An update from the music corner

As previously mentioned, part of my inspiration to make a blog of my own is from the blogs I check on a daily basis as a source of new music. Some of these people are ridiculous in that they'll know all the latest hype on any band that makes any ripple on the music scene -- no matter if it's in London, New York City, or East Bumblef*ck, USA. When I hear enough hype surrounding a group, I'll go out there and find some mp3's to see what the big deal is all about. In some cases, I've liked what I've heard (Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, The Postal Service), and in other cases, I'll download a few songs and realize it isn't worth my time or my hard-drive space. The reason I write about all of this is because I like to throw my latest music interests into a post and hope that it'll spread the music to some new sets of ears. (Also, when I eventually figure out how to link actual mp3's to the site, I'll do that...in addition to avoiding the breaking of copyright laws and all that legal nonsense.)

Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinoise - Embarking on an absurd mission to create 50 albums, one dedicated to each of the U.S. states, Sufjan Stevens' second effort in this set (previously released Michigan in 2003) has musical sounds that rival a full orchestra scoring a Broadway show, but at points in the record is so soft and melancholy that I found myself reaching for the volume button. It wasn't a technical problem with the way the disc was mixed or recorded, but shows the range of Stevens' music. Extremely catchy tunes and harmonies that will stick in your head all day. With this being an album about Illinois, there are songs about many of the small towns and history of this midwestern state. Being as though I'm not one for lyrics, the complex arrangements and various instrumentation is what catches my ear. Favorite tracks: "Concerning the UFO sighting near Highland, Illinois"; "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." ; "Chicago" ; "The Man of Metropolis Steals our Hearts". (CD doesn't hit stores until July 5th. I ordered my copy from his record company in Wyoming. Yes, it was exciting to receive a package in the mail from Wyoming.) http://www.sufjan.com

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan - I have to be honest: I was never a huge White Stripes fan. When Elephant came out a couple years back, I read about how critically acclaimed it was, but other than "Seven Nation Army" didn't really care for their music. When the new record was about to be released, I kept hearing more hype about how big this one would be, and about how it would rival the new Coldplay album as the best releases of the summer. Giving into the hype, I checked out Get Behind Me Satan, and I was absolutely blown away. Starts off with "Blue Orchid", where Jack White uses the distortion like it's his job, and Meg White pounds away on those drums like no one's business. Then, the album slows down on "The Nurse" where they use a xylophone and some maracas. One of my favorite tracks on the disc, "My Doorbell" is a jazzy, blues-flavored, piano-based tune which I couldn't get out of my head for 3 days. Unreal. The White Stripes run the gamut on the sounds of this record. Heavy songs, soft songs. Fast songs, slow songs. Even a country tune at the end -- "I'm Lonely (But Ain't that Lonely Yet)". I'm very impressed with this CD, and have quickly become a big White Stripes fan. Highly recommended!
http://www.whitestripes.com

"Did you know that the human head weighs 8 lbs.?"

Jonathan Lipnicki, now 14 years old.

"Weiro weiro" - Roget Ebert's comment on Lipnicki's performance in Jerry Maguire, as described by Eric Steinberg's friend in Colorado.

Picture courtesy of http://www.productshopnyc.com

A Few More Random Comments

First off, I need to be more creative with the titles of my posts. But, "a few more random comments" best describes the quick-shot blurbs that I create on the run...

It seems like the initial response to The Ross Press Release Blog is a positive one. I caught some people off-guard with the unveiling of this expanded, and quite high-tech medium. Glad to hear that at least a few folks have enjoyed this site so far. In fact, one of the things that I will try to do more of is give shout-outs to my friends and audience. With that being said, the very first shout-out goes to Jared. Reason being: Jared is the author of the very first audience post on the RPR blog. Very kind words that were greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Cheers to you Jared, and Hook 'Em Horns (2005 College World Series champs, by the way!)

It's also worth mentioning some items related to what my girlfriend, Jessica, would call "work". For those of you who are unaware, Jessica is a media planner. She works on some accounts where these magazine reps basically come and plant their lips on her and her co-workers asses for the better portion of the planning year so they can get product placement, blah blah blah and so on. Well there's two stories to be told, one from Saturday, and one from Wednesday.

1. Jessica gets to go to Atlantic City (all expenses paid) for the "Maxim All-Access" event at the Borgata. So she's there with P.Diddy, Carmen Electra, among other crazies. So at a later portion of the evening, or it may have been sometime in the morning...time gets a little foggy in the casino...Jessica is approached by Andrew Firestone. Now, I can't say I watched "The Bachelor", but I know this guy comes from money and is a big hit with the ladies. Anyway, Mr. Firestone approaches my Jessica and then conveniently mentions that he had mistaken her for another girl. They then proceed to make small talk, and my Jessica totally plays it cool with Mr. Bachelor while he hits on her. My take on this whole thing? I think it's great. Jessica will claim that he was not hitting on her, but thats a lot of crap. Way to go Jessica Rose!
2. So on Sunday, Jessica non-chalantly mentions, "Did I tell you I'm going to Boston on Tuesday?" This was news to me. Yeah, she's going to attend some meeting with the clients. Ok, simple enough. I get the call Tuesday night and ask how it went. "Yeah, we took the shuttle plane there, and then made our way to their building. We all gathered in the theater and watched 'Bewitched'. Afterwards, I went out with a co-worker and some of her friends that live in Boston." Wait one second here..... Let me get this straight.... What happened to the meeting?!?! "There was no meeting. We just watched the movie." So let's recap: Jessica flew to Boston. She'll have been there for less than 24 hours when it's all said and done. There was no meeting, just a movie screening. All on the company's tab.

Case in point: Jessica has some pretty nice perks from work that I like to rag on her about. Also, I have no fun perks in my job. I get excited when they take us out to lunch after each quarter. Let's hear it for my $10 sandwich!

Back with more tomorrow night...

A Few Random Comments

I'm not one for the celeb gossip, but I think Tom Cruise is nuts. Seriously, someone should admit him to the nut house. His stock and credibility is going down faster than a $20 hooker. And he's bringing poor Katie Holmes with him. Please, someone tell me that you've seen one of these interviews with Tom, and after it was over, you jaw hadn't hit the floor in astonishment and disbelief.

Although Vin Diesel's career had never really taken off...Is it safe to assume that he's quickly hit rock bottom after his performance in "The Pacifier"? I didn't actually see that movie, and his performance, whether it was good or bad, is irrelevant. The simple fact that he was in a movie of this caliber can't be good for his career.

On the sports front: The Spurs winning the NBA championship doesn't bother me that much, but my biggest problem with it is that Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson wins a ring. Absolutely unbelievable. He was hurt the whole season, did nothing for the Sixers for 2 seasons. They cut him, and he is lucky enough to be picked up by San Antonio. Now, he's got a ring. They should disallow certain players from obtaining a championship ring. I'm gonna write a letter to David Stern.

I went to the driving range today. Came away with 6 blisters (2 on the left hand and 4 on the right). Lesson learned: Even though I don't get to the range that often, I may want to invest in a golf glove.

Unveiling the new medium

I have been quite fascinated with all of these "blogs" out there in what we call the "World Wide Web" lately. In the last few months, I've collected about 15 blog sites that I regularly read... most having to do with music - specifically indie rock. As you may or may not know, I'm mildly obsessed with music and I am always hungry for new tunes. Some of these bloggers out there, I'm convinced, are unemployed and have way too much time on their hands. If they are employed, they are probably wasting their employer's time because they update their blog all day. Regardless, it's an excellent source of new music/music news, free sample mp3's, concert reviews, general personal interests items about that crazy New York City, and so on. There's a lot of junk out there in cyberspace, but some of it peaks my interest enough to check for the updates each day.

I, on the other hand, am employed, cannot guarantee that I will necessarily update this site every day, and can't play newsbreaker either. (I'll be glad to post what I find out there, giving credit where it's due, of course. It'd be nice to be the primary source of information, but alas, I'm not out there roaming the streets of Greenwich Village everyday.)

This is, however, the new extension of the Ross Press Release, now in "blog" style. This allows me to write a little bit more, since we all know that I have plenty to say and comment on. It also allows for a little more "audience interaction" with my handful of friends that like to read my BS'ing. In other words, when I post something, you can write back. Go ahead, throw some wisecracks in there, tell me I'm a dipshit, I don't know what I'm talking about, whatever you want.

My last attempt at making a website back at the Penn State University failed miserably. In fact, if you google my name, you may actually find a link to it. Not sure if it's still up or not. Good old html we learned in MIS 204. That's besides the point. This thing is a hell of a lot easier. I just post my nonsense, and there it is. I can even cut & paste pictures from all over the internet. I would put my own pictures up there, but I don't take that many pictures, and still do not own a digital camera.

On this night at least, I'm thinking this whole thing is a good idea. Who knows...maybe I'll be a slacker and never update it. I'll at least make the effort, that I can promise you. I may throw some items in the old AIM profile, but there's a lot more than the "1124 character" limit in the profile. I've exceeded that limit on more than one occasion. I can write a lot more here. Hope you all enjoy it.