Ranch Ghost 7″/By Lightning Video
February 22, 2012
Some cool things to report about two great new local bands:
- Ranch Ghost is awesome. They’re possibly my favorite “newish” local band. Their scrappy, catchy, jangly, hook-laden garage-pop hits all the right buttons on my musical palate. They have a limited edition 7″ that is available for pre-order through Jeffery Drag Records. You can stream the songs at their bandcamp. Love these guys soooo much.
- New local supergroup By Lightning! just played their album release show this past Saturday (my pics and the Spin review are up at the Cream) and followed it up by releasing a very cool animated music video for the first “lead single” off the record- “Weather.” Check it:
A quick history of beer in America
February 14, 2012
I haven’t posted anything about beer on here in a while. If you know me or have read this blog for a while, you know that I’m a homebrewer. I also love to evangelize craft beer as much as possible, because the typical American palate for beer is pitifully narrow and ignorant of all the amazing styles the world has to offer. The mass-produced, cheap style known to most Americans is known as “American adjunct lager.” The style uses a lot of corn and rice to cut down on the amount of barley used, and very minimal hopping. (Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors Light, etc…) It’s way too fizzy, watered down and bland for anyone who’s been introduced to the world of craft beer to enjoy. Once you taste REAL beer, you’ll never go back. So my message is this: go forth and find craft beer. It’s everywhere, even in convenience stores. It’s WELL worth the money. Here’s a quick, well-illustrated video that gives you a rundown of the history of brewing in America.
It’s turkey week: a weird video and some myth debunking
November 23, 2011
Before I remove myself from the interwebs for a few days to be with the fam, I thought I’d debunk one of the most pervasive turkey myths out there: that turkey contains more tryptophan than other foods and that it makes you sleepy. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Turkey contains about the same amount of tryptophan as other meats and some veggies. What makes you feel sleepy after a big holiday meal is what makes you sleepy anytime you eat way too much- food coma. There are some slightly differing opinions out there as to what causes the proverbial food coma, but it is not the tryptophan in turkey that directly causes sleepiness after holiday meals. It is simply the fact that you probably ate way too much in one sitting, and probably had some wine to go along with it. For more info see this article from Snopes, this article from NPR, and this article from Live Science.
I’ll leave you with this bit of complete and total absurdity from an Indian gameshow. That should hold you over till next week when I eventually resume posting. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Monday videos: cats and space
November 14, 2011
Few words today, simply two videos to entertain you for different reasons.
HD timelapse footage of earth from the International Space Station. This has been making the rounds on the interwebs already, so you’ve probably seen it, but it’s just too good not to post. The city lights combined with the aurorae make this simply jaw-dropping/drool-inducing. Be sure to set HD to “on” and make it fullscreen!
And now let us take a quick look into the exciting new world of “catvertising”…
(Via yewknee’d)
M83 vocal audition video (your daily LOLs)
November 8, 2011
Do yourself a favor and stick with this one till the end if you’re already rolling on the floor like I was. I really wish this was real, but it has to be a fake, given the rest of this dude’s videos on vimeo… seems like he’s trying to be a sketch comic or something. I’d say this is step in the right direction. You’re welcome. (Via Kottke)
All you ever wanted to know about Daylight Savings Time
October 27, 2011
Every year in the spring and fall the debate about whether to keep doing daylight savings time pops up. If you look at it globally it really is quite complex, and makes things much more difficult than they need to be. I personally think it should be eliminated, BUT I want to keep the clocks permanently on DST. I like having the sun set later in the afternoon, because I’m not a morning person and I don’t really give a shit about when the sun rises. I DO give a shit about when it sets, because I despise how ridiculously early the sun sets in December/January, especially here in Nashville which happens to be on the eastern edge of the central time zone. On the winter solstice the sun sets at 4:33pm! I want at least an hour of sunlight to enjoy after I get of work! If we just kept DST on forever then we could have that. Anyway, watch this very informative video created by Colin Gregory Palmer Grey and learn everything you wanted to know about Daylight Savings Time: (via Devour)
New Duck Sauce video (slightly NSFW)/Chromeo & Breakbot tonight
October 25, 2011
Duck Sauce (A-Trak + Armand Van Helden) released a video for their latest single “Big Bad Wolf” today and… um… well… it’s *scratches head* absolutely ridiculous? I don’t even know. I wouldn’t recommend watching it at work, though. (It’s age-restricted on YouTube, so it probably won’t play embedded below, but we’ll try anyway…
Also, tonight Chromeo (fronted by A-Trak’s brother Dave) takes over Nashville at the Cannery Ballroom. As of posting there are still tickets left. What’s possibly even more exciting than Chromeo is the fact that the one and only Breakbot is opening for them. It’s a VERY special treat to get to see an Ed Banger artist in Nashville, so you should seize this opportunity. Breakbot is one of my all-time favorite dance/electronic producers and he will NOT disappoint. Even cooler is the fact that locals How I Became the Bomb are on the bill in place of Mayer Hawthorne, and they’re doing a set of Hall & Oates covers! (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not glad Mayer Hawthorne canceled for whatever reason, just glad that my pals in HIBTB got seize such a great opportunity.) Check the video for Breakbot’s “Baby I’m Yours” below:
Timelapse videos of auroras from the space station
October 20, 2011
This post needs very few words. Just sit back and enjoy these gorgeous timelapse videos shot from the International Space Station. They’re of the Aurora Borealis and/or Aurora Australis. Be sure to click on the resolution and choose the HD version, and make that shit fullscreen! (All via Universe Today)
Closet Case Vintage fall/winter 2011 lookbook
October 4, 2011
Take a gander at yet another impressive video/photo lookbook put together by Seth Graves (video) and Bradley Spitzer (photo) for my friend Carmen who runs Closet Case Vintage here in Nashville:
The whole deal with photos and all can be seen on the CCV blog. Among the models involved is the lovely Nikki Lane, who I just photographed performing at the Basement last friday for the Scene. I haven’t had a chance to check out her album yet, but her live show was quite impressive. She has a good “neo-classic” (to steal a phrase from the Spin review) country voice and a cast of Nashville indie/Americana staple players backing her up. Keep an eye and an ear on this one.
A Few Good Shows: 9/30/11, Glossary has a new record
September 30, 2011
If this promo video for Glossary‘s new album Long Live All Of Us featuring bassist Bingham Barnes bustin’ a move on the Murfreesboro square doesn’t make your day at least 100 times better, then you must not have a pulse. I feel that one might need to actually know Bingham to really grasp the hilarity of this, but if you don’t, it should still improve your life to some degree.
That being said, Glossary made a new record and it’s hitting shelves this coming Tuesday, October 4th. If you’re a local, mark your calendar for their release show October 7th at the 5 Spot.
Here’s what’s going down this weekend show-wise-
FRIDAY:
Nikki Lane album release show w/ Denny & The Jets and the Alabama Shakes @ The Basement. 9pm 21+ $7
tUnE-yArDs w/ Pat Jordache @ Exit/In. 9pm $12
Vitalic Noise presents a special edition of CRAVE/VITAL at the Wine Loft, ft. Lightsover LA, Sam & Tre, Donny West, Dark Sister, and a very special guest. 10pm, $5 cover (this is a joint Vital/Crave so the show isn’t free as usual Fridays are).
SATURDAY:
Wanda Jackson is doing an in-store signing and meet & greet at Grimey’s. 5pm
Wilco w/ Nick Lowe @ the Ryman (sold out, night 1 of 2)
Have a great weekend!
steve cross loves music and science 