10 Things to Think About on a Friday

All in all, not a bad week. I saw some awesome movies to finish up the month (if you haven't seen Paprika and like Anime, go get it done), got a coach training to get ready for the start of track season (Monday), played some dominoes and otherwise had quite a decent week putting the apartment back together following last week's break in. With the Super Bowl coming up, this weekend is sure to be centered on massive amounts of celebration and partying. But before you go and drown yourself in booze, here's 10 things to think about as you wind out the work week.

1) Well, there is the matter of protocol, but really, if the President of the United States nods at you, even if you're a drum major, shouldn't you nod back? Instead, this guy lost his job. So much for patriotism.

2) A bit of sad news here, Kim Manners, a long time director for the X-Files, passed away this week.

3) Worried about getting pulled over for speeding? Check out this list of the 10 most and least ticketed cars...

4) I say it almost every week here with a link, and I have to think that eventually, something will come of it, but c'mon, let's stop this silly war on marijuana...Politicians...get your heads out of your asses and do something that benefits our country!

5) Bill O'Reilly is a jack ass. Not only that, but he's recently been shown to be slightly less intelligent on historical foreign affairs than Jessica Alba. That's right, super hot Alba schooled O'Reilly in politics. Bam!

6) Here in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" we just got done limiting marriage rights for same sex couples. Over in Iceland, they're about to have their first openly gay Prime Minister. Wonder which country is more tolerant...

7) Speaking of homosexuality, Mr. Anti-Homosexuality himself, Ted Haggard, was on CNN last night talking about his past indiscretions. Want to talk about an asshole? How about a man speaking from the pulpit to 10s of thousands of people, condemning homosexuality, who then turns out to be having a long and illicit affair with a male prostitute. What's better? He said on Larry Kingthat he's been told by a therapist that he's a "heterosexual with homosexual attachments." I'm still trying to figure out what that means, but I think Mr. Haggard will get along a lot better in life if he just admits that he's bi! Stop hating people!

8) I must say that I hope when I'm 110 I'm having sex with an 80 year old!

9) These are some friends you don't want....say they're picking you up for a party and then ditch you in the middle of nowhere, hoping that you'll die.

10) I was going to link here to an article about Janet Napolitano talking about wanting to get rid of all criminal illegal aliens. But c'mon, we don't like criminals, let alone criminals that are illegal, so what's the point in linking to such a mundane and agreeable topic? How about this...would you rather have sex everyday of your life with someone that you found on the lower end of the attractive scale, or have sex once every 10 years with someone you consider a 10?

Enjoy your weekends and the big game folks!

Share a Song in Twitter (or anywhere else)

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

While Evolving Music and MixMatchMusic have been Twitter devotees for several months now (check out why one of our writers thinks that musicians should jump on the Twitter bandwagon), I've only recently picked up the site. And I'll be honest, if I hadn't seen the iPhone app Gavroche has been rocking, I probably never would have. I put up an account several months ago, but the idea of just text messages coming in, or needing to look at a browser window seemed ridiculous to me. I'm not sitting at home checking my computer to see what other people are up to. But when Gavroche introduced me to Tweetie where you can post automatically, get a nice streamlined list of responses and other peoples' status messages, I was intrigued. When he showed me how easy it was to post photos to the site from the phone, I was sold. And now, with even more features, I'm beginning to feel like Twitter culture is slowly infiltrating everything (and now to see if they can come up with a workable business model to actually stay in business.)

But up until now, the shortened URLs, the pictures, the @replies...these are fun things that have kept me busy, but haven't yet broken into the main area of interest that I have...namely, big shocker here, music. So when I read about Songly, I was of course intrigued. The service allows you to use ANY URL that is hosting an Mp3 and post it as a Tweet. Here's the kicker though...it doesn't just shorten the URL and make it tweetable...it wraps it up in a flash player so anyone can listen.

To read about how to use Song.ly and check out my first attempt at it, click here.

Dominoes (1/28/09)

Since the scores won't ever go official on this game or next week's, here's the breakdown:
AC: 325
HG: 225
AP: 215
CS: 205
Location: Kimball's Pool Hall, Oakland

January iPod Update

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

To see the last version of What I'm Hearing, click here.

While most of this update came from the last few months of 2008, I'm sure a lot of stuff here will be new to some people. But don't worry, we've got some 2009 gems as well, despite the fact that we're only a month in. If the January update is any indication, it'll be a fantastic year for music. January's new iPod music included 70 songs.

Au Revoir Simone, The Bird of Music: Using muted synths, drum machines and various melodic instruments, Au Revoir Simone fashions singer/songwriter tendencies with electro and pop sensibilities on this 2007 release. On some tracks this comes out in a restrained style, the melody gently picked out with bell chimes and a light keyboard as the backdrop for the slow and melancholy voices of Erika Forster, Annie Hart and Heather D'Angelo. Yet on others, ARS delves further into the dancehall of the ‘80s with energetic rifts and go-go adolescent lyrics. The group manages to package their music as cute and gentle without allowing either to become overbearing and washing out the musical talent of it all. It would be very easy for future releases (and as of May '08 they ARS says they're working on one) to go too far in one of these directions, but on the majority of this album they’ve managed to find the balance that brings back the happiness and nostalgia of the ‘80s while infusing it with a shoe-gazing aura. Don’t Sleep On: “Dark Halls,” “Fallen Snow” and “Stars.”

Friendly Fires, Friendly Fires: If their 11 track self-titled September 2008 release is any indication, Friendly Fires of England could easily become the big Indie/Electro/80s/Pop/Alt Rock/Shoegaze group of 2009, not to mention the next big thing from across the pond. Their self-titled debut explores a variety of genres and musical eras while never losing energy. The bass and drum driven power of the tracks incorporates steely guitars and more than a fair share of video game tics and flourishes. At the same time, Fires isn’t afraid to mix in hints of disco from time to time,

To read more about the Friendly Fires and the other music I've been listening to this month, click here.

New Blog Feature: @ Right Now

So after a bit of resistance, a lot of confusion and a strong desire to not have to check the internet for status updates, I was introduced to the iPhone app from Twitter and while I'm not sure yet, I could imagine it becoming a bit of an obsession. That being said, who knows if I'll keep or ditch it within a few weeks or months. But for now, I'll try it out, and you can see my three most recent Twitter posts in the @ Right Now sidebar, which will keep you current!

Cheers!

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

Ok, so not the best week...On Monday I get home to find that the apartment has been broken into and a good majority of our electronics have been taken. I guess the part that pisses me off most is the fact that they took my external hard drive with all my pictures on it, yet weren't smart enough to take the power cord for it, so odds are good that it's lying in some trash heap somewhere because they weren't able to turn it on. But, life moves on...the insurance money should come in today or tomorrow and the objects will be replaced (obviously, however, not all my photos) and we'll be wiser next time around. That being said, there's a lot of good news out there this week, and plenty to keep your mind occupied. It's Friday! Sit back, relax and ponder this!

1) I'll admit it...there's something thrilling about watching just how low politicians can sink. Our recently ousted regime of Bush/Cheney did just that this week. Out of 8 years of undercover dealings, possibly illegal moves and other generally shady shit, Bush and Cheney got caught pretty much red handed only once...when Cheney's office was in some way responsible for the leaking of Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent. Yet, despite the fact that this was the only thing they got caught for, and publicly so, Cheney thinks that his boy Scooter Libby deserves a pardon. I say that if this is the only justice the American people are ever going to get for all of the shit these two pulled in our Executive branch, Cheney better shut up and be thankful that he's not going to jail. Here's a news flash for you Cheney...you did immoral things as our VP. You don't deserve a pardon for your friend, nor for any member of your administration.

2) Yesterday was the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. I'm glad that we have a President who is not interested in having government intrude in our personal lives and stands for the rights of women. He's also rescinding Bush's policy of not providing funding for places abroad that support or educate on abortion. But let's not forget about the man who's working with him, Mr. Biden.

3) In not good news at all, try imagining one day being a beauty pageant contestant and two weeks later being in critical condition with amputated hands and feet.

4) It's rough being Kanye West. Not only are people hating on him all the time, but now there's fake interviews saying that he'd do bisexual porn. The guy can't buy a break.

5) One of the most common STDs is herpes, and part of the problem comes from the fact that someone can have it, yet not know if they don't experience an outbreak. And there's no vaccine. How ridiculous is that?! But no, you may not need a vaccine if development of this protective cream continues successfully.

6) Wanna get arrested? Go to Iowa, check a book out of the library and keep it for 9 months. Police should show up sometime after that.

7) Over at Evolving Music, we love remixers. But what does Stephen Colbert think of them?

8) Oh Britney. From Mouseketeer to the bane of parents' existence everywhere. Are you seeking Amy?

9) In the "how stupid can you get" files, we have this couple in Pennsylvania....a word to the wise...when you are going to court to pay a fine for being drunk in public, don't show up drunk! Of course, why deal with any fine or arrest? Do like this almost caught car thief and turn yourself into a goat.

10) The Arizona Cardinals have proven that a team from the NFC West can get to the Super Bowl. So is it too much to believe that with new coach Mike Singletary and now the possible hire of Dan Reeves as Offensive Coordinator that the Niners could get there next year?

That's it from me today people...be good to each other and keep your windows and doors locked.

Opio and Tajai Interview (pt. 2)

{For all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

For Part 1 of this interview, click here. In part 2 of my interview with Opio and Tajai, we discussed Bay Area Hip-hop, fan remixes, greatest albums of all time and the life lessons taught by their genre.

ACtual: I think that the Bay Area has some of the best Hip-Hop. There’s always people coming out from the Bay, the Hiero crew, E-40, Nickatina, Zion-I, lot of good groups. What do you think it is about this area that you think produces such good Hip-Hop?

Tajai: We’ve got diverse backgrounds, the port, especially Oakland and San Francisco, we’re the coast. If you look at the array of blue vs. red states, you’ll see that the coasts, where they have more than one type of person, or more than two types of people are places that embrace new and fresh ideas. Beyond that, there’s nothing to do out here. This is the worst place to try to start your career once you’ve made your move, so people are just bored so they make stuff. I could see in LA or New York, you can dress like a rapper, and look like one and hit the clubs and get that whole like, “I’m in the scene” thing. There’s no scene here, so you have to really be who you say you with regards to music. You have to do things yourself to achieve it rather than just looking the part. In other places you could look the part and try to get over like, “you know me…” and try to get in the clubs free, there aren’t any clubs out here. Because the scene is so wack, people are more creative and because we have a diverse background. This isn’t just the place where hella dope Hip-Hop is from. This is the place where the Panthers are from, where the hippies are from, where you look at San Francisco and gay rights, we’re on some other shit out here, we’re on some next level shit.

Opio: We’re trying to have equality out here. So in other places, in order to distinguish yourself and make yourself be something special to make people respect you like, “You’re doing something good, cool!” We ain’t really about that out here. It’s more about everyone is on the same level, so when in the Bay Area people lift you up and say, “Your shit is dope” that’s saying something because they have to see you and hear you and see it for themselves and know it’s true. Cause if not, you’re not going to get it. You might get it if you’re coming from somewhere else because it takes a lot to get on the scene and get heard. But if you come up from the grass roots out here, people are always like, “You’re never gonna do it.” Not that people are negative in general, but we ain’t really starstruck out here. You don’t see a lot of Bentleys and Lamborghinis and all that, and I don’t think it’s cause people can’t have it.

T: There’s a lot of money here. Per capita we’re probably one of the more wealthy cities in America.

O: That’s just not our stilo out here. You’re gonna stand out and make people get mad at you like, “What are you doing all that for? What do you need a Bentley and Lamborghini and all that for?” There’s something wrong with that out here, almost inherently so. People like to see you shine but they want you to be humble, you have to be a real person out here in order to maintain. So I feel blessed that we’re able to get respected out here, in this city in particular, especially being from here in all the years that we’ve been here, it’s a good feeling when we go to the Art and Soul festival or something like that. It’s a community gathering and there’s people from everywhere, but we still get love just like people paid to come see us at a show.

AC: A lot of groups are letting fans remix their work, putting stems up on the internet, doing remix work. Can you see getting into that and letting your fans work with your music like that?

To see what Opio and Tajai think of fan remixes and consider their favorite Hip-Hop albums of all time, click here.

Opio and Tajai Interview (pt. 1)

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

Since the early 1990s, Oakland, California based Hip-Hop collective Hieroglyphics has taken on many shapes and sounds, from the lyrically complex and dense solo stylings of Del tha Funkee Homosapien to the rapid-fire and diverse delivery of Hieroglyphics to the smooth and masterful underground sound of Souls of Mischief. Spanning nearly two decades, Hiero and Souls of Mischief have brought new sounds and ideas to the industry while also providing a backbone of creativity that has helped influence the entire Bay Area music scene.

In November I had the opportunity to sit down with Tajai and Opio of Hiero and SOM, two members responsible for an incredible amount of solo and collaborative work for the HieroImperium. In part 1, we discussed their musical backgrounds, the formation of Hiero and the difficulty of staying relevant in a music industry that places an emphasis on the "next big thing."

ACtual: Starting off early, what were both of your initial musical influences and inspirations, and when did you decide that rapping is what you wanted to do?

Opio: I used to be hella into Reggae, really. Yellowman is one of my favorites, obviously Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, they had the swagger that got me on rap. My parents were really into music, so through them I heard Earth, Wind and Fire, Parliament-Funkadelic, stuff like that. When I first really started to hear rap, I heard “Rapper’s Delight,” stuff like that, Grandmaster Flash. They used to play Rock and Roll stations out here, mixing, like college radio. Really the first time I heard “Rapper’s Delight,” I was just hooked to the way he was spittin’, it was cool, and it just evolved from there. All the older cats in my neighborhood were listening to them, breakdancing, graffiti and all of that was a part of it too. At the same time cats were breaking, graffiti artists, so it was that whole Hip-Hop culture, it wasn’t only just the rapping, I was breakdancing, all of that.

Tajai: Funk, I would say Funk was my biggest influence. Parliament, Bootsy, George Clinton, and then Too Short is probably the main reason I rap just because all the other rappers, I saw other people doing it, but I didn’t think that people from here could do it. As a kid, it was just my perception of it was something that other people did until I saw Too Short rapping and then I was like, “He’s from here and he raps.” That’s when I really started seriously rapping.

AC: You two as well as the Souls of Mischief crew met early on. Talk about how all of you met, came together and the creation of both Souls and Hieroglyphics.

T: We grew up in the same area, so I’ve known Casual and A-Plus since like Kindergarten, 1st grade. Del was at the same school as us, we just sort of all had a mutual interest in Hip-Hop, so once Del got on in ’91 he sort of brought us into the industry, but we had been rapping together for a long time before that. Casual went to junior high with Op.

O: The first time I went into the studio ever, me and Casual rented a studio in the 8th grade. Our man Terai came with us, he was in the 7th grade. I wasn’t even rapping then, I was a DJ, so I was DJing, scratching during that time. This is in the 7th/8th grade, me and Casual went to junior high and he already knew them. I would listen to their music when I was in junior high but I hadn’t really started to kick it with Tajai and A-Plus, but he would have tapes and be like, “listen to my partners.” I’d see them up the block and be like, “there goes Tajai right there.” We really started hanging out in high school, but the whole time we lived right around the same area. We all lived around the same block as each other but we weren’t really in communication until high school, and that’s when we really became a lot more serious about the rapping.

AC: You were released on Jive Records in 1993. Talk about the process of creating that album and what working for a major label was like. You were what, 17, 18 when that album came out?

O: Yea. That album to me was something, that, I would listen to songs that they had done when I was in junior high and me and Casual went into the studio, we were kinda serious about the whole rap thing. Tajai and A-Plus were working with Sir Jinks and they had a professional sound that inspired us to get on our business a little more. This is early on, so we had been working on our craft until we came out. We were probably 13, 14 really serious going to the studio.

That album, even though we recorded it in 2 weeks, it was something that was formulating for a lot of years. I really think it was highly influenced also by the whole crew aspect, not just the fact that we were Souls of Mischief, because we’re competitive by nature within Souls of Mischief, but then there was also Del and Casual, Pep Love, we had these other fierce MCs. Even during the time before ’93 til Infinity came out, everybody heard the demos, so we had something to live up to. People would hear the demos and be like, “the album will be wack, whatever,” and they heard other cats around us that were really shining, so it was a long time coming to me, that album getting done, even though it seemed like it popped out of nowhere, we had been working for some years.

AC: When Hiero formed, what was your original vision for the group and how did you go about making Third Eye Vision?

For the rest of this interview, click here.

Thanks for Breaking In

I knew things weren't right when I saw the screens popped off my windows. Then when I saw that you had left my bedroom window wide open, I knew that some worthless cowardly piece of shit assholes had come in today to help themselves to a bunch of things that didn't belong to them.

So do you know me? Did you know you were gonna get a 46" LCD HD TV and you decided it was worth fucking me over so I can't watch the inauguration tomorrow? Or did you just pick an easy ground floor apartment to see what you could get? My roommate's 7 year old iBook was a nice score, I guess...She's glad you didn't take what was on the bed stand table though. Although you should have tried it on your ass, you were already fucking us over, you might as well have done yourself in the process.

So the TV, I can deal with that. That's why I have renter's insurance, because you never know when a flood, or maybe a lowlife burgler is going to attack. But dude, you took my roommate's jewelry, most of which was family heirloom stuff that she can't replace and is worth far less to you. My universal remote? I spent two weeks programming it, so you're not even going to know how to use it. Especially without the instruction manual, which you left here.

You didn't want the digital camera that was on the table? Apparently not, but you helped yourself to my 300Gig external hard drive. Now, the hard drive I can replace, but the 5 years of digital photos that you took on it mean jack shit to you or whoever you're going to pawn my Kanguru hard drive off on, those are gone for good. 5 years of images and memories, fucker. But, the worst part is this...YOU LEFT THE AC ADAPTER. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PLUG IT IN? Did you even know what you were stealing, or did it just look portable and expensive?

I guess I can thank you for leaving my DVD library intact, my entire AV set-up (and my HD tivo, I could actually kiss you for leaving for me), and thankfully my medicinal stash so I didn't have to not blaze after the police left and listen to music looking at the hole where my tv used to be. I really wanted to watch 24 tonight, ass.

So my missed connection is with you, today, red-handed in my apartment. I almost came home early. And your missed connection is with the rest of humanity. If you want to regain some dignity and show a bit of human compassion, return my hard drive with my pictures on it. You can't even use it without the power plug and it means a lot to me. You can still keep my TV! What a deal! I'd be willing to forget the rest of this whole mess for that hard drive. You can leave it outside my front door, you know the one...you left it open when you walked out of here with our things.

Karma does come around friend. Yours will find you eventually. I hope your score at my place today means you don't have to rob someone else tomorrow. Take a day off, check out our new President...the picture on that television is excellent!

Mateo Shit Show

Friday night starts with a debate among Art, Gavroche and myself as to whether we should brace for the trip to the city or stay local. After much hand-wringing, we decide on a local evening and jump into Beirut. The matches are pretty even with almost everyone getting a couple victories in a row in. We then head out and stop at the first bar near home which is Glow.

Glow is a hard bar to figure out. The crowd is never quite the same, sometimes it's really packed and at other times you wonder if perhaps you walked into a time machine and came out on a Tuesday night instead of Friday. Friday was in between and after being left out to dry by Gavroche as a very unattractive young lady approached me for a conversation, we decide to get out of there. Right around now, Da shows up with John which amps the energy of our motley crew up considerably.

Art wants to go to McGovern's. Now, the last time we were at McGovern's, about a month or so ago, Art almost got in a fight with a guy. I remind him of this and make the case to go somewhere else. He insists and eventually there we are at McGovern's. Everything is going ok for a little bit. I buy him a shot, he's talking to a girl, things are cool. Then, as I come back from the restroom, Gavroche explains that Art has picked a fight with some guy with a mohawk. I leave promptly and walk next door to Mr. Pizza Man. I sit down and have a conversation with someone who I can't remember now, and when the food comes and she's gone, we decide to trek to Heidi's Pies.

It's weird...it seems a little bit short and sweet in the post, but Friday night in Mateo was a shit show. Just ask Art...he was hung over until about 7pm the next day.

RIAA Gets its Day in Court (on the internet)

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

Last month, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) admitted a massive defeat when they announced that they would no longer be pursuing individuals guilty of peer-to-peer file sharing. As they attempted to flex their corporate muscles in the dorm rooms of music lovers throughout the country, the RIAA completely ignored the fact that not only was the epidemic of file sharing actually a pandemic that they are virtually helpless to stop (and in reality could cost them more in legal fees than the fines bring in), but they also failed to take into account the fact that without significant portions of the proceeds going back to the artists, the musicians themselves wouldn't back them. RIAA Screws Musicians, 3/18/08

Now, the RIAA, in the final throes of these legal actions, has dropped the ball once again. They claim on one hand to be for the artists, seeking revenue they have lost, but as already stated, they aren't giving the artists any of that money. On the other hand, they claim that their actions are simply to publicize their fight against illegal file sharing. Ironic then that when the judge presiding over the latest hearing and trial brought against Boston University students stated that a live web feed of the proceedings would be allowed to be broadcast, the RIAA opposed it. If you're seeking to strike fear into the hearts of illegal downloaders everywhere, by first announcing that you're no longer going to be hunting them, and then actively trying to block a live video feed of the proceedings, you're not really putting any teeth into those claims. And blocking the feed certainly doesn't give you the publicity you were looking for.

To read more about the RIAA screwing themselves, click here.

UMG Teams With Kyte

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

About a year ago I examined a Wired article looking at the head of the Universal Music Group, Doug Morris, and his attempts to move against the current of technology that was slowly eroding his old-timer's hold on music distribution. My how times have changed. Not only has UMG joined forces with the other three major labels to eradicate DRM on iTunes purchases, now they're actively joining the swelling ranks looking for digital solutions to real-life problems.

UMG, home of artists like 50 Cent and Lil' Wayne, is always looking for new ways to interact with fans and bring their favorite artists to them in ways that are both exciting and relevant. Because of this and the potential they see in the company, UMG has joined forces with Kyte, an emerging web start-up that is aiming to fill a niche not currently serviced by YouTube: live video streams.

To finish this article, click here.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

We'll call this the week of dinners as I had dinner out or with someone every night. Got Dad and the HMB crew on Monday (chow mein/potstickers), Glaze on Tuesday (burrito), Grandma and my Aunt on Wednesday (sushi), and ErNa last night (oysters and cocktails)...I feel like a world traveler who didn't live San Mateo County. But that's not why you're here, is it? You're here because it's Friday, you ain't got shit to do, and 5 pm is still hours away. So relax, read a few articles and think about a few things why don't you!?

1) I thought I was bad with my text messaging. But somewhere, I don't think I come anywhere near sending 14,528 text messages in a month as this 13 year old did...

2) Are you bored? As in really bored? While most of us aren't able to scarf down shrooms or drop during our working hours, here are a few simple tricks to induce hallucinations that won't get you fired.

3) If you've been following the BART shooting in Fruitvale, you'll be happy to know that they arrested the executioner, I mean, former officer. All I have to say is good luck with your not guilty plea...you're only the most watched shooting of the year...

4) There's pilots, and then there's the pilot who can crash land a jet into the Hudson river without killing anyone...talk about mastery. He's been studying for that crash landing his entire life, it would appear. And to think there's even more you can read about "ditching" airplanes.

5) In a certain sign that the apocalypse is upon us, not only is Hollywood working on a live action adaptation of Akira, but now they're intent on completely trashing Cowboy Bebop by making a live movie that stars Keanu Reeves as Spike. Get your live-action, shitty-actor hiring hands off my favorite Anime you jack asses! It's Anime because it's supposed to be animated, not have Neo running around like a monotone moron. On the same level...we're shortly to be blessed with the live action movie The Legend of Chun Li. And if you thought I meant the Chun Li from Street Fighter the video games, you were right...


6) Speaking of jack asses...gotta love Johnny Knoxville. Actually, I hate him, but I can't help but laugh when he brings an inert grenade into LAX. Didn't anyone tell him we're on terrorist alert here?

7) Finally someone said it in the SFGate...I've heard that someone I live with is wholeheartedly behind any plan to legalize...let's stop this ridiculous "war" on drugs...drugs are winning!

8) Gotta love Tom Hanks...the man as American as Forrest Gump was willing to speak out this week and call Mormons who supported Prop 8 un-American. Hell yes Tom. Bigotry, prejudice and inequality have no place in this country, no matter what the Mormons think.

9) Well, he lied to us about most everything else...why wouldn't we expect Bush to lie about being a cowboy?

10) Has anyone else noticed that it's the middle of January and it feels like Summer outside?

That's it folks, take care this weekend.

Musings of a Music Blogger

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

With 2008 and all the music that came with it steadily speeding away in our rear view, I got to thinking a lot about what we did and didn't see last year in the musical world, and what's coming. When it comes down to it, 2008 was largely defined by some of the musical trends we saw, the continuing struggle over DRM and the ever growing attempts to market, brand and distribute music in ways that utilize multiple media and social platforms.

Musically, there was a greater push towards mash-ups (AmpLive Interview) and punk fueled Indie rock. Bands like Fall Out Boy and Bloc Party among many others kept driving guitars, sometimes melancholy lyrics and music that's in your face in terms of pace at the forefront of the radio mainstream. Hip-Hop continued its usual pond-like trend: scum on the surface, beautiful water underneath with "artists" like T.I., T-Pain and Flo-rida topping the charts while rappers like Akrobatik, eLZhi and Black Milk continued struggling to boost their word of mouth. The line between Hip-Hop and Pop was continually blurred as radio Rap brought in more Rock and World music sounds into their songs.

We saw Kanye West rebound from a personally disastrous year to re-vamp his sound with 808s and Heartbreak, and we saw Guns 'N Roses dig themselves out of a nearly 20 year grave to release the much anticipated Chinese Democracy album, something that many fans thought they'd never hear. Of course, most fans expected to hear either a new Eminem album (Relapse) or the long awaited and highly anticipated Detox album from Dr. Dre, and they got neither.

For the rest of my look back at music in 2008, click here.

What Happened in Fruitvale?

I've waited several days before posting on this because I not only wanted to make sure I heard the aftermath, but because I wanted to wait to see the video for myself before making any judgments. And now that I have, I can say that without a doubt it's one of the most horrifying live local events I've ever seen captured on video by the general public.

On New Year's Eve, an Oakland man named Oscar Grant was taken off a BART train for an alleged altercation. Apparently, during his arrest, he attempted to stand up. He was then put on the ground and pat down. Whatever the man did, that should have been the end of it, with the rest coming in the form of a ticket or a filed charge. But, having already subdued Grant, and with another officer on top of him, a BART police officer pulled his gun and shot Grant in the back, killing him.

The worst part about the video is that you can clearly hear everyone on the train calling for his release and complaining about the treatment, and the act doesn't appear to have been done in haste. In fact, it appears to be quite deliberate as the cop unholsters his weapon, stands up and THEN fires.

It's an unfortunate fact that police brutality is nothing new, and even more unfortunate that there's not a whole lot we can do about it. When you start giving people guns and telling them to uphold the law and "maintain" the peace, it creates a God complex where they'll feel that any action is justified if it's done to maintain the peace, even if that action is violent. Furthermore, a case like Rodney King that sparked the LA Riots only emboldens police to believe that if they can make some sort of connection between their violence and the line of duty, they will be exonerated for their behavior.

But we can't just assume that all people hurt by the police are victims of brutality. To me, brutality has to be based on an actual desire to inflict pain and harm, not just do it in the course of what you need to do as an officer. If we remove for a minute the argument that there was some sort of intent in any of this, the fact is that police are just human beings, and in the heat of the moment, especially a potentially dangerous one that requires police intervention, adrenaline kicks in and mistakes can be made. When the violence happens in these cases, I can't view it as only brutality, because sometimes criminals or people getting arrested do need to be physically subdued, sometimes in a way that causes bodily harm to them. In those cases, it's not always the police officer's fault, but we have trained them to be police in the hopes that they will be able to keep their cool to a greater degree than your average citizen. Even still, they are constantly put in dangerous positions in the interest of keeping the majority of people safe.

Here we have three men on the ground handcuffed with 4-6 armed police officers around them. To think that there is any reason, explanation or excuse for a police officer to draw a weapon and shoot someone being held on the ground by another cop is insane. So I believe that regardless of what happened on the platform in Fruitvale, whether intentional homicide or panic induced manslaughter, it was obviously excessive force and brutality. There was not another officer in the video who also had their weapon drawn.

People have tried to argue that the cop was going for his taser. I'm having trouble believing that someone trained as long as police officers are trained for wouldn't know the difference between his taser and his hand gun. That being said, I can't completely rule it out as I asked a police officer I knew about the difference between the two and the answer I got was, "depends on which taser you have, but the M26 is shaped exactly like a gun and the X26 is a bit shorter handled." The officer did say that guns are clearly heavier, but with adrenaline, things seem easier and lighter anyways, so the weight might not have mattered if the handle was the same. So, there is the possibility that this cop thought in the heat of the moment that he was drawing his taser. But what I'd like to know is why he was drawing a weapon of any kind at all. The victim is on the ground, handcuffed and has been patted down, with another cop holding him there. Why is he unholstering anything, gun or taser?

Regardless of what comes out in the news or in any subsequent trial, I doubt we'll ever fully know or understand what his thoughts were in the seconds before he needlessly killed Oscar Grant.

Either way, the advent of camera phones and the proliferation of digital cameras that take videos surely foreshadow that this will not be the last time an incident like this is heavily publicized, and begins to beg the question of how we can make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. I've embedded the video of the shooting below, just know before you view it that it is disturbing.

10 Things to Think About on a Friday

While 2008 seemed to fly by, it's maybe an even scarier thought that we're already a full week into 2009 and looking at the first 10 things to think about on a Friday...We've almost cleaned up all the things that needed tidying from last year...we have a National "champion" in college football, the Super Bowl is around the corner and we're 11 days from being done with the Bush regime for good. As for what we'll be reading about this year? Guess we'll have some time to find out. Here's a few things to ponder as you gear up for your first full weekend of the new year (I figure you were all recovering too much from NYE last week to make a full weekend of it...)

1) If you're a ranked team in college basketball, like Boston College, you do not want to be the first ranked team another school has ever beaten in their basketball history. Especially when the team you lose to is cross-town Harvard.

2) I'm infuriated by the bailout. A bunch of companies and CEOs who got greedy, failed to adequately manage their businesses and are now facing bankruptcy. I'm not sure when we decided that it was the government's job to bail out failing businesses, considering it should be the business's job to make sure they remain viable. That being said, I can't help but admire the recent attempt by two of our country's more famous pornographers asking for bailout money.

3) I'm very unclear on how being a star works. A few years ago, Michael Jackson was facing bankruptcy, a child molestation trial and reports that his spending far outpaced any earnings he made, even off the Beatles' song catalog. How then is he renting a $100,000/month home in Los Angeles?

4) I love Akira. For those that have missed it, it's one of the most celebrated Anime movies to come out of Japan, ever. Which makes me wonder...why does Leonardo DiCaprio think that he can move the story out of the dystopia of "Neo Tokyo," move it to New York, and then exchange the animation for live action and actors and make it....better? I'm a bit afraid for the sanctity of Akira...

5) Hey all you trenchcoat-wearing, boom-box-holding, guitar playing kickboxers out there...sorry to tell you, but Diane Court is now married. I hope you didn't already give her your heart in exchange for a pen or something like that...

6) I can't imagine sitting down for my entire life, so my admiration for people who deal with wheelchairs is considerable. But check out this medical device that might help them stand up and walk...

7) The problem isn't that I know USC would have won the BCS "championship" game...I can't know it. The problem isn't that Utah may have deserved to be in it more than Oklahoma or Florida...we can't know for sure if they did. The real problem is that we can't answer who deserves to be in that game, or who out of the top 5 is the best in the country, and without a play-off system, we never will, and we won't have a true Champion. Just votes on a piece of paper and one team holding a crystal ball...wonder if they can see the future play-off system in there...Obama can.

8) If you like Pi and Requiem for a Dream, you'll enjoy Darren Aronofsky's take on a down and out wrestler played by Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Excruciating to watch, the movie examines the character of a man that has lost so much over his life that he's got nothing left to lose. But it's managed to propel Rourke from Hollywood outcast to a buzz actor being talked about to play a lead villain in Iron Man 2. But how did he go from 192lbs to 235lbs for the role? Apparently, a ton of eating and even more working out...

9) Those guys over at Apple just keep the hits coming...now they're talking about a webcam that would go behind the screen so you wouldn't have to look from the camera to the person you're webchatting with...the applications for online sex chats appear endless...

10) And not to be outdone by Apple, car companies are starting to integrate computers and other high-tech gadgets into their cars. If you need 22 satellite TV channels or the ability to create an Excel spreadsheet while driving like Za, your options are coming.

That's it for today folks...be good to each other and enjoy the weekend. And don't forget to check out the all new blog feature "Domino" for a running tally of our weekly domino game...Wednesday's game served to move Bini up into 2nd place and watched Nah fall from 1st to 3rd. Who knows what next week will bring...

New Blog Feature: Domino Scores

Starting back around November, Nah (HG), Za (AP), Bini (BL) and myself (AC) embarked on a mission to play dominoes once a week. Not only to get together and drink, but also to compete so aggressively that the average observer would probably feel uncomfortable watching, let alone trying to join in. In fact, we're so competitive that we can't just walk away from the domino table and wait for next week...we have to keep score, and keep a running tally of scores and wins. And now, interested reader, you too will be able to follow the weekly progress of our Domino night with a 2009 score, an All-Time score and a winner tally in a This Year/All-Time format. So check out "Domino" on the right hand side and follow your favorite player. Domino mother fuckers!

An Interview with Krista

{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}

While some are subdued or destroyed by the hardships and circumstances facing them, others are strengthened by the struggle and formed by it. Growing up in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, J Records’ new artist Krista has come through a difficult home life and youth to write music that combines various elements of Rock, Hip-Hop and R&B that is then filtered through an incredible voice that can range from pure vocal to unfettered rap. I had a chance to sit down and talk with Krista about her debut album set for release early this year, her first experiences touring and what you can expect from her music.

AC: Growing up, what were your musical influences?

K: Basically everything influenced me. I listened to a lot of dance music because my mother likes to dance, and I listened to a lot of hip-hop and R&B because of the neighborhood I lived in, but then I always felt like I related a lot more to Rock and Roll every time I listened to the lyrics in the songs.

AC: Any specific artists or acts?

K: I would say that I based a lot of my vocal scales on Mariah Carey, I listened to her and tried to follow her scales. Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant because the voice that came out of him and the way that he looks are totally different. This slim tall guy with a fro and then his voice comes out like this beast.

AC: When did you start viewing your writing as a potential career?

K: When I was about 12, my uncle was inspired by the way I would write lyrics to his guitar playing. He would come over and play guitar after dinner sometimes and I would come up with old school doo-wop type songs that he really liked.

AC: I read that you got into a bit of trouble when you were younger?

To read the rest of this interview, click here.

Bowling for Roses (Happy New Year!)

When word came around that I was going to be able to find some tickets for the Rose Bowl between USC and Penn State, I knew it had to be done. Pete Carroll, Joe Paterno, SC, PSU, The Granddaddy of the All...this was a game that needed to be attended. Especially given what USC traditionally does to Big 10 teams.

And so it was that after a brief nap in the afternoon, I pick up Za shortly before midnight on New Year's, and by 1:30 am, we're on the road to LA. There's no traffic on the road, so we make great time and end up at SC around 6:30 in the morning. Za had never seen the campus, so we took the tour seeing the football practice field, KSCR, the old dorms, the Row and of course Tommy. After that, we cruise over to Pasadena and find a Whole Foods for some tailgate foods, but it's 8am and the store doesn't open til 9. We park in their garage and sleep for an hour.

After buying some snacks, we make our way over to the Bowl and after a ridiculous struggle with parking (who decided that a stadium that seats over 90,000 people should only have two roads in and out?) we find Ray and Bones tailgating in the parking lot. So around 1130 or so, it's beers and tri-tip with js, and around 1:15 we head off for the game. We get to our seats just in time for the national anthem and fly over by a B-52, and are then treated to a massive Penn State ass kicking handed out by the Men of Troy. I hear two great questions...first, an SC fan asks a Penn State fan, "What's a Nittany?" and then at halftime when the game is 31-7, I hear someone ponder, "Is this the best the Big 10 has to offer?" All I can think is that when the Big 10 is 0-6 in their last 6 bowl games, and three of those losses are to SC teams, it really doesn't matter who their best is. Three straight years now we've beat Penn State, Illinois and Michigan badly, and each year those were the best the Big 10 had to offer.

After the game ends, it's around 6:30 and we're back in the car. Za takes the wheel home and we get back to San Francisco shortly before 12. By the time I get back home, it's been about 22.5 hours since we left and we've done the Rose Bowl, a campus tour and a round trip to Los Angeles. How's that for bringing in the new year?

Back in town for the weekend, JackieP was visiting from Germany with her new frau so we had to take to the town. Friday was uneventful aside from a Haight shopping trip, but Saturday was a late one with the crew (T, Jes, Za, McButter, JackieP, Marg, Hal, Bini and Nah) heading to the Café until it closed down and then heading over to crepes. I'm in line for crepes and thinking about calling Gavroche when I look to the front of the line and see him, Mau, Vic, Alla and others already there. After a sidewalk j and some crepes, it's back home.

Up next...the all new NowsInBetween feature....the Domino Scoreboard!

December Movies (24)

A fine way to finish out the film year as I used some down time that resulted from an ankle injury and some off time that resulted from the winter holidays to catch up and put a solid cap on the movies of 2008...

3: Bender's Game
5: Four Christmases
7: Goodfellas
8: State and Main
9: Alien v. Predator Requiem
10: Dark Knight
11: Waking the Dead, American Gangster
12: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
15: Diameter of the Bomb
16: Thank You for Smoking
20: Milk
23: Mixed Nuts, Cat Dancers
24: Foxfire
25: Amelie, Doubt
26: Jerry Maguire, I Am Legend
27: Machuca, College Road Trip
28: Curious Case of Benjamin Button
29: The Wrestler
30: Deliver Us From Evil