Life in General

Fun - All The Pretty Girls This band is my favorite thing about...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:34:09 -0600

Fun - All The Pretty Girls

This band is my favorite thing about music right now.

World Football Rankings November 2nd

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:34:31 -0600

1. Barcelona (last years champions league winners still look impressive this season, Messi, Ibrahimovic, Henry, enough said)

2. Internazionale Milan (Eto’o has filled in nicely for Ibrahimovic and Inter sit 7 points clear on top of Serie A in Italy)

3. Chelsea (New coach Carlo Ancelotti has C.F.C. firing on all cylinders, Drogba is off to a hot start, and this is possibly the deepest team in the world)

4. Juventus (Juve has restructed their midfield this year, I was skeptical on how much influence Diego would have but he has been brilliant thus far)

5. Manchester United (Utd. are still a strong team, but they’ve clearly fallen off the top, to say they miss Ronaldo is an understatement)

6. Arsenal (The gunners have played well in the EPL this season despite losing some big names, don’t expect this team to win any silverware though)

7. Bordeaux (Last years French champions continue to play well, they have a huge game against Bayern Munich on Tuesday Nov. 3rd, Gourcuff is some player)

8. Bayer Leverkusen (It has been no secret that there was a lot of young emerging talent here, it is starting to come together, let’s see if they can keep it that way)

9. Real Madrid (This team has been utterly disappointing, Ronaldo has been hurt but still, with the all star squad they have they should murdering teams, not winning by 2 to Getafe)

10. Rubin Kazan (Last years Russian Premier League winners are about to repeat for their second straight title, they are also right in the thick of things in a race for a spot in the knock out stages of the champions league)

11. Olympique Lyonnais (New signings Gomis and Lissandro Lopez have covered well for the departured Karim Benzema, Lyonnais could retake the French title this year)

12. AC Milan (Milan started poorly but have significantly played better recently, their turning point may have been that stunning 3-2 win over Madrid last week, the rematch is tomorrow, Alexandre Pato continues to mold into Milan’s next superstar)

13. Benfica (The Portuguese giants have reloaded and look favorites to win a competitive Portuguese league this year)

14. Sampdoria (Sampdoria fan’s can only hope they are sitting in the top 4 at the end of the season in Italy, what a great start)
15. Sevilla (The Spanish league does not have much depth but this is clearly the next best team after the two Spanish giants, this midfield is exciting, especially the wingers)

16. FC Porto (People forget how strong this team may be, if it was not for one Ronaldo super strike last year Porto may have beat Man. Utd.)

17. Hamburg (The German league is super competitive to this point, it’s always hard to tell where this team is going but the pieces seam to be in place if they can find consistency)

18. Dynamo Kiev (Like Rubin Kazan, this team is in a fight for a knock out spot, and they’ve come off some recent success domestically and in the Uefa Cup)

19. Manchester City (Is it premature to put them this high? No, probably not. This team has quality all over the pitch now; Adebayor and Tevez are real strikers)

20. Fiorentina (This is a quality team that has been floating around the top of Italian football for a few years and they are starting to play well together)

21. Bayern Munich (Much more is expected of this club, they can buy all the wingers and strikers they want, but until they can play with a solid defense and field a sustainable keeper then Bayern are not going to win the title back)

22. Estudiantes (Brazil still has some excellent talent and teams, this one is the cream of the crop right now)

23. PSV (They sit a few points above Ajax in Holland for second place, Twente holds the lead but it’s a safe prediction to say that PSV and AJAX will be fighting for the title)

24. Ajax Amsterdam (Ajax used to compete for UCL titles until hitting this long rough spot, this team is starting to look better and striker Luis Suarez is a hot property among big European clubs)

25. Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs may have finally found their manager, Harry Redknapp has been excellent, Robbie Keane should have never left for Liverpool, he’s a Spur)

I kinda regret selling my tickets to this concert. Being able...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:32:46 -0500

I kinda regret selling my tickets to this concert. Being able to see one of the biggest current bands at such a small venue doesn’t happen much.

Chicago

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:48:00 -0500

A week ago we found out Chicago would not be hosting the 2016 Olympics. I wasn’t mad or sad when I heard the news, even to the surprise of myself, I was content.

About 3 years when I first heard Chicago would make a push to get the 2016 bid I was excited. Initially I was excited of the possibility of seeing the Olympic games in person without the difficulty of traveling half way around the world. When I left for college however I developed another desire for Chicago to get the bid. Shortly after living outside the city for the first time in my life my pride for Chicago grew tremendously. While I would still love to see the Olympics in my home town, I now wanted Chicago to get the 2016 games to show the rest of the world what a great city we are.

Watching Michael Phelps and the rest of the 2008 Olympics last summer was awesome. Never before have I realized how fun it is to watch sports when the lines aren’t drawn and everyone is either your friend or enemy. The Olympics is the sole sporting event in the world where every single person can watch and root for the same team together (I wish this were true for the World Cup, but many people simply do not like soccer). I couldn’t imagine watching a sporting event of this nature 15 miles from my home.

However, a week before the host of the 2016 Olympics were announced I realized Chicago did not need to get the games. It would be great to see such a great event in my favorite city, but in the course of my lifetime I am sure I will travel somewhere half way around the world to see the Olympics and it will be a great vacation.

Now my Chicago pride grows exponentially every day and I realized we don’t need the Olympics to show the rest of the world how great a city we are. In the summer of 2016 I will be living downtown, watching the games in a bar with my friends and family, not sad that we aren’t seeing them live in person, but content knowing we live in the best city in the world.

“Keep The Light On” - Cavashawn Cavashawn has...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:24:39 -0500

“Keep The Light On” - Cavashawn

Cavashawn has entered the “next Chicago band to break out” debate in my mind. It’s really catchy pop-punk that has a slight sound of 1950s oldies rock ‘n roll. If I had to rank the “next Chicago band to break out” in order it would be:

1. Company of Thieves (If success was based purely on talent they’d be huge, unfortunately the music industry doesn’t work like that)
2. The Graduate
3. American Taxi
4. Empires
5. Cavashawn
6. Coventry

Cold Water Mystic - “Break Me” I’ve been...

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:35:10 -0500

Cold Water Mystic - “Break Me”

I’ve been listening to this all the time lately. A perfect blend of rock and funk, very excited to see these local guys live soon.

Funny Video, Funny Guys, Good Song.

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:22:16 -0500

Funny Video, Funny Guys, Good Song.

New Weezer in October. I loved the Red Album so I’m...

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:24:04 -0500

New Weezer in October. I loved the Red Album so I’m excited for this too.

"The Fighting Illini tour bus finally hit the road. Look for weekly appearances across the midwest...."

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:05:24 -0500

““The Fighting Illini tour bus finally hit the road. Look for weekly appearances across the midwest. Lead singer Ron Zook has prepared many great songs for u and the Offensive/Defensive units are prepared to do the background singing. 1st stop is 9/5/09 in STL @ 2:40ct catch it in person or on ESPN!!!””

- Juice Williams

Starts at 48 seconds. This video does a good job of summarizing...

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:28:00 -0500

Starts at 48 seconds. This video does a good job of summarizing my summer internship at WGN. Under crunch time everyone stresses out but in the end all we really care about is what’s for dinner.

fun. - Be Calm

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:41:59 -0500

fun. - Be Calm

fun. - Aim & Ignite

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:03:00 -0500

When The Format broke up about a year and a half ago I was heartbroken, more than any other band announcing their hiatus. I did not see it coming and it shocked me. Their music made me happy, it was inspirational and creative.

Shortly after the announcement singer Nate Reuss clarified he was still going to make music. 18 months later and that music has finally been made. Reuss had started a band with two other members called “fun.” They released their debut album Aim & Ignite this past week.

Through The Format’s lyrics and other sources you could tell they weren’t the happiest people, yet they made music to help them through their difficulties. Things must have changed in Reuss’s life as his new bands’ name couldn’t be any more fitting. “fun.” simply is fun music. Over their sadness and pessimism, the new album “Aim & Ignite” focuses on being happy and enjoying life.

The music is similar to The Format, but taken a step further, in that it is more inspirational and more creative. More instrumentation and the use of back-up singers enable fun to differentiate them from The Format.

This album is a breath of fresh air. Only 10 songs long the cd is straight and to the point. Reuss gets his point across clear and concisely: he wants to have fun with his life.

The Format was, and still is one of my favorite bands. At this point however, they are just a notch below “fun.”

Dinner Conversations

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:35:00 -0500

You can tell a lot about a family by eating dinner with them. I love dinner’s with my family, but if someone sat in on one they’d probably think my siblings and I were crazy. 90% of the things I say every meal are a quote from an Adam Sandler, Chris Farley or Will Ferrel movie. If you’re like my parents, and don’t love these movies, it probably appears as though we’re talking in a different language. This seems perfectly normal to me though, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I also love eating dinner with other families to see how they interact at the table. I’ve seen some families where the siblings and parents make fun of each other non-stop, but they know it’s all fun and games and they don’t think much of it. I’ve seen other families where the kids talk about very inappropriate topics, and the parents just laugh it off. I’ve eaten with families in other countries where the only goal of the cook was to make me eat so much I couldn’t move for an hour after the meal. And maybe the weirdist of all are the families that take their dinners very seriously, encourage manners and politeness, and keep the conversation about the weather or how their day went.

Although I would never trade my comedy-driven, often repetitive family dinners, it’s great to eat with other families and see we’re not the only crazy one.

Top 10 player in the country.

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:03:43 -0500

Top 10 player in the country.

Lollapalooza 2009

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:17:22 -0500

This is what I saw

Friday
Manchester Orchestra:
1.Shake It Out
2. Pride
3. In My Teeth
4. Wolves At Night
5. My Friend Marcus
6. I’ve Got Friends
7. Mean Everything to Nothing
8. The River

The Knux:
I’m not good with hip-hop setlists

The Gaslight Anthem:
1. High Lonesome
2. Casanova, Baby!
3. Old White Lincoln
4. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
5. The ‘59 Sound
6. Señor and the Queen
7. We Came to Dance
8. Film Noir
9. Miles Davis and the Cool
10. Great Expectations
11. Here’s Looking at You Kid
12. Boomboxes and Dictionaries
13. Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?
14. Meet Me By the River’s Edge
15. The Backseat

The Virgins:
1. Teen Lovers
2. Radio Christiane
3. She’s Expensive
4. Hey Hey Girl
5. Love is Faster Than Death
6. Murder
7. Fernando Pando
8. Rich Girls
9. Private Affair
10. One Week of Danger
11. Love is Colder Than Death
12. Devil Inside

Andrew Bird:
1. Fiery Crash
2. Masterswarm
3. Opposite Day
4. Fitz and the Dizzyspells
5. Oh No
6. Effigy
7. Not a Robot, But a Ghost
8. Anonanimal
9. Imitosis
10. Scythian Empires
11. Tables and Chairs
12. Fake Palindromes

Kings of Leon:
1. Be Somebody
2. Taper Jean Girl
3. My Party
4. Molly’s Chambers
5. Red Morning Light
6. Fans
7. Closer
8. Crawl
9. Four Kicks
10. Charmer
11. Sex On Fire
12. The Bucket
13. Notion
14. On Call
15. Slow Nights, So Long
16. Knocked Up
17. Manhattan
18. Use Somebody
19. Black Thumbnail

Saturday
Arctic Monkeys:
1. Pretty Visitors
2. House is a Circus
3. Brianstorm
4. If You Were There, Beware
5. Crying Lightning
6. Fluorescent Adolescent / Only You Know
7. Cornerstone
8. The View From The Afternoon
9. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
10. Red Right Hand
11. My Propeller
12. Do Me A Favour
13. Potion Approaching
14. 505

TV On The Radio:
1. Love Dog
2. Wrong Way
3. Golden Age
4. Crying
5. Wolf Like Me
6. Red Dress
7. Young Liar
8. Shout Me Out
9. Dancing Choose
10. DLZ
11. Staring at the Sun

Ben Harper:
1. Lay There & Hate Me
2. Number With No Name
3. Shimmer & Shine
4. Good Times Bad Times (Led Zeppelin cover)
5. Why Must You Always Dress in Black > Red House (Jimi Hendrix cover)
6. Fly One Time
7. Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)
8. Boot Like These
9. Up to You Now

Sunday:
The Airborne Toxic Event:
1. Wishing Well
2. Papillion
3. Gasoline
4. Happiness Is Overrated
5. Does This Mean You’re Moving On
6. Missy
7. This Losing
8. Goodbye Horses
9. This Is Nowhere
10. Sometime Around Midnight
11. Innocence

Vampire Weekend:
1. White sky
2. Mansard roof
3. Campus
4. Cape cod kwassa kwassa
5. Ladies of cambridge
6. I stand corrected
7. Bryn
8. A-punk
9. M79
10. One (blake’s got a new face)
11. New song
12. The kids don’t stand a chance
13. Oxford comma
14. Walcott

Cold War Kids:
1. Mexican Dogs
2. Something is Not Right With Me
3. I’ve Seen Enough
4. Hang Me Out to Dry
5. What a Relief
6. Dreams Old Men Dream
7. Every man I Fall For
8. Pass the Hat
9. We Used to Vacation
10. Red Wine Success
11. Tell Me in the Morning
12. Santa Anna Winds
13. Hospital Beds
14. St. John

The Killers:
1. Human
2. This Is Your Life
3. Somebody Told Me
4. For Reasons Unknown
5. Bones
6. Joy Ride
7. Bling (Confession of a King)
8. Shadowplay
9. Smile Like You Mean It
10. Spaceman
11. A Dustland Fairytale
12. Read My Mind
13. Mr. Brightside
14. All These Things That I’ve Done
(encore)
15. Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
16. When You Were Young

Patrick Stump and Fall Out Boy symbolism

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:23:37 -0500

Patrick Stump and Fall Out Boy symbolism

MTV Unplugged: All Time Low - “Remembering Sunday”...

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:14:05 -0500

MTV Unplugged: All Time Low - “Remembering Sunday” Feat. Kate Voegele.

Out of boredom at work today I made a list of my favorite album, by year, of the past decade: 1999 -...

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 23:06:00 -0500

Out of boredom at work today I made a list of my favorite album, by year, of the past decade:

1999 - Blink 182 - Enema of the State
2000 - Midtown - Save the World, Lose the Girl
2001 - Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
2002 - Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
2003 - Fall Out Boy - Take This To Your Grave
2004 - Jimmy Eat World - Futures
2005 - The Academy Is… - Almost Here
2006 - Panic! At the Disco - A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out or Cartel - Chroma. I could not decide for the life of me.
2007 - The Graduate - Anhedonia
2008 - Valencia - We All Need a Reason to Believe
2009 - Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing. EDIT: I listened to the new Fun (ex Format) album today, Aim & Ignite, and it is, hands down, album of the year.

This is the happiest song.

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:44:47 -0500

This is the happiest song.

Lots of Music

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:17:59 -0500

I went into this summer knowing I would have plenty of time listening to music. Of course with the music ADD that I have I organized the music I wanted to listen to and planned my music listening for the next 3 months. Most of it consisted of bands scheduled to play at Lollapalooza that I had heard good things about, but never listened to. Utilizing Amazon mp3 and their fantastic, legal deals I bought about 15 albums for the summer. Well, I listened to all that music faster than planned and achieved my music goals in 2 months. Now I have a month to listen to a bunch of new stuff, if you have any ideas let me know.

I listened to about 10 random albums today, for fun, here they are:

Brand New - Deja Entendu
Cavashawn - Cavashawn EP
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
Nirvana - Nevermind
Socratic - Just Turn EP
Cartel - The Ranson EP
Cartel - Chroma
Weezer - Pinkerton
Bayside - Sirens And Condolences
Blink 182 - Blink 182
Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Dashboard - The Swiss Army Romance
Rufio - 1985