06
Nov

is indie rock the new adult contemporary?

By Kevin 1 Comment
Categories: listening

Newsflash: as a 30 something father of three with grey hairs poking out of the side of my head, I’m just not as cool as I used to be.  I don’t have the interest in keeping up with what’s hip in music and my tastes really aren’t that hip anyway, they’ve digressed into mostly eccentric prog and metal with a little dub-step thrown in.  Ok, maybe I’m still a little cool, dub-step, so they tell me, is cutting edge.

All that is to say that indie rock doesn’t really turn my crank anymore, it’s more a concession I make, music that I can appreciate and won’t make my wife’s face wrinkle up into a look of distaste.

Listening to the Slate Culture Gabfest this week led me to an interesting article and follow-up on the demise of Indie Rock, is it our generations contribution to Adult Contemporary?  At first glance, the assertion that new albums by artists like Wilco and Feist are to be played in the back ground at your next wine tasting seems incredulous.  These bands come from the school of alternative and underground, don’t they?  Or are they safe music that you can put on to appease your spouse, your parents and your kiddies all at the same time?

I think it’s an interesting idea, we are adults now aren’t we?  So what is our musical contemporary?  You can find the main article in New York magazine and a rebuttal at Salon.com.

21
Mar

whitecaps mls debut

By Kevin 1 Comment
Categories: doing

I made a great last minute decision on Saturday in choosing to go to the season opener of the Vancouver Whitecaps.  I gambled that after a hour and some drive, my friend Matt and I would be able to find some scalped tickets.  We had to wait until a few minutes before kick off, but ended up with a fair deal.

We were both really excited and were not disappointed.  The 23 000 fans at Empire Stadium were loud and energetic, way more fun then the sometimes placid crowd of business people you find at Canucks games.  Don’t get me wrong, hockey games are great and I love to go, but there was a different crowd at this soccer game, most of these people paid for their tickets and weren’t there just to look good.

The atmosphere was electric, and the Caps played well winning 4 - 2 over our rivals Toronto FC.  Big time players Eric Hassli and Jay Demerrit did their jobs with a strong physical presence and skill, while a fit Davide Chumiento embarrassed former Whitecap Cann, setting up two goals in the first half with his impressive dribbling.

I’m not sure that every game will be this intense, but it was a great start for the Whitecaps in their new league and I can’t wait to go back for more.

14
Mar

Ferris the indie star

By Kevin 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

This is an awesome recut trailer for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, one of my favorite movies.  It’s cut like an indie coming of age film, reminds me of all the greatness of the film beyond just the antics.  I’ve seen a few shows with nods to director John Hughes lately (Easy A, Community), maybe it’s time to watch Ferris, Cameron and Sloan again.

05
Feb

best movie ever

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

How could this gem have been overlooked by the Academy?  Cmon people!

19
Jan

story time

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: reading

The first “feminist” I ever liked, I got to know while tree planting.  I had previously found them too one sided for my liking, obviously my male ego can be challenged and stretched by the views of a feminist.  I always found them angry, one sided and unfair.   Please don’t think I am or was a total chauvinist, just a little ignorant of views that were not my own.

Now the difference was that this time I had a friendship with the alleged feminist, I actually cared about her, as a friend and fellow survivor of the horrors (mosquitoes, bears and isolation) that treeplanting can thrust on you.  We had been through the proverbial trenches together, actually they were mounds (planter lingo).  So, as we drove from camp into the big city one day, I listened, but was a little annoyed by her views that didn’t fit into my own framework on how the world should run.  For some reason that day my mind made a leap, instead of arguing or ignoring her I asked why?  What had happened that had brought her to these conclusions?  What was her story?

That was an important realization for me.  To stop pushing my own agenda, shut up, listen and understand.    Not that I was convinced to take up her worldview, but because I actually cared to hear her story, I learned to walk a while in her shoes.

This, for me, is the power of story.

These days, I’ve been searching for stories that I can identify with, such as O Me Of Little Faith by Jason Boyett.  Jason is a doubter and a Christian, he writes not to map out a solution for his doubts but to tell his story.  His story of being a Christian for most of his life, but also his story of times of weighted guilt, sometimes fear, or uncomfortableness in church, even being unsure if he believes there is a God.

I didn’t think that the book covered entirely new ground, it didn’t blow my mind nor did I entirely agree or identify with everything.  I did, however, enjoy his candor and envied his ability to be so comfortable in his own skin, despite the pressures that church puts on him.  And so, I liked it.  It’s always good to hear of someone who has had similar experiences to your own, it’s a good reminder that your not the only one in your current predicament or situation, your not that special or weird.

I read Jason’s story as if I knew him, now I understand him better and walked some in his shoes, I even saw some of myself in them.

16
Jan

Yaris

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

This was one of the busiest weeks I’ve had in recent memory.  It started on Monday taking the Golf into the mechanic, who told me that I needed about $800 in struts and labor.   That was it, out with the old and in with the new, brand new actually.  After some quick research and shopping, I was driving a 2010 Toyota Yaris to work on Friday afternoon.  It fills my need for something reliable, relatively affordable and fuel efficient.  The kicker was 0% financing, I love free money. Toyota offered me a hundred dollars for the Golf (it needed more than just struts), so I put it on Craig’s list on Thursday and on Friday I had eight brown pieces of paper in my hand and no Volkswagen in my driveway for the first time in ten years.

12
Jan

attention parents

By Kevin 1 Comment
Categories: kids

Something all parents should take a look at.  It’s hard raising kids in this day and age… here’s a little help.

06
Jan

movies 2010

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: watching

The year 2010 was a big movie year for me.  I watched over 30 movies that came out in theaters last year, not because it was an exceptional year for film, but because I just really fell in love with movies again this year.  Largely informed and inspired by some podcasts I was able to keep track of what was new, thought provoking or full of alleged coolness.  Below are a list of what I saw as some notable movies that came out this year.

Inception: No big revelation here, a great summer movie.  The world building is fun and complex, and don’t get me wrong it was a really enjoyable world, but it felt a bit limited at times.

The Two Escobars:  An ESPN 30 for 30 doc centered around Andreas Escobar, star of the 94 Colombian World Cup squad and Pablo Escobar the kingpin of the notorious Medellin drug cartel.  So informative.  The rise of Colombian soccer, the American war on drugs, civil war, and the good and bad of a criminal boss.

How to Train Your Dragon: My favorite kids movie of the year.  Gibson and I went and saw it in 3D, we had a blast.  Great flying scenes.

Buried: 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a casket.  A good ride, how many ways can you show someone trapped in a box?  Find out for yourself.

Social Network: Lots of dialogue, lots of witty, comedic and meaningful dialogue.  Liked it a lot, Fincher, as always, delivers.

Catfish: Documentary movie that is a good companion to Social Network, can’t say anymore, I hate spoilers and this one needs to be seen fresh.

The Kids are Alright: I like this movie sooo much.  Made me laugh, cry, and gave me something to think about the next day.  The more I thought about it the more I liked it.  A gay couple and their teen kids get to know the kids sperm donor father.  I always like Annette Benning and Mark Ruffalo.

Let Me In: OK I’m cheating.  I didn’t see Let Me In, but I did see it’s Swedish predecessor Let the Right One in.  Finally, a good Vampire movie, maybe just cut out the cat scene.

The Black Swan:  For me the best picture of the year.  Portman brings it for real this time and Aronofski puts us in the movie, watching this ballerina spiral into madness.  As the movie says: stripped down and visceral.

Cyrus:  The funniest moment of the year for me, the quietest “f**k you” ever had me chuckling for days.

Some movies that I didn’t have time for but will make some soon: The King’s Speech, True Grit, 127 Hours, The Fighter, Winter’s Bone, Restrepo.

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18
Dec

singing christmas cheer

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: listening

As Christmas nears there is more and more Christmas music on the radio, in the malls and at home.  There is no doubt who my choice seasonal music is… Boney M.  Boney M is the one group that I remember listening to every year starting out on cassette, then CD and now through itunes.  There is a lot of nostalgia there for me, but I also enjoy the fun spirit of the album, you can dance to it.   Oh ya, you should see me dance!

Anyone else got some love for Boney M?  How about some other favorite that I should check out?

As said, Boney M would be my favorite Christmas album, but this video is of the all time Christmas #1 single and sung in a mall no less.

09
Dec

sorry but it’s just so funny

By Kevin 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

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