Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012: Top Twenty-five Tracks

1. Japandroids:  The House that Heaven Built
2. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Thrift Shop
3. the Lumineers: Ho Hey
4. Alabama Shakes: Hold On
5. Josh Ritter: Joy to You Baby
6. Kendrick Lamar: Backseat Freestyle
7. First Aid Kit: Emmylou
8. Fiona Apple: Werewolf
9. Nicki Minaj/ David Guetta: Turn Me On
10. Frank Ocean: Bad Religion
11. Of Monsters & Men: Little Talks
12. Cloud Nothing: Stay Useless
13. Frightened Rabbit: State Hospital
14. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: Same Love
15. Fun.: Some Nights
16. Passion Pit: Carried Away
17. The Gaslight Anthem: "45"
18. Chairlift: I Belong In Your Arms
19. Twin Shadow: Five Seconds
20. Ellie Goulding: Figure 8
21. Youngblood Hawke: We Come Running
22. Band of Horses: Knock Knock
23. Grizzly Bear: Yet Again
24. Tegan & Sara: Closer
25. Kelly Clarkson: Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
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Monday, December 24, 2012

2012: Top Twenty-five Albums

1. Grizzly Bear: Shields
2. Fiona Apple: The Idler Wheel is Wiser...
3. Japandroids: Celebration Rock
4. the Lumineers: the Lumineers
5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: the Heist
6. Frank Ocean: Channel Orange
7. Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.A.A.d City
8. Alabama Shakes: Boys & Girls
9. Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memory
10. Twin Shadow: Confess
11. Dirty Projectors: Swing Low Magellan
12. Sharon Van Etten: Tramp
13. Sigur Ros: Valtari
14. Purity Ring: Shrines
15. First Aid Kit: Lion's Roar
16. Fun.: Some Nights
17. Passion Pit: Gossamer
18. The xx: Coexist
19. Beach House: Bloom
20. the Avett Brothers: the Carpenter
21. Wild Nothing: Nocturne
22. the Walkmen: Heaven
23. Chairlift: Something
24. the Gaslight Anthem: Handwritten
25. Of Monsters & Men: My Head is an Animal
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

My Best of 2011: Top 25 Albums


1. Bon Iver: Bon Iver

2. Feist: Metals

3. Wilco: the Whole Love

4. Radiohead: King of Limbs

5. James Blake: James Blake

6. Iron & Wine: Kiss Each Other Clean

7. the Civil Wars: Barton Hollow

8. M83: Hurry Up We're Dreaming

9. Other Lives: Tamer Animals

10. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues

11. the Head & the Heart: the Head & the Heart

12. Explosions in the Sky: Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

13. the War on Drugs: Slave Ambient

14. SBTRKT: SBTRKT

15. the Weeknd: House of Balloons

16. Gillian Welch: the Harrow & the Harvest

17. the Decemberists: the King is Dead

18. the Joy Formidable: Big Roar

19. Real Estate: Days

20. Ryan Adams: Ashes & Fire

21. Ben Sollee: Inclusions

22. Los Camposinos: Hello Sadness

23. Ha Ha Tonka: Death of a Decade

24. Cults: Cults

25. Lykke Li: Wounded Rhymes

Next Five:

Frank Ocean: Nostalgia, Ultra
Youth Lagoon: the Year of Hibernation
St. Vincent: Strange Misery
the Weeknd: Echoes of Silence
Noel Gallagher & His High Flying Birds: Noel Gallagher & His High Flying Birds

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My Best of 2011: Top 25 Tracks

I'm sure I missed a few on this list, that probably deserve to be in the top 25, but for me these stood out in my memory of 2011. (click on the title to listen, and see video. some of these contain explicit lyrics and PG-13 type videos)

1. Holocene: Bon Iver

2. Wildfire: SBTRKT

3. Wilhelm Scream: James Blake

4. Lotus Flower: Radiohead

5. Art of Almost: Wilco

6. Go Outside: Cults


8. Helplessness Blues: Fleet Foxes

9. Rivers & Roads: Head & the Heart

10. Tree By the River: Iron & Wine

11. Helena Beat: Foster the People

12. Can't Hold Us: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

13. Mountain Song/ Woman for Me: Rayland Baxter

14. Wicked Games: the Weeknd

15. Tamer Animals: Other Lives

16. Whirring: the Joy Formidable

17. Video Games: Lana Del Rey

18. Free Press and Curl: Shabazz Palaces

19. Lucky Now: Ryan Adams

20. Punching in a Dream: the Naked & Famous

21. It's Real: Real Estate

22. Barton Hollow: the Civil Wars

23. This is Why We Fight: the Decemberists

24. Heartbeat: Childish Gambino

25. Amor Fati: Washed Out

Next 5:

Bizness: tUnE-yArDs
Ice Cream: Battles
Novacane: Frank Ocean
D.D.: the Weeknd
Polish Girl: Neon Indian
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

My Best of 2011: Live Shows

1. Wilco - May 29th @ Sasquatch Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheater, George, WA
http://youtu.be/w7Ns7xkgLW0

2. Explosions in the Sky - September 8th @ Bing Crosby Theater, Spokane

3. the Civil Wars - June 25th @ A Club, Spokane

4. the Decemberists - July 22nd @ Big Sky Brewing Company, Missoula, MT

5. Josh Ritter - August 18th @ the Festival at Sandpoint, Sandpoint, ID

6. Other Lives - December 11th @ Tractor Tavern, Ballard/ Seattle

7. Scott Hutchinson (Frightened Rabbit frontman) - February 23rd @ Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR

8. Bright Eyes - May 30th @ the Knitting Factory, Spokane

9. Macklemore - November 17th @ Service Station, Spokane

10. Foster the People - May 29th @ Sasquatch Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheater, George

11. The Head & the Heart - October 22nd @ Key Arena, Seattle

12. Young the Giant - May 29th @ Sasquatch Music Festival, Gorge Amphitheater, George

13. Langhorne Slim - June 13th @ A Club, Spokane

14. Death Cab for Cutie - October 22nd @ Key Arena, Seattle

15. Ratatat - June 3rd @ Wilma Theatre, Missoula, MT
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Monday, December 26, 2011

My Best of 2011: Films

1. Martha Marcy May Marlene: a view into the scared and brainwashed life of Martha Marlene, portrayed exquisitely by Elizabeth Olsen (the Olsen twins little sister). John Hawkes ('Winter's Bone', 'You Me and Everyone We Know') is beginning to be a bit typecast as a creepy backwoods type, but he is really good at it, so go with what works. Sarah Paulson & Hugh Dancy also star.

2. Drive: a modern film noir with Ryan Gosling's best performance of the three films I saw him in this year. Carey Mulligan and Bryan Cranston also star.

3. Take Shelter: One of the most intense films that I have seen all year. Fighting with whether he is schizophrenic or foreseeing apocalyptic images Curtis (Michael Shannon) attempts to keep his family together somewhere in western Ohio. It will grip you and hold you in your seat as you hang on the edge.

4. Tree of Life: a sort of modern version of '2001: A Space Odyssey'. It is a film hard to explain. It is lengthy and confusing at times, but also enlightening as well. It made me think about how short life is and how we all should make the most of it. Cinematography and soundtrack create an almost dreamlike experience. Brad Pitt stars, and Sean Penn plays a small but important role.

5. Melancholia: another apocalyptic film with amazing cinematography. A great performance by Kirsten Dunst, as Justine, as a deeply disturbed young advertising art director who struggles with her recent nuptials and her overall mental capacity as well as strained relationship with her sister. This all occurring while a newly discovered planet brings about further questions and grave outcomes. Charlotte Gainsbourg & Kiefer Sutherland also star.

6. Bridesmaids: The funniest movie I've seen in years. Kristen Wiig is stellar as the lead, but it is Melissa McCarthy that brings it. Her character steals the show just as Galifianakis did in 'the Hangover'.

7. Hugo: a beautiful story of a young orphan boy who lives in the walls of a Parisian train station. It explores his struggles to remember his father through clockworks and films. Beautiful CGI imagery of 20s era Paris add to the beauty. Martin Scorscese directs.

8. the Descendents: I love Alexander Payne films. Sideways will always be in my tops of all-time list. This film is another classic look at relationships, life, death, and just ordinary life. George Clooney is great as always as a father and husband struggling with a sick wife and rebellious daughters in suburban Hawaii.

9. Beginners: Ewan McGregor stars as an artist that tells the story of him falling in love after his father passes away while also telling the story of his fathers final months as an openly gay man in his 70s after years of hiding it. There are voiceover sequences that will remind you of 'Trainspotting', the film that brought McGregor to our attention, without all the talk of heroin use.

10. 50/50: A sort of buddy film with cancer. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan are best friends, one of them has cancer and this follows their exploits of getting through it. Heartbreakingly funny.

Honorable mentions:

Hanna
Midnight in Paris
the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
the Adventures of Tintin
Like Crazy
A Little Help
Young Adult
Ides of March
Cedar Rapids
Moneyball
the Beaver
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Music | Pop Culture: #4 - Top Ten of 2010 - Concerts

Spokane doesn't offer a lot of opportunity for to see great live shows, but every so often it surprises you. Most times as you would assume if you want to see a great show you have to trek over to Seattle or Portland which offer other great perks beyond the music (Pike Place Market: Seattle, the BEER: Portland). Each of these will actually have a brief explanation of why they were so great.
1. Josh Ritter at the Knitting Factory - Spokane (November 5th): Ritter was in top form for a near hometown crowd. Many people from Moscow, ID were in attendance including his parents and many family friends. This made him more chatty than usual, and he brought out the big guns and even more enthusiasm. Ritter and his band tore through classics that I had never heard live and in person. Highlights for me were "Kathleen", "Harrisburg", and "Folk Bloodbath". When you see a Josh Ritter show it changes you. Two of my closest friends from Spokane came to this show with me, having never really listened to a JR song. They walked away different men. They told me so. Ritter and his band's enthusiasm and charisma during those two hours you spend with them makes you forget about everything outside the walls of the venue. For two hours your life is really fucking good.


2. Frightened Rabbit at Neumo's - Seattle (May 16): I know the lyrics to most of their songs, so there were several moments of all out screaming along with moments that bystanders would have thought I was having a seizure. The band put everything they had into each song. There was power behind the meloncholy in each lyric. It also helped greatly that Ashley was there with me to see one of my favorite bands of the past five years.


3. Arcade Fire at Key Arena - Seattle (September 29th): MIND BLOWING!!!!! Everytime I hear "Wake Up" or "Sprawl II" now, I become one giant goosebump. Would be Number 1, but it was in a basketball arena, so the sound wasn't always there.


4. Avett Brothers at the Bing Crosby Theater - Spokane (July 20th) Raucous is the only word I can use that best describes a ABs show. Harmonies and stomping of feet fill your ears while camaraderie and beards fill your vision. Highlight for me was "Murder in the City".


5. Josh Ritter at the Wonder Ballroom - Portland (June 18th): First concert in my new favorite city. The Wonder Ballroom is a great place to see a show, and JR and his Royal City Band were really happy to be there. Show was heavy in newer tunes from the exquisite So Runs the World Away, but he did play many classics as well. Highlights of the night for me was "Last Temptation of Adam" as well as Josh and Zack Hickman taking the time to talk to the stragglers after the show for 15 minutes about life, love, and beer.


6. Main Stage of Sasquatch Music Festival - George, WA (Monday, June 1st) - She & Him, Band of Horses, Drive by Truckers, Passion Pit, MGMT, Temper Trap, Mayer Hawthorne, & the Heavy: I spent the last day of the festival directly in front of the stage. I can't explain what it is like to be surrounded by 20,000 people, but it was surreal and rather amazing. Throw in a group of musicians that produce some of the music that has soundtracked the past 3 or 4 years, and you have an unbelievable day. Highlights for me would be all of it, but Passion Pit really jumped out to me. I had never really listened to them, and didn't get it when I did. Seeing them live changed everything. It was also quite a pleasure to see Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward together. She is a real musical talent.


7. Tallest Man on Earth at Sasquatch Music Festival - George, WA (Sunday, May 30th) - Yeti Stage: Never heard this guys music until this day, and I was blown away and floored by the rawness of the lyrics and guitar picking. Amazing.


8. LCD Soundsystem at Sasquatch Music Festival - George, WA (Sunday, May 30th) - Main Stage: Have you ever seen 20,000 people move like an ocean. That is what LCD Soundsystem does. James Murphy and his backing band and doo-wop singers were the highlight of Sunday for me. Even more than the band I really came to see, Pavement.


9. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists at the Blvd - Spokane (March ?): I had only heard one record of Leo's and I knew I liked it, but wasn't blown away at first. To have such a talent play a dive bar especially in Spokane was a real treat, and it was definitely the right venue for the great punk tunes that Leo produces. His set was only an hour long, and I bet we still heard 20 songs. He was very chatty with the crowd and the crowd was very receptive to his musings. Highlights of the night was his solo cover of Big Star's "Ballad of El Goodo", and "One Polaroid a Day".


10. tie: Shout Out Louds at Neumo's - Seattle (May 15th) & Local Natives at Empyrean Coffee House - Spokane (May 26th): SOL were right on for the night. They grooved through their poppy Swedish rock with precision, but the reason it makes the top 10 is because Ashley was with me. She loves SOL, and we were able to set her up for a visit so that she may see them. It was a great night.

The Local Natives show was just awesome. I introduced three friends to their harmonies and unbelievable percussion, and it was great to see the small crowd really get in to the tunes. Highlight of the night was the crowd involvement during my favorite tune, "Sun Hands".


Just missing the cut:

the Swell Season at the Knitting Factory - Spokane (July 22nd)

Caribou at Sasquatch Music Festival - George, WA (Sunday, May 30th)

Hockey at Empyrean Coffee House - Spokane (August ?)

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Movies | Pop Culture: #1 - Top Ten of 2010 - Films/ Movies I Viewed

Just as I stated in my Albums post, I will not go in to why I enjoyed these movies over others. I will say that Inception became my second favorite movie of all-time just behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. So if you haven't seen some of these, fire up your Netflix account or visit your RedBox (Blockbuster is gone for the most part, folks) and get your popcorn and orange soda and fall for some great films.
1. Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ellen Page)
2. Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield)
3. Toy Story 3 (Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, Tim Allen)
4. The Kids are All Right (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo)
6. Kick-Ass (Nick Cage, Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz)
7. Greenberg (Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig)
8. Never Let Me Go (Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield)
9. Youth in Revolt (Michael Cera)
10. Valhalla Rising (Mads Mikkelsen (villian in Casino Royale))


Just missing the cut:

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

Despicable Me

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Hot Tub Time Machine

Alice in Wonderland

Note: I am sure True Grit, Black Swan, and 127 Hours would be on this list rather than a few of the ones listed here, but as the posts title states "Films/ Movies I Viewed".



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Music | Pop Culture : #3 My Top Ten of 2010 - Albums

**Corrections have been made to this since the original posting. Author failed to realize that two very important records to him in 2010 were actually released in 2010. No offense to Girl Talk and Vampire Weekend, but they should know themselves that the Local Natives and Morning Benders put out far better records than they did this year.**
I am not going in to why I chose these 10 records because that would be a lengthy and rather boring blog for you my readers. If you know me, you know that I love music and that I don't listen to undesirable music. If you don't have any of these records (or can't afford to purchase records these days), and you would like to listen to them or like a copy contact me, and we can work out something.


1. So Runs the World Away by Josh Ritter

2. Suburbs by Arcade Fire

3. Winter of Mixed Drinks by Frightened Rabbit

4. Transference by Spoon

5. Wild Hunt by the Tallest Man on Earth

6. Big Echo by the Morning Benders

7. High Violet by the National

8. Gorilla Manor by the Local Natives

9. American Slang by the Gaslight Anthem

10. Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons


Just missing the cut:

Astro Coast by Surfer Blood

Work by Shout Out Louds

Brothers by the Black Keys

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem

Infinite Arms by Band of Horses

The Brutalist Brick by Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

Note: Kanye's record would be on this list probably if I had heard it before this publishing, so don't ask me how I forgot to put it on this list. I still don't think it will crack my top five.

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Thursday, November 11, 2010

AmeriCorps VISTA 2010-2011: #4

I have been with Community Frameworks for over two months now, and one thing I have learned a great deal about the non-profit world is that projects can move quite quickly, or, as is the case of my manufactured home project, they can move at a snail's pace.


A project that is moving along rather quickly is an apartment building in Spokane Valley. Community Frameworks (CF) is currently put out a request for qualifications (RFQ) to the construction world, and are interviewing five companies over the next few days. The project they are all fighting for involves the renovation of an low-income apartment building. CF is closing on the building currently, and using Washington Works (only two projects were funded this year through this fund due to the ever growing deficit) funds to complete the renovation. The building was built in the 70s and has not been updated since that time and deferred maintenance has taken its toll on it as well. CF and the chosen construction team will go in, four units at a time, and remodel each apartment over the next year. The current residents will be moved to vacant units while their unit is being renovated. The goal is to have the mortgage paid off in the next 5-10 years, and once this occurs CF will lower the rent to further their cause of providing safe and healthy housing for low-income families. It is a very exciting project for Community Frameworks and has kept Chris Venne, my advisor, very busy for the past month.


During this time, I have been working as best I can on developing some sort of plan or system for CFs use of manufactured homes in their Home Starts program. As I have stated in previous conversations, I am here to research the viability of using manufactured homes in the low and moderate income housing market. We know it can work, but we need to know if it will work in the communities that we work in. There are several questions that need to be asked. How does the cost of a unit compare to a stick-built home? Can a manufactured home be used in typical residential neighborhoods and developments? What are the financing options for our clients? Etc. Etc. Etc.


I had a dinner meeting with four of the lead staff of Community Frameworks last night, and we began working out a more definitive plan for the remainder of the year. Many tasks were handed out to each member of the meeting. I was tasked with finding out the sales of manufactured homes in the state of Washington over the past 5 years. I am also tasked with finding those markets that would best suit this new program we are attempting to begin. From recent conversations with dealers in the Spokane area sales have been really slow over the past two years, which can be expected. I will be creating graphics and diagrams to display my findings which I will share on here.


As for the mobile home parks in Airway Heights (here) that project has stalled indefinitely. The project is a very touchy subject. Any time you want to move people from their homes to somewhere new can lead to a massive implosion. The political powers-that-be are not willing to back us on the project. They are not willing to get themselves dirty, especially if no other jurisdictions that rely on Fairchild Airforce Base, are willing to step in and help as well. This project is going to be a long and drawn out process. The situation is troublesome all around. If something occurs, I will post it here for all.
I have scheduled courses and my travel arrangements have been made for me to spend 5 days in Washington DC for the NeighborWorks Training Institute. The trip will begin December 5th and I will return on December 10th. This will be my first visit to DC, and I am really excited. I will be learning from instructors who have been in the affordable housing and community building field for 10+ years. It is going to be quite a week. I do have a full day free, so I expect to do some sightseeing and exploring. There will be a post to follow as well as photos.
Thank you to those that read these long-winded entries. I hope you take something from them. Please leave comments to let me know.
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Tuesday, November 2, 2010

It's Kind of a Funny Story...Carrie Furnace - Braddock, PA

This post is one part photo essay of the Carrie furnace in Braddock, Pennsylvania; one part conversation about why the photos are important; and one part a story of how I came to be in Braddock and what ensued.

A month or two back my dear friend Lindsay posted some photos on the "book-of-face" giving her friends a look at the abandoned Carrie furnace along the Monongahela River in Braddock, Pennsylvania. I pretty much thought they were awesome. The furnace has been out of commission since the early 70s and is a symbol of the once prosperous steel industry and also their demise. Braddock has been in the news in past few years with their unconventional mayor and his hopeful goals to bring his town back from the depths of despair. You may have also seen flashy images of Braddock in Levi's latest advertising campaign using the town as a backdrop for hard work and sort of a phoenix rising from the ashes sort of metaphor. There are a lot of towns and even metropolises that are in a similar state as Braddock, and over the past few years of the economic recession their images have been splashed upon the news. Abandoned factories, homes, and neighborhoods have become hot spots for photographic explorers to adventure. Lindsay's photos filled my need to see the Carrie Furnace and were the beginning of a strange little adventure.

My girlfriend, Ashley, and I got a late start on Tuesday (Oct. 26) . We got into the Pittsburgh metro area around 12:30, and made a reasonably quick stop at IKEA (less than two hours is an amazing feat). After getting our fill of Swedish design and furniture with silly names we were on our way to Braddock.

With my phone's trusty GPS capabilities we were speeding on the edge of the city and the Monongahela. Unfortunately, I did not have a real address for the furnace, so once we got to the center of Braddock I was sort of blindly driving around. We did this for about 30 minutes before I just stopped in a rather shady neighborhood and made my phone tell us how to get to the furnace. It really tried. It got is to the Rankin Street Bridge, but it hadn't anticipated the inability to turn left before crossing the bridge due to the construction. Needless to say it rerouted the trip across the bridge, across another bridge, and back to 376, to do it all over again. It was now about 3:30pm, and we were getting rather frustrated.



Lindsay had provided us with a nice little map and instructions, but due to our GPS we weren't initially able to use them. So we tried to improvise off of Lindsay's instructions and found what we thought was direct access to the furnace by way of a baseball field parking lot and a short hike down a hillside. Fail. The hillside was more like a cliff down to the railroad bed. We lost another 30 minutes learning this. From here we just started finding anyway to get under the Rankin Street Bridge. To make this a shorter story, we finally figured it out after some hit and miss driving.

Upon our arrival under the bridge and in the neighborhood and industry that surrounded it we were faced with the warnings that Lindsay and others had mentioned. It was shady and a little scary, but it was a small price to pay for what we were about to see. Lindsay stated in her instructions we would need to park across from "the shady bar" and hike to the furnace along the tracks. Ashley was not keen on this, and it was getting late in the day, so we did some investigating and found that a construction company's staging area was our only obstacle to us driving directly back to the furnace. As we approached the company's gates a car came through toward us, and Ashley says to me: "Don't slow down, just act like you know what you're doing." I pushed through the gate past a few guys working and continued on past their trucks and construction trailers. You should also know we are not in a truck or a sizable vehicle. We are in Ashley's two-door Hyundai Accent which is lovingly called "The Egg". So, though I drove like I belonged there, bystanders would definitely know we did not.

Once you are past the construction company's staging area the road to the furnace is not necessarily a road, but more like a concrete tarmac overtaken by nature. I bobbed and weaved the tiny car around potholes, rutted concrete, and overgrowth. After just five minutes we were directly in front of the furnace and its hulking mass of rust and dilapidation. It was beautiful.

There were posted signs scattered around the fence that surrounded the structures, but it did not deter us from finding a way in. Lindsay's instructions stated there is a hole in the fence to the first major building. Lindsay there was hole, but you must remember I am a very large man. Thankfully, after walking the perimeter we found a sizable opening in the fence and made our way inside the first of two large halls. It was mesmerizing, in my opinion.

Lindsay and my photos, as thought provoking as they are, cannot provide you with the feeling that you get when you are inside these spaces. An old office chair sits stagnant in the middle of one towering space, while trees grow within another. Sunlight filters through stained windows and down through the holes in the roof. The floor of one hall is littered with what was once its roof and the remnants of others who used to sweat in the heat of the furnace and those who have come to explore just as Ashley and I have.


Rust and patina mix with the colors of vibrant graffiti and the green and golds of the grasses that have invaded the structures. Nature is reclaiming what was once its place along the river. There are massive steel tanks and winding pipes running here and there creating a maze. The catwalks above your head are like rusty lace and seem just as fragile. Everything seems to be in a state of fragility. You feel that if a decent gust of wind came through it would all topple down upon you. It is gorgeous.


Anyway, after we explored for about an hour and a half the wind really started to pick up and we could see a storm brewing to the north of the furnace. The wind was howling through the tanks and the catwalks kicking up dust and rust. It was like something was telling us to leave. It was like the ghosts of the furnace's past were telling us we did not belong. We took the hint. We ran across the yards and through the opening in the fence just as the rain came down upon us. We were laughing with joy and happiness to have seen such a piece of history and escaped the weather that could easily have brought it down.

It was 5:30 by the time we drove off from the furnace. We were rehashing what we saw and just how cool it was while I weaved across the tarmac through the downpour. As we got closer to the construction company, I began to get a sinking feeling. That sinking feeling became shear dread as we came to the gate we not two hours had driven through. It was closed and locked with four Master Locks. The job site was empty of any other life. Job trailers had lights on, but for security purposes only. Trucks and equipment sat empty and dark. The rain continued to fall, and Ashley is laughing. I was not. Would we have to spend the night in the aforementioned Egg? If so, how dead would Ashley's Mom make me?



After I slammed my hands and head against the steering wheel a few hundred times and said pretty much every four letter word available, Ashley continue to laugh about it. I calmed down enough to check every trailer and truck for contact information for the construction company. Who ever thought that putting your phone number on your company vehicle was a bad idea? This company thought it was. Thankfully I had signal with my phone and Internet capabilities. After some Googling, we were able to get a contact number. Of course no one was in their offices, but there were two emergency numbers, one for the construction company and one for their development company. The construction company number did not work, and all I could do was leave a message with the development side. All I can remember about the message that I left was that there was a lot of me saying that we were stupid and that we were very sorry. Ashley is still laughing.

Half an hour went by after leaving the message before someone called us back. His name was Joey and he was a very nice about the whole thing. We were not the first fools to do this. He stated he had to call around to find someone who could help us, but he wanted to let us know someone knew we were there. He called back 15 minutes later, sounding less hopeful.

Can you cut the lock off? Joey asks.

Uh...No. All I have is a camera and a really small car? I respond.

Just thought I would ask. I don't really work with the construction guys, so I am not sure who I need to contact. Let me call a few others and see what I can do. Joey states with a slight hesitation in his voice.

I say, Thanks with a slight amount of fear.

Joey did finally come through for us. About fifteen minutes later a guy with the construction side of the operation calls us to let us know that he is sending a guy down in about 15-20 minutes. He also proceeded to tell us that we are some very brave fools for being in that particular area of town at night. I tell him, Well at least we are locked behind the fence. He recommends as soon as his guy get there to get out as quickly as possible. Twenty-five minutes go buy and we see a guy ambling toward the gate with a lunch pail in his hand. I assume it is our savior, but I was surprised he walked to the site.

Carefully, I get out of the car and meet him at the gate. He is a rough looking guy with a few missing teeth, but a very friendly guy. He asks if we are safe and if we are doing well. He then proceeds to tell me how we can get out. He points to a yellow Ryder truck just behind the Egg. He states that there is a ramp that extends from the trucks bumper, and if I reach my hand in on top I will find the key to the lock. All this time, it was there. Ashley does not know what is going on as I run past her as she is sitting in the car. She was thinking, she tells me later, Son of a Bitch the fucking key was inside the truck all along. It was, but who would have ever thought to reach inside the bumper.

We were free. The rain started up again, as the gentleman swung the gate open for us. He tells us he rode down on the bus and that it was no big deal. We try to compensate him for his trouble, but he refuses. He just left us with a handshake, a wave, and wish for us to be safe. Needless to say after we pulled away from him, it made me really consider leaving the Northwest and join other dear friends like Lindsay and become a Pittsburghian (though I would never root for any of their beloved sports teams).
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Monday, October 11, 2010

Music | Pop_Culture: #2 - Kings of Leon's Come Around Sundown


Gus-
This record is like that girl you date for a extended period of time but you can never really tell her you love her or commit to her. You really like her, but she just isn't doing it entirely for you. You like hanging out with her, but you could never really settle down with her.

These are my words to a friend describing my feeling of the most recent release by the Followill Family Band (aka. Kings of Leon). KoL have a new record coming out on October 19th, and thanks to my friend Justin(aka. Gus), I was able to get an advance copy of it. The record is titled Come Around Sundown, and it is a very fitting title. After listening to it exclusively since receiving it in my email, I can say that I really like it, but I don't love it.

I wish I could say I love it, but I haven't loved a record of theirs since Aha Shake Heartbreak (2005)*. This is a really good album. I feel it is one of those records that you and your friends listen to while sitting out near a bon fire just drinking beer and shooting the shit. There isn't a song that really has that whiskey or tequila drinking feel to it like you will find on Youth and Young Manhood (2003) or Aha Shake. It is a rather mello record, which is not a bad thing. The highlights for me are "Radioactive", "No Money", and "Birthday", and as cheesy as it may be I really love "Back Down South". All in all it is a solid record.

I just hope some day soon they make a record like the Stones' Exile on Main Street. I want them to go back in some home studio in Tennessee or Kentucky and make a record again. I want them to bring Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash) or T-Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart soundtrack, Elvis Costello) in to produce and help them find that original sound again. I will still buy this record and continue to buy their records just as I did with Oasis. I relate the two bands in a way. I see them making two amazing records in the beginning then a handful of misses or not so great records and then coming back with a few awesome records again. I just hope that KoL don't break up in a stupid brotherly battle.
After the success the guys have had over the past two records with filled arenas, massive music festivals, and a pair of Grammy's, I expect them to ride this wave for a while. I just hope the millions of new fans are going back to listen to Youth... and Aha Shake. The previous two records (Because of the Times, Only By the Night) were good but they don't match up to the dirty-gritty-sweatiness that their first two records provided.
I guess I am a little selfish when it comes to the Kings. Having seen them play at the seriously missed Odeon in Cleveland for $20 and a the Foundry in Dayton for $15, I have a feeling of disgust now that I have to pay $50+ to see them play at an arena. Nostalgia is a bitch.
I would go into a more in depth breakdown of each song, but that isn't me. You can go to the bands website and listen to the record in its entirity, and form your own opinion. If you have never listened to a KoL record or song, you may not listen to the radio (they have been everywhere from the radio to primetime television shows), but this record could be a good place to start. If I were you though, I would go back to the beginning.
Overall grade: B


*nostalgia moment: Aha Shake Heartbreak came out in the spring of 2005 in the U.S. At that time I was in Italy studying architecture with Kent State. I knew the record was coming out, but I had no idea how to get my hands on it in Italy. I really wanted it. So I went to every record store in Florence the day I learned the record was being released in Europe. The chain stores didn't have it. The few independent record stores did not have it either. I was losing hope. Then I took a chance at a shady record store under the train station. Nothing was labeled or in any real order, but after two hours of digging through their new releases box, I found it. One single copy of the minimal white cover with the blooming orchid. I think I whooped outloud causing hundreds of Italians and gypsies to stare. I took it to the sales clerk to learn that it would become the most expensive CD I had ever purchased. It was an import. It wasn't the actual European release. It was 38 euros, so with the exchange rate it came out to just over $50. Needless to say I listened to it a lot for the remainder of my time in Italy and Europe. I introduced several of my classmates to the Kings which led to a handful of us seeing the band the following fall in Cleveland at the now defunct Odeon.
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