Stuff to do and see this weekend
May 6, 2011
First the music.
FRIDAY:
Shoot the Mountain, Gentlemen Divers, Church of Cleanliness @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5. Shoot the Mountain has a new drummer- Patrick Rodgers of And The Relatives- and new batch of songs.
Twilight Singers, and Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15
SATURDAY:
Heartbeater (supporting acts???) @ Brown’s Diner. 8pm $???
Jasmin Kaset w/ Delicate Cutters and Spiderfriends @ the Basement. 9pm $5
The Bohannons w/ Tiger Blood and Sunday Valley @ FooBar. 9pm $???
If you happen to enjoy planes and/or aviation even a little bit, you might want to consider the Great Tennessee Air Show this Sat. and Sun. in Smyrna. When I was a kid, there used to be an airshow every summer at the Tri-Cities Regional Airport and my folks took me every year. I wouldn’t call myself a military enthusiast by any means, but to me the appeal of seeing fighter jets perform highly skilled and intricately choreographed maneuvers is undeniable. These are planes doing stuff you simply will never get to see anywhere else. The main attraction is the Air Force’s Thunderbirds- a team of six F-16s that do some pretty amazing aerobatics. The show is both Sat. and Sun. and only costs $15 if you get your tix today. Conveniently, the tix are good for either day, so if it’s looking a little rainy on Sat. as it may be, you can just wait and go Sun.
It may take many more days before NWS survey teams can finish their assessment of the damage from the April 27th tornado outbreak, but being the weather nerd that I am, I want to go ahead and share a collection of links where you can find preliminary reports on the tracks and intensities of some of the many twisters that touched down. Note that there is at least one EF-5 (the highest intensity with winds over 200 mph) tornado confirmed, and there could be more upgraded to that status as more damaged is inspected. NWS Memphis survey– covering parts of northern Mississippi. NWS Jackson, MS survey. NWS Hunstville, AL survey. NWS Morristown, TN survey. And finally, this graphic from the NWS Birmingham, AL survey. The most complete graphic I’ve seen:
So that’s the bad. Please make a donation to the American Red Cross or any other legitimate organization providing relief for those devastated by this natural disaster. Now for some good things to lighten the mood.
I will call the news of Osama bin Laden’s assassination good, but I certainly will never rejoice the death of any human being. While I am relieved somewhat, and do feel that justice has been done, I’m quite certain that the assassination itself as well as the celebrations will only give the rest of al-Qaeda even more reason to attack the US and its allies.
In even better and much much much lighter news, Moustache May has begun its final year of activity. I participated back in 2008 and am doing so again this year. Due to some very important meetings happening last week at my work, I was unable to start my stache until Friday, so I’m basically starting with a clean slate. Right now I look utterly creepy but hopefully we’ll get past that stage very soon as it fills in.
I came across this absolutely amazing new music video for the Supermen Lovers’ track “Take A Chance” and decided that it was the best thing to end this post with. Enjoy. (Via Too Many Sebastians)
Nashville is going to be one gigantic orgy of awesomeness this weekend. Between Record Store Day happenings, Vanderbilt’s Rites of Spring festival, and other good “normal” shows, you can’t possibly be disappointed with your choices of entertainment.
RECORD STORE DAY:
First of all, I won’t even attempt to give a rundown of all the Record Store Day shenanigans when the hard-blogging dudes and gals at the Cream have done such a fine job themselves. But I will say that probably the pinnacle of the whole thing is the once-inside-now-moved-outside Jerry Lee Lewis show at Third Man Records. I think roughly 650-ish tickets were sold, counting the additional 300 that were released when the show was moved outside, but they are long-since sold out. Since the show is outside, I’m sure you could stand anywhere within a block of TMR and hear it.
RITES OF SPRING:
Both days have some worthwhile acts, and tickets are still available. Some acts of interest:
RITES FRIDAY:
Futurebirds- 4:45pm, Public Enemy- 9:10pm, and The National- 10:40pm
RITES SATURDAY:
Madi Diaz- 6:25pm, The Features- 7:15pm, Matt & Kim- 8:15pm, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros- 9:45pm, Kid Cudi- 11:15pm
“NORMAL” SHOWS OF INTEREST:
FRIDAY:
The Mattoid w/ Lone Official and Denny & The Jets @ Springwater. 10pm, 21+, $5. One of many of The Mattoid’s farewell shows this week.
SATURDAY:
The Greenhornes w/ PUJOL and Hacienda @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm, 18+, $12 adv/$14 dos
Hunx & His Punx w/ Shannon & The Clams, JEFF the Brotherhood, and Heavy Cream @ The End. 9pm, $6
SUNDAY:
Personal & the Pizzas, Useless Eaters, Barreracudas, and Cy Barkley & The Way Outsiders @ Glen Danzig’s House. 7pm $5
Finally, I have to post this amazingly satisfying video of Republican former Governor of Florida Charlie Crist apologizing to David Byrne for illegally using a Talking Heads song in a campaign ad during his run for a seat in the US Senate in 2010. Byrne sued, won, and part of the settlement was that Crist had to publicly apologize to Byrne on camera. (Via Steregum)
Have a blast this weekend and buy lots of records!
Today is Yuri’s Day/Night
April 12, 2011
50 years ago today, the USSR beat the US in the first milestone of the space race: they put the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space. Gagarin’s accomplishment is celebrated each year in a series of “Yuri’s Night” parties. Obviously this year is a big deal, since it’s the 50th Anniversary, and not only does Discovery News have a gallery of photos from various Yuri’s Night parties around the globe, but this story also clued me into something I didn’t yet know about- a feature length film by director Chris Riley that attempts to re-create what Yuri would have seen from his capsule. Audio from the flight has been released, as have video clips of Gagarin’s face during the flight, but no video of the earth below was taken during the flight. So, Riley teamed up with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli to capture video footage from the International Space Station’s Cupola as the passed over the same areas Gagarin’s capsule did during that first flight. Check it out on YouTube here.
30 years ago today, the US reached another milestone, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight- they launched the first space shuttle flight. It was shuttle Colombia, with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen on board. Thus it’s only fitting that today, during a ceremony celebrating 30 years of shuttle flights, NASA will announce the final resting places of the 3 remaining shuttles after they’re decommissioned. Many museums and towns with history tied to the space program have made their cases for getting one of the shuttles, but it’s expected that one will go to the Smithsonian and another to the Kennedy Space Center visitor complex. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess, but I have a feeling the 3rd will go to Houston, as it’s home to NASA’s mission control. (Update: the announcement was just made, and Discovery goes to the Smithsonian, Atlantis goes to Kennedy Space Center, and Endeavour goes to the California Science Center in L.A.) This celebration at KSC is just getting underway as I type this at 11:50am CDT, and the announcement regarding the shuttles’ destinations is scheduled for 3pm EDT (2pm here in Nashville). Watch it all at NASA TV if you’re interested. I’ll update this post after the announcement is made.
Weekend shows/thoughts on LCD Soundsystem
April 1, 2011
First up- the rundown of some good shows/activities for the weekend in Nashville:
FRIDAY:
Sebadoh w/ Richard Buckner @ Mercy Lounge. 9pm $15. I’ll be there taking pics.
D. Watusi 7″ release show w/ Diarrhea Planet & Fox Fun @ Glen Danzig’s House. 7pm $5
White Denim/Hans Condor @ Third Man Records. Tix no longer available. According the TMR website, this will be a 21+ show (due to alcohol being served) and doors are at 8pm, unlike most other TMR shows.
SATURDAY:
Spoken Nerd, the Billy Goats, Quiet Entertainer, Get Got, Manchild @ the 5 Spot. 9pm $5. This has to be the first time I’ve seen hip hop happening at the 5 Spot…
Pancakes & Booze Art show @ Open Lot. This is actually night 2 of the event (it’s also Friday night), but as far as I can tell only this night features live music? Said live music will come from Hanzelle and Auto Defiance. Both nights are 8pm-2am, 21+, have a $5 cover, cash bar, and freeze pancake bar. Open Lot is at 29 Hermitage Ave in East Nashville.(Via Dixie Downturn)
SUNDAY:
Loud Love: A Save WRVU benefit featuring R. Stevie Moore, Diarrhea Planet, Evan P. Donohue, Black Patch, Gnarwhal, and Flesh Vehicle. At the Muse, 7pm, all ages. $5 minimum donation. Yeah, it’s at the Muse, but it’s a killer lineup and a good cause.
At this point I must direct you toward the hilarious time-machine April Fool’s joke that the Scene music writers came up with on the Cream. Makes me feel all nostalgic inside…
An open letter from A. V. Club music critic Steven Hyden to LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy got me thinking this morning. I would argue that LCD Soundsystem, if things go as currently planned, is world’s best executed band/musical project. At least in realm of pop music. They’re by no means the greatest band, but I’d say the most perfectly executed band. The main reason for this is that Murphy is smart enough to know when to stop. Nothing lives forever. Everything has its peak, its high point. LCD Soundsystem has reached that, so why not go out on the highest possible note? End it with a bang. That’s exactly what Murphy is doing, and he is a fucking genius because of it. I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Hyden’s sentiments about the career of LCD Soundsystem, so just go read the letter. I just wanted to add my thoughts about why ending it now is the best possible thing they could do. Thank heaven I got to see them at Bonnaroo last year, because I didn’t catch their only Nashville appearance (to my knowledge) at the Exit/In in ’05. (or was ’06?) Well done, Mr. Murphy. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of you.
Have a great weekend.
Post-SXSW laziness/photos
March 23, 2011
As predicted, I haven’t felt like blogging about much of anything these past few days post-SXSW. That festival/conference is literally one of the most draining things I’ve ever experienced. It takes me a good week to feel like going out or seeing shows again. That being said, I did have a blast and took a lot of photos for both the Nashville Scene and LEO Weekly. Check those out here and here, respectively. We also stayed at the same awesome little house that we’ve had the past 2 years, in the Travis Heights area just south of downtown. The laws regarding odd pets are pretty lax in Austin, and the dude who owns the house takes advantage of it. The first year he had a few chickens in the back, which was interesting enough. Last year he had nothing. But this year, he had chickens and GOATS. I believe he said they are Norwegian pygmy goats. Behold:
Also of interest- photographer Ryan Muir took some interest on-the-spot portraits of various bands at SXSW this year, all of which can be seen on Stereogum.
No posts for a few days: I’m gonna be at SXSW
March 15, 2011
It’s that time of year again. It’s time for my 3rd annual trip to SXSW in Austin, TX, so posting will mostly likely not resume until next tuesday or wednesday, depending on how exhausted I am afterward. Please do keep an eye on the Nashville Cream as my photos and my fellow-Creamers’ stories from our adventures will be posted daily.
First of all if you haven’t donated to the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan, do it RIGHT NOW by texting “RED CROSS” to 90999. It’s only $10 and I don’t care how fucking broke you are, you can afford to give $10 to help people who have it WAY WORSE. And all you have to do is send a couple texts. They take it out of your phone bill.
There has been a lot of speculation about this quake being caused by the “supermoon.” That is absolute bullshit. Click those words for three different stories from very reliable and respected sources for detailed explanations as to why the moon didn’t cause this quake. In short- the moon’s orbit is elliptical, so it’s distance from earth varies over a 2-week period. When it’s closest we call it perigee, and when it’s farthest it’s called apogee. When the full moon happens to coincide with perigee, we call it a supermoon, because this full moon will appear just a tiny bit bigger than the rest because the moon is at it’s closest. The phase of the moon (how much of it is lit by the sun) cannot have any effect on earth whatsoever beyond the fact that a clear, full moon-lit night will be a little brighter than a clear, new moon-lit (unlit) night. What does have some effect on earth is the moon’s gravity (which causes tides), which is understandably just tiny bit stronger at perigee. If those tiny fluctuations in the moon’s gravitational tug had any effect on earthquakes we would see it every TWO WEEKS because that’s how often the moon goes from perigee to apogee! Again, for more info click those links above.
One thing that is based on scientific fact is that the quake altered the length of one day, and shifted the Earth’s figure axis. The changes are so minute that they are completely insignificant, but interesting nonetheless. According to computer models, Earth’s day is about 1.8 microseconds (millionths of a second) shorter and the Earth’s figure axis moved by about 6.5 inches (17 centimeters). These changes are tiny compared to normal fluctuations of the both of these measurements over a year’s time, however. Both the length of a day and the position of the Earth’s figure axis fluctuate yearly by a margin greater than the amount the earthquake changed them. So, this is nothing to worry about, but it’s still amazing. (Via Universe Today)
I must also point out that Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog, as always, has an amazing collection of stunning photos from the aftermath. Definitely a must-see.
Wicked Celtics: SPARKS (Come Back To Me Someday)
February 22, 2011
My day has been vastly improved by the existence of this new video from Wicked Celtics. Atom Andersen (formerly of Murfreesboro power pop stars Feable Weiner/Mondo Primo) moved to Austin, TX back in 2008, and shortly thereafter Wicked Celtics was born. It started as some lo-fi bedroom videos, but this just takes it to a whole new level. That’s some serious authenticity- the graphite-black guitar, the full-band pose in the creek, the douche-beard. But the thrusting longhorn belt buckle… I almost fell out of my chair. Be sure to watch in HD:
If you don’t get the joke, why are you reading my blog?
LPLN presents 90s Night this Saturday/other weekend shows
February 18, 2011
First and foremost, I must self-promote for just a moment. This Saturday night will be the 3rd installment of the new La Paz Late Night series hosted by myself (Burgers), Potamus, and Vitalic Noise. This month we’re doing a 90s theme and it’s going to be the most ridiculous night of unironic nostalgic pleasure you’ve seen in quite some time. We’ve got all the danceable jams you can imagine from the 90s, even a few “jock jams,” as well as lights and a projector that will be showing classic 90s films like Clueless and Reality Bites on the wall. We also have our usual cheap drink specials- $2 jello shots/$2.50 PBR tallboys/$4 margaritas. It’s a meager $2 to get in if you come in 90’s attire, $3 if you come in 2011 attire. DO IT.
Now for some other stuff to do this weekend:
FRIDAY:
Doug Stanhope w/ The Mattoid @ Exit/In. 9pm, $20
Jimmy Eat World w/ David Bazan @ the Cannery. 9pm, $25 adv./$27 DOS BUT I’M PRETTY SURE IT’S SOLD OUT.
SATURDAY:
Well duh. You’re coming to La Paz Late Night.
BUT, if you just can’t do unironic nostalgia thing, you could go see Cheap Time, D. Watusi, Slammers, and Fox Fun at Glen Danzig’s House. That’s only $2 and starts at 7pm.
Have a great weekend, but first enjoy this extremely dorky but hilarious video/song “Tonight I’m Frakkin’ You”. (Tip to the producer of the song: your vocals are way, way too loud in the mix.)
(Via io9)
steve cross loves music and science 