El Picador

I love M. Ward but She & Him bores me to death. This new record is no different.

This is nice to hear. I saw Deerhunter back in 2005 (opening for Liars) and they were comically bad. I somehow managed to stay in the room for their whole set but it wasn't because of the music. I think someone was mimicing death on stage, or so it sounded. I was very surprised when I heard Halcyon Digest for the first time, which remains my favorite record from 2010. They are playing at FTF fest in LA this summer and I had some concern. Your report puts to rest all concerns.

Well Said, Beltmann. My wife pointed out the translation as she was laughing hysterically. She said the interaction reminded her of her mother (who speaks no English) and me. I can attempt to speak her language but at times it is just easier to hear and believe what I want.

The Cuckoo - 2002 - Russia The originality in this film is it's greatest quality. The conversation between three people who all speak different languages/cannot understand each other is comical, clever and fun. There is something refreshing about this film that much of the Hollywood garbage I've seen of late is lacking. It's important to note something that the subtitles do not tell: The word "psholti", which is used frequently in the film, means "f**k off" in Russian, which adds much more humor to the already hilarious dialogue between the three main characters.

Rust and Bone - 2012 - France/Belgium Quite honestly I wasn't sure this film was going to end up being as good as it was. I found myself wanting them to settle on a single plot and go with it. But instead they kept us hanging on, waiting for one a few different ideas to take precedence. Fortunately some events and one scene in particular save the film and it closes with a strong underlying message.

I'm with all of ya on the two drummers thing. Looking back at some of the videos from later years, they really could've let a drummer sit for the first set and come out only for set 2. Most first set GD tunes are not worthy of two drummers. But I've heard many unreal Drums/Rhythm Devils that were out of this world. For this I appreciate the Billy/Micky combo.

1. Phish - Long Beach Arena, LB, CA - August 2012 Restored my faith in Phish as the best dollar for dollar live musical act in 2012. I hadn't seen much of them since 2000 (I caught the Festival 8 in 2009) and was blown away by the improvements in the quality of play, length of jams, and the outstanding light choreography by Chris Kuroda. 2. Wilco - Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego, CA - February 2012 Lived about a mile from Copley and didn't have a ticket. Decided a couple hours before to head on down there and bought a couple tickets for my wife and I for a rather low price. The sound was im

It makes me wonder what these guys had to say to Garcia in the later years. I gave a listen to Charlotte 3/23/95 the other day for the first time in 15 years or so and felt sorry for the 5 guys on stage who were holding it together so well while Jerry struggled to play the correct notes. I know they practiced Unbroken Chain but in this version it sounds like Jerry is hearing the song for the first time and attempting to fill in a note or two. The lyrics to the first verse of Scarlet Begonias are completely forgotten and, if not for some strong playing by the rest of the band, may well have bee

The echoey sound is apparent in all Spring '77 Betty Boards. Listen to Peggy-O from 5/9/77 or any Estimated Prophet (I believe they played it in all but 3 shows in 1977) and while the notes are all crisp as can be, their is a cool echo in the vocals that is reminiscent of the echo chamber effect in so much of today's music. There is another recording from 3/26/90 that sounds this way as well (this SBD has been circulating since the early 90s but can now be found in the Spring '90 box set released in 2012).

Some of my favorites from 2012, which provided us with a wealth of good new music. Tame Impala - Lonerism John Zorn - A Vision in Blakelight Kishi Bashi - 151a Sera Cahoone - Deer Creek Canyon Family of the Year - Loma Vista Benjamin Gibbard - Former Lives Exlovers - Moths Jake Bugg - st Andrew Bird - Hands of Glory

My wife and I loved this one. Probably my favorite of 2012.

Napoli, is that you?

Thank god Spring Training is finally over. Go Angels!!!

So now that this record has been officially released, has anyone had a chance to listen?

Still one of my favorite bands. I love the Radiolarians albums, Friday Afternoon in the Universe and Shack Man. My first exposure was back in 1995 when, after a Phish concert in Austin, some friends of mine drove over to Emo's to see if we could get in. Well, we stood in line for an hour or so and right when we got to the front of the line they declared the show as sold out. Anyway, we sat outside and listened as Trey Anastasio sat in with them for a ripping set. I still have the SBD of that show that sounds incredible. A year or so later I brought the DAT up to the college radio station where

I've been listening to the latest Miike Snow record over the past few days and have been very impressed. I put it on as background music on Sunday and after a few times through, felt some sounds coming out of my speakers that tickled the ear. As I became a little more familiar with some of the sounds, I began to recognize what it is about each song that I enjoy. I also noticed that even the songs I didn't like had something to offer...like drums...or samples of percussion...or piano fills that made tunes I ordinarily wouldn't like likeable. I also found that a few songs really stuck out as e

My wife and I were married at the San Diego County Clerk's super awesome wedding chapel (room). We didn't exactly "elope" as this idea was well planned out, as neither of us wanted a big wedding. We went down and got the marriage license and made an appointment for the following week to be wed right there in that same office. We let some friends know that we were going to do this but only those closest to us and we didn't mention the date. My parents knew that we didn't want anything big and so they weren't surprised or upset when we told them our plan (for weeks leading up to the wedding and

Nice to see some love for Mesto Vstrechi Izmenit Nelzya. Yet another one of my favorite Soviet films/miniseries. Gleb Zhiglov is a hero of mine.

I'm excited about this: J. Weaver RHP C. Wilson LHP D. Haren RHP E. Santana RHP J. Williams/G. Richards RHP 1. P. Bourjos CF 2. H. Kendrick 2B 3. A. Pujols 1B 4. K. Morales DH 5. M. Trumbo 3B 6. T. Hunter RF 7. V. Wells LF 8. C. Ianetta C 9. E. Aybar SS

I like standing or sitting...depends on my mood.

I wouldn't have gone either had they played House of Blues. My wife and I are regulars at Copley and the elegance of the theatre along with great acoustics make it so desirable. I knew it was going to be special.

The sound was perfect in row V, center Orchestra. I don't know about the rest of the room.

Absolutely nothing to complain about with last night's show. The sound at Copley Hall was the best I've heard at a Wilco show in all the years I've been seeing the band. Nels was on fire. I got a kick out of Jeff's joking about The Casbah and thought it was cool that someone through a Casbah sweatshirt up on stage for him to keep. My wife and I live just about a mile from Copley, and decided only a couple hours before the show to actually try to get a ticket. We went down there and found people had extras everywhere. Since the show sold out so quickly, we gave up hope months ago as I wasn't

Szindbad - 1971 - Hungary This Hungarian masterpiece byZoltán Huszárik tells the story of an aging man reflecting on his life of romance and sensualism. The film follows a strange pace, almost like a collage of chapters mixed with brief flashes of still images and close-ups of various objects to aid in story telling. The dialogue is poetic but the camera work tells a story of its own.

You're welcome. Just be forewarned, it's very long and slow paced. We're about half way through right now and one of either my wife or I gets really sleepy every time we put it on late at night. But there are qualities that keep me coming back for more.