Black Keys Review

Latest review for the Denver Post. Black Keys "Brothers. Enjoy

http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2010/06/02/cd-reviews-jack-johnson-the-black-keys/

That's Shocking!

So I went to a dinner party last night. A small affair, one of those where you only know the hosts. Suprisingly, the conversation flowed very well, with few awkward pauses and moments of silence. You know those moments where there is nothing to say so you blurt out something like, “boy it has been hot lately.”

Anyway, we are eatting dinner and somehow the topic of the shocker came up. If you do know what that is, I am not explaining it here as I do my best to keep away the weirdos. If only I could remember how the shocker came up in common table conversation, undoubtedly this would be another great story. I am sitting next to this woman and she begins sharing about how she was traumatized after a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. As she was walking down Bourbon Street she looked up just in time to catch a woman give herself the shocker to the raucous crowd below. Let’s just say this little story was enough to silence the table.

After a couple of moments of silent aw, the majority of the table was amazed, not in a negative way, that she had seen this. It was like someone had announced that they had seen a 4 leaf clover, it is a once in a life time kind of thing. I could not help but laugh as that was the only conversation of the entire evening that brought everyone together and engaged.

Whenever I receive invites to dinner parties, I always imagine a bunch of individuals sitting around a table drinking wine and actively discussing art or movies or politics or some other high brow subject. Dinner parties almost never work out this way. Last night, I was sitting around a picnic table, drinking beer and discussing the shocker. It was one of the better dinner parties I have attended.

Send out the Clown

I read an article today about a group that is trying to pressure McDonald’s into retiring Ronald McDonald. Do people not have better things to do with their time and money? Just for the record I am a total hater. Their food is garbage and I do not know how anyone who works in corporate can sleep at night knowing their cost cutting is killing people. Opinions aside, when do we stop blaming cartoon characters, celebrities and athletes for issues involving personal responsibility.

The issue is not Ronald McDonald it is that we are overweight and do not have the willpower to say no. We as Americans feel entitled to literally have our cake and eat it too. I am tired of these stories about how fast food has made us fat; we have made ourselves fat. It is as easy as saying, “no, I am not going to eat that because I deserve better.” Fast food exists because we buy it, in gobs.

Instead of wasting money on getting rid of a clown why not do something to make produce more affordable and available in the communities that need it. Get rid of the food desserts and make natural fruits and vegetables something that can be enjoyed by everyone, not simply the top 10 percent. The only real way out of this obesity epidemic is for people to decide they want to make a change. That to me is the saddest thing; we are dying at an alarming rate due to what we eat and fast food restaurant continue to thrive because we do not feel that we deserve better.

Assignment

So I recently started doing some freelance writing for the major newspaper in town. Nothing big just album and show reviews. Still, I am really stoked about it and it is an awesome opportunity. It is kind of funny though because when I wrote for different music sites people did not seem to make as much of a stink. What really caught me off guard was my dad sent me a copy of a cd of one of his friend's band's. He had told the friend that I did reviews and the guy wanted me to check it out. This is a total trap. Before listening to the album I knew that this was trouble.

I listened to the album for the first time today and I could not make it through song six. I do not think I made it through a full track. The song writing was cliched to the point where I found myself singing the next word well before the lead singer did. Well now I am trapped. My biggest hope is that I am not asked what I thought. It is not very good but I still do not want to be rude to a family friend. One of my friend's suggested publishing a really scathing review, just to send a message. I am not going to do that but the musical snob side of me agrees. If I were to write a good review for this album, I could basically guarantee that I would not be allowed to review even the local childrens choir (who I am sure is quite good).

Instead I will not give a truthful opinion, I will deflect. There will be a time and place for me to tell the truth about my thoughts on the album but now is not it. I should be able to buy myself a little time. My dad does not live in the same city as me and is easily distracted by sports talk. Now my job is to think of natural transitions from music to sports. Baseball is coming and should provide me plenty of ammunition.

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

Looks like the release date for the new the Gaslight Anthem’s album American Slang is June 15th. They have also put a track list and the first single American Slang on their Myspace page. Check it out. These guys are fantastic.

Gaslight Anthem Myspace

Industrialize This

I have been reading the book "The Omnivores Dilemma." It did not hit me over the head how much that book had changed my point of view until I was in Target last night. No wonder our society is so unhealthy, soda, chips and other snacks have entire aisles dedicated to them. Try and find some fruits or vegetables and you are dealing with an area that is barely the size of a quarter of an isle. I am really sick of hearing the talking heads (not the band) go on and on about the poor food choices people are making. You go into a standard grocery store and make some reasonable choices. Since food companies are allowed to use additives that have no nutritional value when processing food, it should be no surprise that people are not getting proper nutrition.

I do not let individuals off the hook here. It is everyone's responsibility to make good choices. What do you do if you live below the poverty line and it is cheaper to buy low grade meat and additive laced snacks than it is to buy fruits and vegetables? I simply wish large food corporations would hold themselves to a higher standard. There is absolutely no reason why higher quality food cannot be produced.

-End Rant-

Meant to Be

My entire life I have been preached to about the importance of finding what it is I am meant to do. Truth be told, I turn 29 in a week and I am undecided. I would rather take take the physical challenge than try to answer this question. There are a lot of things I am passionate about, education, nutrition, gardening, music but passion and meaning are to completely different things. Take for example education. I am passionate about every kid having an equal opportunity for the best educational experience availible but I am not meant to be a teacher. My wife is a teacher. I love her school stories but there is no way that I could deal with kids all day.

Right now, I am on the track of rather than finding what I am meant to do, finding something I am good at that I is satisfying enough. Many have told me it sounds like I am happy settling. This is not true, settling would be working in a job you hate for your entire career and never attempting to make a change. I just stating that it is okay to find something that you somewhat enjoy to do. It does not have to be the perfect gig but if it gets you by then why not. I am confident that one day I will be in my meant to be job. I simply wish teachers would not make it sound like you are falling behind if you do not have everything figured out right away.