A few of Mrs. Dude's favorite things...

Cabin Fever, ftw!

2011-02-07T09:10:00.003-06:00

Erin McKeown, who is one of my favorite artists, has a series of webcasted live concerts called Cabin Fever.

The first four episodes of Cabin Fever were done in conjunction with the release of her latest album, Hundreds of Lions. She lives in a cabin and performed each of the episodes at various places on her property. My favorite was the episode where she performed acoustic covers of songs about water from the middle of her river. Seriously.

The thing that I admire most about McKeown is her fearless, DIY approach to making music. She self-released her first record, Monday Morning Cold, and toured to promote it without the help (financial and otherwise) of a major label. Hundreds of Lions, McKeown's sixth studio album, was released on Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe records, and McKeown used Cabin Fever as a way to help pay for the record.

Fast forward to SuperBowl Sunday.

McKeown announced that she would be doing a fifth installment of Cabin Fever, this time with a sports theme. And it was awesome. She started with the National Anthem (done a billion times better than Xtina, btw) that was followed by a ridiculously awesome cover of Kurtis Blow's Basketball.

Cabin Fever V lasted for about 50 minutes and featured appearances by several guests including Carrie Rodriguez, Scott McCaughey, and Ryan Montbleau. Montbleau's song about the four most hated players in the NFL was both awesomely performed and seriously funny. You can watch it here. And you should.

McKeown closed the show with her own version of the hip hop hit Green and Yellow. It was about the most adorable thing I'd ever seen. You can see it on her blog. And you should.

All in all, Cabin Fever V was a great way to kickoff SuperBowl Sunday. All of the Cabin Fever episodes, including this one, are available for viewing.

ps--If you live in the StL, you can see Ms. McKeown along with Carrie Rodriguez and Mary Gauthier on Feburary 14th at the Old Rock House as part of the Acoustic Cafe Tour.

Book news a-go-go

2011-02-04T10:42:00.004-06:00

Two book-related things worth mentioning:

First:
Do you own an ereader? I do. The Dude cashed in a bunch of AmEx points to buy me a Nook in a a Gift of the Magi-esque turn of events for which I am forever grateful to him.

I spent a lot of time considering what kind of e-reader I wanted. I rarely buy books anymore since I can get most of what I want to read through MPOW. I sometimes have to wait to read a just-released book, but there are very few books for which this is a deal breaker. So when I was thinking about buying an e-reader, I knew that I would want to have one that was compatible with Overdrive books which do DRM management through Adobe Editions.

This blog post at ProfHacker caught my attention because it talks about Calibre, a piece of software which allows you to convert ebooks from their native format to whatever format your e-reader requires. As long as the title in question passes the DRM sniff-test, you're good to go.

Second:
NPR Books is doing a virtual books club with Unbroken, Laura 'Seabiscuit' Hillenbrand's new book that they're calling a "a book-club-meets-social-media experiment."

Virtual book clubs aren't new--the Onion AV Club does a really cool one. What sets this apart, though, is that the author is involved with this one. Hillenbrand is doing interviews, Q&As, and a live chat through the course of the month.

If you're interested in jumping into the chatter, you can get all the details here. This post gives you everything you need to get started and directs you to the NPR Books' Facebook page and Twitter hashtag so you can start chatting.

I'm going to pick up Hillenbrand's book today so that I can be part of the awesomeness.

Resolved: You're not sunk. Yet.

2011-02-02T13:26:00.005-06:00

If you're into making New Year's resolutions, the beginning of February is, historically-speaking, a time to pat yourself on the back or to sound the death knell on your dreams of a life transformed.

According to two really interesting blog posts (one is health related; one comes from the Harvard Business Review) I read today, you might want to hold off on declaring those resolutions dead if you're truly interested in transformation.

MizFit suggests that we take our Big Hairy Audacious Goals for the year and break them down into bite-size pieces. She points out that doing that makes them seem less scary and, thus, more attainable. She also lays out an example of how to do it.

The Harvard Business Review piece suggests that we think about our Big Hairy Audacious Goals more specifically. How exactly will we change that thing that needs changing and how will we know when our work is done? The piece also suggests that we use a technique called mental contrasting which, essentially, makes us all warm and fuzzy (what cool things can we expect as a result of reaching our goals?) while making us think realistically about what it will take for us to achieve our goals.

The New Year is a good time for making resolutions, but I know that not everybody does it that way. I feel like the concepts in these two pieces are good no matter when you decide to pursue a change in your life.

The two take-away points for me are this:
1. Just because you didn't make huge strides on your resolutions doesn't mean you can't regroup and start over. There's nothing wrong with adjusting your plans after figuring out why you haven't been able to make progress on your goals.

2. Good goals are concrete and measurable and have mini-milestones along the way. Knowing the ways in which you wish your life were different is a good starting point for change. As un-glamorous as it seems, building in markers for assessment makes it easier to figure out when you've met the goal and whether you're moving closer to it. Celebrating mini-milestones is one thing I need to be better about, especially when a goal will take a long time to achieve.

What about you? Are you doing well on keeping your New Year's resolutions? Got any tips?

In which Mrs. Dude eats her words

2011-01-31T09:57:00.004-06:00

Disclaimer: This isn't a proper review of either the new Decemberists album(The King is Dead) or the new Bright Eyes album (The People's Key).

I've had pretty clear views on both The Decemberists and Bright Eyes for a while now. Which is to say, I don't really dig on either of them.

I'm a simple girl with simple tastes in music. I like bands who play really good, really fun music. My favorite bands right now are The Hold Steady and Drive-By Truckers. And though both are making awesome music, neither is doing much to reinvent the proverbial rock-n-roll wheel.

I have never liked bands who created music that struck me as both too concept-y and not very well executed. Do something weird with style and I'll give you mad props even if I don't really like you--after all, Kanye West's newest release made my Best of 2010 list.

On first listen, new releases from both The Decemberists and Bright Eyes have really resonated with me. I think the reason that I'm enjoying both of these is that, at their core, they're both really good rock records.

The moral of the story, I think, is that you have to be open to being surprised by music or risk missing really good stuff.

Top 10 albums of 2010

2011-01-01T13:39:00.003-06:00

They say that what you do on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing the most during the upcoming year, so I'm blogging.

2010 was an awesome year in music, especially when compared to 2009. There are a few albums on the horizon for 2011 that I'm jazzed about (R.E.M. and Drive-By Truckers come to mind immediately). But let's pause for a moment to give 2010 its due.

My top ten albums of 2010:

10. Treats by Sleigh Bells
I wanted to dislike this album, but it was so good that I couldn't. See, I'm a lyrics person, and you can't really hear the lyrics on this album. Musically, speaking, it's amazing. And I think that's what eventually made me fall in love with it. It is literally what happens when a hardcore band crosses with a pop star. Miller's heavy beats provide just the right counter-point to Krauss' light, airy vocals. It took me a few listens, but it finally broke me down.

9. Childish Gambino--I am just a rapper 1 and 2
Donald Glover might be better known for his turn as Troy on the NBC sitcom Community. But Glover's talents extend far beyond his turn as a writer (30 Rock), a comic, and an actor. In 2010, Glover released three albums under the "stage name" Childish Gambino. The two that caught my eye were the "I am just a rapper" mixtapes. On these recordings, Glover raps over indie songs from bands like Sleigh Bells, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, and St. Vincent. His talent is nothing short of epic, especially when you consider that his music is self-produced and given away at no charge. Glover's rhymes are wittier and better conceived than Drake, to whom I often compare him. So if you're thinking of buying Drake's album, save the money and get better rhymes.

8. The Hold Steady--Heaven is Whenever
Finn and co. return with an album full of twisted tales and catchy melodies. If Constructive Summer is about growing older, Heaven is Whenever seems to me to be about redemption. This isn't my favorite THS album (Boys and Girls in America earns that honor), but it's really good. And it's totally worth a listen. From "The Weekenders," a down-tempo wistful ditty to "Rock Problems," an up-tempo song with a catchy hook, Heaven is Whenever is a rock'n'roll album with few missteps. As an aside, part of the reason that THS earned this spot on my list is that I saw them live in November in Columbia, Mo. and they were awesome.

7. Gorillaz--Plastic Beach
I have never really loved anything by Gorillaz. They seemed like too much of a novelty act for my taste. But, on Plastic Beach, the novelty works to their advantage. Heavy on guest artists, including Snoop Dog and Mos Def, this albums treks from whimsy (Superfast jellyfish) to sober (Plastic Beach) and back.

6. Drive-By Truckers--The Big To-Do
I will admit that DBT is currently my favorite act, so I might have given this album a lower spot on my list. As much as I thought this album worked well as individual tracks, it didn't always work as an album. It felt disjointed in places as it varied so much in both the tone and tempo of the songs. That being said, all of the songs are awesome. DBT has a knack for writing really great songs that are either alt country or southern rock in their sound. This might not be a starting point for DBT newbies, but it is certainly a wonderful addition to the catalog.

5. Kanye West--My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Okay. I admit it. It's good. If you know my complicated views on Kanye West, you know just how hard it was to admit that. And if I'm honest, this album probably should've been higher on my list. But I can't do it. Nearly every track on this album is perfect. But nearly every track is also self-indulgent. Clearly West is a genius, but his need to be alienating and weird makes me hate him for nearly every reason that I hate modernist authors. My favorite track on this album, hands down, is "Monster." Niki Minaj, channeling Lil' Kim, just kills it.

4. The Black Keys--Brothers
This album got a lot of hype before I finally checked it out. Turns out the hype is not a mistake--i's pretty much perfect from beginning to end. Bluesy and with biting lyrics, this album is one of the gems of 2010.

3. LCD Soundsystem--This is happening
Like Gorillaz, I was never a fan of LCD Soundsystem. But this album made it hard not to love them. Nearly every track on this album is over five minutes. The shortest, Drunk Girls, clocks in at 3:42. The longest, You wanted a hit, is 9:06. Each track is equally dance-able and fun.

2. The Roots--How I got over
My husband talked this album up for nearly 2 months before I was finally willing to give it a listen. I was instantly hooked. This album felt like a mish-mash of formats that fall under the umbrella of "hip-hop," though it didn't feel disjointed or fake. The Roots moved deftly between rap, reggae, and jazz and the album featured guests from John Legend to Joanna Newsom.

1. The National--High violet
I feel like it's anti-climatic to put High violet at the top of my list. Everyone I know talked this album up, and I'm always a little skeptical of an album that is that beloved. But when I finally got around to listening to this album, I knew upon my first listen that it would top my list. 2010 was kind of a crappy year for me, and I often found myself wanting to drown in moody, atmospheric music. High violet is both moody and atmospheric. Even on songs that weren't inherently sad, Matt Berninger's vocals left an introspective and melancholy impression. High violet affected me in a way that no other album did in 2010.

What do you think? Where did I get it wrong? What do you wish had been on this list?

The one where Mrs. Dude blogs about her "real life"

2010-12-15T09:20:00.003-06:00

I realize that it's probably poor form to blog about therapy.

In the course of conversation, my therapist and I agreed that I have a hard time differentiating between choosing to take something on because it's what I want to do and when I take something on to be accepted.

2010 has been a year filled with really amazing highs and really crappy lows. I have been blessed, both personally and professionally, to have lots of awesome opportunities. Among other things, starting in January I'm spending six months in a leadership program put on by the American Library Association.

It seems to me that there are two problems with not being clear on why I choose to add things to my life:
1. I have a lot of things going on--some that I care deeply about and some that I don't. And it's hard to know which is which.
2. I end up not being able to give anything my full attention because I'm so busy doing everything. Doing everything half-assed is not as good as doing some things with my whole ass.

I have a sense of the things that drive me, give me personal satisfaction, and (to be cheesy) nurture me:
--creating: writing, crafting, cooking
--absorbing: reading, watching movies, listening to music
--learning: service to others, professional development, taking classes

I want 2011 to be about personal transformation. I want it to be about becoming clear on what's important to me and learning to say no to the things that I'm not passionate about.

Change is hard. Inertia is easy. But if you're not 100% happy with who you are and 100% satisfied with the life you lead, change is the only answer.

Look for more writing here in the coming year, both review-related and otherwise. And look forward to journeying with me and holding me accountable.

Question: What do you want 2011 to "be about" for you?

Rest assured I was on the internet within minutes registering my displeasure!

2010-08-26T19:39:00.004-06:00

10 observations about the Degrassi: The Boiling Point finale:

Spoilers, ahoy! Don't say I didn't warn you!

1. Generally, I felt like it was kind of 'meh.' They built up to this episode for like a month and that's what we get? I feel like the writers built up to a point when all that was left was to kill Eli but they couldn't do it because everyone liked him too much. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Eli didn't get the 'Rick' treatment or go the way of 'JT,' but for all of the "we go there" boasting that Degrassi does, it felt like they took it 90 yards, but just couldn't take it to the logical end that they were building up to.

2. Eli is totally the new Craig.

3. Drew hooking up with Bianca clearly violates the 'bros before hoes' rule. Drew already has a girlfriend. Or had, maybe, it depends on how mad Alli is at him. Did he forget how Adam was crushing on her? If he did, they might want to check him for football-related brain trauma because it was two episodes ago and he got in a fight over it. Seriously, dude. What's your damage?

4. PS--What's the deal with everybody being hot for Bianca? She's like a skankier, sluttier version of Mia.

5. The HollyJ strip tease? I feel conflicted. I love the HollyJ/Sav pairing even more than the HollyJ/Declan pairing, so I was cheering for them. On the other hand, I feel like the Shark in the Water was actually the shark that Degrassi was jumping in this episode.

6. On the subject of hooking up: What kind of school do these kids go to that they can just run off to the boiler room or the band room to hook up?

7. Zane and Riley totally deserved to win homecoming kings. Who in their right mind ships Alli and Drew? I like the Zane/Riley pairing, and it's nice that we're not playing 'Trapped in the Closet with Riley' anymore. But I feel like Zane and Riley are like two episodes away from turning into the boring couple that Marco and Dylan turned into.

8. If they wanted to up the awkward to 11, they should've crowned Jenna and KC. Hey...where were Jenna and KC in this episode?

9. I love Clare. She's the new, more sympathetic version of Emma. She's adorable, even if she basically ruined everything for everyone for the rest of the season by setting off that ridiculous Rube Goldberg machine-esque chain of events that ended with Fitz not killing Eli. But she did it for Eli, who is pretty much the Lloyd Dobler to her Diane Court.

10. I miss Declan. When is Declan coming back?

10 observations about Degrassi: The Boiling Point

2010-08-10T14:33:00.004-06:00

My love for Degrassi: The Next Generation is deep. I've watched it from the beginning (I know I'm 31. Shut up.) and kind of lost interest midway through last season. But since you can take a break from Degrassi, but you can never truly quit it, I got sucked back in this Summer.

Teen Nick is doing this Telanovela-style airing of of Season 10 and calling it "Degrassi: The Boiling Point," which shall be known from this point on as DTBP. I'm lazy...that's why.

If you watched the promos for DTBP, you heard them say that it's leading up to the most explosive thing that's ever happened at Degrassi.

*record scratch*

Seriously? Did you forget about that time that JT got stabbed? Or what about the time that Rick shot ~~Jimmy~~ ~~Drake~~ Jimmy?

Seriously DTPB...you need to bring it to top the drama of the past 9 seasons.

Anyway, I have a few observations I'd like to make. There are DTBP spoilers in here, so tread lightly if you aren't caught up.

Ahem...

1. Claire is the new Emma. I guess this means that Eli is the new Sean. And yet...that doesn't quite feel right. Either way, I want Eli to put the moves on Claire so badly that it hurts. I yell at my TV every time they're in a scene together and he doesn't kiss her.

2. Ali is the new Manny. Which makes Drew the new Craig, I guess. I can see that, kinda, except that Craig is cute and plays the guitar which totally makes up for the fact that he's kind of a jerk sometimes.

3. I'm ready for Riley to come out already. I know he's all 'I can't play football and be openly gay,' but dude...Dylan played hockey and and was out. And hockey is way more popular in Canada than football.

*spoiler alert! spoiler alert!*

4. I totally called the upcoming storyline about Adam. As in, I texted a friend and said 'Adam is trans, right?'

5. I don't care about KC at all. Or Jenna.

6. I like Sav. I hope that he gets some better storylines ASAP. Between the fake pregnancy and the stolent truck, he is heading toward Toby territory. And we know how that turned out.

7. I lied. Drew isn't the new Craig--Declan is. He's a messed up hottie with (I think) a heart of gold.

8. I also don't really care about Dave and his two sidekicks. I care so little about them, in fact, that I don't even know their names.

9. I feel like Fiona is the newer, richer version of Alex. I keep waiting for her to make out with Holly J. Because, of course, Holly J is the new Paige.

10. Who is that one girl who kind of looks like Mia? Yeah...I still don't know.

Craft Leftovers

2010-07-26T08:46:00.002-06:00

I aspire to be significantly more crafty than I currently am. I also aspire to live more sustainably than I currently do.

I suspect this is why Kristin Roach's blog, Craft Leftovers, appeals to me so much.

Craft Leftovers is all about being creative and crafty with the space and things you already have. The life that Roach advocates for is thrifty, it's sustainable, and it's awesome.

Roach doesn't just focus on crafty stuff. She talks about how to make one's space more aesthetically pleasing and how to make stuff to solve everyday problems. She also focuses on how to be more thrifty in the kitchen.

Craft Leftovers is peppered with tutorials and at least once a week I'm inspired to try something new.

If you're crafty, thrifty, eco-friendly, or just looking for some inspiration, I encourage you to give Craft Leftovers a look-see.

Be the change you want to see

2010-07-23T09:31:00.004-06:00

Being a teenager sucks. A lot. I am not so far removed from my teenage years that I have magically forgotten how hard it was to be me as a teenager.

The thing I remember most vividly about my teenage experience was that I was sure that I was the only person feeling how I felt. I was sure that my classmates had it together and that I was the only one falling apart on the inside. I assumed that my pain was different, was special.

When I heard the premise of MTV's new series, If you really knew me, it is being kind to say that I was skeptical.

BTW--If you want a cool recap/review of If you really knew me, I recommend KBestOliver's review at Mamapop. She put it better than I ever could.

MTV is known for shows that exploit the pain of teenagers(16 and Prenant, anyone?) or glorify bratty teenagers' love for excess (I'm looking at you, My Super Sweet 16). So why would a show that chronicles the experiences of teenagers as they go through Challenge Day be any less exploitative?

The thing is, MTV found a way to melt my icy, jaded heart with this show and I think it has more to do with the awesomeness that is "Challenge Day" than in MTV's careful treatment of the experience of Challenge Day participants.

The Challenge Day experience speaks to me for three reasons:
1. It gives students permission to stop feeling shame. The students do an exercise called 'If you really knew me' where they get to tell the people in their group what it's like to be them. It doesn't really matter what you're going through or how your pain compares to the person sitting next to you. The exercise gives students the chance to speak their truths. And naming your pain is the first step to turning off the shame that resonates inside of you.

2. It teaches students that they are not the only ones experiencing the things they're going through. The students do an exercise called 'Crossing the line' where the Challenge Day facilitator reads a series of statements and students are asked to cross the line that is taped to the floor if that statement applies to them. Crossing the line shows students that there are people in their school who face the same demons that they do. And those who don't cross the line are encouraged to flash the sign for 'love' to show support for those whose situations they do not face.

3. It asks students to become the change they want to see in the world. In the first episode, Challenge Day ends with the facilitators asking students what they will do to change their school. Challenge Day assumes that each student has within them the power to affect change and asks students to take responsibility for that power.

I would be lying if I said that this show didn't affect me. And honestly, I don't know how the teenage version of me would've reacted to seeing this show. It certainly appeals to the 31-year-old version of me that passionately believe in Becoming the Change you want to see in this world.

This show filled me with so much love, so much hope, that I forgot it was an MTV joint. Well played, MTV.

What did you think? Did you love it? Hate it?

2010=Made of awesome

2010-07-21T11:25:00.004-06:00

To commemorate how awesome 2010 has been so far in music, I made a list. Want to hear it? Here it goes...

Good:
Gorillaz--Plastic Beach
Neon Trees--Habits
Black Keys--Brothers

Better:
The Hold Steady--Heaven in Whenever
Drive-By Truckers--The Big To-Do

Best:
LCD Soundsystem--This is Happening

The award for most overrated release goes to: Vampire Weekend for Contra, their 'meh' followup to their eponymous debut.

My husband will tell you that I should've put the Big Boi album on my list. Go bug him about putting up his own list and tell him I sent you.

There are some albums that I want to check out but haven't yet:
High violet (The National)
Treats (Sleigh Bells)
White crosses (Against Me)
Shout it out (Hanson--blame The Sound of Young America for this one)
Culdesac (Childish Gambino)

What are your favorite albums of 2010 so far? Leave a comment!

Veronica Mars movie isn't dead yet (it's just sleeping)

2010-04-07T09:24:00.004-06:00

In this blog post by Michael Ausiello, he talks about how a Veronica Mars movie might still be a possibility. Apparently Rob Thomas (the TV dude--not the Matchbox 20 frontman) has a pitch and a treatment and everything.

And, as Thomas points out, the franchise does have an expiration date. Read: Kristen Bell ain't getting any younger. He does talk about how he would be interested in seeing Mars as a grownup which, I suppose, extends the movie's shelf life a little bit.

I don't usually recycle links from the interwebs on my blog, but I wanted to toss this one around a little bit. I loved the first season of Veronica Mars. If you've never seen it, you should. For me, it was the freshest, most inventive show with a teenage lead since My So-Called Life or Freaks and Geeks. Veronica was complex, troubled, and snarky. And I loved her.

I felt way less strongly about Seasons 2 and 3. Without getting all spoilery up in here, I basically felt like Mars was way more detached from both of those "mysteries" than she was with the one in Season 1. Season 2 gave us Mac, played by the lovely Tina Majorino, so it wasn't a total loss.

The idea of a Veronica Mars movie kind of turns my stomach. If I knew it could be as interesting and engaging as Season 1, I'd be down for it. But if it's going to be a good-in-concept trainwreck like the rest of the season, I'd rather just leave the Veronica Mars gang in the past and see Thomas bring a new set of characters to the big screen.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

2010-03-22T07:55:00.002-06:00

I'm not a big fan of the "literary novel." In fact, with few exceptions, I tend to steer clear of them. My taste in literature trends toward the more...inane.

I stumbled across Colm Toibin's Brooklyn, the story of Eilis Lacey's journey from Ireland to Brooklyn and the new life she makes for herself there, quite by accident. And for the first 50 or so pages, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it.

But somewhere along the way, Eilis' story captivated me in a way that I wasn't entirely prepared for.

Eilis' prospects in her hometown of Enniscorthy are few and far between. So when her older sister, Rose, meets Father Flood, a Brooklyn-based priest visiting home, at the golf club, a plan is put into motion for Eilis to move to Brooklyn. Once there, her life begins to flourish in unexpected ways. A job, an education, and a romance all begin to transform Eilis from a meek girl into a capable young lady.

Toibin captures not only the essence of the Irish immigrant experience, but also the development of our young heroine from girl to woman. I'm not a big fan of male authors writing female characters, but Toibin does so with great skill.

A short read at only 262 pages, Brooklyn is well worth the investment of time it would take to read it.

Tegan and Sara achieve Sainthood

2009-10-29T12:08:00.002-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I heard Hell, the first single off this album, while I was in my car. I was kind of in shock at how much it...rocked. I turned it up so loud that my car shook.

In a lot of way, Sainthood is a departure from the sound you're used to hearing from Tegan and Sara. For one thing, there are way more rock and electronica influences. You might attribute the chances they took, sonically, to Chris Walla's production. You might attribute it to Tegan's work with AFI bassist Hunter Burgan. Or you might attribute it to Tegan and Sara's collaboration with Tiesto on his remix of their song 'Back in Your Head.'

The thing that hasn't changed, though, is the way in which the sisters can write a lyric that stops you in your tracks. Gut wrenchingly honest, the duo treks through the muddy, murky waters of the way in which we sacrifice ourselves for those we love and who we hope will love us back.

For me, the aforementioned 'Hell' and the album-closing 'Someday' were the best songs on the album. Other standouts included 'Alligator' (a total earworm) and 'The Ocean' (careful: this catchy chorus is hard to shake). Fans of Tegan and Sara's...folksier sound need not worry. The earnest song 'Sentimental tune,' a track that sounds eerily like their earlier song 'And Darling,' is a throwback track that would fit in on any track from If it was you.

There was only one song that just didn't work for me: Night watch. It wasn't bad, necessarily, but I did think it lacked cohesiveness. And on an album full of standouts, a 'meh' track is hard to ignore.

Overall, I'm a fan of Sainthood. It's totally worth the investment.

White Rabbits at the Firebird: Local-ish boys made good

2009-10-28T12:33:00.002-06:00

If you were at Firebird last night, you got a little taste of the Brooklyn music scene. You also got what felt very much like a homecoming show for the headliner.

White Rabbits, a band who got its start at Mizzou, came across as catchy and technically proficient on their album It's Frightening. The album was good, but if I'm being honest, it struck me as neither exceptional nor memorable.

The show last night blew me away and unseated Matt&Kim for the best show I've seen in 2009.

The short set was tight, and though there were a lot of musicians on stage, their sound wasn't muddy and none of the musicians stepped on each other's toes. They played songs that I recognized from the new album--Percussion Gun, Company I keep, and Midnight and I were standouts--but they also managed to pull out what I could only assume was some older stuff. They were engaging and kept the crowd interested. I rarely say this, but I could've done with a smidge more crowd interaction. The length of the set didn't lend itself to much banter, but they sometimes didn't pause between songs--something that is always a little off-putting for me when I want to clap.

There were two opening acts--one of which I really dug (Suckers) and one of which (Glass Ghost) didn't really work for me.

I give Glass Ghost an 'A' for effort--they played bulk of their set with a singer/keyboard player and a drummer. But the singer just didn't "sell it" in a way that convinced me he was anything more than either disinterested or terrified. I am curious to hear the album, though, to see if their setup works better that way.

I loved (loved!) Suckers. Read this article to get the gist of why they're so awesome. My husband and I thought they sounded a little bit like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah or TV on the Radio. Their music was interesting and their set was tight. Clearly they're skilled musicians, even if I didn't always get what they were doing. They featured 'two' lead vocalists who carried the band through their range of music and a drummer who was amazing.

Overall, it was a fantastic homecoming of sorts with an enthusiastic crowd and skilled musicians.

NPR's All Songs Considered and the Top Songs of Aught Nine...so far

2009-10-23T11:54:00.004-06:00

I just finished listening to the All Songs Considered podcast from July (yes...July!) where they asked listeners to vote on their top songs and albums of 2009 at that point.

The top 5 songs were:
1. My girls by Animal Collective
2. Two weeks by Grizzly Bear
3. Blood bank by Bon Iver
4. The Rake's song by The Decemberists
5. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

If you want to see the whole list, go here. The blog also has clips from some of these songs.

I couldn't really argue with the list. I mean, I don't really dig on Animal Collective, but that song was pretty hot. I might've put the Bon Iver song closer to the top and I would've had a Phoenix track or something by Passion Pit in the Top 5 (on the podcast, Liztomania was no. 6 but on the blog it's no. 5).

Anyway...check it out if you're interested.

Mike Doughty at the Duck Room

2009-10-19T10:11:00.003-06:00

This is a 'things I love' blog. As such, I don't spend much time dwelling on things that suck. It's just more fun for me, the author, to write about those things that are awesome. And the more fun it is for me to write, the more fun it is for you to read.

That having been said, I have to start out this review by saying that this concert "experience" was the worst I've ever had. There were these guys standing behind me that would. not. shut. up. Seriously...for the entire show, they were either talking really loudly or singing really loudly. And no amount of looks or subtle 'hey...do you mind?' comments would shut them up. They were hell bent on being "those guys" at this show. They were clearly fans of Doughty because they knew all the words to all the songs. Doughty himself even had to ask the audience to 'take it down a level' not once but twice.

The best part of the evening was when the lady next to me lost her shit and yelled at Doughty.

The exchange went something like this:
Lady: Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Huh?
Lady (slower): Do you ever go to someone's job and take the broom out of their hands?
Doughty: Uh...no?
Lady: Those guys (pointing behind her) are stealing your broom, Dude.

The guys didn't get booted, but at least her public shaming shut them up for five seconds. I would love to buy this lady a beer. Do you know her?

That having been said, the show was pretty awesome. I think the venue wasn't quite right, but Mike Doughty and Scrap were awesome. It was a "Question Jar" show, which meant that Doughty played acoustic guitar and his only accompaniment was Andrew 'Scrap' Livingston on the cello or bass guitar. It also means that the audience got to submit questions which Doughty and Scrap answered during the course of the evening.

Turns out that Doughty won't play at your wedding, loves cherry sno cones, would go to the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair in a Time Machine, loves Steinbeck, and only sometimes misses the drugs. Also, he's still f***ing that chicken.

The limitations of playing an acoustic set meant that Doughty had to make careful choices about which songs he could tackle. Some of his catalog just doesn't stand up to that kind of limitation. But he did pull out a couple of surprises--top among them was Saint Louise is Listening. He also played a lot of songs you'd expect him to play in a setting like that--Janine, Unsingable name, Madeline and Nine, I Hear the Bells. He pimped the new album, playing about half of it. Standouts included (He's got the) Whole World (in His hands) and (You should be) Doubly (Gratified).

Staying true to his roots, his "fake last song" before the encore was from his Soul Coughing days--Soft Serve--and was, for my money, the highlight of the evening.

I was worried about the Question Jar element of the evening. Stage banter is good, but only if the person doing it is witty enough to make you care. Good singers, it is my experience, aren't always great at banter. It was nice, though, the way that Scrap and Doughty managed to interact and answer questions thoughtfully.

I think the Duck Room wasn't a great venue for this show. I'd never been there before but some frustrated post-show tweets lead me to believe that it isn't a good venue for bands who want the quiet, intimate show that a space that small has the potential to provide. I'm not sure, though, what would've been better. Off Broadway, perhaps? The only thing I know for sure is that I will probably not go back to the Duck Room any time soon.

Overall, a good show. Not a great show, but that was more to do with the venue and the concert goers than the performer.

Erin McKeown's Hundreds of Lions

2009-10-13T13:13:00.004-06:00

Erin McKeown's new album, Hundreds of Lions, is something I've been anticipating for a while. Recorded without support from a major label on the front end, this is McKeown's first album of original music since 2005's We Will Become Like Birds and her first collaboration with Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe.

One thing I really appreciate about McKeown as an artist is her capacity to challenge me as a listener. Her new album, Hundreds of Lions, is no exception. The creative freedom that comes from not having having major label support is evident from all of the risks that McKeown takes. And I, for one, dig it.

Always lyrically nimble, McKeown spends a lot of this album experimenting sonically. The first time through, the rich arrangements threw me. Strings, a drum machine, and birds all serve as accompaniment on tracks throughout the album.

Even with a more complex sound, McKeown is very meticulous in making sure that nothing is extraneous. And after a second listen, I could see that every instrument added a necessary layer of richness and depth to songs with inspired lyrics.

McKeown seems to have found a comfortable home among the songs she covered on Sing You Sinners. Though original tunes, standouts like To a Hammer, The Lions, and The Rascals all could've been covers of long-ago written standards. And McKeown shines when she's playing witty, carefully crafted songs with a vintage feel.

For my money, though, the best track is You, Sailor. Previously released on McKeown's live album, Lafayette, the studio version takes an already beautiful song and breathes new life into it.

It may take you more than one listen to crack through its shell, but I assure you that Hundreds of Lions is worth the work.

Best music of Aught Nine...so far?

2009-10-08T07:57:00.003-06:00

For the past couple of years, The Dude and I have done a "best music of the year" list. And every year, December rolls around and I feel like there's so much music I haven't listened to.

So let me break it down for you.

So far, I've enjoyed:
Grand--Matt&Kim
Fantasies--Metric
Sad Man Happy Man--Mike Doughty
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix--Phoenix
It's frightening--White Rabbits
Manners--Passion Pit

October's new releases that I'm excited about:
Hundreds of Lions--Erin McKeown
Sainthood--Tegan and Sara

So here's the question: What have you loved that isn't on this list?

Leave a comment and fill me in.

Music for running

2009-09-24T11:13:00.003-06:00

I am constantly trying to craft the best playlist to run to. See...I don't like running very much.

Well, that's not entirely true.

I do enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I feel when I finish and run. And I like how running makes the numbers on the scale get smaller.

But when I run, I get bored. I am not one of those people who goes to some blissful, zen place when they run. I don't think through problems. I don't think *anything* beyond how quickly I want to be done running.

So I need music that is both upbeat and lyrically interesting so that I distract myself from how bored I am and focus on being in the moment.

My newest playlist:
Lisztomania--Phoenix
Daylight--Matt&Kim
Absolutely Still--BTE
Little Secrets--Passion Pit
Yeah Yeah--Matt&Kim
Sick Muse--Metric
Satellite Skin--Modest Mouse
Lasso--Phoenix
Good Ol'Fashioned Nightmare--Matt&Kim
Gold Guns Girls--Metric
Golden Age--TV on the Radio
Off That--Jay-Z feat. Jimmy (well..Drake--I refuse to call him that, though)
All in--BTE

I am going to take this for a test drive tonight and see how it works.

Matt and Kim: Heroes of New Sincerity

2009-08-24T10:03:00.003-06:00

Okay, so there's this phenomenon known as "New Sincerity."

Basically, New Sincerity thumbs its nose at postmodern cynicism. It's an oversimplified explanation, but it'll do. Most notably, New Sincerity has been linked to Jesse Thorn's show The Sound of Young America. Heroes of the New Sincerity include Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Shaq.

I went to see the band Matt and Kim last night, and walked away believing that they, too, could be considered Heroes of the New Sincerity. Two musicians from Brooklyn, Matt and Kim seemed to be having the time of their lives as they danced, handclapped, and crowd surfed their way through their hour-long set.

If you've heard the Bacardi ad that features the song 'Daylight,' you've heard Matt and Kim. And though their second album is way more polished than their first, the song clip in the ad gives you the basic idea of who they are.

The set was tight and featured a ton of songs while, at the same time, making room for banter that rivals that of Banter Queens Tegan and Sara. Highlights included the aforementioned Daylight as well as Kim singing on Lessons Learned, a song they debuted at last night's show.

The band seemed genuinely overwhelmed that they had such a large crowd (300+) show up for the show. They made every effort to keep it clean for the kidlets in the audience (as an aside: who takes elementary aged kids to an all-ages show on a school night? Matt and Kim didn't even go on until 10!) and they put themselves on risers on the stage so that people in the back of the club could see them.

The show ended with an impromptu dance party and the band sticking around to take pictures with the horde of starstruck fans.

At first, I couldn't imagine that Matt and Kim were sincere. They were so...happy. And energetic. I was sure this was an indie rock joke that I just didn't get. I was sure that they were jaded hipsters who would reveal their true selves before the set was over. The thing is, as the set went on I grew more confident that they really were sincere. They just really love playing music and they love the fans who come to their show.

So, in conclusion, Matt and Kim are awesome. And heroes of the New Sincerity.

Flipping the script

2009-08-13T10:18:00.003-06:00

One of my friends is feeling frustrated about something in her life. She is feeling this intense feeling of being stuck in a situation that she doesn't like and isn't sure how to change it.

Before we go any further, this isn't one of those stories where "My friend is" is actually code for "I am."

She wrote an email to a group of her friends that laid out all of things about this situation that frustrate her. Then she wrote another email that flipped the script, so to speak, and set out some short term (1-2 years) and long term (2-4 years) goals as well as what she ultimately wanted the situation to look like.

I was struck by how simple this re-framing was and yet how brilliant.

How often do I feel like a situation is both sucktastic and beyond my control? A lot. How often do I see how a situation can be changed and what I can do to change it? Not often.

As a related matter, in a meeting yesterday, a colleague spoke at length about "outcomes assessment" in which she discussed the concept of writing outcomes.

Outcomes, she stated, are desired changes in behavior, attitude, or skills.

The formula she presented for writing an outcome:

Verb/action phrase + "in order to" + Why = Outcome

An example:
Complete couch to 5K program in order to successfully run 3 miles.

So what do these two ideas have to do with one another?

I sometimes feel like I choose to believe that a situation is beyond my control instead of looking for ways I can change it. The next time I feel frustrated at how stuck I feel, I need to stop and consider what I want the situation to ultimately look like (using my handy-dandy outcome-writing skill) and then set short and long-term goals to get from where I am now to where I want to be.

What do you wish was different? How can you work to change it?

Concert review: BTE at the Pageant

2009-07-27T11:48:00.003-06:00

I was nineteen the first time I saw Better Than Ezra. I was a sophomore in college and they were touring behind How does your garden grow. It was an epic show that ended with them playing an acoustic set in the parking lot because the sound in the venue was terrible. I feel in love with Kevin, Tom, and Travis and have been a BTE junkie ever since.

On Saturday night, I saw Better Than Ezra for the ninth time at the Pageant. Nine times of seeing one band over eleven years seems staggering, right?

The long and short of it is, I'm not as young as I used to be. And, honestly, neither is BTE.

The biggest change to the band is new drummer, Michael Jerome, who made his StL debut on Saturday night. Travis McNabb, the band's long-time drummer, left the band to tour with Sugarland. Jerome, who certainly has mad drumming skillz, brings a different flavor to the band. McNabb's larger-than-life persona and tendency toward the flashy were replaced by Jerome's understatedness. In my mind, it moved BTE from feeling like a trio toward feeling like a duo with a touring keyboardist and drummer.

The band opened with Turn on the bright lights, the hallmark of how far the band has come in the 20 years they've been making music. A mid-tempo rock song, Turn on the bright lights is a 'nothing special' kind of tune that gets new life breathed into it when played live. For whatever you can say about how lame Better Than Ezra has become, you can hardly question their skills at playing live. They have the audience in the palm of their collective hand from the first note to the last chord.

The first three songs featured a very distracted Kevin. He was having problems with the amp, and he flat out didn't sing about 1/3 of Misunderstood. I would've preferred that they stop the show for a minute rather than this half-assed attempt to keep the show going despite technical difficulties.

The band finally got its act together and played an impressive show filled with songs from Paper Empire, some older hits, and some quirky covers. I would've preferred more songs from How does your garden grow and Closer, but a die hard fan always leaves wanting more, right?

All in all, BTE has lost a half-step over the past few years, but proved they can still get a crowd up and moving.

Set list:
Turn on the bright lights
Good
Misunderstood
All in
Extraordinary feat. Sexy Back (cover--Justin Timberlake)
Absolutely still
King of New Orleans
Sincerely Me
Get you in
Live again
Boom boom pow interlude feat. Michael Jerome's drumming
Nightclubbing
Laid (cover--James song)
Juicy feat. Miss You (cover--Rolling Stones)
Desperately wanting

Encore 1 (just Kevin--acoustic):
Jolene (cover--Ray LaMontagne)
Porcelain

Encore 2 (entire band):
Just one day
Let my love open the door (cover--Pete Townsend)
In the blood feat. Song 2 (cover--Blur)

When it's time to change...

2009-06-24T13:14:00.003-06:00

This one comes straight out of the 'keeping it real' file.

I did South Beach Diet for a while, but it's safe to assume I've fallen off that wagon.

I got tired of eating (and not eating) the same things all the time and I kept justifying my sneaks and treats. And, honestly, I bent the rules until they broke.

I'm not gaining any more weight, but I'm also not losing.

So, I figure I have two options:

1)Abandon SBD altogether and adhere strictly to a restricted-calorie diet.
2) Get back on the SBD wagon, starting with a 2-week Phase I "detox."

I'm trying to weigh my options pretty carefully (no pun intended).

I heard myself telling someone today that my change in lifestyle is about making choices and giving some things up to have other things. But I'm realistically starting to wonder what I'm giving up of late. It seems, more and more, like I've been justifying things more than giving them up.

As I see myself settling into a weight that is significantly higher than my goal weight, I know things have to change.

No. 3: A portrait of the artist as a young man by James Joyce

2009-06-23T09:07:00.002-06:00

James Joyce's kinda sorta autobiography-disguided-as-a-novel comes in on our charts at number 3.

Stephen Dedalus wants to be an artist, but there's one BIG thing standing in his way: he's Catholic. And it's hard, in early 20th century Ireland, to be both Catholic and an artist. But Stephen? He's gonna make it after all.

This novel is told in 5 vignettes that stand together as a loosely linear narrative. My favorite vignette by far was the one where Stephen hears a hellfire-and-brimstone sermon and decides to repent of all his sins including but not limited to prostitute patronage.

I realize this all comes off as super glib, but I only kind of mean it that way. Because, while Portrait might be influential in the 20th century, there are far "better" books on this list. Or, perhaps, books I liked better.

The Modern Library Top 100 challenge

2009-06-23T09:03:00.004-06:00

On the eve of my 30th birthday, I decided to start reading (or, in some cases, re-reading) the Top 100 novels of the 20th century as determined by the board of the Modern Library.

I'm not sure what prompted me to do this other than the fact that I have not read a lot of the classics. The idea of reading 20th century classics seemed appealing to me.

I usually don't break 50 novels a year, so I figure it'll take the first two years of my 30s to read all of these books.

I'm going to post my thoughts on each novel I read as well as keep track of what I've read in the sidebar.

You, yes you...

2009-06-10T11:35:00.003-06:00

We are fixed
We are fixed
We are fixed right where we stand
--The view, Modest Mouse

I have lost 30 pounds in the last 9 months. I've also gained a lot of perspective on how little power we, as people, think we have.

Today, someone who hadn't seen me since April said "you've lost a lot of weight. You look great."

My initial reaction was to think about how to deflect that compliment.

I'm not at my goal weight. I haven't been eating the way I should lately. I haven't been running as often as I should lately. And I've been in the 150s since March.

Instead, as if outside of my own body, I said "Thanks! I've lost 30 pounds since September."

The person's reply? "I wish I could do that."

I immediately said, "if I can do it, you can too. I'm not doing anything special. I'm just eating less and exercising more."

If someone had said this to me ten months ago, I wouldn't have believed them. 'It's too hard to change habits,' I would've thought, 'and I totally don't have that kind of willpower.'

There are a lot of legitimate things that stand in people's ways. I get that.

But can I tell you a secret?

90% of the time, you do have what it takes to make the change in your life you're longing to make.

I was a couch potato; now I'm a runner. But it didn't happen overnight. I started and quit Couch to 5K more times than I can count before it stuck.

I used to be an emotional eater...and still am. But I've found some non-eating coping mechanisms that work for me, so I'm less likely to reach for a box of cereal when I'm sad/bored/lonely.

I used to eat whatever I wanted with no regard for portion sizes; now I measure my portion of cereal and make choices about what I'm willing to not eat (hello, croutons!) in exchange for what I refuse to give up (hello, red velvet cupcakes!).

The point is, you (yes...you) have everything you need inside of you to be the person you want to be.

Exchange my weight loss for the one thing in your life that you wish was different. And know it's true when I say, "if I can do it, you can too."

Love,
Mrs. Dude

Odds and ends

2009-05-13T09:48:00.003-06:00

I am too lazy to compose an entire blog post about any one thing, but I've been itching to tell you some things.

Part the First: Things I am digging right now
1. Mass transit
2. Running
3. Smoothies made with cottage cheese, chocolate soy milk, no-sugar added chocolate milk mix, Splenda, and ice
4. Southern Vampire novels (aka the Sookie Stackhouse books)
5. Visiting the public library

Part the Second: Things I have done
1. Seen The Hold Steady in concert
2. Visited the Tower Grove farmers market
3. Gone to the movies (I saw Disney's Earth)
4. Watched Casino Royale and decided I like Daniel Craig as Bond
5. Eaten bacon-wrapped meatloaf at Schlafly's Taproom

Part the Third: How I intend to spend my Summer Vacation
1. Turn 30
2. Meetup with friends in Vegas
3. Go to Chicago for ALA's annual conference
4. Try my hand at container gardening
5. Run at least 1 5K

I think that about covers it for now.

A quote worth considering

2009-04-24T12:47:00.003-06:00

"Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments, but let us have patience and we shall soon see them in their proper figures."
--Joseph Addison

I was going to write some awesomely lofty blog post about how I have tried really hard to see pain as a blessing.

But the truth is, I rarely do. I am the Queen of Doom and Gloom. When things are going even the tiniest bit wrong, I freak out and adopt this annoying sky-is-falling attitude. And only later, in the safety of a storm that has just passed, do I see the lessons embedded in the tumult.

So in the interest of keeping it real, I'm not going to editorialize more than I already have. I'm just going to leave this simple thought for you to consider.

Perfect fifths by Megan McCafferty: a review in verse

2009-04-16T12:10:00.003-06:00

Marcus Flutie's Lloyd
Dobbler-esque charm is
Not enough, sadly.

Which is not to say
that I didn't enjoy his turn
at speaking his peace.

But that stories left
untold are often the best
gift an author gives.

A tale of two novels

2009-04-15T15:45:00.003-06:00

I was sick over the weekend, so I had the rare opportunity to just read. Though both books I finished were the second book in a series, they couldn't have been more different.

Knit Two, the second in Kate Jacobs' Friday Night Knitting Club series, was heavy and slow moving. Jacobs spends a good part of the novel reminding us about the characters in the Club. This choice seemed puzzling to me as I'm not sure that Knit Two could stand on its own. The characters seemed stiffer than in Friday Night Knitting Club. It was as if Jacobs was conscious of her writing process in order to have another blockbuster. The novel found its stride midway through, but by then I was only reading out of obligation to the characters I loved so much from Jacobs' first novel.

Living Dead in Dallas, the second of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, was light and whimsical while also being otherworldly. I liked, but didn't love, Harris' first Stackhouse novel, but I know a lot of people who dig them. LDiD was fast-moving and fun. Harris doesn't spend a lot of time reminding readers about what they already know. Instead, she relies on the reader to remember characters and realtionships. I think that makes it easy to either read the Stackhouse novels as a series or pick up any individual title. Sookie is likeable--spunky and funny in a way that she wasn't in Dead Until Dark, the first book. It feels like Harris made strides as a novelist between the two books and Sookie is well-served by her creator's newfound comfort. A quick read, I read LDiD in about 3 hours.

In short, skip Knit Two but pick up Living Dead in Dallas.

I'm picking up Perfect Fifths from the library tonight. I am equal parts excited and terrified. I really hope this is the last Marcus Flutie/Jessica Darling book. For reals.

Mrs. Dude and the shame-induced pity party

2009-04-14T15:51:00.006-06:00

I've been having a rough week. The "exercise and eating well" wagon are nowhere to be seen and I'm laying in the dust having a big, fat pity party.

So you know where I'm coming from, I've been on South Beach Diet (from this point forward referred to as "SBD") since September. Between following a regimented eating plan and exercising, I've lost 26 pounds.

But the past few weeks have seen me heading down a path where I'm just not sticking to my eating or my exercise. I've excused away some pretty half-hearted workouts and some off-plan snacks.

I'm at this weird place right now where I'm just ready to be done with it. Not to be at my goal weight, but ready to quit. Ready to stop watching what I eat and to stop going to the gym.

I feel really unmotivated. I know that if I want to succeed, my choice to follow SBD can't be a "diet," even though its name has the word "Diet" in its name. I have to be willing to accept that my choice is one to change my lifestyle and to agree to respect myself enough to stop putting crap in my body.

While were here, I also know that an active lifestyle won't stop for me when I reach a magic number. I fell in love with running. Yeah, it's hard, but it makes me feel good and strong and powerful.

So what's the deal?

I know it's probably all of the junk I've been eating over the past few days talking, but I just want to lay on my couch, eat cupcakes, and watch the newest 'Real World/Road Rules' challenge until my brain melts.

I was trying to hold all of these icky feelings inside. I was pretending that everything was okay while trying to convince myself that I could force myself back on track.

You ever have that moment? You know, the one where you just know you can will yourself to get your act together while, at the same pretending like you never had a moment while you're act wasn't together?

It's exhausting. And the shame of not having it all together and wanting to quit was weighing me down.

Why aren't I good enough to stick with it? What's wrong with me that I'm so weak?

The shame of not being perfect had me in its grips.

I was better, more together, more dedicated I could stick with it. I wanted this bad enough I wouldn't feel so frustrated.

You ever been there?

I decided enough is enough. I was done wallowing in my shame. I told a few of my friends how frustrated I am, and verbalizing that frustration robbed shame of its power over me.

My friends gave me the good advice and accountability I needed. Just saying the words, 'this is really frustrating' felt empowering. Acknowledging that I am nowhere near perfect and that shame was keeping me from doing what I knew what right meant more to me than any run or day of healthy eating ever could.

The "exercise and eating well" wagon is still out-of-sight, but I've picked myself off the ground.

The first step is throwing out all of the leftover junk that has creeped into my house. The second is making some good-for-me food. The third step is getting back into the gym by the week's end. I will run at least a mile--not because I have to do it, but because it brings me joy.

Mrs. Dude speaks seriously, but not smugly, about money

2009-04-10T11:55:00.005-06:00

I was listening to someone interview Rachel Naomi Remen about the 'current economic crisis' when she said the most amazing thing:

"Money is the densest form of human energy."

I have heard Dr. Remen interviewed before, and found her to be unbelievably wise in the simple, straightforward way that wise people often are. Yet, I was taken aback by this simple, yet powerful, observation.

Money isn't just paper, she asserts, it's the physical embodiment of the work we have done in the world. And how we spend that money is a direct reflection of who we are as people--what we value, what we fear, who we are.

Later in the interview she says:
"If you want to find out who a person is (and you might be surprised at what you find out), follow them around and watch them spend their money."

I don't think it's news to anyone that as consumers we "vote with your pocketbook." That we, as people who believe things, owe it to ourselves to be educated about the places we most often spend our money. I think that's something that people have been concerned with since long before the 'economic downturn.'

What was, however, new to me was the idea that we tell our stories in how we spend our money. What are you most afraid of? What do you value? Who are you?

And how do the latte or new shoes you just bought reflect your story?

As right as Remen is, I don't think I would want people following me around and determining who I am based on the things I buy. I fear that I would be seen as shallow and self-absorbed, concerned only with how I appeared to people.

So how do we align our values and our spending? I think it requires hard work and some tough self-evaluation. And I think it demands that we tell our spoiled, petulant inner children "no" once in a while.

Let me tell you a story...

I used to spend a lot of money on books. I would go to a bookstore and spend a long time picking out a stack of books to take home with me. More often than not, most of the books in the stack never got read. The fun was in acquiring the books, though not necessarily in reading them.

If I think about what matters to me, acquiring books would make sense, right? I love to read.

I think that's a perfect valid and valuable way to look at it, especially if I read everything I bought before buying more books.

I came to the conclusion, though, that what I was really saying was that I valued amassing things. That I wanted to insulate myself from the world with good books. That I wanted to be able to say about the newest literary masterpiece, "oh, right, I picked that up but I haven't gotten around to reading it yet."

I decided in early January that I wasn't going to buy any new books unless I absolutely couldn't avoid it. If I wanted to read something, I thought, I'll go to the library.

It was the hardest thing I've ever done. For reals.

But, it's now April. And I have purchased just one book.

The point is that making "good" decisions about how to direct our money is hard. These hard economic times have made it necessary, but what happens if things get better? Will we go back to our 'old' ways of gluttonous consumption?

There are a lot of places where I still need to continue to 'take stock': My dining out habits, the number of cable channels we subscribe to, the magazines I get every month but never read. So please don't see this as smug virtue. It's not.

I just wanted to take a second to think about what Remen has to say. And to challenge you to think about how the direction of your money aligns itself with your story.

In which we discuss 'For the Love of Ray J,' Tom Green, and Warren G.

2009-04-08T09:31:00.005-06:00

Last night I was watching this week's episode of 'For the Love of Ray J.'

This might be a good time to tell you that I'm a sucker for almost any VH1 reality show.

I'm not proud of that. But true is true, my friends.

I like Ray J. Okay, yeah, he's the Kim-Kardashian-sex-tape guy, but everyone makes youthful mistakes, right? I want him to find love. And, since this week was "meet the folks" week, so do Ray's friends, family, and entourage.

Anyway, after Ray J. introduces the moneygrubbing whores, er contestants, to his grandma, Ray J. takes them to meet his entourage. Or, as he calls them, his "homies."

As an aside, it was funny to see how quickly the ladies put some clothes on when it was time to meet grandma. I think they had more clothes on at lunch than they'd worn during the rest of the show.

It was as if they thought that Grammy Norwood was actually judging whether or not they would make good wives for her grandson. After lunch, though, she proved to be no help at all when she basically said that Ray J would have to make his own choice.

I suspect if Slutty, Crazy, and Manipulative had known Grammy wasn't paying any attention them, they wouldn't have wasted the time covering up.

Or, in Manipulative's case, putting a bra on.

As another aside, why doesn't Manipulative wear a bra? Doesn't that wear on her back?

Okay...back to the entourage. And the meat of this rambling, rambling post.

Apparently Ray J. counts both Warren G. and Tom Green as members of his Inner Circle.

Take that in for a minute.

Warren G. and Tom Green.

What in the world could the three of them possibly have in common? Can you even imagine how hilarious it is when they all hang out?

I feel like VH1 missed an excellent opportunity when it chose to give Ray J. a Rock of Love/Flavor of Love-style dating show.

Someone was clearly dozing off during that pitch meeting.

Because, honestly, wouldn't you rather see a show where Warren G., Tom Green, and Ray J. have awesome adventures together?

One episode they could go out to lunch and the next they could, I don't know, go sky diving or something.

I feel like someone at VH1 missed something here...

Because sometimes blogging is better than therapy

2009-03-20T10:33:00.003-06:00

This started out as a post about R.E.M. I have 299 R.E.M. songs on my iPod and I've been listening to them for the past couple of days at work.

R.E.M. has been my favorite band since the mid-90s when I was a freshman in High School. I fell in love with them sometime between Automatic for the People and Monster.

At the same time I was falling in love with R.E.M., the show My So-Called Life debuted.

Somehow, in my mind, the two will always be inexplicably linked.

And this is where this post takes an wildly different turn than I originally intended it to...

Imagine being surrounded by kids who loved grunge or hip hop and telling them that you favorite band was a bunch of middle aged guys from Athens, Ga. My love for Michael's melancholy voice and nimble lyrics made me feel intellectually superior to my peers. In High School, I was invisible. Loving R.E.M. made me feel like I stood out.

I fancied myself a brunette Angela Chase--cool beyond words with a sweet, fragile sensibility. The truth is, I was a lot more like Brian Krakow--socially awkward, geeky, and pretending not to care what other people think while wanting desperately to be accepted.

Like every teenager ever, I struggled to identify who I was and to accept the parts of myself that made me feel different from my peers. I was bookish and quiet and didn't dress quite right. I didn't have perfect hair or social graces. I didn't go to football games or dances or to parties.

Honestly, I kind of carried my pain like a cross I had to bear. I got an almost sick amount of pleasure from being on the outside looking in. I felt intensely lonely sometimes, but I didn't do anything to change my situation. I could've cut my hair or bought new clothes. I could've gone to football games. I could've worked harder to "fit in." Instead, I reveled in my outcast-ness. But I wasn't even really an outcast, truthfully. An outcast would've been made fun of or treated poorly. Me? I was invisible to most of the people I went to school with. Just another body they bumped into in the hallway between math class and lunch.

R.E.M. spoke to me then, made me feel normal in much the same way that watching My So-Called Life did. Angela Chase and Brian Krakow made me feel like it was okay to want to be liked and to hurt when I not only wasn't like but also wasn't noticed. R.E.M. spoke to the quiet place in me that felt uncomfortable in my own skin like nothing else I had ever heard.

I don't actually remember what my point was. When I started writing, this was going to be an ode to R.E.M. Somewhere along the way, though, it became a blog post about me. It kind of feels like an ode to the 16-year old me who just wanted to be noticed.

In which Mrs. Dude discusses exercise

2009-02-26T13:17:00.005-06:00

I hate "working out." I have never been athletically inclined, and I'm clumsy. Moreover, I would rather read a book or watch TV than go to the gym or play sports.

I like walking MollyB, my dog, but I feel like that doesn't count. I can't not walk her. I mean, I could, but I don't want to end up on an episode of Animal Cops or anything.

I am in the process of trying to lose weight though exercise and eating well. As a result, I go out to eat less and cook and exercise more.

To fulfill the "exercise" part of the plan, I choose to go to a gym.

I sometimes feel bad about it, since I could save money and just go running in my neighborhood instead of going to the gym and jogging on a treadmill.

Remember how I told you I would rather watch TV than exercise?

My dirty secret is that all of the cardio equipment in the gym I go to has TVs attached to them. And the TVs all have cable.

It feels sort of strange to go to the gym and watch TV. But it's the only way I can motivate my lazy self to exercise.

So 3 times per week I go to the gym, plug into a TV, and jog.

I've been doing the Couch to 5K program. It's a 9-week program, but I've been working on it for a year. I guess that tells you everything you need to know about my level of commitment.

I recently switched to exercising in the morning. My gym is overrun in the evening and I hate waiting to use a treadmill. It makes me not want to exercise, and I have a hard enough time getting to the gym without this extra layer of soul crushing complication.

It turns out that the majority of people who go to my gym don't want to get up early to work out. The place is dead in the morning--even less busy than when I've been there on a Friday night. It tells you something when more people would rather work out on a Friday night than get up early, right?

The moral of my story is this: if I can get up early and exercise, you can fit 30 minutes of physical activity into your day. Park far away from the store you're shopping in. Go for a walk with your dog or your kids or, alternately, to get away from your dog or your kids. Find a trail and go for a ride on your bike. Start a recreational kickball team. Go dancing.

Joining a gym isn't necessary to be successful. You might want to do it, but you don't have to.

Just choose to be active.

A blog post in vignette-form

2009-02-20T16:09:00.003-06:00

I haven't been reading enough, or listening to enough music, or doing anything crafty lately.

I have "hobby block," I guess. Like writer's block, but with hobbies.
**

My blog would be significantly easier to write and much more interesting for you to read if it was written with fewer than 140 characters. Like Twitter. When I write my Tweets, the character limits force me to be so concise and so careful with my words.
**

Going to the gym at 6:30 a.m. is much nicer than going at 6:30 p.m. It's quiet and I never have to wait for a treadmill. Probably because nobody really wants to work out that early in the morning.
**

My musical tastes have changed over the past year. Over the past year I've grown to love female singers and alt-country.
**

The Kanye West song 'Heartless' is almost sad enough to make me not hate him. Almost.

Good deals on digital music? Yes please...

2009-02-12T10:57:00.002-06:00

If you're on Twitter, you should think about following the Amazon.com mp3 feed. It links to the Amazon mp3 store which has a "Deal of the Day."

Generally speaking, it looks like Amazon sells digital music for cheaper than iTunes. Not in every case, but generally.

I'm also not sure about DRM with files you get from Amazon.

I don't think that Amazon will replace the iTunes Store for me. I am lazy, and the iTunes store is right in front of me when I've got iTunes open. Still, the Daily Deal is enough to at least make me look at Amazon's mp3 store when I've got an album I want but am not willing to pay $10 for.

I support 'Sound of Young America' awareness...do you?

2009-02-11T13:36:00.002-06:00

Did you see the teal ribbon on my sidebar?

It links you to Maximum Fun's website which is kind of the nerve center of The Sound of Young America.

If you're not aware of TSOYA, you should be. If you're not, I'm beginning to think you aren't paying attention to me.

Anyway, click the link and show TSOYA some love.

Profiles in courage: Nie Nie Dialogues

2009-02-11T13:28:00.004-06:00

I'll admit it: I came late to the party. I didn't know that Nie Nie Dialogues existed until I saw the "I read Nie Nie" patch on AnonymousK's blog.

I told y'all the other day about my love of blogs whose authors "keep it real." Nie Nie is the queen of Keep it Real-ville.

She's a wife and mother of four kids. She struggles with the same things that all women struggle with, only she seems to do it without breaking a sweat. It's not that these things come effortlessly to her so much as it's that she finds joy in it--even the messy, broken parts. She loves her life and exudes the kind of happiness that comes with true contentment.

In August, Nie Nie and her beloved Mr. Nielson were in a plane crash.

Now Nie Nie navigates marriage, motherhood, and the burn unit. And remarkably, even in the face of adversity, she still exudes joy.

Nie Nie's blog a well-written, compelling story about finding contentment wherever you are. Her blog challenges me to live authentically and to find joy in the midst of manure.

A non-sequiter of an observation

2009-02-10T13:20:00.002-06:00

Do you know what I don't understand about athletes who take performance enhancing drugs and then say 'I don't know exactly what it was that I took'?

If you get paid oodles and scads of money based on how well your body performs, it doesn't seem natural to take something without knowing exactly what it is and how it will affect your body.

AnonymousK: blogger extraordinaire

2009-02-09T13:14:00.003-06:00

I have this friend, AnonymousK, who writes a blog. In fact, you might be visiting my blog from hers as I was lucky enough to be featured as one of her Valentines.

I read a lot of blogs, most of which are written by people I don't know. I especially like blogs whose authors "keep it real." I like people who are self-assured enough to tell the truth, even when it's ugly. I find people like that inspiring.

AnonymousK's is not only a blogger with the courage to speak the truth, she is also someone I could email and not be embarrassed or fan girl-y about it. See, AnonymousK and I used to know each other well. We were friends 'back in the day.' What this really means is that she knew me at my most awkward and, as a result, has ammunition a-plenty. We lost touch, though, but through the magic of the Interwebs we became reacquainted.

The nice thing is, now we know each other as grown ups. What this really means is that we have decided to not bring up those awkward years and, instead, choose to relate to each other as mature, has-it-together versions of the people we used to be.

AnonymousK totally keeps it real. She talks about her life and her family (as a side note, AnonymousK's husband, Mr. K., was a friend of mine for many years. We were in First Communion class together back when I was Catholic.) She talks about her joys and her struggles. And she does it with a grace and authenticity that make me green with envy.

So go give AnonymousK some love, y'all! You'll be glad you did.

Mrs. Dude and the 'orgy of overshare'

2009-02-05T12:37:00.003-06:00

I have this ridiculous love-hate relationship with Facebook.

I enjoy Facebook because I can ~~stalk people~~ catch up with people that I might not otherwise have time to ~~stalk~~ connect with.

The people in my life who are my Facebook friends fall into two categories:
1.People I am currently acquainted with either virtually or "In Real Life."
2.People I was friends with at some point in the past but with whom I will probably not become reacquainted with more than superficially.

There are some people who started out in Category 2 who have moved to Category 1, and for that I am eternally grateful for Facebook.

My problem with social networking is--

Wait? You're tired of hearing people rant about social networking?

Humor me.

--something I'd like to call the 'orgy of over-share.'

The thing that made me aware of this 'orgy of over-share' that Facebook is facilitating was that '25 things' meme that every. single. person. on Facebook is doing.

The gist is this:
Get "tagged" by your friend, make a list of 25 things about yourself that nobody knows, tag 25 of your friends.

I have enjoyed learning more about the people I truly am interested in. I even came up with 25 facts about myself. All of them were true, and most of them were dreadfully boring.

But it's growing tiresome.

There is now a 100-question meme and a meme for mommies about the birth of one's first child.

There's an A-Z meme and an iPod shuffle meme.

It's 'meme madness' people!

This giant orgy of over-share is making me kind of want some time away from Facebook. I like you, but I really don't want to know that much about you.

And I posted a status message yesterday that said something about stopping the 'meme madness.'

In response, my awesome friend Amy sent me a link to this article that included the phrase "virtual narcissism."

And that, my friends, is where we get to the heart of my beef with social networking.

For all of the awesome ways in which social networking helps us connect to other people, it's still just another way for us to talk on and on about ourselves.

It reminds me of that thought in psychology that when you talk to someone, you spend more time formulating your next thought than you do paying attention to what they're saying.

I know that I sounds like a hypocritical Jerky JerkFace by saying all of that after having participated in the 'orgy of overshare' myself.

I guess I just wish that all of us, myself included, were a little bit better about self-censoring and not so keen to share so much about ourselves.

January's epic failure, or, how I should never have resolved this in the first place

2009-02-02T14:48:00.003-06:00

You know how I said that I resolved to read one non-fiction book per month?

You know what I'm about to tell you, right? That I'm not even halfway done with my book for January and it's February 2nd already?

I guess I could read two non-fiction books in February to salvage things. But that seems disingenuous somehow.

I'm kind of disappointed, but the truth is that I set myself up for failure. I should've started the month with the non-fiction book so that I had plenty of time to finish it.

In other news, I went on an awesome vacation that I plan to tell you about shortly.

The one where Mrs. Dude hopes to embrace non-fiction

2009-01-26T14:03:00.005-06:00

Over time, I've noticed that I read much more fiction than non-fiction. I really like learning new things, but I can't read non-fiction very quickly.

It's discouraging, so I end up reading a lot less non-fiction than I want to. I don't even start the book, knowing that it will take me several months to finish it.

In an effort to challenge myself, I have resolved to read one non-fiction book per month.

This month, I'm reading The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World as my January non-fiction challenge.

Of course I waited until the last week of the month to start it. Of course I've read three novels before this one.

I have a week to eek this out, though.

I guess that's part of the challenge.

How Guitar Hero helped me embrace my inner gamer

2009-01-26T13:50:00.004-06:00

The Dude and I have been eyeing Guitar Hero for a while now. We've talked about how much fun it would be to have our very own plastic guitar controllers and to rock out.

Over the weekend, we found a crazy good deal on Guitar Hero at one of the Big Box electronic stores. Apparently they're rotating out some of the old versions in favor of newer versions that aren't that much different from the old ones. It was cheaper for us to buy two older games that each came with a controller than it was for us to buy a bundled up new game that came with two controllers.

And, since we're ever the spendthrifts, we decided to go that route. And by "spendthrift," I mean grown ups who don't necessarily need the newest tricked-outest version of the game.

We decided to play the game in "career co-op" mode which allows both of us to play at the same time. For the record, our band name is "Achieve." The Dude picked it. For the record, I think DDC21, the band name I use on the Guitar Hero game I have for my DS is way more cleaver. But whatever...

After playing for about 3 hours between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, we have successfully completed the game on "Easy" and started the game on "Medium."

I complained that there was a huge difference between the skill required to play on "Easy" and the skill required for "Medium." And by "complained," I mean whined and cursed.

Just keeping it real, y'all.

What I learned is that I can't play lead guitar in co-op mode. I mean, I am physically able to do it. I just don't want to. The Dude is way better at it. I am more of a bass or rhythm guitar kind of woman. It works well for us, since he seems to prefer to play lead guitar.

I kind of feel like this could some sort of crazy video game-based metaphor for our marriage.

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

2009-01-23T13:16:00.003-06:00

I'll be honest...I didn't expect to like Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.

I don't really like vampires or books about vampires.

I don't get all high and mighty, literarily speaking, about books about vampires. There's nothing wrong them or with people who read them. They're just not my thing.

We have HBO, though, and I saw some previews for True Blood--the show based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. It looked okay, which is saying a lot for scripted television these days, and I wanted to watch them.

Unfortunately, I am the victim of 'have to read the book before watching the movie' syndrome. Even more unfortunately, this extends to television, too. Take pity on The Dude, would you?

When I picked up Dead Until Dark, I had fairly low expectations since it was a book about vampires.

I have to say, I like Sookie Stackhouse.

Sookie lives in a small Louisiana town and works at a bar. Seems fairly normal, right?

Given that this is a book about vampires, it can't be that normal.

Sookie meets Bill, a vampire who lived in her town during the Civil War who has come home to try to live a normal life. He quickly learns that with Sookie in his life, it will be anything but normal.

The novel is part romance, part fantasy, and part mystery.

And I loved it. Even if it was a book about vampires. :-)

Speech after long silence...

2009-01-23T13:03:00.003-06:00

...it is right.

My apologies to Mr. Yeats for taking his poetry grossly out of context.

I haven't been faithful to my blog in quite a while. I have found a hundred other things to occupy my time. But the part of me that likes to write hasn't feel very satisfied with the silence. And that nagging part of me that tries to ignore things long put-off kept nagging.

I have had a lot of trouble knowing how to set the bounds of my blog. I adopted this pseudo-pseudonym because I never wanted the blog to be about me--not really, anyway. I love blogs about people's lives, but I always wanted to let people into my life by showcasing things I liked. I wanted to share poems or books or music. I wanted you to see me through the lens of things that brought me joy.

I feel this need to let the blog change a little bit and not be so secretive and obtuse. I like the kinda sorta anonymity that comes from using "Mrs. Dude" instead of my real name. And honestly, I just really like using it. But I feel like the blog lacks a certain authenticity when it's about me but not really about me.

So, having gotten all of that off my chest, I feel like it's okay to start blogging again. And I aspire to write every day. Some days it may be about stuff I like. Some days it may just be something about me. I hope those of you who read when I was writing regularly will continue to read. I hope I give you things worth reading.

Voting

2008-11-04T07:55:00.003-06:00

I don't care who you vote for.

Exercise your right to choose.

Make your voice heard.

Or, as Diddy said, "vote or die."

Stand up for your rights, both nationally and locally. Don't stop voting at the top of the ticket. Go all the way down--down to the local initiatives and propositions.

Stand in line. Wait as long as it takes.

Having a say is made of a lot of awesome.

MTV Music

2008-10-29T11:30:00.002-06:00

Are you one of those people who shakes a fist at the new video-free MTV or dreamily laments about a long-ago time where MTV's content wasn't full of fake-reality shows or bisexual internet sensations finding true love?

I don't suffer from the rage as much as most do, since I didn't have cable growing up. I don't actually remember a time when MTV-proper showed videos. MTV2, maybe. But not MTV.

Put those fists away and wake up! MTV has a website in beta called "MTV Music" that allows users to search for artists or songs or to browse the collection of videos. Now you can spend hours reliving your glory days.

My friends have found dead ends--Queen's "Crazy little thing called love" is one that comes to mind--but there are also a lot of obscure videos included that you might not immediately think of. It's a trade-off, I guess.

It's kind of awesome.

Checking in

2008-09-30T10:49:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted here in quite a while.

I haven't forgotten about you, faithful readers! Okay, so it isn't like I have an army of readers or anything. But still...I owe the five of you that read this quality content and I have been lacking in producing the quality content that you deserve.

I feel like late Summer found me feeling kind of 'meh' about it all. I haven't seen any new movies in a while. I haven't read anything worth blogging about lately either.

The only fall premiers I've watched so far are the Sunday night animated shows on Fox. The Simpsons premiere was pretty good. I didn't care for Family Guy. But man...American Dad killed it!

I've been watching The Rachel Maddow Show almost every night. She's been pretty awesome, too. Her show is smart and funny. And even though she's unabashedly liberal, it's not so off-putting that you'd be in a rush to change the channel.

I am hoping that the arrival of Fall will find me with a lot of books to talk about and music to review.

In the meantime, how did you spend your Summer Vacation? Did you read anything good? See any good movies? Go to any good concerts? Listen to any good albums?

Rachel Maddow is made of awesome

2008-09-08T09:39:00.002-06:00

I try not to discuss my politics on my blog and, until now, I think I've done a pretty good job of not showing my hand.

I fear that this post will blow that out of the water. So forgive me my partisan crowing for a minute, m'kay?

Tonight, at 9pm Eastern, Rachel Maddow's show premiers on MSNBC. And I, for one, couldn't be happier.

Maddow started her rise to television fame on Air America Radio. She started by reading the news and then moved on to serve as 1/3 of the show Unfiltered with Chuck D (yes, that Chuck D) and Lizz Winstead. Two weeks after that show was cancelled, Maddow got her own show on Air America.

Despite Air America's revolving door of hosts and shows (Morning Sedition, anyone?), Maddow has remained a fixture on the station. She is smart and funny and snarky. She isn't afraid to stick it to the Democrats as often as she sticks it to the Republicans and the fact that she starts her show with "news from Iraq and life during wartime" shows (at least in my mind) her commitment to supporting the troops even if she doesn't support the war.

Imagine my delight, then, when Maddow started showing up on MSNBC. She appeared as a guest on Keith Olbermann's Countdown show and took a place on the panel on David Gregory's Race for the White House.

As her role has grown on MSNBC, so has her fan base. MSNBC recognized that by offering her a show airing directly after Countdown.

I, for one, am rooting for Maddow. She's an insightful commentator and, well, a woman. How many of those do you see hosting in primetime on cable news?

"I’m a roustabout/And I’m bound to roust you out "

2008-07-29T15:23:00.002-06:00

It's been up for nearly two weeks, but this post on Mike Doughty's blog has some great You Tube videos of him singing some stuff off the newest record with Scrap Livingston accompanying him on bass.

They are made of awesome, so you should definitely go check them out.

Doogie Howser needs a new pair of shoes...

2008-07-24T08:14:00.002-06:00

...or, more accurately, he has shoes to give away.

Go watch Neil Patrick Harris' upcoming appearance on Sesame Street.

Remember when he was Doogie Howser, M.D.?

I totally do.

It's nice to see him all grown up and succeeding in Hollywood.

The Pioneer woman

2008-07-21T13:10:00.002-06:00

I collect blogs. I read a lot of them. A lot.

I've been following Ree, the pioneer woman, for a while now. Her blog, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, morphed into a full-blown website at some point in the past year.

Ree lives on a cattle ranch. She cooks and takes pictures and home schools her punks.

She is a-maz-ing.

You should go check her out, if you haven't already.

"Electric feel" by MGMT

2008-07-21T12:57:00.003-06:00

I hate to be so meta that I have to talk about a specific song.

But I do.

I love the song "Electric feel."

If you've ever heard of MGMT, you know that their first single off the album Oracular Spectacular was "Time to pretend." It's okay, but it isn't the best song from the album.

I don't know if I could pick one, I loved this album so much.

But I do know that I love "Electric feel."

The biggest thing it's got going for it is the fact that it's sung in falsetto. Every "pop" song sung in falsetto has this certain....feel...about it. They all seem to be seductive. Creepy, sometimes, but seductive.

This song oozes seduction. And it's lounge lizard vibe kills me every time.

I can't not love it.

This just in: New feature on the sidebar

2008-07-14T10:35:00.003-06:00

I decided to keep my at-work playlist in the sidebar. I also decided to list the albums by the week.

So, each week brings a new playlist...

If I'm adventurous, I might even rate them at the end of the week.

Don't hold your breath.

Imogen Heap, or, Mrs. Dude doesn't like electronica

2008-07-14T10:09:00.003-06:00

The Dude and I have notoriously different tastes in music sometimes. It's bizarre how much our tastes are either exactly the same or completely opposite.

It can, I think, be boiled down to the fact that The Dude is a music person and I am a lyrics person. Unfortunately, there are precious few times when those two aspects of an artist's work overlap.

My biggest complaint about electronica is that lyrics sometimes get tossed by the wayside in favor of cool musical flourishes. And, in my mind, that simply won't do. If, as an artist, you're more interested in music than lyrics, create instrumental music. No one will think less of you, I swear. Work it out, musically, and add some tracks with lyrics. At least, that way, you don't have to pretend that you care about creating something with lyrical integrity.

The Dude will tell you that sometime last summer, I went on a electronica buying-spree that consisted of me buying two of the albums that he's enjoyed immensely but that I haven't touched. One of them is Speak for yourself by Imogen Heap.

Two days ago, I was scrolling through Black Francis, my iPod, seeking out music that I haven't touched in a while. I wanted (nay, needed) to stop listening to the same three albums over and over again.

And then it happened.

I found Imogen Heap.

I like Speak for yourself. It's atmospheric and ethereal without veering off into the land of Bjork.

For the Bjork fans who might be offended by this statement, ask yourselves, is she not crazy musically-speaking? You know I'm right...

Heap seems to do the impossible--she blends interesting music with complex lyrics. I can listen to the entire album and not get grumpy that she's just mailing-it-in lyrically. And she gives me something interesting melodically.

Brilliant!

So, it turns out The Dude was right. Imogen Heap is something we can both agree on...

Kanye West doesn't care about festival goers

2008-06-25T13:09:00.003-06:00

I went to Bonnaroo.

It was awesome.

I could tell you about how I was 20 feet away from Tegan and Sara or how I was 30 feet away from Jack Johnson.

I could tell you how Against Me! made me fall in love with rock and rage.

I could tell you how Drive-By Truckers' early morning wakeup call (It was 12:45 pm) made my heart pound.

I could tell you how Chris Rock made me laugh.

I could tell you how Metallica made me bang my head.

I could tell you how B.B. King wasn't as good as I'd imagine he would be.

I could tell you how Jack Johnson is perfect on a summer evening, as the sun is going down and the breeze is picking up just slightly.

I could tell you how Pearl Jam made me fall in love with them all over again.

But, I won't.

Instead, I'll tell you that what I learned from Bonnaroo is that Kanye West is, pardon my language, kind of a dick.

And how I'm never going to one of his shows again or buying any of his albums or supporting him in any way.

The Dude and I didn't stick around to see the Kanye West debacle. After Pearl Jam (who, by the way, only went over 45 minutes...), we caught a few minutes of Sigur Ros and a few minutes of Lupe Fiasco before trekking back the hour to Nashville.

When we arrived at the 'Roo on Sunday morning, nobody was talking about West's show. Nobody. I figured that that meant that it was either really good or really bad. It wasn't until the next day that I read the Spin story I linked to in the last paragraph.

I'm not sure who's fault it was that things turned out the way it did. And I don't think it was very nice of the artists who played the next day to call him out (I'm looking at you, Rogue Wave and Robert Randolph) without knowing the whole story either.

Then West puts this gem on his blog. I can understand his passion at wanting everyone to get their facts straight, but not once does he say "I'm really sorry that things ended up this way." If he had, I might've been able to retain some respect for him.

Instead, it was just more of the 'it's everyone else's fault! not mine!' we've come to expect from him. It's more finger pointing, more hating, more playing the victim.

More inflated ego.

As Chris Rock said, 'it takes a lot of Kanye injections...'

I can respect West's position--if you have something you do well, you want to the opportunity to do it. Putting West on at 7:45 opposite Jack Johnson was a bad idea for a lot of reasons, not the least of which (as West himself points out) is that you can't do a glow-in-the-dark show in the daylight.

I can also respect the fact that, as mad as they were, the audience had no right to damage West's equipment or his stage. If he is to be believed, the stage was so wet that he risked falling. Think about what a disaster that would've been...

But this whole refusal to take responsibility isn't sitting well with me. West says it's PJ's fault. West says it's Bonnaroo's fault. Bonnaroo refuses to issue a statement taking responsibility. Everyone is passing the buck.

West had the opportunity to mend fences and build bridges and yada, yada, yada. But he didn't. He couldn't be bothered. Bonnaroo simply didn't matter that much to him.

So, yeah...I'm kind of done with Kanye West for a while.

Two books I read recently, or, Mrs. Dude is lazy

2008-06-10T11:30:00.002-06:00

I could write a separate post about each of these books. But I won't. And you can't make me.

1. Animal vegetable, miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

It took me all of May to read this book. I'm not sure if that speaks well of Kingsolver's ability to draw me into her story or poorly of her inability to keep me hooked. I enjoyed Kingsolver's story of moving her family from Tuscon to Virginia and, in the process, deciding to spend a year growing as much of their own food as possible and supplementing what they couldn't grow with locally produced food. Each chapter documents a month in her family's life, as each month presents different challenges for the family. Additionally, each chapter contains a short piece by Kingsolver's husband, a biologist, and her eldest daughter, a college student.

I enjoyed the book, but sometimes felt like Kingsolver was nagging me to make better decisions about my food consumption. If you enjoy the book, though, be sure to visit Kingsolver's website for more recipes and information.

2. Lock and key by Sarah Dessen

I love Dessen's writing, and this book is no exception. I will say, though, that it's not the best jumping-off point for those who have never read anything by her. What I love about Dessen's style is its lightness. She is more interested, it seems to me, in exploring the connections that people have rather than the issues they face. In this case, Dessen tries to do both and it doesn't work as smoothly as it could. Still, I found Ruby and her family to be engaging characters. And I was sad when the book ended. I did end up wishing that she'd spent more time working through the plot from the beginning instead of including so much exposition and then racing to finish the story. Overall, though, it was everything I'd anticipated it to be.

Vampire Weekend (by Vampire Weekend)

2008-05-29T10:42:00.004-06:00

As a general rule, I'm not that into bands that are critics' darlings. It's not that I want to be a hipster who likes all the stuff that the critics don't like. It's that most of the time, I don't think the critics are right.

As I get older, though, I'm starting to learn that being opposed to critics' darlings means eating my words when I realize that they're actually pretty good.

I'm looking at you Against Me!, Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, and more that I'm forgetting.

But don't worry, I'm sure The Dude will chime in with more that I've forgotten when he reads this.

Anyway, with our trip to Bonaroo fast approaching, I decided to start listening to the stuff we own by bands who are playing. My approach has been to take artists day-by-day as they'll appear on the lineup. Thurday has MGMT and Vampire Weekend appearing in the evening, so I pulled out the Vampire Weekend disc.

It's fun and quirky. I like it a lot.

No doubt you've heard their single "A-Punk" in heavy rotation on MTV, unless you don't watch MTV. But let's face it, you're as addicted to their America's Next Top Model reruns as I am so you do. Or what about The Paper? Or A Shot at Love 2: Electric Boogaloo?

No? Okay then...never mind.

Ahem.

Anyway, Vampire Weekend's major label debut is fun and channels both Graceland-era Paul Simon and Phantom Planet, you know...that band the kid from Rushmore is in?

Lyrically, it's pretty nimble, though I was glad that there were only 11 songs because it started to sound precious by the end. They don't move much past the experiences that twenty-somethings have, and their songs certainly aren't political. But, they also don't fall into the Maroon5 trap of being sugary sweet love ballads, either. It's just typical, normal, everyday stuff--like a song about a guy who's tasked with killing some vampires.

And sonically, the album shows that Vampire Weekend has a range beyond just a guitar, a bass, and a drum kit. I liked the range they showed.

The album is certainly worth a listen. It's fun, it's quirky, and it's short. So even if you hate it, you're not stuck listening to it for long!

WOXY's Modern Rock 500

2008-05-24T10:01:00.003-06:00

I am kind of in love with WOXY. The few times that The Dude and I made our way into Ohio, we longed to get into range of WOXY because it reminded us (well, him really....) of the days when college rock radio stations ruled the world.

WOXY used to be a radio station in Cincinnati. Well, it still is if you have HD Radio.

Mostly, though, it has reinvented itself as a web-based radio station that plays modern rock with the kind of panache and flair you don't see these days in most terrestrial-based radio stations. Music like the kind that WOXY plays is usually reserved for satellite radio.

You can get WOXY in the "radio" portion of iTunes. It's listed under the "alternative" stations, I think.

Anyway, WOXY is having a Modern Rock 500 this weekend to coincide with the running of the Indy 500.

As an aside...I'm from Indianapolis and I've never been to the Indy 500. We used to kind of hide out until it was over since the town is kind of over-run with over-zealous racing fans.

If you consider yourself a fan of modern rock, you should try to catch some of WOXY's Modern Rock 500. It's awesome to hear a song and go 'oh! yeah! I remember that!'

So far I've done that with Big Country, Tom's Diner, and a ton more. Right now? Portishead.

So yeah, check it out.

The Spares in concert

2008-05-22T10:42:00.003-06:00

If you're near any of the places that The Spares are playing this summer, I urge you to check them out.

You simply will not be disappointed.

I'd give you a money-back guarantee, but you wouldn't need it, so it would certainly be a waste of my time and yours.

Just go.

You know you want to.

From The Shamless Plug Department

2008-05-21T11:58:00.002-06:00

Did you know that The Dude wrote a book?

He did.

It's finally seeing the light of day and I couldn't be prouder.

I watched him through the entire process. I saw him struggle and grow until he produced this amazing labor of love.

He always seemed excited to interview the players, no matter how overwhelmed he felt on any given day.

He was persistent, even when he was tired of writing.

He and Beatrice, our 15-pound calico cat who is madly in love with him, burned many a midnight oil as he crafted chapter after chapter and story after story.

And, at the end of it, he seemed pleased with his work and as in love with the stories as he was the day he started it.

This isn't so much a shameless plug to buy the book (though, you should do that if you want to) as it is a shameless plug for The Dude.

He is certainly one of Mrs. Dude's favoritest things...

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

2008-05-12T12:02:00.002-06:00

I am a confessed "chick lit" addict.

I love reading stories about women who start out whiny women who are sad about being single or being dumped and end up living happily ever after, usually with a handsome fellow by their sides.

I know what you're probably going to say--it's unrealistic, it's not very feminist, it's boring, it's not quality writing--and I could care less.

It's fluff and I love it.

When I read Marian Keyes' book Watermelon, I was expecting more of the same. I've read Keyes' writing before, and while I often find her kind of long-winded, I always find her to be an engaging storyteller.

What I got, though, was a lovely story about a woman who ended up being more than she ever thought possible.

Claire, a 29-year-old Dubliner living in London, finds herself a single woman on the day she gives birth to her first child. James, her estranged husband, tells her he's been having an affair with another woman and that he'll "be in touch."

Claire doesn't know what to do or where to go, so she does the only think she can think of. She goes home to Dublin. She lives with her parents and her two sisters, wallowing in the sorrow of being a single woman and a woman dumped for someone else. Slowly, but surely, Claire surrenders to the calm that comes from realizing that life after great tragedy does go on.

I thought, per usual, that Keyes did a great job of assembling an interesting cast of characters. Each of the sisters is different from the others, but Keyes draws them as "real" people instead of just caricatures. Her writing breathes life into what could be a set of stereotypes--the recently dumped woman, the flighty narcissist, the hippie.

The plot doesn't seem to drag in this story as it sometimes does in Keyes' work. The book didn't feel too long, and the action didn't seem contrived or rushed in any way.

Overall, it was a good read that I enjoyed and would heartily recommend.

I wrote you a concert review in my head...

2008-05-07T13:23:00.004-06:00

...but then I forgot to type it.

The Dude moved Heaven and Earth to get tickets to the sold-out Tegan and Sara show that was Sunday night.

It was fantastic.

Australian band An Horse was good. We saw two songs, so I didn't get that much of an impression of their music. They could rock and Kate, the lead vocalist, had a nice voice. I get the impression that they're a nice up-and-coming band with a bright future on the Indie scene, such as it is.

Tegan and Sara put on a fabulous show. I'd searched online for set lists to get an idea of what they'd been playing recently, but darn if they didn't decided that Sunday was the day to start tweaking their setlist. The new setlist didn't deviate much from what they'd been playing, but they did present it in a slightly different order.

They played mostly music from their last two albums, The Con and So Jealous. I wish they'd played more tracks from the album before So Jealous, If it was you, but they didn't. And that was okay.

The set list seemed thoughtfully re-arranged and both Tegan and Sara got a decent amount of face time. I was shocked at how much better their voices seemed live than on their albums. It was amazing! Songs that I thought fell flat on the albums soared in real life.

The between-song banter, which Tegan and Sara pride themselves on, was the only part that I struggled with. It didn't seem scripted, which was nice, but there were times that the unscripted real-ness left me feeling...something. It seemed awkward at times, I think.

So, yeah...good times. :)

Angels all over town by Luanne Rice

2008-05-06T15:03:00.002-06:00

I read a lot of books by Maeve Binchy when I was younger. I was always transfixed on the way that she made everyday things seem charmed.

Wikipedia says that she is a "modern women's writer in the Jane Austen sense."

Nice one, Wikipedia.

I might not have understood what that meant is it weren't for LibriVox. But I already discussed LibriVox, and I feel like I'm already off-track.

I love how quaint and cozy Binchy's work always seemed, even when it was portraying the ugliness of modern life.

Reading Angels all over town was kind of like that. This novel was Rice's first, and I liked it better than the other one I read by her. After reading the reviews on Amazon, though, I realize that there are many who disagree with me.

In Angels all over town, we meet Una Cavan and her sisters. The Sisters Cavan have a close bond, though there relationship begins to change when Una's sister, Lily, marries a man who doesn't care much about the bond between sisters. Lily's husband thinks that the bond between husband and wife should trump the bond between family relations. And, since Lily is enamored with her husband's wealth and social status, she agrees.

Una, an actress, has struggles of her own that are unrelated to her relationship with her sisters. She has an inferiority complex about the fact that she's a soap opera actress. Throw in her insecurities about love and her propensity for seeing the undead and you've got more than Rice seems to be able to resolve in the 352 pages she has.

I liked this novel and was able to forgive the way in which everything seems to happen in a filmy mist. It's as if Una, our narrator, is standing outside of her life doing play-by-play. The characters end up feeling pretty flat, and the novel relies as much on ambiance as it does on content.

I think that if you're a fan of Rice's work that you might want to skip this one. It falls short of what you might be expecting. She's greener here than in later works (or at least I assume she is since I've only read one other book by her). She's heavy on atmosphere and theme and light on description. You know how writing teachers tell you to 'show, not tell'? Rice seems to break that Golden Rule, so it ends up feeling less like you're a part of the story and more like you're watching the story from the sidelines. Given Una's feelings, though, it works as a plot device.

I would heartily recommend this title to anyone looking to read a "women's fiction" story that isn't a full-blown Romance novel. There are certainly romantic elements, but romance isn't on Rice's plate just yet.

Librivox: How Mrs. Dude plans to read the classics

2008-05-05T09:04:00.005-06:00

I wish I had the patience to read books that would make me a better, more culturally aware person.

I don't.

I read one or two pages and get bored.

Librivox has solved all of my problems, and they did it for free.

I could jump for joy.

Librivox is an initiative that has volunteers reading works of fiction and non-fiction that are currently in the public domain.

For a reasonably concise explanation of public domain,go here.

Chapters of works are read by volunteers and uploaded to the interwebs where anyone can download them. Users can search or browse the Librivox catalog and either download the file to their computers or subscribe to a book in iTunes in the form of a podcast.

I chose the "subscribe in iTunes" option and it was quick and painless. Each chapter is a separate podcast.

I am currently listening to Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Because the people reading the books are volunteers, you don't always have professional-sounding people reading to you. Sometimes I don't always like the voice of the person reading a chapter. Conversely, if you do like the voice of someone reading a chapter, there's no guarantee that person will be reading the next chapter. But, it's free, so I'm willing to deal with a bit of amateur-ness from the readers.

I'll start listing the books I read via Librivox, so that the two of you who might be interested can follow along at home.

I heartily recommend checking out Librivox and either listening or volunteering to read. Or, heck, go crazy and do both!

In which Mrs. Dude exposes her obsessive nature

2008-05-02T09:24:00.004-06:00

When I find a band that I connect with, musically speaking, I get kind of obsessive. Okay...not kind of. Really.

Really obsessive.

It's just that I so rarely find music that I connect with. I like a particular song by this band or that artist, but I rarely find an artist or band whose music, as a whole, speaks to me.

When I find one, I obsess. I listen to the same songs over and over again.

It's like falling in love, I suppose. I want to surround myself with that music. I want to be enchanted, transported, rocked to the very core of my soul.

I want to find music that makes me never feel the same again.

I'm currently obsessing over Mike Doughty's music and also Tegan and Sara's music.

I have listened to Golden Delicious and If it was you so many times it's not even funny.

I am learning every word to every song. Not on purpose, to be one of those people who goes to a concert and sings every word of every song. I'm learning them as a side effect of immersing myself in the songs.

I can't explain why I'm drawn to either of these artists. I think it's their lyrical dexterity and earnestness.

Whatever the reason, I am a sad, lovesick fool.

Musically-speaking, that is.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist (4/24)

2008-04-24T15:33:00.001-06:00

Tegan and Sara--It it was you
Jimmy Buffett--Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Soul Coughing--Irresistible bliss

From a Friend of Mrs. Dude

2008-04-24T09:57:00.002-06:00

Go give my friend, My friend Katie, some love at her new blog The Mystery Shelf.

If you're into mysteries, it's shaping up to be made of awesome.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist (Mon., April 21)

2008-04-21T15:40:00.001-06:00

R.E.M.--Accelerate
Mike Doughty--Rockity roll
Mandy Moore--Wild hope
Indigo Girls--Despite out differences

What? Mrs. Dude likes the interwebs, too?

2008-04-11T13:47:00.003-06:00

So, I've spend so. much. time. writing about music that I'm sure that the three of you who read this blog have given up hope of my ever writing about other things.

Lame, right? Or, as my favorite Top Chef-testant, Lisa, would say "weak."

So, just for the three of you...I dug deep.

Actually, what really happened is that I was looking on the interwebs for gossip about Top Chef and I found this awesome blog.

Potato/po-tah-to, I guess.

Anyway, you should go read the stuff on this awesome blog I found called TiFaux.

First of all, the name is brilliant. The dude and I have this fake Tivo that we call TiFaux. Obviously we didn't make that name up, but I have no idea where it came from.

Second of all, these people are more obsessed with TV than I am which, truth be told, is kind of a big deal.

See...I like television. More specifically, I love reality television.

I am currently watching:
Top Chef
Rock of Love II
Rock the Cradle
America's Next Top Model
Step it up and dance
Celebrity Fit Club

Shows that never end:
Animal Cops/Precinct/Police
What Not to Wear

I have also watched:
Real World/Road Rules challenges
Project Runway
Rockstar: Supernova
Top Design
Shear Genius
High School Reunion

Noticeably absent from my list is American Idol. I don't watch it. It just doesn't excite me, you know?

I've wrestled with admitting my addiction to reality television. I didn't want you to think I was shallow, after all.

Oh, wait...this isn't a post about my addiction to reality television. This is a post about TiFaux.

So I found this site, TiFaux, which has links and essays and rantings. Basically, if I wrote exclusively about television, this would be the blog I would aspire to be like.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist (4/8)

2008-04-08T15:49:00.002-06:00

R.E.M.: Accelerate
Tegan and Sara: The con
They Might be Giants: No!

Accelerate by R.E.M.

2008-04-08T15:19:00.004-06:00

I've been too busy listening to this album to actually weigh in on it.

Funny, no?

Look, I know that R.E.M. has gotten a bad reputation after the last few albums. Reveal and Around the Sun weren't well-received. In fact, whatever the opposite of well-received is, that's how they were received. I know all of this.

R.E.M. has been my favorite band since the time between when Automatic for the People and Monster were released. I was a freshman in high school. And while my contemporaries were listening to bubble gum pop or grunge, I was falling in love with a College Rock icon. In fact, R.E.M. was alternative before there was even a name for that genre of music.

It is for this reason that I was willing to find the good in murky, muddy albums of the late 90s and early 00s. Up had its moments--it gave us "Walk Unafraid," after all. Reveal was unfocused, but had some great hooks. And I even found something to love about Around the Sun, with its dark melodies and jarring vocals.

It was rumored, though, that Accelerate was going to be a return to hard-charging straightforward rock songs. In fact, those who'd heard the record before its official release date dared to invoke the sacred name of Life's Rich Pageant.

After hearing all of that, it was hard to listen to Accelerate with an open mind. Instead, I had all of my hopes and dreams on this album. Having so much faith in something would surely leave me burned, right?

Nah.

It was totally awesome!

The album starts with the defiant track "Living Well is the Best Revenge," where Stipe's anger and wit are channeled into a single song, and continues thrilling until the fun would-be throwaway track "I'm gonna DJ," which proclaims "Death is pretty final/I'm collecting vinyl/I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world." I say "would-be" because though the track is short, it might actually be the best track on the album. It's concise, like a good poem, and has a ridiculously big hook.

What's not to like?

In between are songs that all clock in under 4 minutes and which convey the intensity of a band trying to rage against the dying of the light.

Stipe, Buck, and Mills are political, satirical, and seem desperate to prove that though they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their place in the music scene is not that of the retired elder statesmen of Alternative Rock. R.E.M. is, despite the past few albums, proving itself to be a thriving band with something relevant to say to those willing to listen.

The album lacked some of the polish that previous albums have had, and the rough-around-the-edges quality is what makes it so good. The whole album feels urgent, and that urgency is what makes it good.

In short, Accelerate met my ridiculously high expectations. It restored my faith in the future of R.E.M. It's as if the band members awakened from a slumber, not content to rest on their past accomplishments.

And, you know what? That's fine by me.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist 3/27 and 28

2008-03-29T07:19:00.001-06:00

March 27:
Modest Mouse: The Moon and Antarctica

March 28:
Mike Doughty: Golden Delicious
Regina Spektor: Begin to hope

Mike Doughty at The Gargoyle--3/27 revised

2008-03-28T08:32:00.004-06:00

I was reading the paper yesterday evening and saw that Mike Doughty was going to be playing later that evening at The Gargoyle later that evening. The show was a reasonable $15 and I was desperate to see Doughty in concert. So, in a very un-Mrs. Dudelike turn of events, I decided to go.

I'm glad I did.

The Gargoyle was an awesome, though poorly ventilated, venue. It was small enough to be intimate but big enough to give everyone room to push toward the stage. But, after dancing for an hour, my legs hurt from the tile floor.

Doughty seemed genuinely into the crowd, putting out an awesome vibe. He could've copped an attitude since The Gargoyle is a student-run venue on a University campus and there were maybe 200 people there. Instead, he seemed genuinely interested in putting on a killer show. He had an ease on stage and mastered the art of between-song banter. For me, this was the best part of the show and Doughty interacted with an energy and interest like I've never seen before. A close second might be Steve Poltz.

Doughty played songs from all of his solo albums, hitting his Haughty Melodic stuff pretty hard. But he also played songs from his Soul Coughing days. Highlights for me were the songs:

Soft serve
Busting up a Starbucks
I hear the bells
Ft. Hood
I wrote a song about your car
Tremendous brunettes

and a rousing version of Firetruck at the audience's insistence.

I was amused at how many people weren't singing along until he got to "I hear the bells," at which point they broke into song. I attributed this to the fact that a large portion of the audience was college-aged (which makes sense, as The Gargoyle is a student-run club and the show was free for Washington University students) and probably knew the song from it's appearance in a pivotal scene in the television show Veronica Mars. The age of the audience also led to me overhearing a college-aged girl say "I can't believe there are so many people here who are my parents' age."

Man...I felt old.

Opening for Doughty was funky fresh rock band The Panderers. A band on Doughty's label, Snack Bar, the Panderers were a mix of alt-country and neo-soul and reminded me a lot of Better Than Ezra, Steve Poltz, and Doughty himself. Catchy and fun, the music was fabulous and the drummer, bass player, and keyboardist returned to the stage to back Doughty. They only have an EPs-worth of material, so their set was short but each song was carefully crafted and performed with energy.

We were provided with a bizarre treat before The Panderers came on. The drummer, bass player, and keyboardist for both The Panderers and Mike Doughty's backing band came out dressed in funny hats and fake facial hair. They played wordless prog-ish music, including a song where the bassist read from a Euclidean Geometry book. The audience wasn't sure if the performance was a joke or for real, but the music was good, so I wasn't sure it mattered.

Overall, the evening was well worth the money I paid.

P.S.--Go read Alex's review of the show. He was nice enough to show me some link love so I want to return the favor. Also? He had a lot of the same views on the evening that I did.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist--3/26

2008-03-26T14:47:00.001-06:00

Mike Doughty: Haughty Melodic (I didn't make it all the way through the album yesterday, so it was what popped up when I turned on my iPod)

Glen Phillips: Mr. Lemons

Kay Hanley: Cherry Marmalade

Just 'cause

2008-03-25T15:38:00.000-06:00

"Slain by the words I lack/My world is bursting sappy music"
--Madeline and Nine by Mike Doughty

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist--3/25

2008-03-25T15:37:00.001-06:00

Counting Crows: Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings
Dixie Chicks: Taking the Long Way
Mike Doughty: Haughty Melodic

Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings by Counting Crows

2008-03-25T08:39:00.002-06:00

There's a song by the band Fall Out Boy called "Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends" that includes the couplet:

"Strike us like matches, cause everyone deserves the flames
We only do it for the scars and stories, not the fame"

In the end, Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings seems to be about Adam Duritz's attempt to find himself and his "real friends" amid the "sham friends" that come with his Rock and Roll lifestyle.

Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings is a two-disc concept album. One disc, Saturday Nights, is full of plugged in rock, crunch guitars, and sin soaked melodies. Sunday Mornings, on the other hand, is an introspective-feeling album full of the regrets that come with a hangover and the realization that you've woken up alone.

One is supposed to listen to both albums back-to-back, I've read, to feel the full effect of the album.

I bought my copy on iTunes, so the transition from Saturday Night to Sunday Morning seemed all the starker. My mind was still trying to recover from the amped up, driving melody of "Cowboys" when the haunting song "Washington Square" demanded my full attention.

Most of my favorite songs came from the Saturday Nights portion of the album. "Sundays" was dance-able with a big hook. "Cowboys" reeked of a desperation and need that I haven't seen from Counting Crows since...well, ever.

The lone standout on the Sunday Mornings album, for me, was "When I dream of Michaelangelo." It starts with the line "I don't like you, but you wanna be my friend" and doesn't stop until the last chord. Duritz and co. evoke images brought forth in Recovering the Satellites' song "Angels of the Silence" with the line "I dream of Michaelangelo when I'm lying in my bed." It's copied word-for-word from the earlier track. It's an interesting play on their part and, strangely, it works.

Overall, it was an ambitious album. If I could take Saturday Night and leave Sunday Morning, I would. The band seems to be at it's best when it's rocking, and the stripped down tracks just don't work for me.

Mrs. Dude's at-work playlist--3/24/08

2008-03-24T15:20:00.001-06:00

Tegan and Sara: The con
Tegan and Sara: So jealous
R.E.M.: Life's rich pageant
Our Lady Peace: Happiness is not a fish that you can catch

Slanted and Enchanted by Pavement

2008-03-18T14:35:00.003-06:00

I've only known the band Pavement from their single "Cut your hair." Well, that and the cover they did of "No more kings" on the album School House Rock Rocks!. So when the iTunes store had Pavement's first album, Slanted and Enchanted, on sale I was kind of sad. I wanted the one with "Cut your hair" on it!

But, I knew that there was a Pavement void in my album collection that needed to be filled, so I went ahead and bought Slanted and Enchanted.

I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop for almost a week, it's that good.

According to the Wikipedia entry for the album, Slanted and Enchanted was pretty influential in the 1990s rock scene. I can see how this is true and realize, in retrospect that, as a self-proclaimed flannel-head, it isn't an album I can afford to be without.

Slanted and Enchanted is full of witty lyrics, crunchy guitars, and a lo-fi sound that makes it charming. It is everything that slacker rock was supposed to be and it's done really, really well.

In my opinion, a good album should be so tightly put together that you feel like it's effortless even though you know that it took a lot of work to make it happen. As a listener, though, you shouldn't be able to see the cracks. This album is like that and, thus, I recommend it.

Spook Country by William Gibson

2008-03-18T07:58:00.003-06:00

One of the reasons that I love reading Gibson's work is that he creates worlds that I don't entirely understand but he presents them to me in ways that totally make sense.

I fell in love with Gibson's writing in my undergraduate Postmodern American Fiction class. I read Idoru and it was, I'm pretty certain, the only book in that class that I finished. On my own time, I devoured the rest of his writing and have squealed with delight every time that he puts out a new book.

Amazon.com's page on Spook Country points out that as time has caught up with Gibson's version of the future, he has taken to writing about the here-and-now. This is something that had been rolling around in my brain, but not something I'd pieced together into an actual theory. It was nice to have my hunch validated.

Spook Country serves as a sequel of sorts to Gibson's previous novel, Pattern Recognition, in that one of the main characters shows up.Hubertus Bigend, founder of Big Ant, makes an appearance in this novel as the publisher of a yet-to-be-founded magazine.

Gibson attempts, in this novel, to weave together three separate narratives. Sometimes this device works, bringing the characters in each story closer together and then pulling them apart again. I think it's a fascinating narrative technique, but one that can fall apart quite easily. The problem with having three stories and three story's worth of characters is that no one really gets fleshed out into a "real" character. Gibson is guilty of this, but I can't help but think this is on purpose. I kept thinking that Gibson wants you to see these characters' outlines, but never really see them completely.

Overall, I thought that Gibson gave his audience a good (and suspenseful) story about what it means to live in our modern world with it's push and pull from reality to virtuality and back again.

It's not Gibson's best work, especially as a companion to Pattern Recognition, but it does offer some interesting ideas and it stuck with me long after I finished it.

Brighter than Creation's Dark by Drive-By Truckers

2008-03-04T12:04:00.003-06:00

I loved A blessing and a curse, DBT's previous album. I listened to it obsessively for a while and was quite self-congratulatory about being into the whole "alt country" thing.

The album was strong, both musically and lyrically, and I ended up feeling like no matter how many times I listened to the album, I'd always find something new. And really, isn't what makes and album good it's ability to reveal something new about itself each time you listen to it?

Understandably, I dragged my feet when it came time to listen to DBT's newest album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark. I worried about how the band would recover from Jason Isbell's departure. I worried about how having Shonna Tucker singing more songs would affect the balance of the album. Mostly, though, I worried that I wouldn't like it.

And, on first listen, I didn't.

It started out rocky for me, when I started listening to it. Where was my "Feb. 14?" Where was my strong guitar? Instead, I get "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife," haunting in it's lyrics and much lighter than what I expected from an opening track.

I had to fight my urge to turn the album off and give DBT the respect of listening to the entire thing before passing judgment.

I'm glad I did.

The album, though not as good as their previous work, was memorable and haunting. Much darker than their last album, Brighter than Creation's Dark was painted with a musical palate of black, dark grey, and deep purple.

This isn't to say that there isn't some rock on the album. There are songs with hard edges and crunchy guitar chords. But they are mixed with lighter, wispy, more ephemeral songs. Ultimately a good mix, I think.

Sleep through the static by Jack Johnson

2008-03-03T10:15:00.002-06:00

I've noticed that I've been blogging a lot about music lately. I think it's because I am currently in a phase where I'm reading many more magazines than books. I'll try to remedy that and be more varied in my favorite things.

Anyway...

Jack Johnson has been an acquired taste for me. I never really liked his laid-back surfer-style of music. His songs always seemed a little "sleepy" and directionless for my taste. I need strong, lyrically-driven music, and Johnson always seemed like he was just along for the ride so-to-speak and going where the music took him.

The Dude enjoys his music, though, so little by little Johnson has worn me down.

Sleep through the Static takes Johnson in a different direction. It features songs that have electric guitar and which are politically minded, both new ventures for Johnson. He also recorded this album on the mainland in a Green studio.

There are a lot of critics who thought that Sleep through the Static wasn't a radical enough departure for Johnson, but I think it's actually what I liked most about the album. Johnson has a great voice that doesn't deserve to get buried under layers of crunchy guitar. And, ultimately, that doesn't seem to be what Johnson is "about" anyway. But the move from goofy songs like "Bubble toes" to more darker, more mindful songs like "Sleep through the Static" show his ability to mature as a musician without leaving his history behind.

August and Everything After by Counting Crows

2008-02-25T09:44:00.003-06:00

I think that Adam Duritz is a supremely talented lyricist. The Dude loves Elvis Costello with an unseemly passion. He says that Costello is a ridiculously talented lyricist. I feel the same way about Duritz. He can turn a phrase like nobody's business. And even though he writes about the same themes over and over and over again, he always finds a new way to present them so that you don't feel like you've heard it all before.

August and Everything After, released in 1993, was Counting Crows major label debut. It has a more "alt country" feel than any of their other albums, I always think, with songs like "Rain King" featuring a more jangly guitar sound.

Though it's not my favorite album in their catalog, it does have a lot of solid songs, showing both the band's technical proficiency and Duritz's song writing capabilities. And with songs that hold up over 15 years, it hasn't come and gone like many other bands' first albums.

New music a-go-go!

2008-02-16T18:00:00.003-06:00

Two very promising developments on the New Music Front...

The Counting Crows released a single, "You can't count on me," in advance of a new album called Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings. It is lovely, jangly rock with emotionally bare lyrics--which is to say Counting Crows at their very best. The band hasn't strayed very far from their "signature sound" over the years, but that is, in my humblest of opinions, a good thing.

R.E.M.'s single "Supernatural Superserious" (try saying that ten times fast, right?) can also be heard, in advance of their album Accelerate which, like The Dude's book, has a release date of April 1, 2008. The single seems closer to early R.E.M. (read: Document or Life's Rich Pageant) than their last release, Around the Sun. This should please die-hard fans. I love what R.E.M. has done in the past few years as they try to find their post-Bill Berry sound, but I'm also glad that they seem to be going back to the formula that works best for them--guitar driven, politically minded rock 'n' roll.

Love is mix tape by Rob Sheffield

2008-02-11T11:40:00.000-06:00

I've seen Rob Sheffield on many of those VH1 shows where they count down the top 100 or 50 of some genre of song. My favorite of those, of course, is the Top Soft Rock songs. But I digress...

Sheffield wrote and amazing book called Love is a mix tape: life and loss, one song at a time. It's this book about about falling in love and learning to lose love the most graceful way one can. It's about music and how music colors memories. It's about mix tapes and the 90s. Mostly, it's achingly perfect in tone and in execution.

It reminded me of Nick Hornby's High Fidelty for all of the right reasons. I fell in love with Renee and Rob and their relationship in much the same way that I fell in love with Hornby's Rob. And when I finished reading Sheffield's book, I handed it to my husband. I can only hope he enjoys it as much as I did.

Year in review! the music edition...

2008-01-18T08:58:00.001-06:00

Hooray!

Apparently my previous post about Coverville was my 100th post. If I were a grocery store and that entry was a customer, it'd win a free ham or something.

Anyway...

The Dude and I collaborated on our respective top picks in music lists.

Because I am lazy, and because I wanted to give The Dude some linky love, go visit his blog and read the list.

Go ahead...I'll wait. But remember to come back when you're done!

What are you still doing here? Go!

Okay, so you've read it. You should know that the headline comes from my favorite Futurama episode ever.

What did you think? Did you think we were spot on?

What was your favorite album of 2007?

Leave me a comment and expose me to some new (and awesome) music, y'all!

Coverville

2008-01-16T16:00:00.000-06:00

Coverville is an awesome podcast, especially if you love cover songs. And I really, really love cover songs.

As near as I can tell from the information on the Coverville website, the show is hosted, recorded, and produced by a single person out of his home in Colorado. I was floored when I read that, because I was sure that this was a big-budget show produced by a public radio station.

Each episode has a theme. Sometimes it's topical--like Halloween. Sometimes it's by artist--like the show that features covers of songs by Sting.

Mostly, though, it's made of awesome.

Go check it out. And since it's independently run, maybe toss a couple of dollars their way.

Erin McKeown...again.

2008-01-09T14:50:00.000-06:00

I learned about Erin McKeown last year with the release of her album Sing you sinners. I didn't buy that album but, instead, bought her earlier album We will become like birds.

Her voice is sweet with a hint of smokey and sultry. Her style is rock meets rockabilly meets folk and she's as at home singing standards as she is singing her own music.

I am hooked on her newest album, a live album called Lafayette.

My favorite track? "Thanks for the Boogie Ride" from Sing you sinners.

It's worth taking a moment to listen to her stuff.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-08T15:28:00.000-06:00

*cue the noisemakers*

Wait...what? New Year's Day was a week ago?

I figure that I should post some New Year's resolutions for this blog, since I feel like I've gotten off track.

1. Review every book I read, movie I watch, or album I listen to.
2. Add more links to websites I enjoy and bloggers who rock my world.

Wow...that was lame.

Anyway, I have two books under my belt already, so I'll get reviews up either today or tomorrow.

And I still owe y'all a "best of" list musically speaking. The Dude and I talked about doing a "he said"/"she said" list. We'll see...

Coming soon...Year in Review

2007-12-03T12:21:00.000-06:00

I'm starting to listen to the albums I own that were put out in 2007 with the hopes of putting together a "Top 10 Albums of 2007" list.

I'll try to get my thoughts up as I listen to them, but I do think that 2007 was a killer year music-wise.

The Cure (album) by The Cure (group)

2007-11-30T11:48:00.001-06:00

In 2004, The Cure (group) put out The Cure (album). It's a fun little album. It's heavy, both sonically and lyrically. It's crunchy sounding and not as "slick" as some of their earlier stuff. Put it next to Wild Mood Swings, for example, and you'd think it was two separate bands that you were listening to.

The guy who produced it also produced stuff by Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Slipknot, so you can see some of what they were driving at. And it's arguably the least accessible of their recent albums.

According to this Wikipedia article, it got reasonable critical acclaim, though it was generally considered a "fans only" kind of recording.

It's a shame, though, because it's fun to listen to. It's heavy and murky and a lot more atmospheric than I generally like from the music I listen to.

Bands, after a while, start to experiment with their sound and sometimes the results are hits and sometimes they're misses. I think this one was generally considered a "miss," which is unfortunate.

Books and lists about books

2007-11-29T09:56:00.000-06:00

I was this list by a Library Land blog.

It's a list of lists. How meta, right?

It's 8 "best of 2007" lists covering a variety of topics and a variety of outlets.

So...if you're looking for something to read: start here.

Modest Mouse! Tonight!

2007-11-14T15:47:00.000-06:00

The Dude is taking me to see Modest Mouse tonight.

I have been listening to their albums all week in anticipation of the show. He has too, I think.

I am constantly amazed at their lyrical dexterity. Nearly every time I hear one of their songs, I think 'wow...if I could write music, this is what I'd write.'

I've seen a few set lists from this past week and I've been pleasantly surprised at the mix of newer and older stuff they've been playing. The Dude will enjoy it because I know he likes their older, more bizarre stuff.

I'll report back tomorrow.

Wow. Really?

2007-11-12T10:16:00.000-06:00

I had always thought of Oasis when I heard The Bravery. I have no idea why, but I did. Someone suggested to me, though, that The Bravery was closer to The Killers than Oasis. This morning on the way to work, Ethel (the XM channel I listen to most often), played a song by The Killers song back-to-back with "An Honest Mistake" by The Bravery.

It's really amazing how much more The Bravery sounds like The Killers than Oasis.

It's funny, even, considering how "meh" I am about The Killers.

I love it when my personal and professional lives collide

2007-11-09T11:01:00.001-06:00

In my "day job," I'm a librarian. It's glamorous, I assure you. I don't talk about it much in this blog because it doesn't really fit with the topic at hand. But as I was reading through some Library Land blogs, I saw my two worlds collide.

I read this post by Annoyed Librarian that referred to this column by Boston sports columnist Bob Ryan.

In the column, Ryan writes about Patriots QB Tom Brady and how the offensive support he has this year outweighs the support he had last year. Ryan argues that Brady is as good of a QB this year as he was last year, but this year the stats match the performance. Ryan also says that you won't actually hear Brady toot his horn all that much. I assume this is because Brady is a gentleman (as evidenced by being a hands-on Dad to his bastard son whose mama he dumped to date a Brazilian supermodel).

In the article, Ryan writes "And you can be sure Brady will be seen in public with a homely librarian before he engages in any discussion about the difference between the receivers he was forced to work with last season and the ones he has now."

Librarians all over this great land of ours got their noses out of joint because Ryan insinuated that librarians are homely. Copious letters to the editor were written about stereotypes and "cool" librarians. It seems, almost a month later, that the seas are less choppy and that librarians have gone back to being the lame, fuddy duddy, "shush"ers we all know and love. It's hard work, my friends, but somebody's got to do it.

I was just amused that Ryan insinuated that Brady was a gentleman...

--Mrs. Dude, Colts fan

Might as well join the mob...the benefits are okay

2007-10-29T11:10:00.000-06:00

Something I saw online jogged my memory about the band Soul Asylum, so I checked my handy dandy iPod, Black Frances, and saw that I do have a Soul Asylum album.

Well, it's The Dude's, but during the Great Music Combining of Aught Whatever his music became mine and mine became his (for better and worse. As an aside...for two music junkies, combining music collections is the biggest test of a relationship).

I was listening to Grave Dancer's Union and I was reminded that Soul Asylum used to be good. I say "used to" because last year they came out of oblivion to put out this craptastic single before returning back to irrelevancy (holy cow! irrelevancy is a word! who knew?).

Grave Dancer's Union is a fabulous little gem, full of great songs. And it has my favorite Soul Asylum ever, "Without a trace." Yeah, it has "Runaway Train" on it which ended up getting overplayed until it was a lifeless shell of a decent song. But overall, it's a great disc.