Monday night is record review night, where I hammer out 3 record reviews for IN Utah This Week. I never thought that writing about music would be incredibly taxing, but alas, it does make it more difficult for me to enjoy my preferred Monday night activities, namely watching The Hills and Gossip Girl with Traci.

The majority of the CDs I review are direct submissions to the magazine. Most fall into the so-so category, which is really the hardest to write about. Awesome is easy. Horrible is easy. But what do you say about the mediocre?

Tuesday is my day off from new music. So what do I choose to listen to when decompressing? This morning I commuted with "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" by The Offspring. It made me really happy. It also served as proof that I have no right giving an opinion on what qualifies as good music.

Review: Ben Folds Way to Normal

Ben Folds
Way to Normal

"Way to Normal," is filled with the quirky humor that has largely been missing since Ben Folds' ditched the Five. But rather than feel refreshing, 42-year-old Fold's crass jokes come off a bit sophomoric.

The record starts out strong with "Hiroshima (BBB Benny Hits Head)," a story of Folds falling off the front of the stage during a show in Japan. The fall must have knocked something loose because the album's lyrics are all over the place. Folds sings about getting acupuncture, being rich enough to get free coffee, and wondering if an ex-girlfriend is reading the same news article about astronaut Lisa Nowak's diaper-clad trip across America.

Though the album has plenty of charm ("Hiroshima," "Effington"), it is incredibly disjointed. It's nice to hear Ben Folds having a little fun after his snoozer last record "Songs for Silverman," but "Way to Normal" could have used a bit more focus.

Rating: 3 of 4

Ben Folds - Hiroshima [MP3]

Review: One Day As a Lion

One Day As a Lion

With just about every band opening their political mouths over the last few years, one voice has not only been quiet but missing entirely. Zach de la Rocha breaks his eight year studio silence, not with his band Rage Against the Machine, but with side project One Day As a Lion. De la Rocha mans the keyboards and the microphone and ex-Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore keeps the beat steady.

One Day As a Lion follows doesn't stray far from the Rage formula, though it is a bit more electro than electric (and those wacky Tom Morello guitar solos are absent). De la Rocha hasn't lost a step, spitting vitriolic verses about death, destruction, war and religion over fuzzed out keyboard lines. The only drawback is that the lyrics often get buried in the mix.

Clocking in at just 20 minutes, the release is driven by unrelenting urgency. The songs are not as instantly memorable as the highlights from the Rage catalog, mostly because they are not as repetitive. This is actually good thing, as it prevents the 5 song EP from tiring so quickly. Here's hoping De la Rocha doesn't make us wait another eight years for the next release.

One Day as a Lion - One Day as a Lion [MP3]

Rating: 3.5 of 4
For fans of: Rage Against the Machine, Rise Against

Sunday Best

Whose kids are these, anyway?

Your Costume is Making Me Hungry

Last night, my sister-in-law asked Paige what she's going to be for Halloween.

PAIGE: A sandwich!
ME: No, a witch.
PAIGE: Oh. A witch!

Review: Weezer at the E Center

Weezer
Oct. 7
E-Center

The new and improved Weezer definitely got the party started at the E Center last night. The band has always been fun on their records, but has been known to be a bit ornery on stage. On this tour, the foursome has gone out of their way to make things fun for the fans and themselves.

Clad in matching white old man jumpsuits the band opened with the revved up version of "My Name is Jonas." After just a few tracks they unzipped, only to reveal matching red old man jumpsuits. Sweet.

The stage was packed with microphones, allowing the normally reserved Rivers Cuomo to sing anywhere he wanted. At one point, he even donned a Britney Spears-style headset mic so he could play guitar, hop and sing at the same time. (When he needed to do additional jumping, he bounced on the mini trampoline stage right.)

Also very uncharacteristic was Cuomo's delightful stage banter. He recounted spending yesterday in Salt Lake at the Children's Museum with his wife and 17-month-old daughter, buying fake food in the fake grocery store. Though he looked like a junior high school janitor in his jumpsuit and moustache, he was certainly a lovable janitor.

Much like on "The Red Album," each band member took turns on lead vocals on several tunes. Bassist Scott Shriner was surprisingly good on "Perfect Situation" and Brian Bell pleasantly squeaked through "El Scorcho." Though none of the other Weezers have nearly as a good a voice as Cuomo, it was cool to see how much they all enjoyed changing roles. Cuomo banged away on the drums for a few numbers, drummer Pat Wilson shredded the guitar, and there was even a keyboard cameo by the band's webmaster.

The crowd also able to get into the instrument-switching fun. For an encore, 30 or so fans were invited to bring their instruments—ranging from a penny whistle to an accordions to a tuba—on stage to accompany Weezer on "Island in the Sun." The result was delightfully horrible.

Though longtime Weezer fans may have been hoping to hear more early material—the majority came from "The Red Album"--the atmosphere and performance more than made up for it. No one left disappointed.

The Streets are Not Safe

Paige and her cousin Ryan were a scary sight, driving around at grandpa's ranch in the Gravedigger.

The Evil Hairdresser

Curtis got a real haircut from Grandma Martha today. Fortunately, Paige had prepped him for it.

Metallica, Jack's Mannequin, Ra Ra Riot

Metallica
Death Magnetic

Metallica's been in a lose-lose situation for the past 15 years. They've desperately tried to move forward but all their fans really want is the old Metallica. "Death Magnetic" is a calculated attempt to return to the pre-"Black Album" days.

The elements are all there. Songs are longer, darker and more complex. Kirk Hammett's guitar solos melt faces, Lars Ulrich brings back the thrash metal swing and James Hetfield is still growling. But it is a hit and miss affair. There are moments, such as on "The Day That Never Comes," that feel like vintage Metallica, but lesser tracks like "Cyanide" just feel forced. Though "Death Magnet" is no "Kill 'Em All," it does show the band still has some firepower left.

Rating: 3 of 4
For fans of: Metallica

Jack's Mannequin
Glass Passenger

"Glass Passenger" picks up where the Jack's Mannequin debut left off. Opening track "The Resolution" is an instantly engaging, piano-driven pop tune that wouldn't feel out of place between Vanessa Carlton and Michelle Branch. Though the album doesn't always maintain this same level of overt happiness, it is always full of life.

Frontman Andrew McMahon has a pretty interesting perspective on life, having spent the past few years fighting leukemia. This record reflects McMahon's desire not just fight, but to win. "You gotta swim/Swim when it hurts/The whole world is watching/You haven't come this far/To fall off the earth." McMahon doesn't waste any time feeling bad for himself. "Glass Passenger" is all about moving forward.

Rating: 3.5 of 4
For fans of: Dashboard Confessional, Early November

Ra Ra Riot
The Rhumb Line

If you love Vampire Weekend, you will love this record. If you don't, at least you will find Ra Ra Riot about 20 percent less annoying. Formed at the University of Syracuse, Ra Ra Riot definitely shares Vampire Weekend's Ivy League feel, but manages to sound less pretentious.

The songs are generally bouncy head boppers, propelled by Wes Miles' slightly-British accent and Milo Bonacci's understated guitar. The real highlight, though, is the weight given by violinist Rebecca Zeller and cellist Alexandra Lawn. The ladies' sweeping strings manage to push tracks like "Ghost Under Rocks" to whole other level and really give the band an identity of their own.

Rating: 3 of 4
For Fans of: Vampire Weekend, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Weez(er)ing the Juice, Bud-dy

I officially did the Weezer interview. It didn't start out well. The phone interview was originally scheduled for Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. eastern, postponed until 4:00 p.m. eastern, and then moved to Thursday at 3:40 central. Blasted time zones.

At 4:00 central I got the call. I talked to guitarist Brian Bell for exactly 44 seconds before the call dropped. After reconnecting, we spoke for another 30 seconds before it dropped again. The third time was a charm and we had a good, if not disjointed, conversation.

The only really uncomfortable moment was when I asked if the dudes in the band thought it was cool that they got to sing on the new album. "We sing all the time. I sung more on 'Undone' that Rivers did.'"

"Uh, you did? Well, I mean, lead vocals."

"Oh, yeah. That was cool."

We talked about how backstage Weezer is just a bunch of dudes loading up the trucks and that pre-performance Weezer consists of a lot of napping and not eating four hours before the show.

I'll post the full interview shortly. Until then, here's the completed article.

Weezer
Oct. 7
E Center
w/ Tokyo Police Club, Angels and Airwaves

The past year has been a strange one for Weezer. The band's normally reclusive and dictatorial leader, Rivers Cuomo, not only released an album of intimate home recordings but also relinquished some of his Weezer power, allowing each of his band mates to take a shot in the lead singer role on the band's new record. And the guys have never been happier.

Weezer guitarist, (and big brother of local artist extraordinaire Leia Bell) Brian Bell, put up with Cuomo's constant chiding and a bad cell phone connection to talk about their current Troublemaker Tour.

"We're definitely the most entertaining we've ever been in our career," Bell says. "The shows are getting progressively better, so I predict by the time we hit Salt Lake we'll be in full swing."

Bell says that the quality of recent shows results from the band feeling more comfortable with each other on stage than ever before. "Everybody's taking more responsibility in the show," Bell says. "Rivers is really performing. I don't want to give away too much of the show, but it's absolutely entertaining. People that have seen our shows for years and years say this is by far the best show they've seen."

Weezer has made a conscious effort as of late to push themselves out of their comfort zone, both onstage and in the studio. The most notable change on the "The Red Album" was Bell, bassist Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson each taking a turn on lead vocals.

"That's what we went for on this album—what would be thrilling for us," Bell explains. "One of the things I mentioned was I'd like to sing and even write a Weezer song for this new album and we made it happen."

Cuomo also pushed himself in the songwriting. The album's centerpiece, "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)," manages to switch genres a half dozen times in just under six minutes.

"Rivers was a little bit fed up with the pop song structure and wanted to experiment," Bell says of the song. "Theme variation structure is prevalent in classical music. He came up with different versions of the melody—the theme—and later we found out that the theme was very similar to a Shaker hymn. So that's why we call it 'Variations on a Quaker hymn.'"

When it comes to long term plans for Weezer, it's just about moving forward. "To keep making records and tour [is] success enough for me," Bell says. "But I would like each record to not rehash the past. To stay in the creative moment and come up with music that wasn't there before, that's one of the most fulfilling things you could possibly do."

"Our approach has always been to try to make something groundbreaking, otherwise what's the point?" Bell says.

One For the Road

I don't know how I could have let this slip passed me. One of my all time fav bands, The Travoltas, covering one of the all time best Bad Religion songs, Sorrow.

The Travoltas are from Holland. I think they only did one tour in the U.S., which I believe was while I was on my mission. When Traci and I went on our second trip the Netherlands, they were playing a show way on the other side of the country. I briefly considered us doing a huge amount of train and bus riding to go, but I wussed out. Shoulda gone. They broke up about a year ago.

But they left behind this:

Travoltas - Sorrow

Hip Hip

I'm a couple of minutes away from a phone interview with Brian Bell of Weezer. I'm pretty nervous.

Who's the Boss?

A few months ago, I was being proactive and I taught Paige the following:

Me: Paige, who's the boss? Daddy's the boss.
Me: Who's the boss?
Paige: Dad's the boss.

She quickly unlearned this truth. On Sunday I said, "Paige, let's watch football."

"After Dora." (Dora the Explorer is her new favorite thing, leaving the Wiggles and the Doodlebops in the dust."

"No, now."

"No. After Dora."

And that was that. We watched Dora.

I Hope They Call Me On a...

In Amsterdam with our good friends the Joneseses

I spent an hour with the missionaries last night, waiting for an investigator to not show up. Though I’ve been the ward mission leader for almost a year, my interaction with the elders has been almost all business.

Last night, however, they finally let their guard down and I heard them interact like humans. One of the dudes is going home next month and they were talking about all the awesomeness that happens at the end of the mission.

Here are some of the highlights:

Elder 1: I’m going to get to go to conference like the week before I go home.
Elder 2: That’s sweet.
E1: And then I get to go downtown on my last day.
E2: Downtown?
E1: Well, not all of downtown. Just Temple Square…AND the Church museum.
E2: The church museum is AWESOME! Are you going to go on the temple tour?
E1: And have them tell me all the stuff I already know? Nah.
E2: But you get to go the Joseph Smith movie, right?
E1: Yeah. I should take my digital camera and tape it for you and send you a copy.
E2: And you’d get struck by lightning.

On the last day of my mission I went to Amsterdam with all the other elders who were going home. I bought some silver man capris (or man-pris) that had Velcro on all the pockets at a store called The Bizzee Bee. On the way there we walked past the Amsterdam Sex Museum and a bunch of coffee (the Dutch euphemism for marijuana) shops. Then I bought some white Pumas that looked like baseball cleats.

To each his own, I guess.

And as added bonus, here’s one other conversation piece:

E1: I wish there was a Seagull Book where I live.
E2: I love Seaguall Book. I could spend hours there. If could have like a $5,000 gift certificate anywhere, I’d choose Seagull Book.
Me: Me, too.

soft talk + big stick

There's an older lady that lives in my circle who walks her little dog every day. She always carries two items with her: a poop bag and a baseball bat. I'm guessing the bat is for protection, but I would think the bag of fresh pooh would be a more effective weapon.

Gym Class Heroes--The Quilt

Gym Class Heroes
The Quilt

Gym Class Heroes found their niche by making hip hop for indie kids, replacing street life bravado with tales of meeting chicks on Myspace. Frontman Travis McCoy is always the standout star, undeniably charismatic in his quest to become the next Jay-Z, when it's clear he's really just an emo boy at heart.

"The Quilt" is a fitting name for a record that stitches together all sorts of genres. There's the sultry club banger "The Cookie Jar," the kiss-off "Peace Sign/Index Down" (featuring Busta Rhymes) and the sappy "Like Father Like Son." The stylistic schizophrenia works, it's just the album's stuffy production that's disappointing. The feel of the live band is missing as well as the usual fun that really makes Gym Class Heroes stand out.

Rating: 3 of 4
For fans of: Outkast, N.E.R.D., Fall Out Boy

Maybe Local H Doesn't Hate Me After All

I listened to my interview with Scott Lucas again tonight so I could write the article. It turns out it wasn't that bad. I hate hearing how I bumble through the questions, but I don't think he was really trying to be a jerk or to make me feel like an idiot (I did that all on my own.)

If you feel like listening, it's 14 minutes long and has a couple of eff words.

Scott Lucas Interview 9/16/08

Surly Scott Lucas

I was pretty excited when I had the chance to do an interview with Scott Lucas of Local H today. I've been listening to the band since I was 16. Their show at the Saltair in 1996(ish) is still on my list of all-time favorites. I saw them again at a bar in 2004 and I was scared that Lucas was going to beat me up.

Scott Lucas's onstage and on record persona is very angry, very confrontation. I was expecting that he was going to be different in person. Maybe he is. He's not on the phone. The interview turned out okay, but he was not incredibly personable.

ME: So the new album 12 Angry Nights is a very personal record about a bad breakup. Was it difficult to open yourself up so much?

SL: I know what you're trying to get me say, and I'm not going to say it.

[I didn't know what I wanted him to say, but I guess he did.]

--

ME: So, what happened to [original Local H drummer] Joe? Is he still alive somewhere?

SL: I don't know. Why don't you Google him?

I don't know if he thought I was asking bad questions, if he just doesn't like doing interviews with little local papers, or he's just a little short with people. S'all good, I guess. It was still cool to talk to him. I'll post the full interview shortly.

Local H - The One With 'Kid' [MP3]

Hello Again, Breakfast

It's well documented that I am not really an awesome business traveler. I just got back from spending two days at a conference in exotic Layton, Utah.

Comrade Kaleb and I had the hotel's buffet breakfast right before the event, but by the time we made it to the conference hall I was feeling so great. I sat down at our exhibition booth and said, "Kaleb, I may need to throw up."

Five seconds later, it was on. I headed to the bathroom (fortunately it was right across from our booth), hoping to make it to the toilet. I had to settle for the garbage can. I felt better immediately, but it sure smelled bad. I tied up the can liner and left it in the can.

I was hoping to see a janitor so I could ask someone to replace it. No luck. Finally, a few hours later, I saw a janitor come by. I thought I should go tell her that the garbage can needed a new liner. But I couldn't figure out what to say. I was too embarrassed to say, "Uh, I threw up in the garbage can and it smells pretty bad." I thought about saying, "I noticed that some dude threw up in there," but I was too scared to do that. either. So I said nothing. But the can got changed anyway.

Down Wind

During sacrament meeting on Sunday I smelled a smell. A very bad smell. I leaned down to Paige and said, "Are you stinky?" She just looked at me and blinked. Traci took her out to change her diaper. When she came back she said she was fine. It turns out it was the old man in the row in front of us.

Warning: A Picture So Cute You Will Die

Curtis kind of has a drooling problem. Fortunately, now he has a legitimate excuse. At just under five months, the little guy is getting his first tooth. The other day I had him in the Bumbo for about five minutes. By the time I got him out he was literally wet down to his toes. He didn't mind. Just look at that face.

No Mo' Motowntownphilly

Some people just don't appreciate my role as the (unofficial and possibly unwanted) office DJ. I was just minding my own beeswax, listening to some slow jams on my computer speakers yesterday. Along comes "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men and it's imperative that I pump up the volume. Next thing I know, I'm getting pelted in the back of the head with balls of Play-Doh from the next aisle over. Where's the love?

So Fresh and So Clean

Traci and Curtis are at the doctor for his four month checkup and Paige and I are hanging out at home. I've enjoyed watching her do her morning routine. She just walked over to our dresser, grabbed Traci's deodorant, pulled up her shirt and rubbed it on her stomach. She then exclaimed, "That's so pretty!"

Photos from Orlando: Pt. I

Day Two: Smells Unlike Teen Spirit

2 p.m.

This hotel smells like sweaty men's cologne.

2:05 p.m.

I think a job staffing the Purse & Jewelry sale in the lobby of a hotel may be the saddest job in the world. No one goes into the room because who really needs to buy jewelry in the lobby of a hotel? Then, because no one is in the room, even the people who might want to buy some purses and jewelry in a hotel lobby find it too awkward to be the only one in there. Poor purse and jewelry sales lady.

But then again, maybe sitting an empty room and reading a book all day wouldn't be that bad. And maybe purse and jewelry lady is thinking 'I sure am glad that I don't have to sit at a conference about dental insurance all day. At least here I'm surrounded by my two favorite things--purses and jewelry.'

3:05 p.m. Full head of hair envy...

Sitting in a breakout session, annoying guy keeps asking dumb questions. He has a lisp that is really bugging me, but I can't help thinking "Man, what a great head of hair."

Would I want my hair back if it meant I had to have a lisp? Hmm. Maybe. But I talk a lot, so that might not be best for me. If it was a light lisp, I think I'd do it. I'll talk to annoying guy after the meeting. I wonder if he'd ditch his hair to have my beautiful. lisp-free voice.

Day Two: Knight of the Round Table (Discussion)

Noon Round table discussion lunch

I didn't realize it was literally going to be a round table discussion. There's 50 tables in the conference room and each has a different topic. So in order to eat, I have to make awkward conversation with a group of people for an hour and a half.

Sean and I split up, so I'm on my own. Choosing "Sales & Marketing" seemed to make sense, but I've quickly realized I'm the only one sitting at the table. Awkward.

12:05

One other lady just showed up. I thought that sitting by myself would be worst case scenario. This is worse.

12:10

Now there are a couple of other dudes here. I will pretend to know what I'm talking about.

12:15

It turns out I know the most stuff out of anyone here. Frightening.

Day Two: The Radical Paradigm Shift

Look at me reading the complimentary New York Times like a real business man.

9:15 The conference begins...

I got exactly one minute into the continental breakfast before spilling orange juice on my shirt (I can hear Traci sighing aloud. She told me to bring an extra shirt.) Two minutes into the breakfast, Sean looks around and says what I am already thinking. "I know that this is only a dental insurance conference, but there sure are a lot of bad teeth here." I don't think I want to go to that speeding dating session anymore.

10:30 Leadership...to the EXTREME!!!

Just sat through a presentation called "Extreme Leadership." Buzz words a plenty. I couldn't help thinking about Poochie the Rockin' dog.

Krusty: (Brainstorming about Poochie) So he's proactive, huh?

Network Executive: Oh God, yes. We're talking about a totally outrageous paradigm.

Writer: Excuse me, but, "proactive" and "paradigm?" Aren't those just buzzwords that dumb

people use to sound important? Not that I'm accusing you of anything like that.

(Silent pause in the room.)

Writer: I'm fired, aren't I?

Roger Meyers Jr.: Oh, yes

Day 1: Trip To Orlando, Now Cocaine Free

10 a.m. And it begins...

Off on my first business flight. This is my second work trip, but I don't know how official last year's man-cation to St. George with Tim really was. 

I'm headed to Orlando with my boss Sean for a dental insurance conference. I'm not exactly sure what we're going to be learning once we're there, but I do know that there is a speed dating course offered. Traci said I can't go. She has also forbidden me from the following:

• Looking at naked people (girls or boys)
• Drinking beer
• Doing cocaine

I was hoping this would finally be my chance to starting using cocaine--what with my lousy kids out of the picture--but alas, Traci has thwarted my plans.

11 a.m. Boot Scootin' Boogie

Airlines are cutting back on everything. Delta's charging an extra $50 for a second piece of luggage and I just found out that there will be no lunch on this four hour flight (luckily I brought some Pringles).

The airport, however, spares no expense. I noticed that under the X-ray table was not one but two of those cowboy boot shoehorn things. I guess the lines were experiencing a lot of cowboy boot-related slowdowns. 

I haven't seen a lot of cowboys on this flight, but I have noticed quite a few Morty Seinfelds. They must all be on their way back to Del Boca Vista for HOA board elections.

Noon Made of Boring

As opposed to, say, Continental Airlines where you get your own TV, Delta offers just one movie option. And my luck? "Made of Honor." I'd say I'd like the last two hours of my life back, but then I wouldn't currently be flying somewhere over Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bye, Bye Doug. We Hardly Knew Ye.

Lamest. Breakup. Ever.

Why are all of Lauren's new L.A. boyfriends just boyfriends that she had when she was in high school--Jason, Stephen, Doug? I'm guessing that it is probably hard to meet someone who wants to date you and have that relationship scripted and taped. But then again, it is L.A., where everyone wants to be an actor. So I guess the real problem is that guys just don't want to date Lauren because she's boring.

Shocking News! Acting Debut Surfaces on Internet

It's just the price you have to paywhen you're famous--racy videos of you appearing on the internet. I am no exception. My acting debut recently found its way onto the world wide web. (Thanks, Ike.)

Back in the innocence of 2002, I had a video production class at the U. Our final project was to create a five minute video based on the theme "The Odd Couple." We split up into groups of five and started brainstorming. We went around the circle trying to figure out if anyone had anything cool to contribute.

Ike had access to a mailman hat, I had some hand puppets, Rashed had the fact that he was from Kuwait, Brett knew to handle the production, and Becca mentioned that she happened to live in the basement of a mortuary. Thus Rashed's Neighborhood was born.

The best part for me was Rashed trying to get the grasp on the whole thing. He was an exchange student and still working on his English. He'd obviously never seen Mr. Roger's Neighborhood before, but he watched a couple of episodes for research. His Mexican girlfriend was also an exchange student, learning English. Together, the two of them worked on learning the lyrics to the theme song. They tried their best, but usually here's the best they could come up with:

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, beautiful day neighbor...hood.

Ah, close enough.

So, with no further introduction, here's Rashed's Neighborhood. (Notice my lush, full head of hair.)



Here's Ike's (a.k.a. Speedy Delivery Guy) version of the story.

All The Things Curtis is Not

Curtis shows the happiness that comes from Grandma giving you 'business hair'

Paige spends every waking moment talking. She comfortably executes both sides of the conversation, but still has to be acknowledged in everything she says.

Example:

PAIGE: Where's Danny? (the drummer in my band)
ME: [I am forced to repeat this question in order for her to answer. If I don't she just keeps asking, FOREVER.] Where's Danny?
PAIGE: He's at playing the drums.

We have this same conversation about airplanes, helicopters, grandma, kids in her nursery class, and the moon...every day.

The other night, Traci was at work and I was hanging out with both of the kids. Paige and I had to have the following conversation:

PAIGE: Is Curtis a refrigerator?
ME: Is Curtis a refrigeratior?
PAIGE: No!!!
PAIGE: Is Curtis a window?
ME: Is Curtis a window?
PAIGE: Nooooo!!!

This went on for about half an hour. We were able to determine that Curtis was not in fact a kitchen, a ball, a dog, or a computer (thank goodness!); nor was he in the swing, in the tub, or outside. Fortunately, we did get to the bottom of the mystery. Paige was able to verify that he was "a cute little guy," "a little brother," and "on the floor." Phew. I had really been worried that Curtis was either a lamp, a couch, or a tuba.

MHS X: The Mixtape

Though the reunion may have been a bit of a disappointment, it wasn't a total loss. I had a little nostalgia trip all by myself. I was asked to put together a mixtape for the event, allowing me to dive headfirst into '96-'98 mode.

I avoided all temptation to put in my own personal favorites and went straight for the hits. And man, what hits! Chumbawamba, Savage Garden, Backstreet Boys. Music was never better before or since.

Here are the top song 100 of 1996, 1997, and 1998.

Digging through these songs was kind of like the reunion itself. For me, 1996-1998 was more about watching Local H at Saltair or driving to Sacramento to see Millencolin play than doing the Macarena. But Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" automatically produces a mental snapshot of every dance my senior year.

The songs that really meant a lot to me in '98 have made the journey with me throughout the past decade. I was just listening to Millencolin last night. They keep putting out new records, and I buy (actually buy) all of them. And believe it or not, Local H will be playing at the Big Ass show next month.

It's pretty much the same with friends. I've kept in touch with a number of high school friends (plus I'm married to one of 'em) over the years. They've been there for college and weddings and parenthood and I'm sure they'll still be around in another 10 years. So it's not really that big of a deal to seem them at some awkward event.

Regardless, it feels great to hear to Jewel, or White Town, or even NSync once in a while. Just like it's nice to run into an old prom date at the Wal-Mart. Hooray for forced nostalgia. I guess I'm going to have to start posting old dance pictures on the blog. Whatevs.

Here's a few tracks from the MHS X mix...

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MHS X: The Recount

Spencer & Ramsi

Three weeks after the infamous High School Reunion, I am finally able to pull myself up off the ground and write about the all of the drama and excitement. Oh wait, there wasn't any. On an interesting scale from 1-10 it was about a 1.

I think I was hoping to see classmates who had become superstars, drug addicts, cross dressers, millionaires. Nope. I guess if you fit into any of those categories you have better things to do than go to your high school reunion.

Everyone looked pretty much the same, though a lot of dudes had less hair (which made me feel better about my male pattern baldness). The usual conversation went pretty much like this.

"Er, so what's been up with you for past 10 years?"
"Uh, I've got some kids and a job and stuff."
"Sweet, see you in another 10 years."

I thought I'd at least be able to count on some reminiscing and nostalgia, but none really to be had. Fortunately, I found all of that elsewhere. I was put in charge of making the evening's mixtape...

Say It Ain't Lo

The Hills is back and I couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, with the premier episode of Season 4, I had to face an inconvenient truth. I hate Lo.

Lo, you can't get your feelings hurt when Audrina says you'll never be friends. You don't like her. You're not nice to her. Oh, Lo, what's happened to you?

The Grumbly Knight

I really enjoyed the Dark Knight, but I was a bit bugged by Christian Bale's "Batman voice." I guess that's just how superheroes have to talk these days. However, I was happy to know that I wasn't the only one to find it a bit ridiculous.

You only need to watch about the first 30 seconds to get the point, but the punching is generally funny throughout:

Second Kid Blues

Curtis is right to be frightened of his scary big sister

I can already tell that Curtis is getting different treatment than Paige did. Case in point, we made Paige wait until the mature age of two years old before going to her first concert. Curtis got to see Nada Surf at just three months. Lucky dude.

The show was at the Gallivan Center and I thought we'd be able to find a place where we could sit down and see the band. No. Having to settle for one or the other, we chose sitting down. Traci and Curtis spent the evening on the grass. Paige and I alternated between sitting with them and watching the show. I gauged her enjoyment level by the intensity with which she pounded my head while she sat on my shoulders.

I was very happy to get to see the band and the rest of the family seemed to have a good time as well. The last song, however, reminded me that I might want to keep the kids home for a few more years. Singer Matthew Caws encouraged the crowd to join in the refrain of "The Blankest Year," by screaming "*&$# it! I'm gonna have a party" repeatedly. After the second or third time, I was sure that Paige would have learned a new phrase. Fortunately, she wasn't paying attention.

I know she catches on to lyrics. She has to sing and dance along every time we see the Ting Tings iPod commercial. When it hits the chorus she loves to yell "Shut up and let me go. Hey!"

Life of the Pool Party

Curtis made his swimming pool debut tonight. It took a half hour to pour him into this getup (at 3 months, he’s a bit too big for this 6 month swimsuit). After five minutes of having his feet in the pool, he promptly fell asleep. Party animal.

Endlessly Walking Through the Desert: Daft Punk's Electroma

From the human body/dog head awesomeness of Da Funk, to the anime-tastic to full-length Interstella 5555, Daft Punk has always had great visuals. Thus I eagerly anticipated the French duo's directorial debut.

It's no surpise that the movie is about two robots named Daft Punk. Though Electroma is an hour long, I can give you the whole script in 30 seconds. SPOILER ALERT!!!

Robots drive through desert (10 minutes).
Robots reach the equivalent of Burley, Idaho. All inhabitants look like Daft Punk (5 minutes).
Robots go to old rec center administration building to receive putty-based human faces (10 minutes).
Townsfolk don't appreciate the faux humans (5 minutes).
Putty faces melt off in the sun. The robots are very sad (5 minutes).
Robots walk endlessly back through the desert (10 minutes).
One robot is so sad that he is not a human that he chooses to self-destruct (5 minutes).
Other robot walks for a long time before he realizes he is sad, too. He chooses to set himself on fire and walk off into the distance. (10 minutes).

The film includes absolutely zero dialogue, extremely minimal ambiant sound and about 10 minutes of music (not Daft Punk music).

After I watched it the first time, I was a little disappointed. But after I sat back and thought about it, it turns out it was the best movie in the history of the world.

Here's a clip:



Thanks to Traci, you can't rent a copy down to the Murray Library.

Heard It on the Internet: Burntpiano

For all the hype, the MGMT album is not that great. However, I really like this instrumental cover of "Kids.".

Burntpiano was bored at work so he just went ahead and recorded this track.

"It was a slow day at work today, so I was messing around with some new synths, trying to find new sounds. I started playing everyone's favorite synthline, and one thing led to another, and I had a half finished track. I went home and finished it up. The track I guess really isn't a remix, but rather a cover, since I didn't use any elements from the original. And the vocals (which may piss some off) are from a computer. Not anything trying to replace the original or the upcoming soulwax remix, but just something fun." (via Southside Discotech)

MGMT - Kids (Burntpiano Robo Remix) [MP3]

Do It Again!

I put Curtis in the tub for my first time the other day. I get intimidated by the fragility of newborns, so I let Traci handle tubby time. I usually wrestle with Paige instead.

But Traci was at work and I was feeling brave so I decided to give it a shot, with Paige's help of course.

Things were going well. Paige and I were both hunched over his little tub scrubbing him down when a high-arching spray shot right for us. Luckily we were both able to dodge it. I was caught off guard and thrown off of my game plan. Paige, however, was blissfully amused.

"Curtis squirt!" she squealed. "Do it again!"

I was happy, Paige was sad, when he didn't do it again.

Our little spelling bee

Paige loves to spell. She has moved on from asking us to spell words and then just repeating. Now she has to spell them herself. She's pretty good at spelling "mom," and usually "dad." But when she tries those words back to back, sometimes she gets a bit mixed up.

Spencer: Paige, Can you spell dad?
Paige: M...
Spencer: No, it's starts with an D.
Paige: Oh, D-A-M.

Hmmm.

The Reunion

I survived the reunion. Details to follow...

MHS X

Since my excuse for not going to my high school reunion fell through (thanks for nothing RB), I have made the leap and shelled out the $40 to RSVP for the, er, fun.

http://murray98reunion.blogspot.com/

I'm sure now that everyone knows I'm attending, RSVP numbers will spike.

Life as a Naked Kid on an Album Cover

Ever wonder what happen to that kid on the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind? Well, my friend Ty wondered, and found the answer:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92833535

Brother, Can You Spare Some Career Change?

I decided it was time to quit my job and become a professional blogger. If that chick Dooce can do it, why can't I? I'm sure I could be a disgruntled Mormon, too, if I tried hard enough.

So I put the ads back up on the site. It's taken me like a month to make $28, so I'm guessing I'll have to keep working at insurance a bit longer. I even checked out "How to Make Money with Your Blog" from the library. It's a bit of a misnomer, because the authors just say "you can't really make money with your blog." Apparently, the real money is writing books about how you make money with your blog.

I am always a man of many side jobs. After two years of writing for Utah Business Magazine, I decided to move on. My latest gig has been writing marketing pieces for multi-level marketing companies. (Dirty, huh?)

I am currently writing a book about the million uses of silver. Silver fixes everything. What's awesome is that it can be used both as a toothpaste and a rectal cream. This will is very helpful when you're trying to pack light for a business trip.

The book also includes an entire section called "Women's Issues," but I won't go into that here. Let me just say that I now know where babies come from.

What's My Age Again?

A few weeks ago I decided I needed a Misfits hoodie. My friend Tim picked one up for me down to the local Hot Topic. Unfortunately, it was either a girl's hoodie or just emo-boy sized. The whole fam went to the mall with me to return it. Once we got there we split up. Traci took Paige to the American Eagle and Curtis, the stroller and I went to the Hot Topic.

You know you're too old for a place like that when you walk in and your first thought is "What's wrong with these aisles? I can't even push the stroller through here." My next thought was that "I'm probably too old if to be in here if I am old enough to be pushing a stroller." My next thought was "I was too old to be here when I was 12."

I looked at the display of Alkaline Trio t-shirts behind the register and then looked down at the Alkaline Trio shirt I was wearing. I guess the real problem is that I have the same music tastes as a 12-year-old.

---

Tonight I went on splits with the missionaries. After our appointment, I dropped the elder off at the SLCC Institute. The missionaries were hanging out at the singles ward family night.

I haven't been to a singles ward thing in seven years. Somehow nothing has changed. The first person I saw was a 6'3" beanpole guy, wearing jean shorts, no socks and shoes, and dancing around in front of a bunch of sweet spirited girls.

Yep, don't miss that part of being younger. Not even a bit.

whitetrash wednesday part III

6:30 p.m.

Still no takers. The table is back in the house. Traci wins.

white trash update

3:15 p.m.

Traci called and said the table is still on the curb.

I said, "Just wait until 5:00. That's the money hour."

Keep your fingers crossed.

white trash wednesday (on a friday)

We got some new furniture for our living room, which means it's time to get rid of the old, hand-me-down stuff we had in there. Traci's little sister took the couches, but we still have a little table/shelf thing left over.

Rather than haul it off to the D.I., I decided to just stick a "free" sign on it and put it on the curb. Easier for me and a nice treat for somebody who can use it, right?

Traci was (and still is) mortified by my whitetrashedness. She's not happy about it.

I put it out there last night before we went to bed. I told her I'd only keep it out there for one day. So if it's not gone by the end of the day, I'll have to get rid of it myself. And Traci wins. No one wants that.

Record Reviews: Reggie & The Full Effect, Motley Crue

Reggie and the Full Effect
Last Stop: Crappy Town

What began as a side project for Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees has turned into quite an impressive catalog. Though Reggie records have never been meant to be taken too seriously--thanks to Dewees' penchant for genre hopping, comedy skits and slew of alter-egos—they are all very lovable.

On "Last Stop: Crappy Town," Dewees continues to mix styles, but the humor is largely absent. The result is a constant battle between sweet power pop and hardcore so screamy that it hurts your voice just to listen to it. Unfortunately, without the usual middle ground, this Reggie album fails to stand out.

Rating: 2 of 4
For Fans of: Cobra Starship, Taking Back Sunday

Motley Crue
Saints of Los Angeles

When your best moments all happened 20 years ago, it makes sense that you'd want to wax a bit nostalgic. "Saints of Los Angeles" finds the '80s bad boys looking back at their career and remembering the good times. "LA girls they payed the rent/While we got drunk on Sunset Strip/And all the cash they made we spent/On tattoos and cigarettes." Add in Nikki Sixx clinically dying from heroin not once, but twice, and you've basically got the whole story of the band.

Though the album has plenty of filler, there are a few songs to get the testosterone going, namely "Face Down in the Dirt" and "MF of the Year." After all these years, Vince Neil still has a strong set of pipes, Mick Mars can still shred (despite actually being a walking ghost), Nikki Sixx holds down the low end and the irrepressible Tommy Lee adds just enough cowbell.

Saints of Los Angeles [MP3] (Via GloriousNoise)

Rating:2.5 of 4
For Fans of: Poison, Sixx: A.M.

You can find my reviews and band interviews each week at IN Utah This Week.

Heard It on the Internet: Does It Offend You, Yeah?

MTV does still show videos...at 11 p.m. on Sunday night...for one hour...with commercials. MTV's Subterranean is the new incarnation of 120 Minutes, focusing mostly on indie and experimental stuff.

Every once in a while I'll find something I like. Does It Offend You, Yeah? is a pretty lousy name for a band, but makes some entertaining, dancey, vocoder fun. I checked out the album this morning. Not half bad.

Dawn of the Dead [Mp3]
We are Rockstars [MP3]

floyd the barber

I'm now so cheap that I cut my own hair. Sometimes I use a mirror for the back, sometimes not. Last week I asked Traci if she'd start cutting it for me. She said, "I can't cut hair."

Two days later, Paige came downstairs after Traci gave her a bath. I noticed something about her hair.

"Traci, what happened to Paige's hair?"

"I cut it. What's wrong?"

"It's like three inches shorter on one side than the other."

[Traci inspects her work.] "Well, she was sitting on the floor, looking up at the TV while I cut it."

Paige won't even let us touch her hair, let alone cut it. We've had to be very sneaky when cutting it lately. Usually my mom does it while Paige is playing in her backyard. ("Hey Paige, what's that over there?" Snip, snip.) This time, Traci took the task upon herself.

Traci was able to solve the length discrepancy and Paige is now cuter than ever.

Alkaline Trio Agony & Irony

Alkaline Trio
Agony & Irony
Unfortunately being a bitter, emotional wreck only stays interesting for so long. Alkaline Trio was wise to accept that they couldn't make entrails-on-sleeve punk rock forever. In recent years they've settled for a slower, darker sound that, though less exciting, is more convincing as they grow older.

Their first major label release feels much like their last two independent efforts. The songs are slickly polished, heavily produced and filled with the usual spooky imagery. It seems a bit formulaic, but works nevertheless. Strong tracks like "Calling All Skeletons," "In Vein," and "Help Me" will push t-shirts sales at Hot Topic while still giving long-time fans enough reason to remain loyal.

If you're missing the Alkaline Trio of yesteryear, 2007's compilation "Remains" is actually the band's best release in years.

Rating: 3 of 4
For Fans of: My Chemical Romance, The Lawrence Arms

Alkaline Trio - "Help Me"

Who's the Real Tromboner?

I did an interview with ska punk veterans Less Than Jake yesterday. I've never really actively listened to the band, but I'm familiar enough with their stuff and throughout the years I've seen them play a few times. I saw them open up for Blink 182 back in the Dude Ranch days and I'm sure I've seen them at Warped Tour. I was looking forward to talking to them.

Their publicist told me I'd be doing a phone interview with Buddy the trombone player. (My keyboarding friend Brian says the only person in the band less interesting in a band than a horn player is the keyboardist.) Buddy was cool, but I couldn't help feeling like an idiot.

I always try to do my homework before I do an interview, but this time I didn't even have a chance to listen to their new album before talking to the band. It came back to bite me.

ME: So, tell me about the new record...
BUDDY: What do you want to know?
ME: Uh, well I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but...
BUDDY: You haven't listened to it yet? How are we supposed to talk about it if you haven't listened to it?

I also tried talk to him about the band starting their own label. Their drummer Vinnie founded Fueled By Ramen (Fall Out Boy's original label), so I asked a question about that as well. But I got mixed up on the names. And what I thought was an intelligent question was all wrong.

ME: Did you ever considered just putting the record out on Fueled By Ramen?
BUDDY: Why would we put a record out on Fueled by Ramen? We started our own label.
ME: I know, but Roger (stutter, stutter) and Fueled by Ramen (stammer) and you know...
BUDDY: He hasn't worked there in like three years.

So it was a struggle. I'm sure Buddy thought I was an idiot. If you are looking for an uncomfortable 13 minutes, here you go:

Less Than Jake Interview [WMA]

A Sheep, A Goat and A Motorbicycle

Summer time means weekends at Grandpa's sheep ranch. It's crazy that it's already Paige's third season up there. She was excited to go because we promised she would see five of her favorite things - a sheep, a cow, a horse, a goat and a tractor.

Time at the ranch basically equals eating lots of food and riding around on the four wheelers. At six months she would sit on the four wheeler with me in indifference. At a year-and-a-half she was scared to death of the thing. This year she started out scared, but once she took her first ride, she never wanted to get back off.

She calls it the "motor bicycle" and throughout each ride she'd periodically say to me, "It's fun play motor bicycle." Before we'd get on she'd always make sure to put on her riding hat and glasses (which are strangely familiar to her "it's fun play swimming pool" hat and glasses).

Traci took this photo of us. Paige saw it about one minute later, while she was still in sight of the actual ATV. "Motor bicycle!" she screamed in delight, as though she had seen an old friend.



Paige inherited her father's keen sense of fashion.

Heard It on the Internet: Neon Coyote

Take Jay-Z's smooth delivery and mix it with Neon Coyote's minimal production and you end up this killer track:

Jay-z feat. Pharrell - I Know (Neon Coyote Remix) [MP3] (via Asian Dan)

Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie
Narrow Stairs

Death Cab for Cutie had the all pressure of the indie world on its shoulders when it moved to a major label for its 2005 release, "Plans." The band rose to the challenge. The resulting record was both perfectly polished and beautifully intimate.

"Narrow Stairs" is the antithesis to "Plans." Loose and a bit rough around the edges, the new record feels much more organic than its immediate predecessor. This approach works well on the album opener "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and the eight-minute vamp "I Will Possess Your Heart." But the rest of the album just feels cheaply constructed.

Softer songs always work best for Ben Gibbard's shaky tenor and "Grapevine Fires" and "Your New Twin Sized bed" add some emotion to a surprisingly uninteresting outing. For the first time in their career, "Narrow Stairs" finds Death Cab just going through the motions.

Your New Twin Sized Bed [MP3] (via www.theseanshow.net)

Rating: 2.5 of 4
For Fans of: Pedro the Lion, Nada Surf, Postal Service

Heard It On the Internet: Vol. I

As a cubicle dweller, I sit in front of a computer all day long and go crazy if I'm not listening to music. I visit a lot of different MP3 sites to keep me from hearing the sound of my own work. I've decided to start posting songs that grab my attention as I wander around internetland.

I've always loved albums. If I hear a song I really like, but can't get into the rest of the artist's material, I instantly pass on it. I rarely even put those songs on my iPod. Hence, iTunes--and the entire concept of a single--doesn't work for me.

But there are certainly great songs out there. I'm too single snobby. So here's a song I like, based entirely on the song itself:

Pop Levi - Never Never Love [via Stereogum]

Golf, Anyone?

This is what Curtis wears when he needs to head off to the links.

Born to Rock

Here's Curtis in the Born to Rock onesy my mom bought him at the Hard Rock Hotel. My family members keep saying that he doesn't look like either Traci or me.

Bald + Happy

10 years after high school and Ricky and I each have plenty of kids and not enough hair.

I feel like Homer when he said:

Homer: Okay, here's the solution. I want you kids to lock the bedroom from the outside so I can't get out and perpetrate my nocturnal mischief.

Bart: Why don't you just stop taking the pills you hothead?

Homer: Because I'm filled with stress! [smacks him on the back of the head and moans] I've got three kids and no money. Why can't I have no kids and three moneys?

The Offspring Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

The Offspring
Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

People stopped using "Offspring" and "cool" in the same sentence at least 10 years ago. But the band has continued to steadily release quality records that always manage to contain plenty of punk rock and at least one stupid, radio friendly hit.

"Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" is par for the course—double time verses with big, catchy choruses. This time around they've added a few softer numbers ("A Lot Like Me," "Kristy Are You Doing Okay") to appeal to the tweener crowd, but for the most part it's still 1993 for this Southern California foursome. The Offspring may not have a lot of cred, but they still know how to write good songs.

The Offspring - Half Truism [MP3]

Rating: 3 of 4
For fans of: Pennywise, Face to Face

The Lucky Pants, Helaas Een Beetje Unlucky

I watched one Euro 2008 game before bed last night and then two today. (And then I even watched part of an MLS game on Telemundo. What's happening to me?) I think I might be having football overload. This afternoon I realized I was thinking in a Scottish accent. Darn those witty ESPN 2 commentators!

Traci bought me an Oranje t-shirt for father's day. I wore it today to support the Nederlandse Elftal, but it was not enough to prevent a loss to the Russians. I'm still crying orange tears.

Hup Holland Hup

Since the Jazz's early departure, I've lost all interest in the NBA playoffs (I am still passively rooting for Kobe to lose). I'm now focusing all of my energy on soccer. It's Euro 2008 time and the Dutch have come out of nowhere to dominant the first round.

Dutch voetbal always brings out the nostalgia in me. It's been eight years since I walked down Dutch streets painted entirely orange in support of their team--Holland hosted the tournament in 2000. I've never experienced such sports excitement and watching the watching the games with my friends the Bloms, Butler, and Wix was one of the highlights of my mission.

It's been four years since I was sneaking out from my job at the Community College to drive to Provo to watch Euro 2004 on TV with my friend RB. That was a life-changing tournament. Not because of the soccer, but because RB decided to have a kid. (Fortunately, his wife was able to give birth without making us miss any of the games.)

RB was the first of our friends to (purposely) venture into parenthood. When we found out they were going to have a kid, it became time for us to start seriously considering the proposition.
Here we are, four years later, with two little kids. It's 4:00 a.m. and Traci is sitting next to me, giving Curtis a bottle.

Paige loves playing soccer. She dribbles the ball from one side of the backyard to the other, kicks it against the fence and yells "Goooooooooooooal!!!!" So we watch Euro 2008 together and we both cheer when Holland scores. (She just likes cheering.)

For the next round, I'll probably bust out my orange, inflatable Dutch crown, Oranje jersey and wooden shoes. RB has promised to find his Snickers Lucky Pants, the orange promotional whitey-tighteys from 2000. Hup, Holland, Hup!

The Hills, LA Ink, and Alkaline Trio: Interview with Derek Grant

I basically make no dollars writing for IN Utah This Week. But so far, it's been it's been worth it. I didn't think I'd get to do something cooler than interview the Voodoo Glow Skulls, but on Friday I had a chance to be on the phone with the Alkaline Trio.

Somehow I was able to track down the name of their publicist, so I shot off an email requesting an interview. I was doubtful she'd even respond. She did. I hoped for an email interview at best, and instead was hooked up with a phone interview with Dan Andriano.

The day of the interview, the publicist sent a note that Dan was sick and that I would be interviewing drummer Derek Grant. I was a little bummed that I didn't get to talk to Dan, but Derek was extremely cool.

I asked him about the band's recent cameo on The Hills ("A girl on The Hills' [Audrina] little sister really likes the band, so they came to the studio..." and Matt Skiba's trip to L.A. Ink ("Matt's friends with Kat Von D..." ).

I haven't written up the story yet, but I plan on posting the actual phone conversation here shortly.

Interview with Derek Grant [WMA] (I forgot to push record for the first few seconds. My bad.)

A Rough Read Rolling

It took a year--yes, a year--for me to read Joseph Smith: A Rough Stone Rolling, but I did it. Written by a Mormon author, but aimed to give an unbiased history of Mormonism's founder, the book hits on both Smith's strengths and weaknesses.

I would have finished it sooner, had I not taken a break in the middle to read the 600-page autobiography of Slash (you know I can't say know to a good rock 'n roll memoir). Rough Stone Rolling was quite good, if not a bit long-winded at times. I'd definitely recommend it for Mormon folk, but it seemed too detail-heavy to be enjoyable for someone being introduced to Joseph Smith for the first time.

How Indigenous Alaskans Reach the Second Floor

Traci took Paige to the Southtown Mall on Friday. Paige discovered her new favorite thing.

When I walked in the door after work she shouted "Dad, go on eskimo-later!"

"You went on an escalator?" I asked.

"Eskimo-later." She found my question to be more of an offer and headed for the door.

Weezer: The Red Album

Weezer
(The Red Album)

That Rivers Cuomo does to me every time. I get all excited about a new Weezer release, just to be disappointed when I finally hear it. The Red Album seemed so promising, especially with the classic-Weezer first single “Pork and Beans.” But Cuomo is being literal when he sings “I'm a do the things that I wanna do/I ain't got a thing to prove to you.”

The Red Album does whatever it wants. The first quarter of the record is quite good, if not a bit odd. After kicking off with the straightforward clap-along “Troublemaker,” the band manages to shove hip-hop beats, hardcore riffage, spoken word, and a soaring finale into the six-minute “The Greatest Man that Ever Lived.” Cuomo even succeeds in name checking both Pat Benatar and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—certainly no easy task—in the pretty “Heart Songs.”

But that’s when things go amiss. Cuomo relinquishes the microphone to his mates, resulting in the countrified “Thought I Knew,” sung by Brian Bell, the ‘90s rock “Automatic” sung by Pat Wilson, and “Cold Dark World” belted by bass man Scott Shriner. It’s nice when you let your friends have the spotlight for a second, but this is b-side material at best. And on an album with just 10 tracks, it’s a shame to throw away three of them. Sadly, this may be Weezer’s worst release.

Dunzo

I'm done with work. All I want to do is sit on the floor at home and watch reruns of CSI:Miami and The OC.

Don't tell my job. Or Traci.

That Spells...

Paige loves to spell. We spend a bunch of every car ride spelling whale, and fish, and octapus, and every other animal she can think up. Traci bought Paige a personalized sippy cup and said to her, "What are those letters? P-A-I-G-E. What does that spell?" Paige looked at her and replied, "It spells juice."

Six Weeks of Curtis

So, little Curtis has been with us for almost six weeks now. We like him pretty good and intend to keep him. (I have a friend who adopted a kid a few months ago. I was a little surprised to hear that you basically have a one year guarantee when you adopt. If it doesn't work, you can just give 'em back.)

In some ways, newborn #2 seems easier than the first one. But it's likely just a change in perspective. We had a tough go with Paige from the beginning. She had acid reflux and would cry and cry. We spent many hours bouncing her and trying to hold her just right so she'd be happy. Curtis is pretty good for the most part, though he still isn't a very good night sleeper. And he barfs a lot.

Curtis probably seems a lot easier to deal with because we are so busy trying to handle Paige. It's nice to have a kid who just lies there and never cries, "No! Bye, bye change diaper" or "Bye, bye, wear Paigey's shoes."

But adding a second kid makes everything harder. Traci and I are back in the stage where going to the grocery store, getting in the shower, or cleaning the house seems like an insurmountable task. Much planning is required for anything.

Paige is doing pretty good with Curtis, or Cur-TIS, as she calls him. She has to climb all the way over him in order to regularly "kiss his head, kiss his head." She likes to hold him. But when she's done, she just pushes him over.

Traci is getting very little sleep. But she likes the kid, too.

Death Cab for Cutie @ Thanksgiving Point

Death Cab for Cutie
w/ Tegan and Sara
May 26, 2008
Thanksgiving Point

Worst. Venue. Ever. It was bad enough that Memorial Day was a rainy mess. But it was made infinitely worse when the Death Cab for Cutie show was supposed to start at 5:00 p.m. and the Thanksgiving Point crew kept the crowd standing in line outside until 7:30 p.m. (Then, as the doors finally opened, they announced that all cars parked on the frontage road—about 200 or so—would be towed if they weren’t moved.)

Starting two-and-a-half hours late and facing a 10:00 p.m. music curfew made the event feel incredibly disjointed. Identical twin duo Tegan and Sara seemed out of sync as they tried to rush through an abbreviated opening set and Rogue Wave was dropped from the bill entirely. Death Cab didn’t fare much better, though their troubles were of their own making.

Just kicking off the promotion of their newest album “Narrow Stairs,” Ben Gibbard and the boys are understandably excited about playing the material. The problem is that the new material just isn’t that good. I was hoping that the new songs, which are much less produced than their immediate predecessors, would sound better live. No such luck. Though current single “I Will Possess Your Heart” was passionate, the rest of the “Narrow Stairs” material fell flat.

The band continued through the set, alternating between not-yet-familiar new material and obscure older songs. Occassionally, they’d throw the crowd a bone with a song or two from their best albums, “Transatlanticism” and “Plans.”

Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, Gibbard sounded amazing on “I Will Follow You Into the Dark.” On “Soul Meets Body,” however, his thin tenor didn’t have enough power to do the song justice. It may have been the 40 degree air, but both he and guitarist Chris Walla struggled with the high notes all night long.

For all of the disappointments of the evening, Death Cab was not about to let the crowd go home unhappy. The encore featured “Title and Registration” and a shout out to the band’s early days of playing at Kilby Court. They closed the night with the phenomenal “Transatlanticism,” climaxing with Gibbard’s plea to “Come on, come on” reverberating through the Utah County night sky. All ill feelings were immediately washed away.

word association

Though she never wants to listen to us, it's obvious Paige at least hears the things we say. Now when we change her diaper she immediately says, "Whoa, big poops!" regardless of the contents.

Diapers have become very intriguing to her and she's very interested in what's going on with Curtis' diaper. Yesterday I was just about done changing him when he squirted all over me. Paige watched the whole thing in quiet amazement. After I had gotten him all cleaned up and in a new diaper, Paige declared, "All gone, water poops!" Apparently, we have never taught about urine. But she knows about water and she knows about poops. Water poops. Makes sense to me.

On a linguistic note, I also like that Paige calls motorcycles "motor bicycles" and refers to her belly button as her "tummy button." I loved when I said goodbye to her this morning she replied, "Fax me."

Reviews: Local H, Say Hi, Ting Tings

Local H
12 Angry Months

Local H’s seventh studio release is supposed to document the myriad of emotions experienced after the bitter end of a long relationship. But it turns out frontman Scott Lucas really only feels one thing--anger. “So, baby could you do me a favor?” he rants on the opening track, “Fall off the earth and I'll see you later.”

The lyrical vitriol of “12 Angry Months” is matched throughout by Brian St. Clairs’ abusive drumming and Lucas’ heavy, 70s rock guitar riffing. The duo’s approach has always been heavy-handed, but on previous records they have managed to avoid metal monotony by delivering plenty of hooks. Other than the soft strumming of “The Summer of Boats,” where Lucas admits “Life was perfectly sad, it’s perfectly sadder now,” there is not much worth remembering about his angry year. A disappointing release by our last living link to the grunge area.

Rating: 2 of 4
For fans of: Nirvana, Soundgarden

Say Hi
The Wishes and the Glitch

The band’s name has gotten shorter—cut down from Say Hi to Your Mom—but the sound has remained pretty much the same. Minimalist guitar, buzzing synth and electronic drums mixed with Eric Elbogen’s wobbly tenor and plenty of melancholy.

The tracks are beautiful in their simplicity. Channeling the The Cure’s poppy years, “The Wishes and the Glitch” allows you to dance without actually feeling happy. Elbogen’s faux-British vocals are not always in tune, but you can’t question the sincerity in his delivery.

Rating: 3.5 of 4
For fans of: Headphones, Bishop Allen

The Ting Tings
We Started Nothing

Teenager girls rejoice! The Ting Tings’ debut album has arrived just in time to be the soundtrack of your summer. When they’re not being featuring on the latest iPod commercial (with their bass-heavy disco romp “Shut Up and Let Me Go”) the British boy-girl duo are writing infectious, dance party anthems filled with cheerleader-shout vocals.

Though “We Started Nothing” has plenty of great material for a mixtape, it is so sugary sweet that it is difficult to take in one sitting. But if you can make past the half-way point, you’ll be rewarded with Cynder Lauper-esque “Keep Your Head” and the record’s best moment, the bouncy-but-restrained “Be the One.” This album isn’t rocket science, it’s summer school. Sit back and enjoy it.

Rating: 2.5 of 4
For fans of: CSS, The Raveonettes

Curtis at Three Weeks

Curtis seems slightly less amused.