Rhymes With Five: Spam worth reading
If you use email, you probably get Spam. It's pretty much a fact of life, and it's nearly as useless to complain about the Spam messages as it is to wonder aloud about what, actually, composes its meaty-ish namesake. (Which, by the way, seems to have undergone a major re-branding of late. "Crazy Tasty"-- really?) Something about Spam email that I find really funny is how it so pointedly-- yet so unsuccessfully-- preys on peoples' fears and insecurities. A few weeks ago, some of Paste's inter-office email lists were besot by numerous Spam emails with subject lines like "what a... read more
Live Review: Tom Petty in ATL (7/9/08)
During our drizzly, overcast haul out to the Atlanta suburbs to see Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers play the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, my wife wondered aloud “if he’ll play many hits or if it’ll be mostly be stuff I don’t know from his newest album.” The mood in our car was more than a little bleh. What if this show is more trouble than it’s worth? The interstate commute, the inevitable parking debacle, the shitty weather, the prospect of several thousand stumbling-drunk baby boomers pathetically trying to relive their freshman year of college. ... read more
Rhymes With Five: Judging films by their covers
In addition to the staggering visual impression of their full catalog, I was struck by just how many great films I'm wildly unfamiliar with-- so, in celebration, here are my five favorite Criterion covers of movies I've never seen (that I probably should soon). What are yours? read more
George Carlin: Bullshit Detector
Nobody questions things in this country anymore ... people are too fat and happy; people are way too fucking prosperous for their own good. Everyone’s got a cell phone that’ll make pancakes and rub their balls now. —George Carlin, It’s Bad For Ya! ... read more
Rhymes With Five: Bonnaroo! Excitement!
Bonnaroo starts tonight! And I'm going! And I've never gone! And I'm pretty excited but also scared that I might pass out in the heat! Or get struck by lightning! Or just get really overwhelmed and curl up in a sweaty ball at the back of the Paste tent! I hope there's a falafel vendor! I love falafel! Oh my god! Bonnaroo! So excited!... read more
Rhymes With Five: Tears of shame
Who doesn't love a good ole inappropriate response every once in a while? I sure do! And rather than out in public-- where busting out laughing over a stranger tripping on the sidewalk or bawling at the sight of a dad playing with his little kids in the park elicits, at best, disapproving stares-- I find that the cool, still darkness of movie theaters are some of the best places to work out my awkwardly misplaced emotions. Among friends and family, my tendency to cry during movies at completely unexpected moments is well-noted. My tear ducts have remained steadfastly dry... read more
Rhymes With Five: Short songs for a busy day
Time's a-wastin'! Here are five short songs that I like. And you? ... read more
Rhymes With Five: 1995 was a pretty good year
Lots was happening in the world as the 1990s crept towards their midpoint-- genocides, domestic terrorism, record-breaking, guilty verdicts, major advancements in home-theater technology-- but I was oblivious to almost all of it. It was 1995, and I was languishing in my early adolescence, lounging around in fake Umbros in my Mary Engelbreit-themed bedroom, reading and re-reading Little House on the Prairie and hoping 5th grade wouldn't suck too much. Yes, I was 11. I guess if you ever took me seriously, now's a good time to stop.... read more
some(indie)ecards
In our May edition of the "Paste 7" I called your attention to the free e-card website, someecards, which features electronic greetings that are witty, sometimes crude and very timely (example, a whole slew of cards dedicated to this summer's blockbuster movies). Categories include: Anniversary, Breakup, Cry For Help, Flirting, Get Well, Somewhat Topical, Workplace, and more.But there is one category that has been glaringly omitted: Indie.But don't worry, someecards masterminds! I've gone ahead and made some mock-ups for you! Might I suggest these additions to the someecards collection, inspired by some of my favorite indie musicians?(Inspired by The Black... read more
That new Hold Steady song could be better
As you might have read already, there's a new Hold Steady song out on the internet today. It's from their new album, Stay Positive, which won't be released until July 15th. Totally exciting, right? Sure, but only if you're not me and you lack the totally unreasonable expectations I have for, like, everything.... read more
Rhymes With Five: And those who can't cook, read food blogs
I love food, but I’m not a very good cook. It’s one of the great conundrums of my life. I’ve never poisoned someone or set anything on fire (though there was that whole pot of noodles I accidentally dumped into the sink at a Paste Intern Appreciation Dinner a few months back-- sorry, interns!) It’s just that I’m impatient and undisciplined and lack the necessary foresight to start preparing a meal before I reach a point of such intense hunger that I can’t concentrate on anything, let alone slicing and dicing and preheating and timer-minding. This, of course, explains my... read more
Rhymes With Five: Ladies love their mamas, too
As Ben Gibbard ponders the meaning of life in our May issue, Brian Howe explores the nature of mother through the song lyrics of rap stars, indie rockers and, uh, Glen Danzig. Though the most important conclusion I drew from the piece is that I am really glad Danzig is not my son, it also reinforced for me the notion that, much like armpits, everybody has a mom—and like armpits, some people’s moms stink. Like, really stink—Ghostface Killah’s mom beat him for peeing the bed! Harsh, Mama Killah! Quite unlike armpits, though, mothers are the subject of a few great... read more
Life Altering Concerts Vol. 1
One thing that amazes my wife is that I can’t remember to take out the trash on a regular basis. However, I can easily recall the most minuscule details when it comes to music. Upon meeting me for the first time, she was slightly intrigued by the seemingly Rainman-esque musical knowledge I possessed, while at the same time frightened by the method in which I cataloged my CD collection. (For those keeping score at home, it's left to right in alphabetical order, and if there are multiple CDs for an artist, then the second level of sorting is in... read more
Rhymes With Five: Gossip Girl stole my iPod
Has Alexandra Patsavas invaded my brain? Or just my music collection? Is there even a difference anymore? Which is creepier? I don't know. I just know that whenever I watch Gossip Girl (which is, um, like, every Monday night) I end up asking myself these questions. This is because, by and large, the music soundtracking all the those Upper East Side breakups, hookups, freakouts and breakdowns is shockingly, embarassingly, undeniably good. Or, at least, I like it. ... read more
Feist sued by Seven and Eight
Newswire—Attorneys representing two co-plaintiffs, Seven and Eight, filed suit against singer Leslie Feist (stagename Feist) yesterday in Circuit Court. The suit comes nearly one year after the release of Feist’s full length album, The Reminder, which graced many music critics’ “Best of 2007” lists. Although also a member of Canadian rock band Broken Social Scene, Feist is best known for her highest selling song, “1 2 3 4,” which was featured in an Apple iTunes commercial in the summer of 2007. It is this song that sparked the lawsuit from Seven and Eight, as well as an injunction to stop... read more
New York Comic Con 2008
To use the words of renowned Avengers and Ultimate Spiderman scribe Brian Michael Bendis, comic books are no longer “the red-headed stepchild” of all media. To see this first hand, one needs only witness the media frenzy that is New York Comic Con 2008. As a life-long devotee to the format, these hybrid press conferences/flea markets/cult celebrations inject a steady stream of fanboy glee into me akin to the gamma-radiated adrenaline that sends The Incredible Hulk into rampages. Apparently, I’m not the only one- the comic medium has transformed into an intellectual property gold rush, with film studios... read more
Kate and Martha Take the CMT Awards
My mom and I love pop-country, so we made a road trip to Nashville this week for the CMT Music Awards, hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Hannah Montana. I mean Miley Cyrus. Mom and I compiled a list of highlights and lowlights from the event. HIGHLIGHTS: 1. 18-year-old Taylor Swift, won the big buckle (buckle!) for Video of the Year, as well as Female Video of the Year, for her hit “Our Song.” (Fact: She wrote the song for her ninth-grade talent show.) 2. Sugarland won duo video of the year for their sloooow and saaaad song... read more
Mötley Crüe’s Important Announcement Live Blog
Tonight, Mötley Crüe, the most important band in the world, will present the most important announcement ever. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. The band has already revolutionized music, literature, and umlaut usage, so it’s safe to say that its upcoming announcement foretells something greater. Will Mötley Crüe be the first band to colonize space? Will it finally resolve tensions in the Middle East? Will it reverse global climate change with an innovative cap-and-trade policy? At 7 PM, all will be revealed. Stay tuned as Paste brings you a live blog of the most important announcement ever. 6:50: The... read more
When life sends you moldy lemons…
By Julia Reidy; Photos by Mary Robbins As a national music magazine, we receive approximately 1.4 quillion promotional CDs each year in the office. For the most part, the dozens of bubble mailers that arrive every day keep it short and sweet. Inside, we find a CD, a one-sheet band bio (with release date and contact info, please!!! Keep Paste‘s interns happy!), and very little else. It’s true that after hundreds, these mostly start to appear the same, and that occasionally, adding something gimmicky does catch our eye. Like when a band sent a 3-D performance photo and a pair... read more
New York Comes to Atlanta
Last night, tiny but charming Atlanta dive the Star Bar hosted the best triple bill I’ve seen since Bright Eyes, Feist and The Magic Numbers played the Georgia Theatre in Athens in 2005. Hymns, Spottiswoode & His Enemies and The Teenage Prayers—three lesser-known but amazingly talented bands from New York—impressed every step of the way, each offering its unique sound to the small but enthusiastic PBR-swilling crowd (about half of which was comprised of band members). I walked into the club just after 10 p.m. to the powerful white indie soul of The Teenage Prayers (pictured above). I’d first discovered... read more
