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The CYPJN!? Top 11 Albums of 2011

2012-01-02T00:33:00.031-05:00

2011 was a mixed bag in a lot of ways. But it dropped some pretty fantastic music along the way. Here are the ones I just couldn't shake...

11. Heather Christian & The Arbornauts - Cabinet

Okay… First we’ll ignore the fact that Heather’s a friend of mine. Next, we’ll ignore that the demo version of “Harvey” made my Best Of 2010 mix last year and that the album version did the same this year. We’ll ignore all of that and look at this album objectively.

I was graciously provided an advance copy of Cabinet before it was made available to the gen pop and it immediately went into heavy rotation. Weeding through the year’s output and deciding what I’m going to put my stamp on isn’t always an easy task. The most unbiased criteria I can use for this when the competition gets tough is playcount. By that standard, Cabinet earns its place clearly outside the shadow of nepotism.

A beautifully written and spirited endeavor, HC & The A’s debut is the rare anytime album that pierces through whatever ambient noise you have knocking about and pulls you into its own rapt narrative. The musical ground covered is vast and the shifts seamless. Shifts that sometimes happen within the same song. Album-opener “New Things” takes us from dreamy piano pop into 70’s glamgroove territory within a minute and twenty seconds and then returns us safely to the clouds. “Bounder” has a hushed intensity that blooms midway through into a gritty, slide-blues tiger lily, the kind of goosey, bend-and-soar gospel rave-up that causes involuntary sistahgurl neck rolls while riding the subway. “Jet Thrust & Blushes” is a gauzy, ethereal somnambulation, while “Centuries, Centuries” is a straight-up, top-down, Southern butt-shaker. And then there’s “Harvey”. A cinematic soul-stirrer whose crescendo peels the paint off my walls every time.

Cabinet is not only a solid debut, it’s just a plain great record.

Serving Suggestion: I spent some time with this on the porch. Late summer, early evening. A slate-y Chenin Blanc and some pecorino. But it’s a true anytime album. Just get it and listen to it. I’ve never steered you wrong before.

10. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

The word “formative” actually comes up a little short when I consider the impact Life’s Rich Pageant had on my 12 year old ears. Of the pentumvirate of bands that took over my young heart and mind in those years, R.E.M. was second only to U2 in terms of immediate impact and permanent absorption. (With Dead Kennedys, The Cure and The Smiths closing the loop.) So, it was with no small amount of bittersweet shock that I took in the news of the band’s decision to hang it up after 31 years.

I will say that I 1000% agree with and understand this conclusion. And, in my mind, no other band in history has handled their dissolution with such self-awareness, prudence and grace. I say I agree with the decision because it does seem like R.E.M. have reached a certain plateau in terms of what they have to say. Collapse Into Now definitely earned its place in my Top 11 Albums of 2011 on its own merits and has been a regular go-to since its release. But it feels less like a product of 3 years spent exploring new territory than it does a companion album to 2008’s Accelerate (my #8 album of that year).

That said, make no mistake: A really good R.E.M. record has a higher bar than even the best records by the kids coming up from behind. (I did wonder if there wasn’t a certain foreshadowy wink in the line, “I think I’ll sing and rhyme / I’ll give it one more time / I’ll show the kids how to do it, fine, fine, fine” from “All The Best”.) And there are songs here that I can happily put alongside some of my all-time favorites. “Uberlin” tips its hat to “The Great Beyond”, “Oh My Heart” serves as an actual sequel to “Houston” and “Blue” nods to “Belong” through blizzard-blown curtains of guitar squall. . In the end, Collapse Into Now is exactly what it needs to be. Stipe, Buck and Mills making exactly the music they want to make. One last time.

Serving Suggestion: I like to start the day with this one. Black coffee and a crisp, autumn walk will do you right here.

9. Washed Out - Within and Without

Ahhh, summer in The City. Morning runs along the East River. Glass and metal glinting in orange and purple as the first rays crest the horizon. Steamy, crowded trains. The bustling bake of midday Manhattan. Warm, breezy drives to the beach. Hazy sunsets. Humid, sticky, starless nights.

Often, all of this can be a fairly miserable and oppressive backdrop. But sometimes… with the right record… it can take on the romantic sheen of a well-placed music montage. The kind the 80’s got exactly right. The John Hughes Moment, if you will.

Within and Without did that for me this year. Tapping into the best of those sense memories and painting pictures very much of the present, without a hint of irony or nostalgia. Whatever derivative elements are here are used in service of something wholly of-the-moment.

Every good summer has its soundtrack. In 2011, this was mine.

Serving Suggestion: Grab some Prosecco or your favorite Hefeweizen and some orange slices. Get a blanket, park yourself by the nearest body of water on the longest day of the year and watch the sky turn every color it’s got.

8. Milagres - Glowing Mouth
I did a double-take the first time I heard Glowing Mouth’s title track. “This is… so hot”, I thought. And it is. There’s a citric sensuality and an accompanying pang that puts you smack in the middle of a deserted beach with a lover you’ve been longing to see, a tangle of sandy legs and warm mouths under a hot and waning sun.

This sultry yearning permeates the whole of Glowing Mouth and makes it one of the great surprise discoveries of my music year. Standouts include “Halfway”, “Gentle Beast”, “Lost In The Dark” and “For Disposal".

The way that certain albums surface at certain times has always felt like one of the great blessings of being an avid music consumer. This record became a blanket during an unexpectedly difficult September and I’ve returned to it faithfully ever since.

Brightly melodic, emotionally packed and surprisingly resonant, Glowing Mouth floated in out of nowhere, walked right in the front door and made itself at home. Just in time, as it turned out.

Serving Suggestion: I was travelling for work when this first started getting play on my iPod. The imprints are heavy with airplanes, taxis, early morning desert runs, stolen, bleary-eyed smoke breaks and late night hotel mini-bar binges. It seems the nature of this record is to make its own suggestions. We’ll wait and see what it has in mind for you.

7. Apparat - The Devil's Walk

The first time I heard “Ash/Black Veil”, I knew that A) it would be a solid Track of the Year contender and 2) if the rest of the album was half as good, it would more than likely make this list.

And so it came to pass. The next track I heard was “Song of Los”, which could just as easily vie for the same honor. By the time the record was finally released, hopes were high. That level of anticipation can often be a setup for disappointment. Not so here. The Devil’s Walk brims with atmosphere, but manages to transcend mere chillwave backgroundery. There’s an inherent ache in the bones of this album – both sonically and lyrically – that tugs a little harder, a little deeper than other records that might try to stand under the same umbrella. Electronic sequencing and samples may make up the spine, but the heart of The Devil’s Walk is roundly fleshed with strings, acoustic piano, a raft of live percussion elements and Sascha Ring’s lilting vocals.

Sometimes an album comes out of nowhere and crowns itself Exactly What You’re Needing To Listen To At Exactly This Moment. I love when that happens. And I love, love, love this album.

Serving Suggestion: Dark, moody and more complex than it seems, this one wants a Pinotage. Dim the lights, clear your mind and let it in all the way.

6. The Joy Formidable - The Big Roar

I feel like I could come up with a bunch of geekspeak hoo-hah about what a deliciously huge rock record The Big Roar is. Lush, layered, massive, satisfying, yippity-yap. I could tell you how fantastic The Joy Formidable are live. Ritzy Bryan’s indefatigable spunk and guitar prowess, Matt Thomas’ spine-rattling double-pedal eruptions, the sheer volume, the sweat, blah-blah.

I’ll save you some time. Watch this. You’ll get the idea.

Serving Suggestion: Too scrappy for vino. Commandeer the P.A. at your local dive bar, slip this on and order up a hearty nut brown ale.

5. The War On Drugs - Slave Ambient
One of the great thrills in a music geek’s world is the random discovery of a new band. A series of clicks that leads you from one site to the next until you come across – buried in the lower left hand corner of eMusic’s new releases – an interesting album cover by a band you haven’t heard of. You decide to give it a listen and then, lo and behold, you’ve found what will become one of your favorite albums of the year.

The flange-y, sun-soaked opening strains of “Best Night” happened to be exactly what I was looking for at a time when I didn’t know what I was looking for. I tracked through the rest of the album and had purchased it before the last sample even finished playing.

Slave Ambient has a looseness, a warmth, a diaphanous luster that sits squarely in my sweet spot. A really remarkable find.

Serving Suggestion: Perfect for a City stroll or a summer road trip. I particularly liked this one with iced coffee in the first hazy hours of an August day.

4. Wye Oak - Civilian

I first came across the title track for Wye Oak’s Civilian through KEXP’s Song of the Day podcast. It was one of those songs that I kept coming across randomly on my iPod and going “Who is this??” A shame, then, that it took me another few months to finally pick up the album.

Not knowing anything about the band beyond the actual record, I was genuinely shocked to discover that it’s comprised of only two members: Andy Stack on drums, keyboards and backup vocals and Jenn Wasner on vocals and guitar. A sound this rich and refined seems almost impossible with a personnel roster so slim. Alas, the two have a dynamic sensibility that betrays their size.

Though tinged with a certain darkness, Civilian never skews maudlin and is peppered with well-placed moments of sweet release. Wasner’s ghostly croon weaves effortlessly in and out of her own spare guitar lines while Stack’s savvy percussion and keyboard textures paint the stage on which they’ll play.

I’ve never casually listened to this album. I submit and follow it fully every time. And I anxiously await whatever Wye Oak have in store for the future.

Serving Suggestion: Hot toddies by the fire.

3. The Horrors - Skying

Primary Colours landed on this list in 2009. It remained such an unshakeable favorite that I wondered if The Horrors’ next stab wouldn’t be doomed to fall at least a little short. And then I heard “Still Life”, the first single from Skying. There was no question that the band had somehow figured out how to top themselves.

It would be another two months before the album was officially released and I could only hope that the rest of the tracks would follow suit. When it finally hit, it confirmed what I had been suspecting. The Horrors had evolved. Featuring slightly cleaner production and a clearer melodic focus, the band maintains the same sonic hallmarks that made them a hit with nostalgic ‘120 Minutes’ fans, but crafts a more nuanced and (ultimately) more accessible set of songs.

Beyond “Still Life” (yet another Track of the Year contender), other personal faves include “Changing the Rain”, “You Said”, “Endless Blue” and “Moving Further Away”.

As much as The Horrors’ overall sound may be a nod to its shoegoth predecessors, for my money they made one of the most singular and exciting records of the year.

Serving Suggestion: Light exactly one candle, pour the darkest, earthiest Pinot you’ve got and headphone up.

2. Radiohead - The King of Limbs

When details about the new Radiohead started to surface, I was apparently less hung up on the fact that it contained only eight tracks than the blogosphere was. It’s always been my position that an album should be whatever length it needs to be to say what the artist wants to say, whether it’s a double album or a 7-song EP/LP judgment call. We’d never presume to go back and tell Pollack he needed to add a couple more drips here or there. I figured, "If these eight songs are all Radiohead have to offer me this year, I’ll take ‘em."

We would later find out, with the release of 4 subsequent studio tracks that this wasn’t altogether true. And hearing these songs (recorded not long after the KoL sessions) does make one wonder why the band simply take some more time to see what they had. (Incidentally, “Staircase” easily became a Track of the Year contender, a distinction none of the KoL cuts were able to claim.)

Monday morning quarterbacking aside, King of Limbs remains unassailable as what it ultimately is: another astonishing Radiohead album. No band in recent memory has reframed what can be accomplished in the studio and this record is no exception. Haunting, intricate, otherworldly and genuinely incomparable, King of Limbs tickles all the places a Radiohead record should.

Serving Suggestion: King of Limbs gave me my first perfect iPod moment of 2011. Walking up Fifth Avenue along the east side of Central Park after a major snowstorm, Starbucks in hand, the trees and all surrounding structures layered in thick, untouched duvets of white. A stark and utter stillness. Just the occasional melty drip from an overhanging branch and the last three tracks of this album. If you can replicate this, you’ll be well served.

1. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

(sigh) "You too?”

...Yup:)

Honorable Mentions:

Bright Eyes - The People's Key

Cave Singers - No Witch

TV on the Radio - Nine Types of Light

Yuck - Yuck

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

I Break Horses - Hearts

Elbow - build a rocket boys!

Joe Henry - Reverie

The Antlers - Burst Apart

Wilco - The Whole Love

IMBA's TRACK OF THE YEAR:

IMBA'S TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2010

2010-12-31T16:08:00.021-05:00

I've always taken pride in the fact that the CYPJN!? countdown bucked the rote "Top 10" roundup format by connecting my favorite album picks to the year in which they were released. (See previous installments "Top 6 Albums of 2006, Top 7 Albums of 2007, et al.) Alas, by chronological happenstance, here we are at my first-ever Top 10 list.

As trite as the premise is, this year's lineup is anything but. In fact, in both quality and volume, this was the most fecund year for record releases in recent memory. A year that, at points, left me feeling like Lucy at the conveyer belt, scrambling to wrap each aural bon-bon before the next one passed me by. More than usual, this year's narrowing process was arduous. Hence, my longest list of Honorable Mentions to date.

Like last year's omission of U2, folks who know me will be shocked to discover that Gogol Bordello, a solid shared favorite of mine and The Missus', not only DIDN'T make the list, it earned the dubious distinction of "Disappointment of the Year". Whatever magic Rick Rubin worked behind the boards with Beastie Boys, RHCP, Johnny Cash and others seems to have had the opposite effect on the Gogol crew. The mojo on "Transcontinental Hustle" turned sour, stale, overcompressed and remarkably flat. A major league letdown from such a vivacious live act. That said, the Gogol void was easily filled by a host of stunning debuts and career-bests.

On a personal level, I felt well taken care of by this year's output. I entered the year with one clear set of goals, most of which didn't materialize the way I'd envisioned. But through it all - missed landings, bouts of defeatism, financial constraints - the music I was consuming ultimately had my back. Additionally, these albums (and several superb singles from albums that didn't make the list) provided the perfect soundtrack for some unexpected internal and external discoveries.

Plainly laid, it was a motherfuck of a fine year for music. The kind of music year you will find yourself sensorily bound to well into the next few.

Enough hype.

The envelope please....

#10 - CEE-LO GREEN – “The Lady Killer”

Up until about a week ago, Local Natives’ “Gorilla Manor” had a firm grip on this year’s Number 10 spot. That changed after spending an entire afternoon previewing each track from Cee-Lo’s first solo effort to see if it lived up to the critical fuss being made on its behalf. I purchased the album that evening and knew within the first full listen that the Local Natives boys were in trouble.

The hype surrounding lead single “Fuck You” was enough that I put off investigating it until after the dust had settled a bit. My loss. The idea that I could have been partaking of this perfect piece of pop confection months earlier is a lesson in getting over myself. Of course, I’d assumed by the song’s title that it was a mere novelty that would be worthily served by one or two YouTube viewings. You know, give it a chuckle, maybe share the link and then forget about it. I simply did not expect the earnest, delightful slice of shuffle-in-the-street Philly soul I would find behind the consciously provocative title. From that moment, I was obviously curious about the rest of the album.

After a regrettably silly intro, we’re greeted by the 80’s-flavored synth swipes, disco strings and bouncy “Bille Jean” bass line that open “Bright Lights Bigger City”, an irresistibly groovy night-on-the-towner with hips for days. This is one I have yet to be able to play just once through. It was an immediate repeater. Other highlights include the Al Green paean “I Want You”, meta slow-jam “Old Fashioned” and an unexpectedly potent cover of Band of Horses’ “No One’s Gonna Love You”.

“The Lady Killer” manages the rare feat of treading firmly in retro-soul territory without sounding either ironic or rote. Using borrowed elements to create something utterly fresh. This album’s 11^th hour appearance on my radar was a huge surprise in a year chock full of them.

Serving Suggestion:

“The Lady Killer” begs for a night out. Don your best black suit or dress, pop the Veuve and get busy.

#9 - WILD NOTHING – “Gemini”

Seems every year there’s at least one favorite that falls squarely into the Shoegaze file. This year’s entry lands at Number 9 on my list.

I was originally thinking that to assess my love of this album would essentially involve assessing my love of the unfortunately-nicknamed genre itself. But, I soon realized that that would be a short-sell. Fact is, my quick affection for “Gemini” came from an altogether different place than the usual rainy day sonic trappings of other albums that might fall under the same category. There’s a warmth, a sheen, a beachiness, a… well… a real joy to be discovered here.

“Summer Holiday” is a perfect case-in-point. A song that works as brilliantly for a cold, grey, November stroll as it does for a gauzy, sun-dappled drive to the shore. Album-centerpiece “Bored Games” is also a prime example of “Gemini”’s layered pleasures. A Casioesque rhythm loop buoys textural feedback and a beautifully distant guitar melody to Jack Tatum’s dreamy, self-harmonizations.

Any number of fuzzy, New Wave-y, dream pop influences could be name-checked here. Fortunately, Wild Nothing wins on its own merits and easily erases any impulse to do so.

Serving Suggestion:

Rainy Day: A hot cup of anise hyssop & honeybush tea and a seat by the window.

Sunset: Some sort of fruit-infused, iced vodka drink and a quiet spot on the beach.

#8 - BEACH HOUSE – “Teen Dream”

The brilliance of 2010 lies in the element of surprise. The seeming stealth and effortlessness with which certain songs and albums came into my consciousness this year. The ability of bands that weren’t on my radar to release albums that dug deeper than releases I’d heavily anticipated. “Norway” came to me courtesy of KEXP’s Song of the Day podcast. One of those random tunes rolling around the periphery that I kept having to look and see who it was I was so thoroughly digging on. It eventually ended up on several of my playlists and the purchase of the album followed.

“Teen Dream” soon became a staple in the car stereo. Its dizzy, sun-washed tone made it an easy choice for late summer/early fall drives. The fairly astonishing thing about the Beach House sound is that there are only two people making it. One would think an album this lush and dreamy must involve at least a few folks doing the fluffing. Nope. The entirety of “Teen Dream” is rendered by founding members Victoria Legrand (on vocals and organ) and Alex Scally (on guitar, drums and keyboards). Another brilliant surprise.

I spent large swaths of the year in both reflective and projective modes. The muslin-wrapped melodies on “Teen Dream” laid exactly the right ground for the reflective moments without losing immediacy or relevance to the here and now. A real treat of an album and a delightful place to spend a day.

Serving Suggestion:

A late summer afternoon on the porch with a white Bordeaux or a glass of spiked lemonade.

#7 - FOALS - “Total Life Forever”

The video for "Spanish Sahara" was put under my nose by a friend of mine earlier in the year. In that moment, I knew that the new Foals album was going to be something special.

Where "Antidotes", the band's debut, was an angular, scrappy slice of post-punk that satisfied on a fairly specific level, the muted, icy guitar plucks, textural sequencing, and upper-register whisper-sing that open "Spanish Sahara" announce unequivocally that This Band. Has. Evolved.

One of the more exciting aspects of being a music fan is watching a band find something. Right in front of your ears, captured forever on record. The richness and dynamism found on "Total Life Forever" reveal the kind of growth many bands shoot for on their sophomore squirt, but rarely achieve.

The interweaving dual guitar lines of Jimmy Smith and frontman Yannis Philippakis update the Television approach, resulting in a dreamier, funkier take on the swirling, DNA-model melodies of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. This interplay is best exemplified at the halfway mark of “After Glow”. A back’n’forth so effervescent, it seems a near-infinite number of tracks were required to create it. Watching the song live puts that theory soundly to rest and leaves one grinning in awe.

“Total Life Forever” earned a solid place in my consciousness this year. Here’s to growth…

Serving Suggestion:

Perfect for the transitional seasons. Grab a sweater and a slate-y Sauv Blanc and head for the park.

#6 - MUMFORD & SONS – “Sigh No More”

Maybe it was the timing. Maybe it was the name. Maybe it was the ubiquitous praise being heaped upon a band I hadn’t heard of from sources whose musical tastes I generally scoff at. Whatever it was, I did that thing I sometimes do where I outright dismiss an artist before I’ve heard a single note. Snooty, snobby and shameful, I know. (For what it’s worth, when this has happened in the past, I usually find myself exonerated in these instinctual dismissals once I end up hearing the music in question.) But this year, I find myself thanking my lucky stars I gave Mumford & Sons an honest shot.

Were it not for a friend’s inclusion of “Awake My Soul” on a mix with no proper tracklisting, this may have never happened. I kept coming back to it and finally had to ask, “Who is this?” Much to my chagrin, this band I’d prematurely maligned now had a firm grip on my listening heart. It took me until November to finally purchase the album, but I will say I’ve packed a year’s worth of listening into the past 2 months.

Some records reach you at exactly the right time. There’s an alignment of internal elements that grant a particular sound an enormous amount of power. If you had asked me earlier in the year where I was at with emotive, Irish-inflected British folk, I probably would have tossed off a snarky retort and steered the conversation elsewhere. As it turns out, this band, this sound, this feeling, is exactly where I needed to be this fall and winter.

From the bittersweet balladry of “Timshel” and “After The Storm” to the stomping, soaring, open roadness of “The Cave”, “Roll Away Your Stone” and “Awake My Soul”, this album now seems almost more a prescription than a discovery. As if it came along necessarily. And I can unabashedly say, I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong. “Sigh No More” is officially the best crow I have ever eaten.

Serving Suggestion:

A perfect anytime album, but ultimately suited for an open stretch of road and a strong cup of hot, black coffee.

#5 - THE ROOTS – “How I Got Over”

The first question I find myself asking when it comes to The Roots is, “Where do they find the time?” A regular band, made up of regular human beings, would find The Roots’ day job overwhelming enough. Being the house band for a nightly talk show (and doing so with aplomb) would be about as much as any other band could hope to handle and a more than worthy way to fill a year. So, exactly how The Roots found the time and energy to release not one, but two brilliant albums in a single year on top of their regular duties, leaves me scratching my head.

The band’s collaboration with John Legend, a compendium of 70’s soul covers, easily earned a spot on my “Honorable Mentions” list and, in a less competitive year, would likely have ended up on the Top 10 alongside “How I Got Over”. But it was a competitive year. More so than any since I’ve been writing these year-end capsules. All the more spectacular, then, that The Roots would end up at Number 5.

It takes a lot for a hip-hop release to rise above the occasional mood listen on my iPod. To gain the kind of rotation usually reserved for more emotionally resonant genres. “How I Got Over” staked that claim this year and further proved The Roots’ undeniable genius as a band, not just a hip-hop act. By distilling the core Roots elements to their purest form, they gave us their most accessible, cohesive and imaginative album to date.

Serving Suggestion:

If you’ve got headphones and a sidewalk, you’re good to go.

#4 - BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB – “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo”

You know what?

I love this band.

And I love this album.

Next to my #1 pick, “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo” probably got the most play of anything that made it onto my iPod this year.

I won’t ruin it with half-assed encapsulations or saccharine sum-ups.

If you don’t own it, buy it.

If you do own it, play it right now.

Ahhhh.

N i c e, right?

Serving Suggestion:

Ideally, this one should be on the juke at your favorite local dive. Throw on your favorite black leather boots, belly up to the bar and order yourself a double Bruichladdich with a Guinness back.

#3 - THE WALKMEN – “Lisbon”

For a second, I thought I was hearing a new Beirut single. That drunken, slightly-offbeat brass. Those martial, unembellished toms. And then Hamilton Leithauser’s singular, buttermilk-over-broken-glass croon floated in and set me straight. It was gorgeous. It was achy. And it was unmistakable. This was The Walkmen, ladies and gentlemen. And how. The song in question was “Stranded”, the first I’d heard off of “Lisbon” and another “Track of the Year” nominee.

There’s a reach, a twinge, a pang, a real yearning that happens in the marriage of Leithauser’s shoot-for-the-rafters howl and guitarist Paul Maroon’s empty-room reverb which tickles my own yearny parts very acutely. And nowhere is it more prevalent or perfectly synthesized than throughout “Lisbon”. It’s also the most transporting album of the year. Evocative to the hilt. Lyrically, the spirit of the album is best exemplified in the following verse from “Blue As Your Blood”:

“I sit alone and I wonder why/Oh hazy, lazy days/I could dream of you forever/Under the shade of a Juniper tree/I sing a sad song of you and me/The sky above, the sky above/Is blue as your blood/Black is the color of your eyelash/Spanish is the language of your tongue”

And sonically, nothing paints a better picture of the locales The Walkmen seem both haunted and enchanted by than the one-two punch of closers “While I Shovel The Snow” and “Lisbon”.

This is the kind of record where I make an “UGH” sound at the end of each song. Beautiful. Ecstatic. Heartbreaking.

Serving Suggestion:

I figure a trip to Portugal will do this one right. A bottle of Moscatel and a small rented villa with a terrace overlooking the sea.

#2 - DEERHUNTER – “Halcyon Digest”

Many thanks to John Richards for championing this one. I found “Helicopter” on John’s morning show and immediately raced to YouTube to hear it again. I spent the rest of the afternoon there. It quickly became yet another contender for “Track of the Year”.

I became aware of Deerhunter two years ago when “Microcastle” was making waves and ending up on everyone’s year-end list. Based on the hype, I previewed it online but never found anything solid to grab onto. “Halcyon Digest” was the other thing. It permeated deeply, thoroughly and immediately.

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say there’s some real genius at work here. Ideas, sounds, structures, approaches and sensibilities that are unconventional, to say the least. Trippy, ambient opener “Earthquake” is a languorous, lyrically surreal cocktail that gets us tipsy right off the bat so the rest of the album can take us wherever it wants to go. The jangly beachpop of “Revival”. The icy reverb soak of “Sailing”. The low-slung indie rock of “Desire Lines” (featuring 2010’s head-noddiest guitar coda, IMHO). “Helicopter” and it’s sun-emerging-from-behind-the-clouds chorus. The top-down cruise of “Fountain Stairs”. And the spare, shimmery sequencing of Jay Reatard tribute “He Would Have Laughed”. “Halcyon Digest” covers a lot of ground in 45 minutes. And every step is a new revelation.

I have yet to put my finger on exactly how Deerhunter manage to pull this one off. Ultimately, something this out-of-left-field could very easily risk a certain kind of fussiness, pretense or lack of direction. “Halcyon Digest” jukes all such potential traps with ease. In a year full of unexpected wins, it may just be the most unexpected.

Serving Suggestion:

I like this one for cleaning the house. A healthy Carménère pour should add just the right touch.

#1 - LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – “This Is Happening”

“Should we play it now…?”

“No. Let’s wait.”

This was the exchange between me and The Missus upon leaving Homer’s Records in the Old Market. It was Memorial Day weekend and we were in Omaha, Nebraska en route to NYC bringing home our 1995 Toyota Corolla station wagon, newly purchased from a private owner in Denver. We decided it would be a bigger treat to wait and unveil the new LCD Soundsystem later in the day, on the road, somewhere around twilight, somewhere in the middle of America. It was the right choice. We couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to what would become our shared favorite album of the year. A long, quiet stretch of I-80 and a giant blood red moon dangling from a low, purpling sky.

“This is Happening” opens simply enough. “Dance Yrself Clean” begins with a quiet, lightly clunky rhythm loop, two repeated, galumphing synth-bass notes, and James Murphy’s matter-of-fact, esoteric patter: “Walking up to me expecting/Walking up to me expecting words/It happens all the time/Present company excepted/Present company, except the worst/It happens every night”. And then, around the 3-minute mark, you realize you’d unnecessarily turned the sound up and that the party was waiting just around the corner the whole time. It’s like the difference between the volume of the television show you’re watching and the volume of the commercial that abuts it. Except you welcome this commercial. It’s a fairly clever producorial conceit and just one of many strokes of technical brilliance throughout the album. (Another favorite example is “Pow Pow”, where we see how a cardboard-wrapped steel pick can completely change the shape of a simple bass note.)

There is much cleverness at play on “This Is Happening”. But, like the Deerhunter record, the innovations are there in service of the tunes, not the other way around. The amazing thing about Murphy is his ability to take these scrappy, disparate, electro-clash elements and mold them into something with real heart. Yes, your hips respond first. Involuntarily. But, one deep listen quickly evinces that there is blood in this music, not tinsel.

Proof of this is laid bare in the record’s centerpiece, the desperate, devastating “I Can Change”. The song begins as something that could be mistaken for a forgotten Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark B-side. An ostensible air of irony threatens early dismissal. Soon, however, Murphy’s plaintive trill erases all suspicions of insincerity. “Tell me a line… Make it easy for me… Open your arms… dance with me until I feel alright…” Another one to be filed under Songs That Make Me Go “UGH”.

To cite the record’s highlights would be to simply type out the track list. Each entry it’s own unique contribution to an astonishing whole. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t give a shout-out to the fourth and final “Track of the Year” nominee, “Home”.

The idea of “home” – what it is, where it is, what it means, is it a real thing, etc. – permeates much of Murphy’s lyrical output, and more so than ever on this record. Appropriate then, that the album’s closer should be so directly named. One also can’t help but note the Talking Heads influence in the percussion and Prophet-600 sequencing. Whether a conscious nod to “Once in a Lifetime” (as “All I Want” is to Bowie’s “Heroes”) or a subconscious pervasion, “Home” embodies a similar essence. If I had to guess which single track got the hardest workout on my iPod this year, my guess would be this one.

I spent most of the spring and summer with this album. It happened to perfectly coincide with a daily running routine, now 7 months old. This was a revelatory time for me on several levels and LCD was in heavy rotation underneath it all. Many of the albums I spent time with this year had a knack for taking me apart and putting me back together a little differently. But none did so more thrillingly than “This Is Happening”.

In the end, it’s the one that stuck. If my 2010 journey had a musical triptych, this would be it. A defining record for a defining year.

Serving Suggestion:

Purchase. Play. Repeat.

---

And... The best of the rest...

Honorable Mentions:

Efterklang - "Magic Chairs"

Chemical Brothers - "Further"

Peter Gabriel - "Scratch My Back"

UNKLE - "Where Did The Night Fall"

Bomba Estereo - "Blow Up"

The Black Keys - "Brothers"

Balkan Beat Box - "Blue Eyed Black Boy"

John Legend & The Roots - "Wake Up!"

Disappears - "Lux"

The Arcade Fire - "The Suburbs"

The Acorn - "No Ghost"

Galactic - "Ya Ka May"

Max Richter - "Infra"

Olafur Arnalds - "...and they have escaped the weight of darkness"

The National - "High Violet"

Spoon - "Transference"

Giants - "Old Stories"

Frightened Rabbit - "The Winter of Mixed Drinks"

The Tallest Man On Earth - "The Wild Hunt"

Fences - "Fences"

Houses - "All Night Long"

Local Natives - "Gorilla Manor"

Tamaryn - "The Waves"

Zola Jesus – “Valusia” and “Stridulum” EP’s

___

AND FINALLY... A new feature of IMBA's Top Albums post! Since I couldn't pick a clear winner for "Track of the Year", I invite you to weigh in. Below are my top choices. Feel free to do some voting in the comments section.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - "HOME"

THE WALKMEN - "STRANDED"

DEERHUNTER - "HELICOPTER"

THE FOALS - "SPANISH SAHARA"

Let's Go Ahead And Get Straight On This One....

2010-08-23T09:32:00.008-04:00

Ladies and Gentlemen of America...

I haven't had the energy to weigh in on this since it started, but I simply can't bear it any longer. So, let's break it down real quick and simple-like, shall we?

ISLAM does not fly airplanes into buildings. In the same way that CHRISTIANITY does not blow up abortion clinics or create racist militias. My guess is that if you were to sit down over pints with Muhammad and Jesus, they'd probably both be like, "Yeah, no. That's totally not what we had in mind." No, those kinds of acts are committed by religious nuts who put themselves under the umbrella of those doctrines despite being completely out of synch with the core tenets of each. Factions and individuals like this have done heinous shit in the names of their respective gods for years. (Northern Ireland was on fire when Mohamed Atta was still in diapers.)

If we accept that religious zealots with twisted views of the principles of their proclaimed faiths are to blame (and not the entire faith community), then your argument against building a mosque near the Trade Center is officially null and void. And, if you still disagree, then you really have to ask yourself "why?". Like, seriously sit with the question. Plumb the depths. Test your position. Your reasoning may be uglier than you ever wanted to admit. And if, in the end, you simply can't come up with a better answer than, "No, I don't want a mosque two blocks away from the Trade Center because ultimately I sorta figure all Muslims are terrorists and that would really feel like a slap in the face", then I challenge your tolerance and your patriotism and suggest you might want to consider starting a country of your own. One whose Constitution doesn't guarantee religious freedom as it's first motherfucking order of business.

I've walked past this site every day on my way to work for the past four years. An abandoned Burlington Coat Factory. An eyesore. In all of that time, apparently NO commercial developer has deemed it worth interest. Now a community of faith wants to use it as a house of worship. They've gone through all of the proper legal steps one has to go through to do such a thing in New York City. Any reason (ANY. Reason.) given for not letting them move forward is assumptive, fear-based, wrong-headed and simply untenable.

I know, I know. Perhaps my take is a little dismissive and overwrought. And anyway, you've got to get the kids to soccer practice, so who's got time to think about this stuff anyway.

Fair enough.

-IMBA

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:10:00.000-04:00

The CYPJN?! Top 9 Albums of 2009

2009-12-16T11:29:00.048-05:00

SO... 2009 draws to a close and leaves in its wake a raft of fantastic new albums, including a slew of impressive debuts. As always, narrowing down this year's top picks was a painstaking task. But I can say that the nine presented here are the ones that landed most solidly for me.

My own 2009 was an upsy-downsy affair on many levels. Frankly, I'll be more than happy to get it the FUCK off my back, however I recognize that the process of this year was an absolutely essential part of the setup to make 2010 a year of serious discovery and forward movement.

Musically, I spent a lot of time looking backward. My summer in Los Angeles was an incredibly evocative experience and the hours I spent swimming the racks of Amoeba Records' UNPARALLELED used section found me filling in much-needed blanks in my collection. Many hours on the 101 spent listening to long-overdue digital replacements of classics from my cassette library. Screaming Blue Messiahs, English Beat, XTC, Oingo Boingo, Liz Phair, etc. Also, I had compiled a number of L.A.-centric mixes for the occasion, which were on a fairly heavy rotation. Subsequently, it took me up until the last quarter to get around to some of the more important releases of this year.

For anyone who knows me beyond a passing acquaintance, there will be one tres surprising omission from the below list. The long-standing assumption when I began doing these year-end record evals was that whenever my all-time favorite band released it's next album, that album would almost certainly land in CYPJN!?'s top spot for that year. Stands to reason, no? Hence my utter astonishment at my inability to fully connect with U2's No Line On The Horizon. The album came out just days before my first L.A. trip last April, and my time on the sunny coast gave me ample opportunity to truly give it a go. The problem was, only about half of the album penetrated on any real level. The rest simply dribbled down my earlobes and blew away on the Pacific Coast breeze. A full review was promised, yet never materialized because I simply. Couldn't. Get there with it. The reasons for this are many. Too many cooks in the producorial kitchen. Slogan-y, frictionless lyrics. Consciously radio-friendly melodies. I could mintuaeize for hours, but you get the point. That said, there are moments on the album that really soar and songs like "No Line On The Horizon", "Magnificent" and "FEZ-Being Born" stand alongside some of the band's best moments of the 00's. Particularly affecting is "Cedars of Lebanon", the most perfect top-to-bottom studio track the band has produced since "Please". The bottom line on No Line is this: I enjoy the album on a lot of levels. But, in the end it left me looking to the horizon for something a little more adventurous.

Another distinction of this list is that it is perhaps the ONLY Best of '09 rundown that does not include Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion. And I am damn proud of that distinction. I will say however that the album's ubiquitous praise and seeming sonic profundity have assured me that if for some reason I ever decide that I want to make it as an indie superphenom, all's I need to do is gather some hand-clappin' stoner buddies for an hour-long Garage Band circle jerk and voila!, Pitchfork hands me the crown.

Having said that, there are some other widely-heralded albums whose hype was well deserved. You'll find some of them below. Others flew inexplicably under the critical radar, so I'm delighted to have a chance to shine a light on them here.

Without further ado, I give you IMBA's TOP 9 ALBUMS OF 2009. Enjoy...

________

9. Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid

"What's wrong, dear brother? Have you lost faith?", Dan Auerbach asks us at the beginning of his much-anticipated solo album Keep It Hid. The answer, Dan, is no. My faith in your ability to make a kickass record, regardless of the lineup, remains intact.

Given the unwavering consistency of The Black Keys' output over the years, it seemed a no-brainer that an Auerbach solo spit would follow suit. I expected to like it. A lot. And with the first listen, all of my expectations were surpassed.
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Using colors not usually found on a Black Keys palette, Keep It Hid paints expressionistic pictures of love, loss, betrayal and desire against a backdrop of fuzzed-out dirty blues, Southern-fried rock grooves, garage riffs, weathered soul and chilly acoustic ballads. The band expanded on their original drums-and-guitar template for last year's Attack & Release, and that spirit of expansion appears to have followed Auerbach into the studio for this one.

Personal favorites include "Real Desire", "When the Night Comes", "Keep It Hid" and "Street Walkin'". And if my funeral playlist weren't already obnoxiously long, the Beatle-flavored "Goin' Home" would probably find it's way into the mix. But, make no mistake. Every track on this album is fantastic. Exercise a little faith and go pick it up.

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Serving Suggestion: Feels like a hot summer night in the dirty south. Plop yourself under a weeping willow with a six pack of Schlitz and dig in.

8. Jack Peñate - Everything is New

There's a phenomenon that occurs if you listen to KEXP frequently. You'll hear a new song and say to yourself, "Who IS THIS!?" Then, when you take a gander at the real-time online playlist, you see that it's an artist you've heard several times before and had the exact same reaction each time. So, after my third "Who IS THIS!?" moment with Jack Peñate, I decided it was time to just go ahead and buy the album.

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On the surface, Everything Is New is simply sexy British pop with moves to spare. But what elevates it beyond mere ear candy is a very peculiar brand of haunted soulfulness that occupies a space in my musical world which had previously gone uninhabited. While there is a sheen to the goings-on here and a celebration (of some sort) happening in the background, there is also an inherent longing that permeates. And that longing makes Everything is New utterly unshakable. Something darkly enticing beckons just under the dancey bass grooves and icily reverbed guitar chimes, and while we're never sure exactly what it is, we're desperate to find out.

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"Be the One" and "Tonight's Today" are prime examples of this je ne se quoi. Both are completely unlikely modern disco tracks - unquestionably danceable without being disposable. The slinky, maraca-frosted beats and ghostly vocal overdubs on "Every Glance" amplify the emotional heft of lines like "Take your hands off my shoulders and let me stand/I've been trying my hardest to be a man", while "Let's All Die" is one of the more joyous celebrations of mortality you're likely to hear for some time. What makes it all work is that, in the end, there's blood in the music, not tinsel.

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The connection between the hips and the heart has never been lost on me. And Everything is New will make sure it's not lost on you either.

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Serving Suggestion: Perfect for dinner prep as long as your kitchen's big enough to shake a little ass in. A vodka tonic with extra lime will limber you up without weighing you down.

7. The Horrors - Primary Colours

The phrase "alternative music" was originally coined to denote bands that were making music that was an alternative to what was being played on commercial radio at the time. Twentysome-odd years later, the phrase has come to mean absolutely nothing at all, at least in musical terms. Most of the insipid modern rock bands over-rotating on Top 40 radio today are deemed Alternative by record labels, distributors, etc.

(For proof of this, one need only check out the genre listing for crapsters like Panic at the Disco, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy on iTunes.)
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But there was a time, dear readers, when you could walk into your local, independent record store (the one on the outskirts of downtown that had a funky, punny name and sold Bauhaus t-shirts, Creepers and "water pipes") and hear something you'd never heard before that would absolutely blow your mind. Something you couldn't hear on the radio. Something that sounded like nothing you'd ever heard before. For me, it was often something dark, fuzzy, flangey and British. And you'd ask the guy behind the counter who was playing and, with a brilliantly aloof blend of reluctance and condescension, he'd tell you. And you'd plunk your lawnmowing money down on the counter, buy the album (on cassette), take it home and DEVOUR it.
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The music that came out of the golden age of "alternative" (read: the early-to-mid 80's) holds a very prominent position in my musical consciousness. There's something about those bands and those songs and those album covers and those record stores that tickles a very particular corner of my soul. And when I first came across London's The Horrors, a certain adolescent giddiness took hold. It was as if I was standing dumbstruck among the skate mags and Siouxsie posters at Drastic Plastic all over again.
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I say all of this partly to avoid having to come up with some lame geekoid classification for Primary Colours. If you identify at all with the above, you've already got a pretty good picture of what the album feels like and who its antecedents are. I could use descriptors like "haunted", "opaque" and "abstruse". I could employ the obligatory and reductive "Meets" Technique. ("Dude. It's like Chameleons UK meets My Bloody Valentine meets Swans!") Alas, I'll spare us both and simply tell you that this album tickles that very same little corner of my soul that got me excited about music in the first place.

Serving Suggestion: A dark, spicy red would be the best sidekick for this one. Try the Tapeña tempranillo. Or light some candles and load a bowl. Either way, you're good to go.

6. Other Lives - Other Lives

There's under the radar and then there's under the radar. In the case of Oklahoma's Other Lives, the italicized delivery would be the one to choose. The little press that was given to the band's debut LP wasted precious ink on ill-conceived Radiohead comparisons and broadstroke summations. Thankfully, I have a chance to set the record straight.

Yes, singer Jesse Tabish does have a somewhat Yorke-ian vocal register. Yes, "End of the Year" has some eerie similarities to "Paranoid Android". And, yes. The songs are expansive and borderline proggish at times. But as far as I'm concerned, any parallels beyond that are simply a symptom of lazy listening.
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Other Lives is dreamy, pastoral pop that, while reaching for the ether, keeps its feet firmly planted in the soil. Lush, gauzy and melancholic, the album is a ride along a winding stretch of rural American highway under a darkening, purple-bellied sky. In fact, if there were an award for Album Cover That Best Illustrates The Contents Of The Album Contained Within, meet this year's winner. Lilting piano, weepy cello and Tabish's crystalline croon are the hallmarks here. Particularly in "Paper Cities", which conjures cinematic visions of the wars at home and abroad. ("Put down your banners and flags / This war you've made won't last / And your country / Just lines on a map / They're drawn up / They won't last." ) And personal fave "It Was The Night" evinces such an atmosphere that you can almost hear a chill wind blowing through its bones.
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Other Lives is a moody listen, for sure. But if you're in that mood, nothing will treat you better.
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Serving Suggestion: A totally appropriate rainy day album. A strong, hot cup of tea sipped by a half-cracked window will round out the experience.

5. Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
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"Holy Crap! Are you hearing this?", The Missus asked me from the other end of the phone. We both tend to listen to KEXP at the office, but at the moment I was juggling about five jerkalicious projects so, no. I wasn't hearing this. The "this" in question was Choir of Young Believers' live in-studio performance at KEXP's New York outpost during the CMJ Music Festival. I had heard of the band and, at some point, had probably heard some song or other of theirs, but was not privy to whatever it was that was causing my wife to have a bona fide conniption in my ear. She was so excited (and I was subsequently excited by how excited she was) that we decided to check out their 3pm CMJ showcase at Living Room the following Saturday. A cramped coffeehouse-type space in the middle of the afternoon isn't a likely set up for a transcendent live music experience. But less than a minute into CoYB's first number, both of our jaws were on the floor.
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The first full-length from Danish singer-songwriter-guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis and his rotating cast of sidefolk, This Is For The White In Your Eyes takes the My Morning Jacket/Fleet Foxes mold, breaks it, and arranges the remaining shards into an absolutely breathtaking mosaic. From the opening piano droplets of "Hollow Talk" to the Pet Sounds-tinged vocal layers on album closer "Yamagata", CoYB cover wide swaths of emotional territory. It's a 10-song journey that ends with more questions than answers, but leaves us richer for having taken the ride. In a year full of notable debuts (some worth the hype, some not), This Is For The White In Your Eyes is a truly thrilling discovery.
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Serving Suggestion: Perfect companion to a white, wintry day. The Missus also introduced me to the charms of the hot toddy this year. Put the kettle on, bust out the whiskey, honey and lemon and give this one a spin.
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4. Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Elvis Perkins in Dearland
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Elvis Perkins' debut Ash Wednesday was an aptly named meditation on death, grief and the process of rebuilding a life in the wake of tragedy. Sparse and contemplative, the album found Perkins trying to reassemble the pieces of his own life after his mother died tragically on September 11th, a day before the 9th anniversary of the death of his father, actor Anthony Perkins. Sonically, the album fairly well matched the themes tackled in songs like "Emile's Vietnam in the Sky", "Ash Wednesday", "It's a Sad World" and "Good Friday".
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Elvis Perkins in Dearland trods the same thematic ground, but from a notably different musical view. The skeletal lamentations of Ash Wednesday are given a fully-orchestrated overhaul here, adding banjo, clash cymbals, pump organ and horns to stirring and chilling effect. Instead of simply exploring the holes left behind by an absence, EPiD consciously reclaims the space. Songs like "Send My Fond Regards To Lonelyville" and "1, 2, 3 Goodbye" rassle with mortality but manage to keep their own shoulders well off the mat. Under Perkins' influence, what begin as funeral dirges blossom into full-blown Dixieland rave-ups. This contrast is nowhere more effective than on the album's crowning moment "Doomsday", which greets the apocalypse with a raised glass and a wild smile.

Next to love, death is probably the second most oft-covered territory in popular music. Addressing it directly can be tricky business. That it not only avoids the usual pitfalls of such subject matter, but reframes how we think about the unthinkable is part of what makes Elvis Perkins in Dearland such a masterstroke.

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Serving Suggestion: A toast is in order here. A dry champagne drunk straight from the bottle while romping through New Orleans' French Quarter should do this one justice.

3. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
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A couple months before the release of Noble Beast, The Missus and I were treated to a preview of what would be the album's opening track during an Andrew Bird show in Tarrytown. Performing solo, violin, guitar and looping equipment all operating fluidly, Bird launched into "Oh No" and we knew immediately that we were going to be in for something special when the album dropped in January. Who else could get away with a chorus as lyrically quirktastic as: "And it would take a calculated blow to the head/to blind the eyes of all the harmless sociopaths/Arm in arm we are the harmless sociopaths/Oh, arm in arm with all the harmless sociopaths" without sounding either precious or pretentious? Few but the Birdman, I'll submit.

Musically speaking, Noble Beast is not as ambitious as its predecessor, Armchair Apocrypha. (CYPJN?!'s #6 Album of 2007) Which is not to say it aspires to less. It simply reveals Bird playing to his strengths in a way that produces a slightly more refined collection of songs. All the signature elements are present: layered violin loops, virtuosic whistling, grainy electric guitar and a blend of acoustic and electronic rhythm tracks, all underpinning Bird's inimitable vocal flutter. What sets this album apart from Bird's previous work may be difficult to pin down in exact terms, but the primary takeaways fall under the umbrellas of Cohesion, Maturity and Accessibility.

Noble Beast is elegantly-crafted, bucolic indie folk-pop at its finest. While it may not reach for the moon, what it accomplishes here on earth is still pretty astonishing. And if a true American original is going to borrow from anyone, it may as well be from himself.
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Serving Suggestion: A perfect springtime spin. Find the exact location pictured on the album cover, drop a blanket and park yourself in the late afternoon sun with a bottle of viognier.
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2. Fanfarlo - Reservoir

Fanwha...? Whofarly...? I know, I know. You've never heard of them. That's why you have me. And once you finally pick up your copy of Fanfarlo's brilliant debut Reservoir, I'll look forward to receiving copious Thank You's in my comments box.

I hopped on the Fanfarlo bandwagon early. Early enough that Reservoir was available from their website for $1. Best goddamn dollar I spent all year. And it is no small coincidence that my number 2 album of the year comes courtesy of the same band that gave me my number 2 favorite show of the year (right behind The Veils' gig at Spaceland in L.A.).

Hailing from London and centered around Swedish-born indie maestro Simon Balthazar, Fanfarlo take the multi-instrumental approach writ large by Arcade Fire and Beirut and distill it into a cozy cocktail of pure chamber-pop ecstasy. At first listen, one might even mistake Balthazar's sweet upper-register vibrato for that of Beirut's Zach Condon. Spend a little more time with the album, however, and you'll soon realize that direct-line comparisons to any particular influence are a moot exercise. There's something singular happening here.

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Fanfarlo brought something truly special to 2009 and Reservoir was a big part of my own personal soundtrack. My introduction to the band came via "The Walls Are Coming Down". That it would become my de facto anthem for the year is simultaneously head-scratching and totally appropriate. Plucky pizzicato violin, trumpet, xylophone, mandolin, acoustic guitar and a jaunty, mercurial bass line create a revelrous swell that belies the cynical snapshot presented in the lyrics. Actually, when I think about it, this dichotomy makes the song's appeal sort of a no-brainer for an eternal optimist who also happens to be intimately attuned to his dark side.

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Other noteworthy tracks include "I'm A Pilot", the lovely "If It Is Growing", and the lively "Harold T. Watkins, Or How To Wait For A Very Long Time". From beginning to end, Reservoir was hands-down 2009's most pleasant surprise.
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Serving Suggestion: I described the album as a cocktail, so there you go. Make yourself an Old Fashioned and gather some friends around the Victrola.

1. The Veils - Sun Gangs
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I've always wanted to do this.
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Show instead of tell.
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It's just... I mean... It's SO...
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No...
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I won't cheapen it with words.
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Ladies and Gentlemen....
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I give you...
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IMBA's #1 Album of 2009...
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Sun Gangs.

Sun Gangs - The Veils

........

AND.... The best of the rest...
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Honorable Mentions:
Richard Hawley - Truelove's Gutter
Fool's Gold - Fool's Gold
Foreign Born - Person to Person
The xx - XX
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Florence + The Machine - Lungs
Muse - The Resistance
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Sonic Youth - The Eternal

Capsula - Rising Mountains

EP of the Year:
Lissie - Why You Runnin'
...

Narrowing down this year's picks was a helluva feat, BUT I can already see next year's list forming in my head. With new releases by Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Radiohead and Gogol Bordello on the horizon, 2010's countdown promises to be a crowded-ass affair.

Here's to all that the new year has in store, musically and otherwise...

Happy Listening.

Peace,
-IMBA

CoYB at CMJ

2009-11-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Choir of Young Believers stop by KEXP for a truly memorable in-studio while in town for the CMJ festival. We caught their 3pm showcase and loved, loved, LOVED...

U2ube Video of the Week; U2360 Tour LIVE from the Rose Bowl - ENTIRE SHOW

2009-10-28T13:18:00.004-04:00

Ladies & Gents...

For those of you who missed out on seeing U2 this time around, check out the rebroadcast of their recent show in Pasadena. The band were filming the show for a future concert DVD and decided to allow online fans to join the 97,000 who showed up at the Rose Bowl for this amazing performance. The setlist is below. Oddly enough, my least favorite song on the album has become my favorite moment on the tour. At 1:20:29, check out the reimagined "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight". Tons of fun. ALSO, the "Amazing Grace" lead-in to "Streets" at 1:18:10 is pretty chill-inducing.

Enjoy...

Main Set: Breathe, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, Mysterious Ways, Beautiful Day, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - Stand By Me, Stuck In A Moment, No Line On The Horizon, Elevation, In A Little While, Unknown Caller, Until the End of the World, The Unforgettable Fire, City of Blinding Lights, Vertigo - It's Only Rock and Roll, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight (remix), Sunday Bloody Sunday, MLK, Walk On - You'll Never Walk Alone

Encore(s): One, Amazing Grace, Where the Streets Have No Name, Ultraviolet, With or Without You, Moment of Surrender

Ha. Yet another good case for the public option...

2009-10-21T13:12:00.000-04:00

On the Occasion of Our 4th Wedding Anniversary

2009-10-02T10:28:00.007-04:00

The past few months have been a helluva stretch for the IMBA/Chrysalis household. As we mark our 4th wedding anniversary (and are just shy of celebrating 12 years of couplehood), I find myself in a particularly reflective and appreciative state.

I spent the morning reflecting on our wedding and, in particular, our vows. At the risk of being romantically exhibitionist, I've decided to post my half of our vows below. As a reminder, as a celebration and as a benchmark for where we find ourselves four years later.

xo, baby.

Today, as part of God’s plan for us, I become your husband.
It is an honor that I accept wholeheartedly and with great joy.
One that I will always relish and will never take lightly.
It is the role I’ve been preparing for my whole life.
*

Today I pledge my eternal fidelity. Of heart, of mind, of body, of soul.
That regardless of circumstance, our bond and the stewardship of our marriage will never be forsaken.
That from this day forward,
Whether you are at your best or at your worst,
You will never be alone.
*
I promise that you will always be cared for.
That I will always try to be your best medicine.
A rock.
An oasis.
Shelter from the storm.
And a warm place to call home.

*
That no matter how loudly the world may bark at us, you will always find solace in my arms.
*

I promise that all the work we’ve done in the past 8 years is merely the beginning.
That in me you will continue to have a partner in crime, and an ally in the good fight.

*
I promise never to lose track of myself.
That in the intervening years, you will continue to get no less than 100% of me.
That through the most joyous or most trying of times I will be…

*
Myself.

Always.

A friend.
A clown.
A muse.
A mirror.
Your biggest fan.
*

I promise never to forget what a jewel you are. And I promise to remind you when you forget yourself. When you’re feeling dull, I will be there to make you shiny again.

*
I make these promises to you today, with clearest mind and deepest heart,
In the presence of our friends, our family, our minister and our Creator,
That they may be witnessed and blessed.
Not as tokens of appreciation, but as my pure and earnest vows.
*
And today I thank you.

For introducing me to my truest self.
And for showing me that life and love have a potential I would not have known without you.

-IMBA, 10/02/05

Giggle of the Week

2009-10-01T10:38:00.001-04:00

Alyssa makes me laugh as usual in this fab, faux-PSA re: the healthcare debate.

Ode to L.A.

2009-09-29T11:24:00.005-04:00

How are you today, my L.A. Friends?

Are you bathed in sunlight
and draped in orange blossoms?

Are you starting the day with a run?
Shirtless, sweat-dappled and
obnoxiously fit?

Are you having lunch at the Farmer's Market?

Are you eating fish tacos?

Are you tackling the 10,
stuck in first
and wondering why
you didn't just take Olympic or Pico
(even though
they probably wouldn't have been any
faster)?

Are you taking the Laurel Canyon shortcut back over the hill?

Are you talking shop at the Coffee Bean?

Are you drinking solo at Frolic Room?

Or with friends at Delancey?
Sitting in the early evening breeze,
smoking a cigarette
and watching the sun set over Sunset?

Are you playing tennis in Griffith Park?

Are you tearing up a parking ticket in Silver Lake?

Are you wandering a supermarket in North Hollywood,
lamenting that you never learned Spanish?

Are you leaving the bar two hours earlier than you should have to?

Are you sitting in line at the Taco Bell drive-thru at 2am?
(And taken aback by the
inexplicably friendly service?)

Are you driving tipsy?

Are you praying for rain?

Are you dodging dog shit in Runyon Canyon?

Are you at the Arclight?
(Oh, the Arclight…)
And did you pick your seat?
(Oh, the Arclight…)
And having an utterly pleasant movie-going experience?
(Oh, the Arclight…)

Are you topping it off with some In'n'Out?
And doing it animal style?

Are you at Amoeba?
Spending more than you said you would?

Are you driving all the way to Culver City?
Just for Honey’s Kettle biscuits?

Are you cruising the PCH?
Listening to rock and roll,
windows down,
singing at the top of your lungs?

Did you stop at a crab shack on the side of the road?

Are you ending the day on the Venice boardwalk?

Are you drinking Tecate and lime over ice?

Are you taking the beach for granted?

Are you meeting people you'll never see again?
Are you meeting people you may one day call “friends”?

Are you flirting with a bass player?

Are you missing New York?

Are you full of hope?

Are you tan?

Are you calm?

Do you have troubles like the rest of us,
but everything's still pretty much
all right?

Is this you?
Was that me?

Sitting on a porch in Queens,
Weeks and miles removed,
it's hard to tell.

You were only supposed to be a
mistress.

You were only supposed to be a
fling.

You turned me upside down
because I asked you to.

And left me on my head.

-IMBA, Sep. '09

Since MTV Doesn't Play Music Videos Anymore...

2009-09-24T12:24:00.003-04:00

...I WILL.

Oh, ELBOW. You do give me the shivers...

Muse - New Music - More Music Videos

The Missus and I have been Muse fans for some time now and it looks like they're finally ready to take the U.S. by storm. Saw them open for U2 last night. AMAZING.

This was a particular high-point from last night's U2 show. A song I don't care for on the album, but the band gives the song a re-think live. Much prefer this version. (Audience footage)

I have found the whole Black Cab Sessions idea at times brilliant and at times silly. Here, Fanfarlo gets the BCS treatment.

Fanfarlo Tonight

2009-09-21T11:10:00.001-04:00

When I was a younger man, going to a show on a Monday night was no big.

I am no longer a younger man.

These guys better BRING IT....

THANK You

2009-09-09T09:58:00.002-04:00

Robert Reich breaks it down REAL SIMPLE-LIKE for the SIMPLE FOLKS who think that the public option is the same thing as socialized medicine. Here you GO, dummies. Listen REAL CAREFULLY...

And THIS is just hysterical...

2009-09-08T12:03:00.001-04:00

R.I.P., Ted

2009-08-26T09:11:00.002-04:00

Ted Kennedy

"The Lion of the Senate"

1932-2009

"The more our feelings diverge, the more deeply felt they are, the greater is our obligation to grant the sincerity and essential decency of our fellow citizens on the other side. . . .

...

In short, I hope for an America where neither "fundamentalist" nor "humanist" will be a dirty word, but a fair description of the different ways in which people of good will look at life and into their own souls.

...

I hope for an America where no president, no public official, no individual will ever be deemed a greater or lesser American because of religious doubt -- or religious belief.I hope for an America where the power of faith will always burn brightly, but where no modern inquisition of any kind will ever light the fires of fear, coercion, or angry division.

...

I hope for an America where we can all contend freely and vigorously, but where we will treasure and guard those standards of civility which alone make this nation safe for both democracy and diversity."

...

-TK, 1983

Coolest Thing Ever...? PERHAPS.

2009-08-24T15:02:00.003-04:00

GOGOL BORDELLO - LIVE FROM AXIS MUNDI

Releases October 6

This is cool on a number of levels:

A) Because it's a concert DVD and I LOVE concert DVDs.

2) Because there are few live bands on the planet more thrilling than Gogol Bordello, and...

D) Because we were THERE.

Irving Plaza, July 2007. The Missus' and my first ever Gogol show. Captured for eternity. Feel like we should have a viewing party and give the home theater system a genuine workout. I apologize to our neighbors in advance...

Had Enough/Can't Get Enough - Revival Edition

2009-08-21T15:44:00.014-04:00

This feature - originally designed to come in weekly installments - last appeared in September of '08 (and before that, April of '07). I am a complete and total slacker.

Here's a rundown of my hits and misses for this week...

HAD ENOUGH

Humidity. - I KNOW it's been the mildest summer we've had in years, but that doesn't make my armpits any less sticky. L.A. spoiled me.
Pandering to right-wingers in order to come up with a bi-partisan (" ") health care bill. It's never going to happen without the end result turning into some bullshit, milquetoasty, Frankenstein piece of legislation that doesn't address the people who are struggling under the current setup and ultimately fails because it tries to serve two masters. The American people voted definitively for CHANGE. The guy who wins the election gets to set the agenda. Time to stop giving lip service to the flat-earthers and GET THE FUCK ON WITH IT.
Douchebags who think it's cool to bring an assault rifle to a political rally "because [they] can". Ahhhh, the Second Amendment. "Building Self-Esteem For Men With Small Pee-pees Since 1791."
Nightmares. - Don't know what my subconscious has been trying to work out lately, but... damn.
$2.25 a ride.
Michael Vick signing with the Eagles. Fuck him, fuck them AND, in case you're sitting there thinking "Hey, listen, the guy made a mistake but he paid his debt to society blah-blah", then howsabout I come over to your house, hang, beat and electrocute one of your pets, and then see if you can muster that same response when I'm out of jail in 19 months. Oh, and by the way... Calling a wrong number or not putting a stamp on an envelope is a MISTAKE. Murdering a fucking DOG isn't. Idiot.

That said, I simply...

CAN'T GET ENOUGH

Mad Men season premiere. - So cruel to make us wait a whole week for the next one.
Thunder and lightning. - There are few things sexier than a crazy summer downpour.
Pizza from Apicius.
TimeOut New York. - LOVING getting caught up on the issues I missed while I was gone.
U2360 video teasers.
My wife. - She's awesome, right? I know.
"Synecdoche, New York". - Pure genius. The Missus and I are still talking about this one.
The new Jack Penate. - Album's available on eMusic, iTunes and at your local independent record store. Just go buy it. Have I ever steered you wrong before?

And this. I mean, it's a bird petting a cat. What's not to love?

Bird Pets Cat @ Yahoo! Video

2009-08-21T15:10:00.009-04:00

R.I.P., Most Important Person in Rock'n'Roll History

2009-08-13T12:52:00.002-04:00

Les Paul

1915-2009

L.A. Epilogue

2009-08-10T15:14:00.009-04:00

Made it out of L.A. on the first flight Friday with no problems. Go figure.

Didn't book "House", which was no surprise given what they were ostensibly looking for. But, again. The call itself was the main win and as Yogalia pointed out, it takes some people a really long time to get an audition in L.A., let alone a network audition. So, I'll take the experience for what it was and hope it means there will be more calls down the road.

To those of you who I missed this round (Dup, Hil, Spacepants, etc.), I'm sorry we didn't get to connect. But if there's one thing I know for certain, I will be back in your neck of the woods for one reason or another some time soon.

I'm sure I will be digesting this trip for some time to come. As my NY life begins to officially take back the reins I'm sure I will be fighting to keep the experience from floating away, but for right now the sensory elements of it are still very fresh in my consciousness.

So there you have it. After almost 6 action-packed weeks, I am home.

What's next is anyone's guess.

Thanks for taking the ride with me.

-IMBA

L.A. Dispatch - Addendum

2009-08-06T01:24:00.000-04:00

Um, yeah... So... I'm still here.

I'll give you the nut of it as succinctly as I can. Tried to leave on the first flight out of LAX on Monday. Got there at 4:30 am. Trying to use a Delta "buddy pass" which involves flying standby. Could. NOT. Get on. ANYTHING.

At 4:20 PEE EM, I'm about to finally make it onto a flight to Salt Lake when I get an e-mail from Actor's Access with an audition request from the CD's for "House". For the NEXT DAY. Much scrambling ensues. And of course my luggage had managed to make it out on the first flight of the day.

The audition went well, though I don't think I'm completely right for the part. And given that it was ONE LINE, they were probably looking more for type than chops anyway. (Conservative business executive? REALLY?) BUT... they CALLED ME IN. An unrepresented actor who'd only been in town for a month. (Cue the scene in Breakfast Club where Anthony Michael Hall gives himslef a congratulatory punch in the arm after writing the letter.)

So, here I am.In absolute limbo. Broke, exhausted and only recently reunited with my luggage. BIG thanks to M.J. and Tera for letting me extend my stay unexpectedly. Total saving angels. AND to Drew and Michelle for graciuosly lending me their rad Toyota Yaris for a few days.

So, um.... Yeah. Your guess is as good as mine as to what the hell's going on. Monday was a clear reminder of the old joke: The best way to make God laugh? Tell him your plans...

Can. Not. WAIT.

2009-08-05T16:10:00.001-04:00

It Might Get Loud Trailer
by wallyz75

Final L.A. Dispatch - 8/2 - Last Thoughts

2009-08-03T02:37:00.003-04:00

Seems hard to believe we've arrived at the final L.A. dispatch. A full month. Might as well have been a week. Or an hour. Again with the whole mutability of time thing.

Given that it's 11:30pm and I have to get up at 3am to head to the airport, I don't have a full-blown post in me. Just a few final thoughts on my time here....

My last day was spent returning my rental car and packing, followed by sushi dinner with M.J. and Tera in Marina del Rey. After, we grabbed some Cold Stone in Venice and took a sunset stroll along the pier. Perfect way to end the month.

To be honest, I'm having pretty mixed feelings about heading back to my NY life right now. L.A.'s really been making a case for itself in the past few days. I think I've just started adjusting to the SoCal lifestyle and am finding myself enjoying it in a way I hadn't expected. As M.J. put it, "It looks good on you." I think a month away from my job, NYC summertime humidity, rain, noise, antagonism and crowds has had more of an effect on me than I've realized.

I've met some really cool people out here and have found myself much more at ease meeting new people than I usually am. One of the cool people I met is a friend of Eion and Raf's named Dave. Dave is a photographer and music producer with a super sweet studio space on Hollywood and Cahuenga. (His website is pretty rad.) I mention him in particular because he produced an album by an artist named Kerli, a young, Estonian, Bjork-tinged, emo/pop starlet whose music (for the most part) is totally not my cup of tea. However, I got COMPLETELY HOOKED a song of hers called "The Creationist" which has been stuck in my head for two weeks now and has become the defacto theme for my entire trip. Two versions of the song are below: the studio version and an adorable webcam video made in Dave's studio (and featuring Dave in the background) that Kerli made for a sick fan whose sister wrote her a letter. There is NO LOGICAL REASON FOR ME TO LIKE THIS SONG. But for some reason, I DO.

I have come to really enjoy the weather here.

I got a haircut from someone other than my NY stylist for the first time in about 12 years.

I did not get to explore L.A.'s donut culture in the way I had hoped. I'll put it on the list for next time.

I went to Amoeba Records twice. I found three out-of-print albums that I'd been looking for for years. In the USED section. For $5-$7 each. If heaven has a record store, I can't imagine it being much better than Amoeba.

I am fairly dreading returning to my job at the American Express Company, BUT am VIGILANTLY attempting to reframe my approach to that situation and the feelings surrounding it to avoid falling right back into a Pavlovian pattern of knee-jerk despair.

I deeply value the chance I had to reconnect with my L.A. friends. I will miss them dearly.

I very much look forward to reconnecting with my NY friends. I have missed them dearly.

Beyond anything else, I need some face time with my wife. Right now, each of us is a table with a missing leg trying to hold a lot of heavy shit.

In the end, I'll simply say THANK YOU, Los Angeles. Your charms did not go unnoticed. Nor did your shortcomings. But in the end, the person who leaves you is not the same person who landed 33 days ago.

And that's a very good thing.

-IMBA

L.A. Dispatch - 7/30: Winding Down

2009-07-31T01:05:00.010-04:00

All evening long I've been trying to shake an impending feeling of melancholy as I'm trying to process the fact that the L.A. Experiment is coming to a close. The opening strains of "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" have literally been bouncing around my head all night. (The live mid-70's Sinatra version with the Nelson Riddle arrangement, of course. The one he sings, cigarette in hand, playing drunker and sleepier as the song goes on. A Channel 13 fundraising drive classic.)

First: a recap of the past few days.

Been getting in fairly regular runs, which feels great.
Did some pro-bono consulting for Eion and Raf last week re: a potentially ridiculously cool opportunity for their project. (Will expand on that down the road if it comes to pass, at which point the "pro-bono" pun can be fully appreciated.)
Played tennis with Willis in Griffith Park on Sunday. Haven't really ever played, but... I have to say... as it turns out... I'm not very good. But I had a blast and it was fantastic exercise.
Sent my laptop rental back on Tuesday, followed by a drive up the PCH to Zuma Beach. One of the most perfect marriages of drive and soundtrack ever.
Second workshop with Russell Scott (Lie to Me, Breaking Bad) last night. Mock producer's session. Put my sides up against three other guys and was chosen as the guy who'd ultimately get the part. Second experience with the whole "mock producer's session" setup and the second time I was chosen. Not tooting a horn, just taking the info and running with it.
Second workshop with Todd Sherry (Chuck, Human Target) tonight. Really amazing teacher. Tons of nuggets. Aced my scene. No adjustments and an enthusiastic verbal thumbs-up to my work.
Ending the night at Darkroom with Lindsay Lohan and John Hamm.

So, yeah. Here I sit. Musing, replaying, digesting, questioning. Recognizing all the while that evaluating this experience before it's even concluded is akin to writing a review of a play based on a tech rehearsal. I'm fully convinced that the nut of the L.A. Experiment won't be sussed for some time to come.

Would I have LIKED to have gotten a meeting with a legit agent within the 4 weeks I was here based on the mass mailing I did a week prior? Yes. Would I LIKE to get a call from one of the 13 CD's I've now met for an audition BEFORE I LEAVE? Of course. Do I wish we had the funds to keep me here a couple more weeks to sow more seeds and tend the ones I've already sprinkled? Well, sure. These would all be more readily measurable ways of evaluating the efficacy of this trip. And yet... I don't know how valuable that line of questioning is. Especially since I'm STILL HERE. And ANY one of these CD's could call me at ANY time. Tomorrow, three months, two years. Not a supposition, just the nature of the business.

While I have no ultimate summation of what the past month has "meant", I will simply say that the basic idea has been served... The idea of rebooting myself. Of physically lifting myself out of the rut I'd carved in NY. Of putting myself in front of industry folks and DELIVERING. Of investigating Los Angeles and all it has to offer.

I have a new lens. I have a fresh attitude about the pros and cons of both L.A. and NY. I have renewed confidence in my own work. I got a BREAK from the grind.

And right now, that's feeling okay...

-IMBA

L.A. Dispatch - 7/25

2009-07-25T23:33:00.007-04:00

The workshop wave began this week. Started Monday night with my (thank God) LAST session at TVI. Lauren Fernandes from Heidi Leavitt Casting. They cast mostly features. Lots of indies and some studio stuff, including several Oliver Stone pics. My scene was weird and the level of talent was unusually low, even by TVI's usually low standards. Followed up with an email the next day and she responded surprisingly quickly with a positive shoutout to my reel.

Wednesday began my residency at Act Now!, which touts itself as the "most exclusive networking outlet in L.A." (AND, I would argue, the most unfortunately named.) That said, the experience at Act Now as compared to TVI was like night and day. Of course there's duds in every workshop, but by and large the participants at Act Now seem to KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING, which was refreshing.

Wednesday night - First of 2 intensives with Russell Scott, associate CD for "Lie to Me" and "Breaking Bad". Great guy, seems to know his way around a scene. Liked the work.

Thursday night - First of 2 intensives with Todd Sherry of Patrick Rush casting. CD for "Chuck". AMAZING class. TONS of useful nuggets re: auditioning for TV. Really good-hearted and funny guy. Second workshop with someone from that office and I like the way they do things. Got a call the next morning from my Act Now rep saying that Todd made specific mention of me in his eval form and that apparently I stood out and made an impression. Spent the rest of the morning on the phone with The Missus weighing the likelihood of getting a call for "Chuck" before I bail and briefly brainstorming ways to keep me here a week or two longer. I say "briefly" because the numbers quickly revealed themselves to be not-at-all cooperative. Regardless, I added it to the list of shows I need to familiarize myself with on Hulu.

This morning - First of two intensives with Stephanie Laffin, CD for "House". Funny, brassy and matter-of-fact, her contributions were more anecdotal than practical, but one of my questions did lead her to take a look at my resume, which elicited a round of "Oh, you worked with Gus, love him... Oh, you know Suzanne, love her... ", etc. ANYTHING you can do to distinguish/legitimize yourself is a boon. Not a game I like to play, but a game I've learned I simply HAVE to play. She responded to the work and gave me a "nice to meet you, I'll tell Suzanne I met you" on the way out. "Suzanne" being Suzanne Ryan, head CD for L&O. In my head I thought, "Yeah, actually, please don't. Because I'm going to be hitting her up for L&O work in a little over a week and YOU'RE supposed to think I'm LIVING here."

Basically, I'm living a double life right now. I am cheating on NY with LA and praying neither of them finds out about the other. The push and pull of this has been taking a toll over the past week and solidly landed after this morning's workshop. I've essentially added a new level of duality to my already-dual existence. Day job v. career pursuit and now LA v. NY. The efforts I make toward designing a fully-integrated life have DISintegrated me that much more.

And today the braindrain reached a fever pitch.

I took a break from the mental back'n'forth with a nap this afternoon and am back in workitout mode at Three of Clubs on Santa Monica and Vine. Made popular by being featured in "Swingers", but sleepy and sparse on this particular Saturday night.

Missing The Missus. Monumentally. Sort of obvious, but the pangs are no less sharp.

All Hamleting aside, I have had some less-than-minor revelations this week. Which I will get into in another post.

For now, it's time to load the jukebox...

-IMBA

"No, Ms. Burn... Thank YOU."

2009-07-23T21:02:00.007-04:00

An excerpt from Veils bassist Sophia Burn's latest blog post regarding the L.A. show and how she wishes she could thank her fans...

"...I suppose one of the things we could do is play a good show, and as far as being happy with how a show goes, it couldn't get much better than spaceland. One of my favourites of all time, that one."

One of mine too, sister...

One of mine too.

L.A. Dispatch - 7/23: Dustin' off the ol' Bogosian...

2009-07-23T14:36:00.007-04:00

Okay, so after Miss Shanti Town herself got an agent to give her a second look with a video monologue (after which, he called her in for a second meeting and then SIGNED HER), I figured it was time to renew my old Scene Interactive subscription and repost my video monologue.

Bottom line is, any quick and easy opportunity they have to get a sense of you is a good thing. I'd long since pooh-pooh'd the idea of this being a valid marketing tool, but every CD I've met so far has welcomed any and all reel materials as a way to check you out.

So, here goes... Gotta do some major updates to my page, but below is the work itself. Rockin' a different look at the time, but I think it holds up pretty well.

Okay, so...

2009-07-21T22:30:00.001-04:00

I'm not still not sure where I land with the new album, BUT... I'm getting STOKED for the show...

L.A. Dispatch - Saturday, 7/18

2009-07-19T05:13:00.017-04:00

Alright, so maybe the idea of doing DAILY dispatches was wrong-headed to begin with. Alas, here are the high points from the last few days followed by pictures below...

Wednesday:
Had lunch in Los Feliz with my old Diner Theatre co-star Colleen Cavanaugh and her ADORABLE little boy Jasper. Very nice to touch base after 15 years.

Wednesday Night:
Went to see The Veils at Spaceland in Silver Lake. I'll start with the venue. Great space. Just a straight up rock'n'roll bar with a small stage and an enclosed upper area where you can actually SMOKE without having to leave the building. Great vibe, accessible, no pretense. My kinda place.

Moments after entering, I noticed Veils bass player Sophia (small crush) setting up the merch table. A reminder that the band is not as big as I keep thinking they should be. We rapped briefly about their last two NY shows and she was happy to oblige a cellphone snapshot. (Which turned out brilliantly as you'll see below. We desperately need a new camera. Ours is basically the digital equivalent of a goddamn daguerreotype.)

I gave each opening band one song with which to impress me, but each failed miserably so I hung out mainly in the upstairs lounge through both sets.

Then, The Veils. AMAZING show. Finn was on fire. And even though the band doesn't have quite the fan base here that they do in NY, the place was still enthusiastically packed. I'd give you a full play-by-play, but this L.A. Times review of the show pretty much nails it. Exhilirating.

The bulk of the crowd left immediately after the show, so when the band bellied up to the bar I had a chance to chat with Sophia again and briefly with Finn, who also graciously granted a blurry cell snap. Amazing band, great venue, really satisfying show.

Thursday Evening:
Dinner with Drew and family in Toluca Lake. Really good to catch up after, like, 6 years?? Bonkers. Drew made manicotti stuffed with herbed goat cheese and a bunch of random vegetarian materials during which we polished off a bottle of chianti. Both the meal and the wine were pretty great.

Friday:
At this point I'd been in L.A. for two weeks and hadn't yet made it to the beach. There's something truly unnatural-feeling about spending an entire day at a computer when it's in the upper 70's and sunny out. This was starting to wear on me and I decided that a trip to the ocean was becoming a moral imperative.

The 10 dumps out right by the Santa Monica pier and since I'd never been, I figured it was worth a wander. I'd heard the beach at Santa Monica wasn't the best but, frankly, compared to the Rockaways it was paradise. After a stroll on the pier, I parked myself in the sand and spent a few hours vacating.

Friday Night:
Raf hatched the idea the other night to have an impromptu mini-AADA reunion. I was dubious about what kind of a group we could cobble together on such short notice, but figured even if it was just me, M.J., Raf and Eion, it'd be worth doing. Raf suggested Delancey on Sunset, which turned out to be a great pick. I was able to reserve a table outside. Ended up being an intimate group, but we had a blast catching up.

A friend of Eion's joined us and after drinks we ended up at his surprisingly NY-feeling recording studio/loft space on Hollywood and Cahuenga. A good time was had by all. Some nostalgia was inevitable, but the conversation centered mainly on the present and we all reconnected with ease.

Today:
Workshops today with Jeffrey Drew from Patrick Rush Casting (Chuck, Privileged, Men in Trees, The O.C., Everwood and the new series Human Target) and Katie Piel from Webster/Weisberg Casting (Criminal Minds, Leverage, Lost, CSI, Alias and Dylan McDermott’s new series Dark Blue. They also cast films including the new Star Trek). Both intensives were at TVI (blech).

My sides for Jeffrey Drew were fun and he responded with particular enthusiasm to my work. Honestly, I don't see how he couldn't given how low the bar was set by the rest of the participants. He said his office casts 60-80% of their episodic co-stars and guest stars from these kinds of workshops.

Katie Piel was straight-forward and no-nonsense. Silly scene, but she said it was "perfect" and didn't give any adjustments. Feels good to at least finally be plugging in in a tangible way.

Tonight:
Solo beer at Little Bar after an unexpected evening nap. I was nodding off all day, so I figured I'd close my eyes for a bit when I got home. Woke up at 8:30. I hate naps. They're completely disorienting. Not at all refreshing. They make me feel oogy.

Tomorrow is essentially free despite some personal errands, budgeting, a run, etc.

Monday begins some hardcore door-knocking. Have to try and follow up more aggressively with the folks I met in March and let them know that I'MHEREANDI'MNOTFUCKINGAROUND, so CALLMEIN,FUCKERS.

Jury's still out on what I'm actually accomplishing here professionally. Only time will tell if it was worth the time and effort. Bottom line is, I simply can't concern myself with that. The ONLY thing I can do is hustle in as focused a manner as possible and then LET IT GO.

Easier said than done.

The clatter of my daily N.Y. life seems very far away, which I'm finding simulatneously refreshing and heart-wrenching. The dichotomy of my life there - The Missus, our animals, our apartment, the City VS. the dayjob/career struggle - is coming into even clearer focus out here. I am very acutely missing my wife and our shared world and at the same time am also feeling deliciously distant from the grind. How that feeling will evolve and what it will eventually ask of me, I don't know.

But I do know this... Something in me is beginning to dislodge.

I'm not sure I can put a name to it. But I'm hoping whatever it is is something I've needed to let go of for a long time.

- IMBA

Colleen and the superadorable Jasper.

Finn of The Veils doing "The Letter".

Sophia of The Veils during "Larkspur".

Me and my girlfriend Sophia.

Me with The Missus' boyfriend Finn.

Drew's daughter Gabriella. Cutey, much?

I decided to take the day off from directing porn to get a little sun.

Santa Monica pier.

Laura breaks it down for M.J.

Kara regales the boys.

Eion

Eion, Raf, Kara

M.J. and Laura

L.A. Dispatch - Sunday, 7/12

2009-07-12T19:15:00.002-04:00

First workshop at TVI yesterday. John Barba from Lisa Fields Casting. TVI has a rep in NY for being notoriously schnick-schnock and the L.A. outpost was no different. The bottom of the barrell in terms of participants since there's no real audition process. Every bad/desperate/failed actor stereotype was in attendance. And the whole thing was totally disorganized. That said, the guest was great. NY expat. Theatre background. Got his start in L.A. at LaJolla Playhouse then made the leap to film working on P.T. Anderson movies. Helped cast each one since "Magnolia". Has a lot of major credits and a lot of projects in the works. The sides he picked were totally wrong for me, but he really liked what I did with them. Loved the fact that I was a Meisner-trained NY actor. Also, it seems a Law & Order credit carries a lot more weight out here than it does in the City. Go figure.

Met Rich at a party in N. Hollywood. Left early, but was psyched to have a chance to catch up after, like, 10 years.

Intended to tackle some outdoor activities today but thanks to a late night and a hearty dose of Nyquil, I managed to sleep until 1pm. Genius.

Meeting Raf for drinks in the hills tonight. Yes, it's a real place and yes, it's full of those kinds of people. Not my scene, but close to Eion's place. Sidebar: I should take a moment to shill for their latest project. Entertainment Weekly called Imagine This! the "best show not yet on TV". Raf gave me a screener copy when I was here in March and I have to say, the pilot is pretty damn impressive. Trailer's below. Raf directed, Eion hosts. They've got a lot of traction toward getting it on the air, but if you want help support check out the website (also below).

Officially been away from home for 2 full weeks now. Still caught in this weird funhouse mirror of time-perception. But now that I've got a decent schedule of workshops on the calendar, I'm feeling less scrambly. Going to make a point of taking advantage of what the area has to offer in my downtime. Have beach trips and hikes planned in my head and will try to get one or both in some time this week. Have been jogging every other day and have made some serious dietary changes and am finding this whole not-having-a-dayjob thing quite agreeable.

(sigh)

- IMBA

Trailer for Imagine This!

Find more videos like this on Imagine This! TV

L.A. Dispatch - Wednesday, 7/8

2009-07-09T03:26:00.003-04:00

I had a conversation with The Missus this afternoon about the mutability of time. Or at least the mutability of our perception of it. How a particular number of days or weeks can simultaneously drag on and on AND seemingly disappear in an instant.

In the context of what I am trying to accomplish here, it's as if the pages of the day-at-a-glance calendar are flying wildly off the wall in rapid succession and I'm desperately trying to grab them in midair, slap them back on and glue them secure.

I have been in Los Angeles for exactly a week. And today it hit me exactly how little time I have here. And then, of course, the inevitable flood of What-the-fuck-am-I-doing-here?'s. So far, I don't have nearly the networking opportunities lined up for myself that I was hoping to by this point. And that's making me feel anxious and disjointed.

I did manage to arrange interviews with two different networking groups today. One for tomorrow and one for Friday. Both require cold-read auditions, which shouldn't be a problem. So, hopefully by next week I can actually start getting in front of some actual casting people.

Nevertheless, I can hear the clock ticking.

And I have to stay clear about what I can realistically accomplish with this trip. When I first started entertaining the notion o f another L.A. stab, I used one criteria as my gauge for what would have to happen to make this venture "worth doing". The basic thought was this: If someone were to tell me they were planning on coming to New York for "a month or two" to try and get the ball rolling on an acting career, I would laugh heartily, clap them on the back and tell them, "Listen... You're either doing it or you're not doing it. You want to work here, you gotta BE HERE. Figure out what your priorities are and then commit." And by that standard, I obviously knew that I wasn't going to come here for a month (or two) and book a series regular.

So what The Missus and I had to decide was, Is it worth it to jump through all the hoops we need to jump through to get me out here to simply sow some seeds? Would it be worth it to just get me here, do a mailing, follow up with the people I met in March, take advantage of whatever networking opportunities I could line up and just see what kind of nibbles I get?

And we decided, yes.

We decided to play it by ear and have some faith. We decided that putting any pressure on specific outcomes would guarantee that the whole venture would be a monumental waste of time. It had to be okay for this to simply be an adventure. A sabbatical. An opportunity to spend a concentrated amount of time in L.A. and see how I feel about it. To plug myself in. To spread myself around. To give 8 hours a day to MY pursuits rather than giving 8 hours a day to American Express's pursuits.

To get lost.

Get a tan.

To reconnect with west coast friends I never get to see.

To run on the beach.

To drive the PCH.

To eat fish tacos.

Or whatever.

This was the idea.

But tonight I'm finding it necessary to really remind myself of that. Because I'm getting itchy. And antsy. And scrambly. And outcome-obsessed.

And I can not allow it.

There's simply not enough time.

-IMBA

L.A. Dispatch - Monday, 7/6

2009-07-07T23:45:00.007-04:00

Over the past few years this caption has become a regular refrain during my own crusty Pekar moments. And if I weren't currently making such a conscious effort to reboot my thinking, it would surely have been on the tip of my tongue on my way out the door of Brass Artists & Associates yesterday afternoon.

Given the fact that A) they called me in based on a cold mailing and 2) I've never actively pursued commercial representation, this was ostensibly going to be an egoless, loosey-goosey, let's-just-see-what-they-have-in-mind affair. (As if anything involving actors and potential career opportunities could ever be "egoless".)

The idea behind yesterday's "meeting" is that I would be put on camera reading one PSA and one bit of commercial copy and then, after reviewing the tape in a few days, they would decide if they want to call me in for an actual meeting. The setup: Slate, Deliver the copy, Give a brief overview of your union status and commercial training, Re-slate, Get the fuck out.

Simple, right?

In theory, yes.

But yesterday was a different story.

First off, I thought I'd shaken this infernal cold.

Second, I THOUGHT I'D SHAKEN THIS INFERNAL FUCKING COLD.

Third, I just plain blew it.

I felt pretty good all day Sunday, so I stopped taking any medicine figuring that whatever remained of my cold would be gone by Monday morning. It wasn't. In fact, it was quite present. Drippy nose, rattly chest and an obnoxious cough. My energy wasn't anywhere near the level or quality I needed for such a venture. I was simply NOT 100%.

On top of that, I sabotaged myself. I got there 25 minutes early. Plenty of time to get situated, fill out forms, look over the copy, etc. I sat down, filled out the forms, returned them and had JUST started looking over the copy when one of the assistants comes out and asks if I'm ready OR... if I need another few minutes to look it over. NOW.... The correct answer to this is B: I need a few more minutes to look it over. Unfortunately, this is not the answer I came up with. In a split-second maneuver, I decided it would behoove me to not sit there for another ten minutes going over and over the same bit of text for fear of letting it get stale, stiff and rote by the time I got in front of the camera. I figured why not just go in now, keep it loose, fresh and fluid and don't overthink it. It's not the way I usually work, but hey - I'm all about trying new things. Sounds reasonable, right?

Absolutely not. YOU CAN ONLY KEEP TEXT LOOSE AND FRESH AND FLUID IF YOU KNOW WHAT THE FUCKING TEXT IS, ASSHOLE.

There's a thin line between stepping outside of yourself and betraying yourself. And yesterday, I learned that lesson for hopefully the last time.

Basically, I was a sickly, addled mess. My energy was weird, my voice was tight, the whole read was off.

And, it's FINE. It's part of the business. It's part of life. Sometimes you just blow it. It's OKAY. And if it weren't okay, I probably would have quit doing this 10 years ago.

What did sting about yesterday though, was this: They didn't get to see my work.

If I'm able to walk into a room and do my work and they don't respond, fine. I'm so okay with that. I held up my end of the bargain, the rest is out of my control. But if, through some stupid mistake or bit of self-sabotage, I leave a room and know that what I put in front of them was slapdash or general or nerve-addled or obstacle-ridden, then that's on me. Sick or otherwise. That's bus league shit. Which is why the One on One workshops in March felt like such a win. Because I knew that all 15 of those CD's, agents and managers got to see ME. And that's all you can ever really ask for.

I would be quite surprised if these guys called me in for a second meeting, which is also fine. I think at this point if they did call me, I would find their whole operation a little suspect.

I guess the primary takeaway from yesterday is that normally a bungle like that would have elicited a hearty "Now there's a reliable disappointment." Instead, I ended the day shaking it off with some In'n'Out followed by a bit of Monday night karaoke at a little bar on LaBrea called Little Bar. It's within walking distance of home base which makes it a strong contender for becoming my local watering hole while I'm here.

Still working out my daily routine, but have started sending out submissions and am getting somewhat into the groove of L.A. life.

Somewhat.

-IMBA

L.A. - Day 4(th of July)

2009-07-05T16:58:00.015-04:00

A big win yesterday in my search for quintessentially L.A. experiences. Started by meeting Willis at his and Lia's new sublet in Silver Lake. Was introduced to the unlikely deliciousness of Tecate on ice with lime and salt. Who knew?

From there we moved on to the festivities Willis had lined up for us. A BBQ and pool party in San Marino. Turns out a friend of his from Seattle just happened to be house-sitting for the creator of SpongeBob Squarepants. You know, like ya do. Of course, the house was amazing. Met a lot of old friends of Paul and Kip's from their Seattle days, so while I was meeting these folks for the first time, each had a familiarity to them that made acquainting myself easy. Perfect weather, good food, plenty of beer and sangria, fluid conversation and a salt water pool. What more could one ask for on our nation's birthday. (Pics here.)

Am taking Sunday easy. Laying low and prepping as best I can for tomorrow's meeting. Have no idea what to expect or what a commercial agent might have in mind for me, but I guess I'll find out. What little I've been able to ascertain, I found on their website. You can check them out here.

Into the unknown...

-IMBA

L.A. Dispatch - Day 3

2009-07-04T02:35:00.003-04:00

Still sick. Nose shredded from blowing, chest full of gunk. Awesome. Not the way I wanted to start my adventure. HOWEVER, I did get my Backstage online subscription today, filled out my profile, uploaded headshot, resume and reel and am ready for business.

Had dinner at the Bungalow Club on Melrose with Laura. Crap service, trollop-y wait staff, but good cheap wine by the bottle and delicious happy hour nosh options.

Spending the 4th with Willis. Apparently he has a friend who's house-sitting at some fancypants place in San Marino. Willis and Lia are now renting a place in Silver Lake, so I'll finally have an excuse to explore that area.

Still feel like I'm on vacation. Monday will change that.

For now, I have to say... I'm okay with feeling like I'm on vacation.

-IMBA

L.A. Project Part II - Day 2

2009-07-03T00:57:00.003-04:00

I don't know why I even entertained the idea. But some part of me truly felt like a full night's sleep would A) be possible and 2) erase any ounce of sickness I was fighting. Well... obviously... No. That's not what happened. What happened was a few hours of bullshit sleep allowed the cold to move from my head to my chest. Which is awesome. And I still can't hear out of one ear, except today it's my right ear instead of my left. Go figure.

Had a minimal agenda today beyond errands, which I was able to acheive in the company of MJ and Tera who were both off. Target followed by Trader Joe's. (Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, soy milk, cottage cheese, blackberries. Tell me I'm not growing up.)

My space and physical items are all set up and ready for action. Tomorrow I will begin designing my daily routine, purchasing my online subscription to Backstage and IMDB Pro, beginning Actor's Access submission regimen, etc. I'm also hoping to get in a walk-jog (to be known going forward as a "wog") in the afternoon. Now that I've removed EVERY POSSIBLE EXCUSE for not exercising, it's put up or shut up time.

On a walk to get a manicure this afternoon, I had a chance to soak up the L.A. aesthetic and actually try to take the place in. I don't think it will sink in until probably Monday that I'm actually going to be here for a while.

But I have to say, despite being run down and sick and missing the SHIT out of my wife, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling loose. I'm feeling open.

Guess right now, that's the best I can hope for.

-IMBA

P.S. The U2 360 Tour opened Tuesday night in Barcelona. Just looked over the set lists. No real surprises, though "Unforgettable Fire" and "Ultraviolet" are unexpected additions to the usual fare. And last night's set included "Party Girl" and "Electrical Storm". I also caught a video clip of one of the last dress rehearsals in which the band was running through "Drowning Man". Promises to be an interesting show regardless. You can catch a video teaser from opening night here.

The L.A. Project Part II - Daily Dispatch #1

2009-07-01T22:39:00.006-04:00

A slice of fresh-baked cinammon raisin toast with butter would normally be a real treat. However, this particular slice of fresh-baked cinammon raisin toast with butter already had two strikes against it. A) It was being consumed at 4:30 am, and 2) I had just finished brushing my teeth. Thus began my Omaha exit and the beginning of my L.A. adventure.

Spending three days in Omaha was a welcome buffer between what I was leaving behind in New York and what I am (ostensibly) going toward in L.A. A Sunday night gathering at my favorite bar on Planet Earth, The Homy Inn, gave me a chance to catch up with a random smattering of old friends and reminded me just how easy it is to pick up where you left off when you've surrounded yourself with people of quality.

Monday started with computer shopping for Ma, but was spiced up with a call from a commercial agent in L.A. wanting to set up a meeting for the following Monday. Not an earth-shattering occurrance in and of itself, but psychologically significant on a myriad of levels, not the least of which being that in FIFTEEN YEARS in NYC, I'd never received a call from a cold mailing. And now a headshot I'd sent less than a week earlier to one of only a handful of commercial agents in L.A. garnered a call. Without projecting undue importance onto the event, I took it as a sign that the idea of spending a month (or two) in Los Angeles to sow some seeds wasn't all that reckless or high-falutin'.

Monday ended with an evening at the Lutzes. Two of my favorite people in the world. And their ridiculously adorable offspring. Dinner, wine, a fire pit, a young boy playing with a Barbie doll. What could be better?

Tuesday was errands with Ma, software installs, grilled pork chops and re-packing of suitcases. The night ended late and the morning came too soon. Which brings us to the toast. And today...

Wake 4 am, arrive Eppley 5:30.

Major sinus or cold funk happening. Sore throat, completely stuffed nose. Kleenex after Kleenex. Feel like someone's sitting on my face. Perfect condition for flying.

OMA>DIA - Hot, stuffy, cramped. Fat man in the middle seat. Breathes loud through his mouth because he can't help it. Thighs spilling over into my seat because he can't help it. Reads over my shoulder because (apparently) he can't help it. Unable to choose between having a low-grade panic attack or punching him dead in the face. Opt for fitful dozing instead.

DIA>LAX - Hotter, stuffier, crampier. Nose manages to be completely stuffed AND drip profusely. Sinus pressure builds. Trying desperately not to be that person on the plane. The sniffler. The snorter. The loud blower. Nose Problem Guy. Ride ends with level 11 ear-popping and acute pain. Still not able to hear completely out of left ear 12 hours on.

LAX>Rent A Wreck - Yes, it's a real place. Guy named either "Ron" or "John" comes to pick me up. Nice guy, refreshingly simple. Kind of guy who picks people up from the airport in his own car for a living and figures it's a pretty good gig. Like him straightaway. Rent A Wreck owner makes a big deal about the difference between driving in L.A. and driving anywhere else. I make the mistake of saying I'm from New York, so I'm used to dealing wi...

"Different kind of driving altogether. New Yorkers drive aggressively, in L.A. you gotta drive defensively."

Yeah, no, sure, of course, I was just here a couple months ago, I mean...

"You gotta understand, it's a different kind of driving altogether. You really can't take anything for granted here. That's how you get clobbered."

No, absolutely. I'm sure. I just, I'm a pretty cautious...

"Did you read the chart?"

... Sorry?

"Here. Read the chart. Make sure you read it. It's got some important information about driving in L.A. Different kind of driving altogether than driving in New York."

After dutifully reading the chart and selecting my mid-90's Ford Escort with the manual transmission and the tape deck, I'm SURE I'm ready to finally hit the...

"Better take you for a test drive. Show you how the car works and show you how you're supposed to drive in L.A. It's a diff..." It was either keep listening and have my head pop off or just tune him out and nod occasionally. Choosing the latter kept my nerves in check and allowed me to get on the road without much further ado. Car's not bad, actually. I was prepared for worse. And the stereo is actually a boon since I brought along my cassette deck iPod adapter. More variety, less fuss. Can't spend 14 hours a day in traffic without a solid selection.

Arrive Casa de Mijewawa shortly before noon with no hassles. My accomodations for the next month. Looking forward to catching up with Mr. and Mrs. MJ over the coming weeks. They've cleared the second room for me and the setup is perfect. Manage to get all physical items unpacked and organized. Tomorrow will involve unpacking and organization of mental and emotional items. But only after sleep. Much sleep.

The reality of the L.A. Project and all of its implications hit me like a ton of bricks today. Think it will hit even harder tomorrow.

Bottom line is... after months of planning, praying, swearing, scraping, fretting, borrowing, lying, head-scratching and FINAGLING... I am here.

I am finally.

Here.

...Now what?

-IMBA

HERE WE GO....

2009-06-28T05:05:00.005-04:00

After months of neglect, dear readers, prepare yourselves for the overload.

This week The L.A. Project - Part II officially begins.

Begin checking this space Wednesday, July 1st for DAILY DISPATCHES from the land of la.

More soon...

"Watch. Me. Faggots."

2009-05-05T12:41:00.004-04:00

So, what's up with all the dead comedy legends? In the past year or so we've lost Harvey Korman, George Carlin, Bea Arthur and now... Sir Dom.

Sad, sad, sad.

Sort of makes you wonder who's next.

Conway and Newhwart should start looking over their shoulders...

"Remember back when IMBA had a blog? That was so awesome..."

2009-04-29T09:37:00.003-04:00

I know.

It's getting ridiculous.

I promise I haven't forgotten about you.

VERY SOON I will be giving you:

The latest on L.A.
The MUCH-delayed "No Line On The Horizon" review
Another MUCH-delayed installment of "Had Enough/Can't Get Enough"
A tearful lamentation about having to miss this
A verbal flogging of the Mets pitching staff
A request for "10 lbs in 30 days" weight loss plans
Some swine flu prevention tips
Deep thoughts on shallow subjects
Shallow thoughts on deep subjects
Perhaps a poem
Or maybe just a haiku

So, you've got that going for you...

...which is nice.

"Name one way you're NOT Hitler..."

2009-04-17T13:55:00.003-04:00

Okay, I promise this blog hasn't devolved into a thought-free depository for video clips and other pop culture rehashery.

But this one was a must. This is my favorite Daily Show bit ever. I was trying to explain it to The Missus the other night and couldn't do it justice.

And the answer to the question posed in the subject above is one of the single most hysterical one-liners I think I've ever heard.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Klassic Kolbert - Civil Lights

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

"It's SUPPOSED to taste like a shit taco..."

2009-04-10T10:38:00.006-04:00

Love love love love LOVE these...

Saw these the other night and had to share. WHAT would we DO without these brilliant, brilliant shows?

Can you believe there are folks out there who think Glenn Beck is a real person? Silly.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

M - Th 11p / 10c

Baracknophobia - Obey

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Economic Crisis

Political Humor

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The 10.31 Project

colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

NASA Name Contest

U2. 9/25. Giants Stadium.

2009-04-08T14:35:00.004-04:00

Oh, YESSIREEBOBBO. Me, The Missus and the Halls will be all UP IN DAT MO'FUGGA.

I simply. Cannot. Motherfucking. WAIT.

2009-04-02T19:42:00.003-04:00

The Veils - "Sun Gangs" - OUT April 7

Up for some goosebumps? Good.

Enjoy...

TONIGHT

2009-04-02T15:32:00.001-04:00

Balkan Beat Box at Webster Hall. Much needed beer and ass-shaking with The Missus.

Balkan Beat Box , Oct 08 , Brighton BALKANBEATS UK! from SATELLITE on Vimeo.

The Boys Talk to Pitchfork

2009-04-02T09:46:00.003-04:00

YES, my review of the new album is STILL pending. I know. You're going to have to wait a little longer. In the meantime, check out parts I and II of Pitchfork's interview with the band (minus Larry)...

Awwww, SNAP! Eat THAT, Henry...

2009-03-25T09:48:00.002-04:00

You'll Feel Stupid If You Miss This. Seriously.

2009-03-23T11:44:00.007-04:00

People all over town are talking about this show. And for good reason. Don't be left out of the conversation. Get your tix NOW before it closes...

Extended through March 28!

THAT PRETTY PRETTY; OR, THE RAPE PLAY

a world premiere by SHEILA CALLAGHAN

directed by KIP FAGAN

"A raunchy, savvy . . . black comedy. The twisted, caffeinated world of the show imagines the collective unconscious of a culture where girls never stop going wild."

—Jason Zinoman, The New York Times

"Manic, angry, deftly constructed. . . . whipsaws between laughs and squirms."

—David Cote, Time Out New York (Critics' Pick)

"Funny, scary, messy, and forthrightly feminist."

—Alexis Soloski, The Village Voice

"A submersion in the anarchy of ambivalence: variously a rant, a riff, a rumble—about our notions of naturalism, objectification, perversity, and beauty. . . . There's sass and sarcasm in Callaghan's high-energy punk writing."

—John Lahr, The New Yorker

Performances Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m.
Special added performance Tuesday, March 24, at 8 p.m.
* No performance Thursday, March 19

Save 50% ($20 tickets) Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays with code EXT20
Save 40% ($25 tickets) on all other dates with code EXT25
(Full Price Tickets $40)

Click here to purchase your tickets to That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play
Or call SmartTix at 212-868-4444

A pair of radical feminist ex-strippers scour the country on a murderous rampage against right-wing pro-lifers, blogging about their exploits in gruesome detail. Meanwhile, a scruffy screenwriter named Owen tries to bang out his magnum opus in a hotel room as his best friend Rodney ("The Rod") holds forth on rape and other manly enterprises. When Owen decides to incorporate the strippers into his screenplay, the boundaries of reality begin to blur, and only a visit from Jane Fonda can help keep worlds from blowing apart. Sheila Callaghan's That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play, directed by Kip Fagan, is a violently funny and disturbing excavation of the dirty corners of our imaginations.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
224 Waverly Place

(1/2/3/A/C/E/F/V to 14th St)

FINAL L.A. Dispatch - 3/20

2009-03-21T01:04:00.004-04:00

Ending the trip on a fairly mellow note. Spent the morning repacking, organizing and sending follow-up note to CD Rick Pagano. Headed up to Griffith Observatory with Laura. Amazing view. Would have been ten times better without smog. Followed the observatory with cappucinos and pastries on Sunset.

Later, headed out solo for my date with the infamous In'n'Out burger. Did the Double Double animal style. It more than lived up to the hype. Have now landed on a stool at an anonymous rock'n'roll bar on Hollywood Blvd, trying to digest both the burger and the last 9 days.

Still haven't gleaned what the primary takeaway from this trip will be, though I think it will ultimately have to do with reconnecting to my own work and making Los Angeles a real place in my mind, as opposed to a grotesque abstraction.

Have spent the day wondering if I shot myself in the foot during the interviews by only half-lying and saying that I was officially moving to L.A. on May 1st, as opposed to simply saying "I'm here." History has taught me that the fully-committed balls-out lie is always the best way to go.
I'm sure next week once I'm 3000 miles away, I'll get a call.

My thoughts and feelings about this place and what it has to offer are a jumble. I've been pleasantly surprised in a number of ways. And I've also witnessed many of the cliches that have always made this place dismissable for me for so many years.

It's been a fantastic trip. I'll take a lot of amazing memories with me.And I know I'll be back. How soon or for how long remains to be seen. But I do know that the person that leaves Los Angeles at 9:55am tomorrow morning is not the same person that arrived 9 days ago.

...And that's a very good thing.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/19

2009-03-20T03:45:00.001-04:00

Nice day. Leisurely morning featuring another lovingly prepared and delicious working class breakfast by Willis. Stopped by Farmer's Market to pick up house key from Laura who's been gracious enough to host me for the next two nights. Then over to Culver City to catch up with Dup, Hil and little D.

Davey might possibly be the cutest male child in human existence. He likes to say "Hi.". And his elephant impersonation is pretty spot-on. Have a chance to grill Dup about NY>L.A. moving logistics. Just trying to flesh out the picture the best I can from all sides.

End the evening with drinks at the Cat & Fiddle with Laura, M.J. and a couple people from my One on One group.

Beginning to feel a melange of emotions as the final day of the trip looms. .

L.A. Dispatch - 3/18

2009-03-19T03:06:00.002-04:00

From time to time in life, a person experiences what they could classify as a perfect day. I'm going to add today to the list.

Lazy morning starts with homemade breakfast by Willis. A Depression-era skillet dish involving potatoes, onions, polish sausage and spaghetti sauce. Sounds suspect, tastes delish.

After, headed west for my long-awaited PCH drive. Santa Monica to just north of Malibu. The weather was perfect, the mix I'd made for the occasion was perfect, the traffic was perfect, it was just... the whole damn thing was perfect. Spent a little time on the beach in Malibu then headed down to Venice. Amazing people-watching. Enjoyed sauv blanc and jalapeno poppers and watched the sun set. Finished the day by sneaking into the Roosevelt Hotel's pool bar with Willis. Not overly posh, but VERY L.A. Basically a silicone convention. Terribly worried I'm going to end up getting knocked unconscious by some stumble-y drunk strumpet's Frankenrack.

This place pulled out all the stops today. Have to remind myself that on this portion of the trip, I'm essentially on vacation. Of COURSE it's going to be charming when you're on vacation. LIVING is another matter. Though, I'm feeling less and less sure about most of the assertions I've made over the years.

Trying to remain open and refrain from evaluating until I let the place steep some more.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/17

2009-03-18T05:12:00.002-04:00

Leisurely morning spent nailing down itinerary for rest of the week.

Went to pick up Raf for lunch. Raf staying at Eion's house in the Hollywood hills. Was hoping to catch up on this trip,but Eion in Rhode Island shooting "House Rules" pilot. (Would have dropped the name Thursday night if I'd known. "House Rules" is Rick Pagano project. Several sides from the pilot were used in our session.).

Navigating the hills is a skill in and of itself. Treacherous and clusterfucky. Finally found the house after some fairly gulp-worthy U-turns. Knew Eion was doing well for himself, but had NO idea HOW WELL until today. Well played, sir. Well played.

Lunch with Raf provides much-needed perspective on the NY/L.A. Conundrum and further affirms ideas I am beginning to have about the inevitability of this place.

Staying with Willis and Lia for next two days. They're subletting a majorly cute little place at the foot of the hills. Walking distance to Hwood Blvd, etc. Join them for Mexican, followed by Alissa's show, then off to the Frolic Room for drinks. One of the last true dives in L.A. And apparently Bukowski's favorite watering hole.

PCH to Malibu tomorrow after some email follow-up with CD's.

Not sure what L.A. wants from me. Not sure what I'm willing to give her. But serious flirting has definitely begun.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/16

2009-03-17T03:22:00.001-04:00

Sunday, 3/15 recap:

Final session. Tannis Vellaly from Debra Zane Casting. Really solid work and great feedback. Showed for 2 mgrs and 1 commercial agent. Reception followed.Then a group caravan to fellow sessionmate's apt.for beers and much-needed steam-blowing. Alison is a videogame enthusiast and host of "Attack of the Show" on G4. She insisted on busting my Guitar Hero cherry. Okay, youth of America. I get what all the fuss is about.

Spent today with M.J. and Tera. Had a chance to tackle my one L.A. must-do, AMOEBA RECORDS. Was able to make it out of there only $35 lighter. Dinner in Culver City. M.J. had an amazing butternut squash gnocchi which I much preferred to my well-intentioned but slightly dry tomato chutney pork chops. And my glass of Albarino was a total snooze.

Had some time this morning to try and digest the weekend and see where I was at with everything internally. Still more questions than answers, but feel closer to something now than I have in a long time. If nothing else, I had a BLAST working on the scenes. Which is an important achievement for someone who hasn't had fun doing this in a long time.

Am putting what-ifs aside and handing the whole matter over to God.

Lunch with Raf tomorrow afternoon, followed by Alissa's show in the evening. Looking forward to both.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/15

2009-03-16T06:34:00.000-04:00

3:35 am PST. Turning in.

End of the sessions today and much blowing off of steam after.

Will give full update tomorrow.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/14

2009-03-15T12:33:00.001-04:00

Back to back sessions today. Great work with the casting directors, Elizabeth Barnes (CBS) and Matt Kane (Scrubs, various films).Great info and feedback from each. All worries about being rusty officially erased today. Reminded myself that I've been doing this for almost 25 years. The instincts are always there if you're willing to listen to them

Showed for 7 agents. Each of whom appeared to have recently lost a loved one. Tough room for both showings. Fucking funereal. Must be part of the Talent Agent Code of Conduct. Have learned not to read too much into it.

Response from the group has been overwhelming. Really over the top. Lotta love. Praise from peers always means the most. Big ups to Lia for keeping me socially loose. Without her in the group, my tendency to clam would have surely thwarted my ability to connect.

Not as ready for tomorrow as I'd like to be, but will have time to cram in the morning.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/13

2009-03-14T02:41:00.000-04:00

Today was a win.

Phase 2 of the L.A. Charm Offensive dealt a serious blow to casting director Scott David. Nailed my scene. Didn't even give me adjustments. Called the work "superb" and said he would have cast me if that was the audition,

Showed for 3 agents. Great feedback across the board, easy rapport. Will be surprised if I don't get a call from Adam Lazarus at Bauman, Redanty & Shaul.Seemed particularly receptive. BR&S is bi-coastal, so that would be a double-boon.

Haven't felt this empowered in a long time. Loose. Crisp. Unapologetic. Unequivocal. Desperately needed to be reminded why I got into this business in the first place and what I have to offer.

Still keeping what-ifs at bay. Can't explore positive OR negative outcomes until the work is over. Will definitely hound me next week.

Up early tomorrow. Back to back sessions starting at 10:30. No rest for the superb.

Have to give big ups to The Missus for her unwavering encouragement. I've never felt luckier to have her.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/12

2009-03-13T03:07:00.001-04:00

Didn't sleep well last night. Woke up 6am, still lagged.

Breakfast with M.J. at IHOP on Wilshire followed by a stroll to the tar pits. Took advantage of the chance to have REAL hash browns for a change.

Checked in to hotel at 1pm to get showered, settled, work sides, etc. Picked up organic Sauv Blanc, goat cheese and baguette from Whole Foods.

Class with CD Rick Pagano tonight. Fantastic teacher. Currently casting new Alec Baldwin movie and 2 pilots. Turns out my sides were from a project that has yet to be cast. Liked the work, gave thoughtful, concrete adjustments.

Showcased and interviewed with one agent and one mgr.Mgr is NY transplant and noted my work with The Flea. Agent particularly liked my ethnically ambiguous look. Said TV specifically is getting more and more diverse and it's nothing but a boon. We'll see if that parlays into an official meeting.

Beautiful day. Sunny, clear, low 70's, light breeze. Something in the air. An actual aroma. Pleasant.Sweetish.Subtle. And they have this thing out here called "customer service". Totally bizarre. Waitresses, cashiers, even the guy working Jack In The Box drive-thru, all smiles and howyadointodays.

I don't know that I could LIVE under those kinds of conditions. But it's a nice change of pace for sure.

The nag in my belly about what happens if things go WELL out here grew more acute after tonight's Q&A. Have to shelve it for now.

Have tomorrow free until 6. May find time to play a bit, but will have to hold off on kissing Joni's sunset pig until after Sunday.

L.A. Dispatch - 3/11

2009-03-12T02:05:00.000-04:00

Easy flight. Virgin is a happy way to fly. Quick continuation of a convo with K via text re: brand identity and how we'd totally buy stock in Virgin if we were people who bought stock in things.

Picked up car without hassle. 2009 Corolla. Ink on the seat, but still smells new.

Staying with M.J. tonight. Been seven years. Didn't miss a beat. Looks fantastic. Beard grayer than mine. Both wearing a version of the same outfit. Two old metrosexual peas in a pod.

Dinner outside at The Grove. Carpaccio and caprese. Dry Riesling for me, mineral water for him. Had a pastry for breakfast and nothing after, so the bread was gone before the drinks came.

Some trepidation about tomorrow. First session with Rick Pagano, CD for Leverage, Criminal Minds. Then showing for 3 agents. Trying not to get ahead of myself. Jet lag helping with that effort. Up since 6am. Now 2:30am EST.

Lights out.

-IMBA

The Update

2009-03-11T18:54:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I'll start by addressing what I am sure is on all of your minds... Where is IMBA's review of the new U2 record?

The short answer is, it's coming. I was hoping to have that in the bag before I left, but I'm giving it a bit more time to settle in. I want to be fair and I want to be thorough, so you can look for it in a couple weeks. It is revealing itself more and more with each listen and I think it will continue to do so after giving it a spin on the PCH.

Now on to that. I'm currently in an LAX shuttle en route to pick up my rental.

I will be posting daily to keep you abreast of my antics out here. And I'll be doing so from my Blackberry, so don't expect any graphic bells and whistles or videos. Just sun-dappled tidbits in short lo-fi mini-posts.

Stay tuned...

-IMBA

TODAY

2009-03-03T10:26:00.004-05:00

It's HERE...

Below, the boys begin their week-long Letterman residency with "Breathe"...

TOMORROW

2009-03-02T18:17:00.000-05:00

It's coming. Are you ready?

Apparently, I'm Not The Only One Who Noticed...

2009-02-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

Separated At Birth?

2009-02-25T00:10:00.002-05:00

It's actually pretty uncanny...

Why, YES. Yes, they did. THANK YOU for noticing, Someone.

2009-02-24T10:08:00.004-05:00

DID TV MEDIA MISS THE POINT ON STIMULUS?

NEW YORK – There were plenty of familiar faces on-screen during TV coverage of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, people like James Carville, Laura Ingraham, Karl Rove, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Joe Trippi and Dick Morris.

What it lacked, some critics suggest, were people with real expertise in what the $787 billion plan will mean for the economy and for communities and individuals. In short, it was treated like just another political battle.

Of the 681 people who appeared as guests on a dozen cable news and four network Sunday morning talk shows in the three weeks that ended last Sunday, only 41, or 6 percent, were economists, said the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America.

That count alone indicates a lack of effort in tracking down what was most important about the story, said Erikka Knuti, the organization's spokeswoman.

"Hearing whether or not this package is going to work is more important than who has the snappiest quip," she said.

Media Matters didn't keep track of interview subjects on the most-watched newscasts, the broadcast network evening programs, but the conservative Media Research Center did. About 13 percent of the people interviewed on economic recovery between Obama's election and final passage of the bill were economists, the group said.

That's almost one per substantial story, but Dan Gainor, vice president of the MRC's Business & Media Institute, said that ratio was "appalling."

Piling on the criticism, the Center for Economic and Policy Research said the media had "badly failed" to inform the public about what the stimulus plan means. The group said news organizations also didn't keep things in perspective, focusing on criticisms of the bill that were a very small part of the pricetag.

To a certain extent, networks could be accused of unimaginative bookings, going to people they know very well. Media Matters counted 19 separate appearances by CNN financial correspondent Ali Velshi during the three weeks. The three people who opined most about the bill on Fox News Channel were regulars Morris, Rove and Juan Williams, the group said.

Even some of the economists used were familiar to viewers, like Web site maven Arianna Huffington, former game show host Ben Stein and Paul Krugman, columnist for The New York Times.

Two shows the group monitored, hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper and Campbell Brown, had no economists during the three-week period. By far, the most economists on any show (10) were on Fox's new Glenn Beck show.

Ian Cameron, executive producer of ABC's Sunday morning "This Week," said the trend had less to do with unimaginative bookings than 24-hour cable's need to draw contrast and promote verbal battles.

"On this debate, the sharpest contrast was in Washington," Cameron said. "To some degree, there was more debate on this plan inside Washington than there was outside of Washington."

NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE.

2009-02-12T15:53:00.006-05:00

SET YOUR DVRs.........

Irish supergroup U2 have found what they are looking for to promote their new album in the United States -- a five-night gig on the "Late Show with David Letterman."

For the first week of March, U2 will perform every night on the late night chat show, CBS said on Thursday. It's the first time a musical act has been booked for an entire week on the show.

U2 starts the weeklong gig Monday, March 2, and ends it the following Friday. During the week -- on March 3 -- the band and its label, Interscope Records, will release the album "No Line on the Horizon."

The band recorded its latest album in Morocco, Dublin, New York and London.

Demystifying L.A.

2009-02-10T20:39:00.003-05:00

I gave a teaser with my last post. I'll lift the veil a bit here. I've been a member of One on One for a couple years now. EVERY connection I've made in the on-camera world, I've made through them. It's how I booked my first real TV gig (and why I have another Law & Order audition tomorrow). They're amazing.

Every year they do a trip to L.A. for a series of workshops/classes/interviews. And I'm going. It's shit-or-get-off-the-pot time, kids. I want to do TV. Period. As such, it only makes sense to try and establish myself as a bi-coastal presence. So, fingers crossed.

Below are some testimonials from former LA trippers as well as my own free shill for the One on One cats.

It's Official

2009-02-09T10:18:00.003-05:00

March 11-20th

15 Agents

5 Casting directors

1 potentially large step forward

...Fingers crossed.

Even QUEENS????

2009-02-06T14:52:00.002-05:00

Yes... Even Queens.

Oh, and Bloomie...? SUCK IT.

N.Y.C. So Costly You Need To Earn Six Figures To Make Middle Class

More than $2,000 a month for day care. Some of the highest phone bills in the country. Jam-packed, 50-plus-minute commutes to work.

You knew it was tough to live in New York City — but this tough?

A new report shows just how ugly — and expensive — New York City can be, especially for the middle class, squeezed by skyrocketing living costs and stagnant wages.

The study, released Thursday by the Center for an Urban Future, shows that New York City is hands-down the most expensive place to live in the country.

Among the findings:
· A New Yorker would have to make $123,322 a year to have the same standard of living as someone making $50,000 in Houston.
· In Manhattan, a $60,000 salary is equivalent to someone making $26,092 in Atlanta.
· You knew it was expensive to live in Manhattan, but Queens? The report tagged Queens the fifth most expensive urban area in the country.
· The average monthly rent in New York is $2,801, 53% higher than San Francisco, the second most expensive city in the country.

“Income levels that would enable a very comfortable lifestyle in other locales barely suffice to provide the basics in New York City,” the report concludes.

Other belt-tightening details include:
· New Yorkers paid about $34 a month for phone service in 2006. In San Francisco, similar service cost $17 a month.
· Home heating costs have jumped 125% in the past five years and are up 243% since 1998.
· Full-time day care costs can run up to $25,000 a year for one child, depending on the neighborhood, or about as much as some college tuitions.
· Meanwhile, wages in the city have remained mostly flat in all boroughs but Manhattan — even during the boom years from 2003 to 2007.

It’s not only money that makes life here hard, researchers said — which might not be news to most New Yorkers.

Take commutes, for example. The report found that many New Yorkers put up with commutes double the national average of 25.5 minutes.

Commuting to Manhattan from St. Albans, Queens, can take 51.7 minutes, while getting there from Canarsie, Brooklyn, can run 50.8 minutes.

Researchers said the combination of skyrocketing costs, stagnant wages and a deteriorating quality of life forced hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to flee the city for cheaper areas during the boom years from 2002 to 2006.

The report found that more New Yorkers left each year during the boom than left during the dark days of the early 1990s.

Center for Urban Future Director Jonathan Bowles noted that the number of people fleeing the city has slowed since 2007 as the rest of the country has sunk into recession, jobs have dried up nationwide and home values here started to sink.

Mayor Bloomberg downplayed the report but said he is concerned about the constant drumbeat of job losses in the city.

“There is turnover all the time. That’s very healthy,” Bloomberg said. “We’re doing fine, but it is very worrisome, the number of people who are losing their jobs.”

Tonight?

2009-02-06T07:32:00.002-05:00

DJ Hutz at Mehanata?

Well, then I guess we'll just have to be there, won't we...?

Will I be shaking my ass tonight...? Yes, sir. Yes, I will.

2009-01-30T11:04:00.003-05:00

The Missus and I have tix to the NYC premiere and afterparty for "Gogol Bordello Non-Stop", a documentary of the band shot over the course of 5 years. For those of you who've asked about Mehanata - more often referred to as simply "the Bulgarian bar" - the trailer includes some footage.

I. Can't. Wait.

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop 2007 Trailer-Dir Margarita Jimeno from Majimafia on Vimeo.

C'MON, Senate GOP...

2009-01-29T15:52:00.001-05:00

How could you NOT pass this guy's stimulus package????

"But you shoulda seen what she was wearing. You could tell she WANTED IT..."

2009-01-27T09:29:00.003-05:00

Raccoon Rapist's Penis Bitten Off

MOSCOW. A drunken Russian who tried to rape a raccoon paid the price when the animal bit off his penis. Surgeons spent the weekend trying to repair what was left of 44-yearold Alexander Kirilov's manhood.

METRO

GO, MILK! GO, MICKEY! GO, HEATH! GO, GUS! GO, MAN ON WIRE!

2009-01-22T09:34:00.002-05:00

And the Nominees Are...

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
* Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
* Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
* Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
* Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
* Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

BEST ACTRESS
* Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
* Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
* Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
* Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
* Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
* Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

BEST DIRECTOR
* “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
* “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
* “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
* “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
* “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
* “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
* “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
* “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
* “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
* “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

GoodBYE, you...

2009-01-21T11:04:00.002-05:00

...drooling fucking idiot douchebag.

Love,
-IMBA

THE LATEST ON "NO LINE ON THE HORIZON"

2009-01-16T12:51:00.002-05:00

From U2.com:

Exciting U2 news for you all. As I'm sure many of you are aware the new studio album 'No Line On The Horizon' from U2 will be released on 2nd March. 'Get On Your Boots' will be the first single from the album.

Make sure you tune into Radio 1, Radio 2, Xfm or regional radio stations up and down the country on Monday 19th January from 8am to hear the very first play of the single. 'Get On Your Boots' will be released as digital download on Sunday 15th February, with a CD single and 7" to follow on Monday 16th February.

Produced by Brian Eno, Danny Lanois and Steve Lillywhite, No Line On The Horizon began in Fez, Morocco, with further sessions taking place in the band's Dublin studio, New York's Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and Olympic Studios in London.

The album will be released in a standard format with a 24 page booklet and as a digipak format with extended booklet and downloadable Anton Corbijn film, "Linear". The release will include two limited edition special formats; a bespoke box which includes the album, Anton Corbijn's "Linear" and a hardback book, and also as a 64 page magazine which includes the album and a download of "Linear". No Line On The Horizon will be also released on heavyweight vinyl.

The cover artwork for the album includes an image of the sea meeting the sky by Japanese artist and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto.

The full track listing is as follows:

01. No Line On The Horizon

02. Magnificent

03. Moment of Surrender

04. Unknown Caller

05. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight

06. Get On Your Boots

07. Stand Up Comedy

08. Fez - Being Born

09. White As Snow

10. Breathe

11. Cedars Of Lebanon

The CYPJN!? Best of 2008 (streaming) Supermix

2009-01-13T01:31:00.006-05:00

SO... After some technical folderol... HERE IT IS. Unfortunately, due to some shenanigans with the DMCA, this year's mix is not downloadable. HOWEVER, I have posted it below in streaming format. A step down from the usual MP3 version, I know. But still better than a kick in the taint.

As always, much of the music below is availabe at eMusic and what isn't can be found on iTunes or at your local, independent record store.

ENJOY...

Firewater - "Hey Clown"
Devotchka - "Transliterator"
Death Cab For Cutie - "I Will Possess Your Heart"
The Black Angels - "Science Killer"
Fucked Up - "Crooked Head"
Foals - "Two Steps, Twice"
Plants & Animals - "Mercy"
Friendly Fires - "On Board"
The Kills - "U.R.A. Fever"
David Byrne & Brian Eno - "Strange Overtones"
M83 - "Graveyard Girl"
R.E.M. - "Supernatural Superserious"
Kings of Leon - "Manhattan"
Frightened Rabbit - "The Modern Leper"
Department of Eagles - "In Ear Park"
Elbow - "Mirrorball"
Fleet Foxes - "Mykonos"
Conor Oberst - "Lenders in the Temple"
The Black Keys - "Things Ain't Like They Used To Be"
Bon Iver - "Re: Stacks"
Heather Christian - "Harvey" (Heather is a friend of mine and she's doing some really fantastic stuff. Hear more here.)

Thanks again for sticking around, guys. Here's to whatever '09's got in store...

Best,

-IMBA

CYPJN!?'s Top 8 Albums of 2008

2009-01-02T01:00:00.017-05:00

Yeah, I know. It's customary to submit a list like this BEFORE the end of the year, when everyone's feeling reflective and nostalgic, not when people are moving the fuck on with their lives and looking for something new and fresh. But, HEY... better late than never, right?

2008 was a great year for music and paring down the top 8 albums was no easy task. So without further delay, below are the CYPJN!? finalists. Let the judgement begin!

8. R.E.M. – “Accelerate”

There are few bands still making music today that I’ve loved as long or as deeply as R.E.M. Which is why 2004’s middling crapfest “Around The Sun” felt like such a slap in the chops. For a band whose late-career output had, up to that point, been some of its best, it was particularly perplexing. It left me wondering if R.E.M.’s moment had finally come and gone.

Luckily, those four years of doubt and disappointment were definitively erased within the first crunchy seconds of “Supernatural Superserious”, the lead-off single to “Accelerate”. By the time the chorus came around, I was already snapping, swaying and involuntarily busting into my own Stipey T. Rex moves. This was a bonafide R.E.M. radio hit of the highest order. I was ecstatic.

I mean, here’s the deal… I own every R.E.M. album. There was no way I wasn’t going to buy this one. But the strength of “Supernatural” made me excited about buying it. And after a single top-to-bottom listen, I was firmly able to pronounce it their strongest, most cohesive release in 10 years.

Consciously or unconsciously, “Accelerate” manages to be the perfect distillation of the band’s almost-30-year history, yet it finds R.E.M. sounding as fresh and vibrant as any of the baby bands on Pitchfork’s “Watch-Out-For-These-Guys” lists.

Simply put, the boys didn’t let me down. Even more simply put, “Accelerate” rocks.

Serving suggestion: This is a quintessential anytime album. Especially friendly on the morning commute with a dark, steamy cup of joe.

7. Department of Eagles – “In Ear Park”

The line “What the fuck is this?” can have many different points of view, depending on the delivery. For the purposes of this capsule, the proper reading would need to indicate intense curiosity followed by utter astonishment. Practice the line a couple times on your own and then hit play on “In Ear Park”. Halfway through the opening title track, try the line again and you’ll get the absolute right inflection. This was my reaction upon hearing Department of Eagles for the first time.

A side project of Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen and former dormmate Fred Nicolaus, Department of Eagles has created one of the most inventive releases of the year. “Do you listen to your classical records anymore?/ Or do you let them sleep / In their sleeves where they weep?”, Rossen asks on “Classical Records”. His reverence for the art of arrangement is clear from the first tickly, pizzicato strings of the album opener to the dreamy banjo swell of “Balmy Night”.

For the chorus of “Nobody Does It Like You”, a delicate, dappled guitar progression paints a late summer sky whose stars have begun to fall, loosely, one after the other in rapid succession.

The production throughout is lush but with a distinctly lo-fi appreciation of the key elements. Here, solid melodies and Rossen’s silvery vocals are the anchors that keep “In Ear Park” from devolving into what could be just another silly, disposable freak folk wankfest, ala Joanna Newsom or Devendra Banhart.

Haunting, complex, unconventional and inherently listenable, I haven’t been as genuinely intrigued by an album in a long time.

Serving suggestion: Requires an active listen. Make yourself a cheese plate, open up a nice, dry Riesling and settle in.

6. Kings of Leon - “Only By The Night”

Oh, Kings of Leon. They were always just almost there. The potential to make a great record was palpable, simmering just under the surface but never jelling into anything truly remarkable or cohesive. They had something for sure, but it seemed even the band themselves weren’t sure what it was. Happily, on “Only By The Night” it seems the Followill boys have finally sussed it out.

In pre-release interviews, frontman Caleb spoke openly about the recording process and rediscovering his own voice… "I knew it was a risk for me to go in there and really open up and belt the way I know that I can… I just hid my singing for so long because I was nervous that people would listen to my lyrics, assume I wasn't intelligent because I'm from Tennessee and pick me apart, so that's why I sang the way I did. But going into this, I knew these melodies that we were playing were too beautiful for me to fuck it up. I had to go for it."

And go for it he does. In my estimation, this epiphany is the single identifiable element that makes “Only By The Night” the band’s crowning achievement. Followill’s achy wail, finally fully unleashed, gives the songs an emotional depth and urgency lacking in the bands previous “cooler” releases. The steamy propulsion of first single “Sex on Fire” announced that something hotter was going to be in store this time around.

The other notable facet to this album is the maturity of the band’s sound. It seems the rest of the family, brothers Nathan & Jared and cousin Matthew, had reached as far outside themselves as their singer had. The album kicks off with the spooky/sexy slink of “Closer”, an unlikely opener that nevertheless sets the perfect tone. Other album standouts include the arena-ready “Use Somebody”, the weepy “Cold Desert” and the lovely “Manhattan”, which features Edge-inspired minimalist guitar chimes and one of the most deliciously bouncy bass lines I’ve heard in ages.

Some of my favorite bands started good and got great. It looks like Kings of Leon are finally vying for their spot.

Serving suggestion: I can imagine this album would best be enjoyed high-school-style: in a parked car with a cute girl, splitting a bottle of Mad Dog. If you’re looking for something more age-appropriate, try it at home with some steaks and a cold beer.

5. Fleet Foxes – “Fleet Foxes”

Release your first-ever EP in the spring, your first full-length in the summer, then end up on basically every music publication’s year-end Best Of lists by winter. Quite a feat, right? Must take a pretty special band to pull something like that off, right? And a pretty special album, right?

Right.

If you’ve spent any time with Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut, you know what all the hoopla’s about. And you know it’s well deserved. If you haven’t, then you have a purchase to make, dear reader.

After deftly navigating a slew of reductive My Morning Jacket comparisons from the snobbier corners of the blogosphere, the band quickly managed to develop their own devout audience. And on their own terms. Truth is, anyone who gave the album more than just a cursory spin knew that they were hearing something singular and undeniable.

I could spend a lot of time describing this album to you and pull out a bunch of fancy music-journo-centric adjectives in the doing of it. I could try to put it in a box with labels like Neo-Folk or Southern Fried Baroque Pop. But, I’m not going to. I’m simply going to say this…

It’s gorgeous. Go buy it.

Serving suggestion: Perfect for a road trip through the Catskills. Or sitting around the house on a snowy night, with candles and some Pimm’s Winter with apple cider.

4. The Black Angels – “Directions To See A Ghost”

Narrowing down and finalizing these lists is an arduous task. Even harder is then deciding the placement of the final picks within their own ranks. When it gets particularly difficult, I often revert to one definitive criterion: “How often did I actually listen to this album?” After all, that should be an honest gauge, no? Bottom line is, between my morning and evening commutes, my workday and the evening cleaning/dinner prep routine, I spend about 8 hours a day actively listening to music. So, with the sheer amount of tuneage I consume on a daily basis, if there’s an album that consistently ends up in heavy iPod rotation, I tend to make a note of it as being something pretty special. That standard brings The Black Angels to my number 4 spot.

Longtime readers may remember that The Angels’ debut, “Passover” made my inaugural Top 6 of ’06 list two years ago. And here they are once more, blowing my mind all over again.

It’s no small secret that I have a fairly prominent dark side. If I didn’t, maybe “Directions To See A Ghost” wouldn’t be such a treat. But I do. And it is.

How else can I explain why such a foreboding journey could bring me such unmitigated joy. For all it’s brooding sonics, “DTSAG” isn’t a moper. No, sir. This is a live one, baby.

Active. Flirty. Dirty. Dangerous. If I was forced to nutshell it for someone, I’d say “It sounds like the mix you’d make for a road trip through Hell.” Followed by a wink and a smirk.

“You On The Run” gets the trek started with a low-n-slow, bendy tremolo riff and devilish hipshake toms. “Doves” opens the infernal gates with a grand and twisted flourish. “Science Killer” makes a pit stop at Satan’s own personal strip club, featuring a grungy bass groove and the sexiest maracas you’ve ever heard. And epic album closer “Snake In The Grass” is the very definition of a slow burn, licking at our heels in a wash of distortion for over 16 minutes. The album’s centerpiece (and my personal fave) is “18 Years”. Featuring a wall of sound so dense Phil Spector himself would be left scratching his head, it’s the album’s most curious and compelling track. Just after the three minute mark, Alex Maas speaks of “something black” that “answers back from the dungeon”. What we hear immediately afterward may or may not be from this world. Whatever it is, it makes my spine tingle every time.

At a time when the fantastic blackness introduced by Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, etc. has been co-opted by the Hot Topic generation and packaged into something way sillier than any of those bands could ever have imagined, they're an important presence. Closer to what I’d call “dark indie psychedelia” than “goth”, it’s still nice to know the Black Angels are out there keeping it real for the rest of us aging darksiders.

Serving suggestion: “Directions” has treated me very nicely on several rainy night walks through lower Manhattan. At home, try it in your PJ’s at 2am, with a deep, oaky French red.

3. Firewater – “The Golden Hour”

“Well, I ain’t gonna live in your world no more,” Todd A. declares in the opening line of “Borneo”, the first track on Firewater’s incredible “The Golden Hour”. Following the disastrous 2004 election and a bitter divorce the same year, the frontman did what many disillusioned progressives across the country felt like doing. He left America. With a raised middle finger and no backward glances.

The intervening three years found him trekking through India, Turkey, Pakistan, and Indonesia in search of something he felt America was seemingly long past being able to provide him. What he found along the way would become the building blocks, both lyrically and musically, of “The Golden Hour”.

Part travelogue, part diatribe and (ultimately) a declaration of independence, the band’s fifth album takes all the fist-in-the-air defiance of punk and filters it through gypsy rhythms, slinky surf guitar, Balkan horns and Indian percussion. The end result is the most uncannily danceable collection of political barnburners since The Clash’s “Sandinista!”. Ideas this pointed and unapologetic are usually limited to the purview of hardcore, but find a much richer point of view placed among such dynamic sounds. For evidence of this, one need only look to the chorus of the anti-Bush screed “Hey Clown”. (“Hey clown! / We’re gonna put you in the ground / We had it all and then you threw it all away / Hey clown! / You turned our happy upside down / We’re gonna burn your flag and piss on your parade!”) What reads like a typical punk rant is actually the album’s greatest celebration, a jump-up-and-down singalong rife with tuba, trombone, banjo and a thumping yo-yo bass line.

The primary achievement of “The Golden Hour” lies in its seamless melding of the political and the personal. Both “Six Forty Five” and “Feels Like The End of The World” feel like sunset postcards from a faraway place, with glimpses into the mixed feelings of a lonely American ex-pat abroad. And “Weird To Be Back” perfectly sums up the conflictions of one returning home after so long away.

In 2004, I desperately needed a rousing election year album. Who’d have known I’d finally get it four years later?

Serving suggestion: An iPod, a passport, a plane, a train, a rickshaw, a country with an alphabet you can’t read… and an alcoholic beverage you’ve never heard of served by someone who hasn’t bathed in a couple days. Mwah!

2. Bon Iver – “For Emma, Forever Ago”

Boy meets girl, girl breaks up with boy, boy moves to remote cabin in Wisconsin to write the most achingly beautiful album of the year.

The stark simplicity of “For Emma, Forever Ago” is a testament to the power of what a man can accomplish with an acoustic guitar if he’s truly connected to the songs he’s creating. Justin Vernon’s warm, delicate falsettos, sparse arrangements and intensely personal lyrics turn what could be dismissed as mere coffeehouse fodder into something altogether deeper and more profound.

I love, love, love this album.

Serving suggestion: Alcohol might make this one too much to bear. I’d stick with a nice hot cup of Vanilla Honey Chamomile under a warm blanket.

...

1. Elbow – “The Seldom Seen Kid”

I knew within minutes of my first foray into “The Seldom Seen Kid” that it would make this year’s list. And I had a hunch halfway through the song “Mirrorball” that it would be damn well near the top. As the year drew to a close, amid a sea of fantastic new releases, it’s placement in the #1 spot had been solidified.

I can’t talk about this album without first addressing “Mirrorball”, the album’s third track and my absolute favorite song of the year. It’s the kind of moment that only comes along once in a blue moon for me. A song that I have to play twice in a row because I just don’t want it to end. Over a gorgeously augmented piano progression, acoustic guitar harmonies and muted percussion, Guy Garvey’s warm milk rasp opens the song : “ I plant the kind of kiss that wouldn’t wake a baby / On the self same face that wouldn’t let me sleep.” As verse melts into chorus, strings and synth swell and retract in waves of anticipation, evoking the same internal bellyflip in the listener as might be felt at the beginning (or end) of the love affair depicted in the song. It leaves me reeling every time.

But to be worthy of a title like “Album of the Year”, the whole obviously needs to be greater than the sum of its parts. I need every song to blow my mind, one right after the other, and finish the experience feeling like I’ve just been somewhere.... like a great film that leaves you choking back tears after the credits have rolled, all the way into the lobby and out onto the street. For me, this album did that more completely than any other this year.

As an opening credit sequence, “Starlings” starts things off gently before busting open the gates, then slamming them abruptly shut again. This kind of interplay – flirt and retreat – sets the tone for the emotional rollercoaster to follow. Later, “Grounds for Divorce” - a stomping hip-swinger with a stadium-rock chorus and down-home slide guitar - stands as the album’s rockingest moment. “The Fix” pairs Garvey with one of my all-time favorite British crooners, Richard Hawley, for a noir-ish burner with spritely keyboards and a tiptoe beat. And “Friends of Ours”, with it’s weepy, cinematic, string-laden farewell, brings it all to a lovely, bittersweet and fitting close - despite the singer telling us he’s “never very good at goodbyes.”

Elbow were once referred to as “the thinking man’s Coldplay”, which isn’t saying much these days. By comparison, Coldplay has spent it’s past two releases on a downward spiral of boring, bombastic, self-important schlock while Elbow have deepened and matured, creating something profoundly more interesting along the way.

Few bands can pull off this level of authentic intimacy and grandeur on the same album (let alone within the same song) without sounding forced or strident. With “The Seldom Seen Kid”, Elbow can officially add their name to the list.

Serving suggestion: Perfect any time, though I spend a lot of time with this one on the train and when I drive at night. Also, it’s a great dinner-making album. Open up a nice, spicy Spanish red or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and get your apron on.

The "If This Were A Top 10 List, These Would Totally Have Been On There" List:

Plants and Animals - "Parc Avenue"

The Black Keys - "Attack and Release"

****

Honorable Mentions:

David Byrne & Brian Eno - "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today"

Conor Oberst - self-titled

Vampire Weekend - self-titled

Frightened Rabbit - "The Midnight Organ Fight"

Colour Revolt - "Plunder, Beg, and Curse"

Friendly Fires - self-titled

Devotchka - "A Mad and Faithful Telling"

Foals - "Antidotes"

The Raveonettes - "Lust, Lust, Lust"

Fucked Up - "The Chemistry of Common Life"
.
SO.... There you go. The unquestionably definitive list of the top albums 2008. ("But, hey, wait... You forgot - " ) No, I didn't. They didnt' make the list for a reason. ("But what about - ?") No, not them. ("But, not even Sant-") No, not even Santogold. This is the list. BUT, I'd love to hear what your picks were and tell you why you're wrong, so give me a holler.

AND DON'T FORGET....

The CYPJN!? Best of 2008 Downloadable SUPERMIX
...

COMING SOON!

I. Can't.

2008-12-29T19:03:00.001-05:00

WAIT.

Why Don't I See Anything Wrong With This?

2008-12-27T15:01:00.003-05:00

...

Man Shoots Talker At Movies, Police Say

CNN) -- A man angry that a family was talking during a movie threw popcorn at the son and then shot the father in the arm, according to police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

James Joseph Cialella was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons charges.

James Joseph Cialella, 29, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations, a police report said.

Cialella told the family sitting in front of him in the theater on Christmas Day to be quiet, police said.

An argument ensued while others at the Riverview Movie Theatre watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Cialella then approached the family from the left side of the aisle and shot the father, who was not identified, as he was standing between Cialella and his family, according to the police report.

The victim was taken to Jefferson Hospital with a gunshot wound to his left arm, police said.

Cialella was carrying a Kel-Tec .380-caliber handgun clipped inside his sweatpants, police said. He was arrested and taken into custody.

It's coming...

2008-12-23T16:22:00.001-05:00

ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT - Part 2

2008-12-17T10:50:00.002-05:00

ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEIT

2008-12-15T09:47:00.001-05:00

Funny Shit

2008-12-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I know you've already seen it, but I hadn't until this morning. Thanks to Jesse, Maker of Huts for putting this under my nose.

2008-11-25T10:21:00.006-05:00

So, I uh... I ... (clears throat) ...or we, actually... the wife and I... we, uh... (wipes brow) ... Sunday night we finally... .......we, uh... ...we saw it. ...And, uh... ...well... Wow. ....I mean, if you've seen it, I think we'd like to... to talk to you about it... because, you know... (sighs) it's, uh.... it's... (faints, falls to the floor, wets pants)

Are You Still Out There...? A CYPJN!? 2nd Anniversary Special

2008-11-21T11:04:00.023-05:00

You know, my mom always said that if you ignore someone long enough, eventually they'll go away. Hopefully, that hasn't happened to all of you.

I could come up with numerous justifications for my spottiness on the blog in the past few months, but the root cause of all of them would be the same: I have been afflicted of late with a severe lack of motivation. The minutae of day-to-day life has been taxing me in a way that it never used to. By the time it occurs to me that I need to post, I'm either too tired or there's just NOTHING THERE. Or there's something I desperately want to comment on or share with you and I run out of time and/or energy.

This has been a recurring issue over the past six months or so. Both on the blog and in general. My summer goal of writing 10 complete new poems to start taking to the mic at Bowery Poetry Club's weekly slam was stymied by a near-crippling lack of inspiration. Every time I sat down to write, I came up dry. Maybe a line here or there, but nothing with legs. The spectre of the empty page. Drop a quarter in the well, wait for the splash, hear nothing. I wanted to shrug it off, chock it up to this or that, but after a couple months I began to realize that I was simply DRY. I had nothing. Rattling stuff for a creative person.

At first I figured it was just the all-consuming nature of the apartment hunt and subsequent move. That was immediately followed by taking a permanent position at AmEx only to be told two weeks later that we could all be losing our jobs BUT that we wouldn't know until the end of October. Both of these things took up a decent amount of brain space for sure, but they weren't "IT" by any stretch. The underlying reason has proved to be something (probably) deeper and (certainly) more elusive. And in the wake of this perceived drought, a sharp lack of output has followed. Somewhere in the world, Julia Cameron is shaking her head.

Suffice to say, in the meantime my blogging has suffered. My contributions have been inconsistent and tossed-off, at best. In fact, it just occurred to me as I am writing this that I think CYPJN!? has a birthday coming up. (pauses to check archives) And in fact, uncannily, it does. It's tomorrow. Wow. So, there you go. This blog is TWO YEARS OLD. And I totally forgot. So, yet another example of how far up my ass my head has been lately. (pauses to amend subject line and change post photo)

I have spent the past month or so musing on exactly what kind of creative kickstart I need. Discussions with a few close friends about what the prescription might be have ensued. (For those of you who feel compelled to make one, insert cowbell joke here.) There are various immediate options just to get the wheels turning again (improv classes, etc.), but I've been feeling a grander gesture is in order for the long run. Something deeper, bigger, riskier and altogether more foundation-shaking. I have some ideas, but I'll save an expansion for a later post. Bottom line is, a major overhaul is in order.

And how does this relate to you and CYPN!? It simply means this: I have decided that I either have a blog and I want people to read it and I genuinely feel I have something to offer that merits an audience beyond my own bedside journal ...OR... I don't. And if I don't, then I need to say goodbye. Thank you all for listening and pull the plug. But if I do... then it's time to re-engage and stop tossing cotton candy at you every two weeks or so as if it were a regular meal. It's time to deliver.

I'm choosing the latter.

SO... In that spirit, below is a bullet list of things I've been meaning to make mention of for the past couple months. Rants, raves and updates. And a promise to make CYPJN!? a place you want to come back to again on a regular basis.

The Election - After watching Barack Obama's keynote address during the 2004 Democratic Convention, I said to a roomful of friends, "I want THAT GUY to be my president." And two months from now, that guy is going to be my president. We only had a couple friends over to watch the returns on election night, but it was still one of the most joyous occasions I can recall in recent history. I can only imagine how that joy would have been amplified if I'd received the news in the middle of the Grant Park crowd. I am so GODDAMN THRILLED. I am so READY to have a governing body that at least knows I exist. I'm ready to have a president who's SMARTER THAN ME. I'm ready to put at least a modicum of trust back in the democratic process. I'm ready for the squandered promise of Jack & Bobby to finally be fulfilled. I'm ready to treat the neo-cons and the Religious Right with the condescention and smug dismissiveness they deserve now that they've finally been relegated back to the fringe. I am ready for Democrats and common sense Republicans to start working together for real. I am ready to have a president who will actually START LOOKING FOR THE GUY WHO KILLED 3,000 U.S. CITIZENS AND THEN LAUGHED ABOUT IT ON TV. Yes, it's about change. Yes, it's about hope. But more than all of that, it's about positive action. Forward movement. Citizen engagment. And trying to once again balance the scales that have been knocked so definitvely askew for the past eight years.

My job - I still have one. After months of speculation and uncertainty, word finally came down company-wide on October 28th. Thankfully, I was not one of the 7,000.

Turning 35 - Yup. Did that.

The Sisters of Mercy at Irving Plaza - This one was a big WTF? The Missus and I have both been fans since teenagerhood and were STOKED to finally be seeing these guys live. I have to say, I've NEVER been more disappointed by a show. What a circlejerk. Muddy sound, terrible lighting, undecipherable vocals, cheeseball 80's guitar solos, off-key backup singing by guys who looked like rejects from a Ratt tribute band and a smoke machine that apparently goes to "11". Unbelievable ledtown. We stuck around for about five songs, but the middling karaoke rave-up they tried to pass off as "This Corrosion" sent us packing.

Albums - I'll do a proper music post in the near future, but a quick rundown of what's getting heavy play on my iPod this month is: Kings of Leon "Only By The Night", David Byrne & Brian Eno "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today", Fucked Up "The Chemistry of Common Life", Frightened Rabbit "The Midnight Organ Fight" and Antibalas "Talkatif". Old Siouxsie, New Order and Bauhaus have also been in pretty heavy rotation.

The Missus - The Chrysalis Year is nearing a rousing crescendo. Next month, she and Vic will be hosting a screening of the "Off The Radar" pilot episode. It's been a Herculean task that has taken up just about every last wink of their free time. Picture locked last week and I'm currently doing some music supervision for them. The show looks great and I am ridiculously proud of them. In addition, K got accepted to The New School and will be starting classes in January. The woman is a freight train.

That's the Cliffs Notes. The salient points. There will be more to come. And on a more regular basis, I promise.

Thanks for sticking around...

Talk soon,

-IMBA

Big Ups To The "Poundcake" Kids

2008-11-10T15:39:00.011-05:00

Troy and Raf asked me for feedback after the first screening last year and I said, "I think it's great. But I don't love the title. And there's one scene you gotta cut. ...Mine."

Sage advice on both points, it turns out. The movie's come a long way since then and "Poundcake" (formerly titled "The Dissection of Thanksgiving") made it's premiere at the AFI Festival last week.

Check it out. "Poundcake" arrivals and interviews start at 2:40, including an enthusiastic plug from Eion.

Mad props to Raf, Troy, Deshja & Kevin.

AFI FEST 2008 - Red Carpet - For more of the funniest videos, click here

More pics here.

CONGRATULATIONS, NEBRASKA'S SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT!

2008-11-08T17:37:00.002-05:00

I'm so goddamn PROUD OF YOU.

2008-11-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

How Am I Spending Monday Night, You Ask...?

2008-11-02T16:40:00.004-05:00

By taking a little trip down memory lane with The Sisters of Mercy at Irving Plaza.

Can't. Wait.

2008-10-31T10:51:00.004-04:00

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves -- and the only way they could do that is by not voting." -Franklin Roosevelt

2008-10-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

A Scary-Ass Pumpkin. A Lovely Weekend.

2008-10-28T10:13:00.005-04:00

The Missus and I had one of those rare weekends where we managed to get the balance just right. Just enough activity. Just enough relaxation. Between social obligations, chores, errands, etc., we hardly ever get to have the kind of weekend we want to have. So this was a real win for us.

Friday night got things started off right. Dinner at home. Good wine, good music. The kind of vibe where preparing the meal is just as satisfying as enjoying it. The Missus made pumpkin burgers which were, to quote Thomas Jefferson, "Off the goddamn HOOK." After dinner, we prepared to carve our first pumpkin since 2004, a real beaut we picked up in CT last weekend. 30 pounds of plump, perfectly-shaped pumpkinity.

I switched the iPod playlist from dinner-making jams to something more appropriate for pumpkin carving. A melange of dark 80's alt-classics. Early Bauhaus, Siouxsie, Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division and the like. The decision at hand was whether to do an "OBAMA" pumpkin or to do a super-scary one. Given the fact that my wife and I both seem to be nurturing our dark sides at this particular moment in time, we went for super-scary. The results are above. Note the detail work on the eyebrows and the scar on the left side. We're pretty damn proud of it.

The rest of the weekend fell in line nicely. Saturday started with coffee and waffles followed by a thorough but totally quick and painless housecleaning. Then later I met K in the City after her accupuncture appointment and went to see this. Not the best movie ever commited to celluloid but funny, engaging and a good escape. I think The Missus was more impressed with the fact that I didn't just agree to see a movie in the theater, but that I actually suggested it. That's growth, people.

Sunday was manicures for the both of us followed by finally watching this Netflix movie which has been laying around for weeks. It was WAY RAD, but Kanga didn't love the SurroundSound. The explosions make her ears go flat.

After that it was last week's Mad Men from the DVR, followed by the Mad Men season finale in real time. Have to say I wanted more from it - being a season-ender and all - but the show is just SO GODDAMN BRILLIANT I'll let it slide. If you haven't been watching, get it on disc and get to work. It's incredible.

We both remarked on our way to bed Sunday night what a nice weekend we had. Just real nice. That kind of balance and genuine in-the-momentness is something we both strive for and very rarely achieve in life. Here's hoping we might just be getting a little closer to it in the future...

God Bless J.S.

2008-10-22T14:41:00.001-04:00

I just came across this while cleaning out my e-mail. It's dated but brilliant.

2008-10-16T11:02:00.001-04:00