have Issues, the new series for Comedy Central. Meeting on the fringes of New York University's art scene, these kids collected and formed what became the New Group, which became the State. In the vain of the greats before them--Monty Python, Carol Burnett etc.--the show consisted of a bunch of hilariously bizarre skits, with the show (for the most part) linked from random skit to the next...somehow. It's a shock that this played on MTV for more than one season, the show consisted of four very short ones, with the obscure references to Bogart movies and the plays of Tennessee Williams and Odets. They they did their fair share of sticking it to the powers that be through their rants and sarcastic use of catchphrases. Catchphrases that ended up catching on a little too well. Unlike most sketch comedies, and MTV shows for that matter (I'm looking at you, MAD TV, SNL and, well...all of MTV) most to all of these sketches have aged well. However, it seems that the network was somewhat shortsighted, cancelling the show after two years, though, it was in decline anyway. Though no matter, most have turned into successful comedians, writers, directors and actors, with resumes including: Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911, Best Week Ever, Role Models, Stella, Viva Variety and even professors of theater and direction at NYU. When I look at the shows, and then again with the commentary, I can see the perfectionist and the genius in all of the players. It's a miracle that these egos were able to come together for that long and create what may be one of the greatest comedy shows of all time.

Afrika Bambaataa!

Just this last Wednesday I got to have an intimate Q&A with one of hip-hop's fathers, the one and only Afrika Bambaataa. The session was held in a small club on the north side of San Antonio, Texas and hosted by the Red Bull Music Academy. the whole time I was just blown away by the fact that a bona-fied legend was sitting less than 10 feet away from me. Nonetheless the session was informative and kind of unforgettable, delving into the origins of the genre, as well as the rising popularity which then evolved into the biggest cultural phenonomon of the past quarter century.

Book Review: Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen

The Continuum publishing house took on a very interesting and untouched subject as far as I'm concerned--analyzing the greatest albums of the last half century. The first book in the series, Dusty Springfield's 'Dusty in Memphis' was published a few years ago and since then there have been over 50 books published, with more on the way and no intention of stopping. The focus of these books is to deconstruct what made these great albums great. Other works include Jimi Hendrix's 'Electric Ladyland', Bob Dylan's 'Highway 61 Revisited', and Nas' 'Illmatic'. I just recently finished a book about the DIY/punk icon's the Minutemen.

The band starting playing together in late 1979 in San Pedro, a working class suburb of Los Angeles. Their first incarnation was a four piece, D. Boon on guitar, Mike Watt on bass, George Hurley on drums and Martin Tambourovich on vocals. However, Martin left shortly thereafter and the three remaining guys went on to record their first EP, 'Paranoid Time', and the story just goes from there. They become staples in the LA hardcore punk scene, befriend local legends Black Flag on their SST label, and tour the country, especially other punk hotspots (Washington D.C., New York, Boston) and the world. Their 1984 masterpiece 'Double Nickels on the Dime' won them significant praise, both with the hardcore scene and prominent rock critics. To this day it stands in the eyes of many the pinnacle of the hardcore genre, as well as its downfall.

Inspired by their Boston counter parts Husker Du, the Minutemen set out to create and ambitious double album as well, going as far as to mention the band in their liner notes. This and more is revealed in Michael T. Fournier's brilliant and fastidious analysis of the album and the band itself. He introduces the reader with the necessary background for anyone to truly enjoy the album and the book. In this section of the book we are introduced to what the Minutemen really were, just a bunch of working class guys from a suburb of L.A. that is anything but glamorous. The drummer, Hurley, wrote a fair portion of the album's lyrics while cutting steel at a local factory.

Then, of course, we delve into the album itself, with each of the forty-four songs getting its own mini essay. This section is split into four "chapters" signifying the sides of vinyl that were cut for the original double album. Each side, except for the last, affectionately named "Side Chaff" contains songs chosen by the particular member. For example, the first side is 'Side D.' for D. Boon. Once all the songs were recorded, the band members drew straws to decide which tunes go where, adding another layer to the already complex album. Since each song is analyzed in painstaking detail, we become more intimate with its form and genesis. We discover their foundations and inspirations, ranging from James Joyce's 'Ulysses' to the note of a disgruntled landlord. My little review could do neither the book nor the album yourself. If you are even the slightest fan of the Minutemen, you will find this a great read.

First Podcast!

A bit too formal and rudimentary for my tastes, but I'm still refining, soon enough I'm going to get my stuff on iTunes, and have the actual music playing in the background, but for now this is just a trial.

In case the link in the title doesn't work, here it is: http://speedbrake.com/kindofnew/kindofnew1-launch.mp3.

Live Music In Seattle (Capitol Hill Block Party)

Hello and welcome to the trial edition of Tatler's first ever Entertainment podcast, this week we'll be previewing the upcoming Capitol Hill Block Party. Early yes, but sadly I'll be gone in the coming weeks prior to the weekend. Bands playing on Friday--day one--include Atlanta's Deerhunter. Playing with an influence ranging from psychadelic, noise and art rock as well as shoegaze, their mix of introspective lyrics and solid musicianship with mastery in a variety of instruments including reverse guitar, loop machines, synthesizers, tapes and accordions. Their 2008 album won them significant critical acclaim among indie blog giants like Pitchfork and Stereogum, as well as Rolling Stone and Blender.

Another band to look out for is Washington's own New Faces. Winners of the 2008 Sound Off! competition, a northwest battle of the bands. With a taxing tour schedule and an album on iTunes, the New Faces aren't letting their success get to them yet, with the time they have, the Port Townshend trio is busy in the studio making more songs.

Finally we have legendary Sonic Youth closing out the two day mini festival. The band, playing together since 1981 with a few lineup changes since, has just released a new album The Eternal and touring to promote it. A band known just as much for its unorthodox tuning and playing, they are just as admired for their dexterity and live performances. With 1988's classic Daydream Nation the band garnered acclaim that has stuck with them since.