Tricked by a hippie

While running out for stamps this morning, I was stopped by an industrious hippie.

"Are you a writer, poet, or artist?" he asked. How did he know?!

I said I was "kind of an artist." From there I was screwed. After an extensive sales set-up, he told me he had this magazine that he would sell me for $5 off the regular price (that's still 10 bucks, folks), but for $20 he could give me the magazine and a CD of some "hot Reggae grooves."

We started walking together a little bit. I didn't feel like shelling out 10 bucks for a xeroxed magazine, but then I started thinking "What have you done for art lately?" and "Art school turncoat!" so I tried to offer him five. He wouldn't have it. Then, I thought about how I never contribute anything to my old art school (because usually I'm flat broke) and how my art skills have been in decline lately. I thought "What's 10 dollars? You owe it to yourself to buy this crappy magazine and feel better about yourself by supporting a grass roots art community!"

So, finally I shelled out 10 bucks for something called "eXpressions Journal" (wha?) that probably cost 25 cents to make. There's not much to it. There's a story about hemp. Their web site can be found here. They could use a designer. Check the crazy dredded dude in a suit and tie. That's accidental art if I've ever seen it.

So there you have it. Ripped off by a hippie because I cared about art.

Yo La Tengo, 4/16, Newport, KY

Alternate title: Why Ronson doesn't review shows or have a career as a music photographer...

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Yo La Tengo show at the Southgate House. YLT is one of my favorite bands and seeing them headline was exciting for me. In fact, minus a couple of songs (We're An American Band, Pablo And Andrea), I heard every song I wanted to hear and I left the show excited to write about every aspect, every detail that might be of interest to anyone.

Then I got busy. I didn't have the photos (they were in my girlfriend's camera) and etc, etc. I finally got the photos this weekend. While they looked good in the camera, they're sort of...lacking in full size and color. OK, they suck. But with a little cutline background, they might be salvaged. Here we go:

This is the best of the bunch (yeah, yeah, I know). This is lead singer/guitarist/organist Ira Kaplan (with the microphone in his face) and James McNew (seated) playing the opening number (Evanescent Psychic Pez Drop - an entertaining rarity).

I think this is a psychedelic version of basically the same image. Or somebody moved. Or I couldn't keep my hand steady. One of those explanations (though I like the psychedelic answer best).

My best action shot of the night, this is Ira breaking out of his "laidback dude" mold and playing guitar like only he can. Of course, it's kind of dark and I had to crop out all the peoples' heads who were in front of me. I'm telling you, if these photos would have been taken by a 5-year-old, they'd be fascinating. They're playing "Sugarcube" or something...

The coolest part about this picture is that there's a creepy shadow of some dude's head in the far left corner (zoom in and check it out!).

None of this really captures how exciting this show was. The Southgate House was packed (especially for a Monday night) and Yo La played at least 15 songs and an extended encore which included James McNew singing an obscure Beach Boys song and Times New Viking (the opening act) joining them for yet another obscure cover.

Yo La Tengo are amazing live because they're aware of how people listen to music and they organize their shows like a mix tape. For example, there's an extended slow break, right before they rip into four of their best pop gems (I Should Have Known Better, Sugarcube, Tom Courtenay and Run Ronnie Run). Their best performance of the night was of a song from their new CD that I wasn't even that crazy about before (The Story of Yo La Tango). Their style is so expansive that they can play six different styles of music (pop, punk, drone, soul, surf, etc.) in a set, yet they'll all be distinctly Yo La Tengo. They're a rare band for people who are a fan of music in general and not locked in to seeing one style of music. Otherwise, you might get a little bored (or even infuriated) mid-set. But highly recommended, even if these photos don't quite do them justice...

Now we're getting somewhere...

My third and final post on this subject (call it the Interpol trilogy), my favorite band of mystery has finally revealed details of their upcoming, soon-to-be hit of the summer CD (release date: July 10). It's going to be called Our Love To Admire, and there are songs on it and everything. Check here for the Interpol's web site (which is still just pretty much an elaborate network of message boards) and here for Pitchfork.com's story on the band.

This only adds to a busy summer of new releases (coming soon: Björk, Dinosaur Jr., Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Feist, Rufus Wainwright and Wilco -- and that's just May, folks). I guess if you were to ask me right now, I'm most excited about the new 2-CD set of Elliott Smith rarities (New Moon, out May 8). So budget wisely, my friends...

Ronson Vs. Sunglasses

Once again, it's time for Ronson vs., where I face off against random things in the world in a battle to the death. This week, it's Ronson Vs. Sunglasses.

The background: About eight years ago, I switched over to contact lenses. This was pretty exciting for me, partly because it meant that instead of squinting or awkwardly shielding my eyes, I could start wearing sunglasses. If only I knew. Sunglasses are more of a hassle than I ever imagined. This year alone I've broken or lost 4 pairs of the frickin' things. I've grown to hate them.

The battle: Most recently, Pair #5 (07 Edition) took a different approach to create pain for me. These are my most durable pair yet (Kari has called them Terminator Glasses) and I bought them in Texas, where we all know things are just built tougher.

A couple of weeks ago, on a slightly overcast day, I decided to wear them because I couldn't figure out anywhere else to put them. It was just a quick walk from where I work to the parking lot, I greeted a few people with a nod, but seemed to get an occasional odd look. I was wearing my gym clothes, so I didn't think much of it until I made it to my car.

I looked into my rear view mirror and saw that one of the lenses had popped out at some point before I'd left work, and I'd been walking around in a weird one-lens-in/one-lens-out like some dumb prop comic. Either the lenses on these glasses were too huge or it wasn't sunny enough for me to have noticed. Embarrassed, I quickly to them off, hoping no one had seen, but the damage was done. I may have eventually found the lens, but it won't be easy to face those random strangers for some time.

Winner: Sunglasses. They've gotten the upper hand for now. Meanwhile, I'm looking to invest in tinted contacts...

Oh, you foolish smartass

I have this Morrissey live CD and after performing one of his classic Smiths songs he comments "the past is a very strange place." Maybe not the most original thought Moz has ever had, and he has far better reasons for saying it, but nonetheless, it's been pretty relevant to me lately. I've been thinking about the past a bit. I mean, just look at that guy in the above photo. No worries. Wearing some sort of horrid mid-90s bead thing. And oh, that hair.

I only bring this up because this week, I paid off the final 74 cent balance on my student loans. That's right, 74 cents. Apparently, the government doesn't have the same "wipe any balance less than a dollar" policy that most major credit cards have. So, the above photo is me briefly before my "Student Loan Adventure" began, roughly 11 years ago. Scary to think how much has changed in that time. Of course, after stumbling across this photo, it's clear that I'm still a smartass. Maybe just an older, wiser smartass.

Yet another reason to love Chipotle

Imagine my surprise yesterday when, after satisfying my usual burrito obsession, the cashier told me to save my receipt and gave me a mock "burrito-EZ -fwi" form to fill out and return for a free burrito Monday (April 16 is tax deadline day. If this is news to you, feel free to stop reading this post, and start freaking out.)

All you had to do is order a burrito yesterday or today (there's still time!) and you're set! The only odd thing is that you'd be eating Chipotle a couple of days in a row. Of course, that's never stopped me.

That, on top of getting a bag of free CDs yesterday, makes this one of my top five luckiest days ever. OK, well at least top 50.

Ronson Vs. Wasps

Welcome to a new feature on Ronsonville called Ronson Vs. You'll learn about all the fun things I battle in my life, and maybe, just maybe, you'll learn a little something about yourself. This week it's Ronson Vs. Wasps.

Spring came early to Ronsonville and you know what spring means! Fun times dealing with small animals and insects. For me, it meant dealing with the giant wasps that had infiltrated my front door and deck. Last year, there was a giant wasp's nest in front of the door to my deck. I destroyed it last winter, but guess what? A new one popped up.

The Battle: Since I didn't have any Raid, I started things off by spraying my front door with Deep Woods Off. Strangely, it actually kind of worked (a little).

The new nest was scarier. It literally hung right in front of the door of my deck. Opening the door would certainly guarantee 2-3 wasps flying in and stinging everything in sight. However, things started swinging toward my favor. The one good thing about an April 40-degree temperature drop is that it neutralizes wasps.

Armed with some heavy duty "wasp-killin'" Raid and a Swiffer broom, I was ready to go. I kicked open the door and knocked down the nest, only to find one live wasp (the queen?) still attached (how it was still alive, I'll leave to science). I pounded at the wasp with the Swiffer broom and haphazardly sprayed the heavy duty Raid (at nothing in particular) until I was satisfied, then slammed the door to avoid those toxic Raid fumes.

Winner: Ronson. Although I might not be able to hang out on the deck for another week or two due to the intense smell of WaspRaid, I'm pretty confident no wasp will be back to mess with me anytime soon.

Around The Web

Just a few things of recent note that might be of interest to one and all:




With great velocity
I usually still get excited to see my name in print or on the web (especially if I haven't typed it myself), so I was very excited to see my SXSW in this week's Velocity's online issue. Check out the story here. There were some edits that I didn't know about (for example, the phrase "skinny jeans" has never come out of my mouth) but I was pretty excited that, for my first major effort, it pretty much stayed in tact. It also includes the awesome photo above that I took. What? It was dark!



OpeningDaymania
Anyone who lives in Cincinnati knows that Opening Day is a crazy ordeal that you just can't avoid (especially if you live downtown). Well, superblogger Gina got to go to the game this year and did a live blog from the game. I was impressed by her dedication to the project (it covers everything from the parade to some post-game rooftop grilling). Check it out!



For those Jarvis Cocker/Pulp fans out there who read this blog (I know there are a couple), the Jarvis solo CD came out in the US today. I just listened to a pretty dramatic song called "Disney Time" and the disc as a whole is pretty decent so far. Just a tip, the CD version merges the last couple of songs (Quantam Theory and Running the World) into one long, annoyingish 35-minute block, however if you grab it at the iTunes store, they've separated the tracks. Just an FYI if you're a digital fiend who likes to save room on your iPod. Gotta love it...

One more SXSW recap

Here's my video recapping what it was like over 5 days in Austin, Texas. I summed it up in 3 minutes. Basically you'll see a lot of cool bands in various venues, a glimpse of 6th Street in the height of the madness, and Kari (making a quick guest appearance) as we question one of the mysteries of our messed-up hotel:

Sucker

Last week, I fell victim to two illnesses: A nasty cold and trendy consumerism.

"Look! It's like those little "S'mint" things!"

"Check out that sweet packaging! It's bursting! Probably what it'll be like when I try one!"

"It offsets the drudgery of having a cold with the joy of having a mint!"
These are probably the thoughts that I had (that I've since blocked out) when my mind turned to mush and I spent a couple bucks on the above product. For the record, it does momentarily provide relief to the cough I've had (although you have to pump about 2 or 3 to have any sort of lasting effect). And you get it all with an apple-mint taste. Sound disgusting? Yeah, it is. Kari described the taste best when she likened it to the fluoride treatments you get at the dentist. Deeeeeelish.

Shut OUT

So, apparently YouTube has jumped on the self-congratulating boat. The votes are in for the 2006 YouTube Awards and "Ronson's Devil's Haircut" got nothin'. Not even a nomination (for a commentary on this year's awards, check out this NY Times article).

There were plenty of opportunities for us to win, so this oversight is completely unforgivable. Gina's landmark tale about me getting a haircut could've won "Most Creative," "Best Comedy," "Most Inspirational," or "Most Adorable." But noooooo. Some other crap that I've never heard of won all that stuff (well, I've heard of OKGo, but that's it). So you might be asking yourself, "Is Ronson some sort of awards whore?" The answer is yes.

We just gotta step it up for next year I guess...

Interpol: Alive and apparently touring Canada

There are finally two signs of life, regarding mystery band Interpol, whom I thought had vanished off the face of the earth.

1. Capitol finally acknowledges their existence on their label. (Although the band currently has no news, no tour, no albums and no photos).

2. Ticketmaster has tickets available for a tour of Canada (with one date in Vegas. Huh?) starting in mid-April. Something tells me some form of Interpol better show up at these dates, or there will really be something to talk about. They've also confirmed their Coachella date and have turned up on the Virgin Festival in Toronto on September 8th.

So I guess they're all right. It's a little odd that they've been content to leave things to message board gossip. Maybe that's how they want it right now, which is fine, but let's see that new disc real soon, OK guys?

SXSW: Day Five

Britt Daniel of Spoon

Our final day in Austin was taken reaaaally slow. We didn't realize that until we arrived at Manuel's for lunch and realized it was happy hour. It was also St. Patrick's Day which meant there were twice as many people on the streets than on the previous days, so we reached a whole 'nother level of insanity.

About mid-day we found out that Perry Farrell and the Polyphonic Spree were special guests at La Zona Rosa so we thought we'd end up spending the whole evening there, but after a second crazy wait at the Mohawk Patio to see Wax Fang (a Louisville band that fared well), we ended up outside of Stubb's (possibly the only venue with a constant line) with no line whatsoever. The headliner there was The Stooges, so we switched up the plan and ended our SXSW experience at the largest night venue.

The show was great, we got to see the Stooges perform "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and see Iggy dive into the audience. Spoon and Paolo Nutini put on excellent performances as well. Of the lineup, only Kings of Leon were a disappointment. I thought I'd finally get the hype behind this group, but the show only left me more confounded. Lead singer Caleb Followill was really "Creeding it up" looking very Scott Stapp in his sleeveless shirt, long hair cheesy manly posturing and mega cross around his neck. The music wasn't that much better.

Afterward, one of the Cincinnati performers happened to be playing with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore at a nearby bar, so we stopped in to get a picture. I didn't technically meet Moore but I stood around in a social circle with him for a couple of minutes, which is more than I've done with any other member of Sonic Youth. So, of course, now I consider him a fast friend...

And then I flew home, caught a cold and here we are. In fact, I wrote most of this on crazy cold medicine, so forgive me if I rambled. I have some videos of some of the more entertaining performances on my trip, and I'll post them soon.

Thanks for checking out my reports! I'll return with regular Ronsonville ramblings soon...

SXSW: Day Four

After surviving the dreaded "mint incident," I'm back to wrap up the final days of SXSW...

Friday and Saturday were pretty relaxed schedule-wise, even though the streets of Austin couldn't have been more insane.

Friday was spent mostly covering Cincinnati bands (the highlight: The Sundresses playing under a tin roof held up by gnarled posts, old rusted typewriters strewn about the stage and a little kid sitting on the stage's edge eating what appeared to be a lollipop. The whole thing seemed very Texas to me). We also saw our first legit random celebrity spotting as Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell walked the streets in pink argyle, probably looking for something to eat. Security followed him most of the time we saw him.

We still managed to find time to watch Nellie McKay play to a crowded house, Keren Ann perform a set in a church, get hooked up at a random, free veggie dog truck thanks to Myspace.com and Kari even indulged me in a song or two by one of my favorite bands of the moment, the heavy metal Japanese trio Boris.

Friday night was the most intense scene of our trip. The crazies were out in full force. At an unassuming show of Cincinnati's Peter Adams and the Nocturnal Collective, held at Irish bar B.D. Riley's, the crowd kept getting louder and drunker. And that pretty much set the tone after we left the bar, in the parking garage, and then the on the roads and all the way back to our crazy hotel.

Back later to cover Saturday, which included an unexpected trip to see The Stooges, Thurston Moore and when SXSW and St. Patrick's Day collide. Off to my flight!

SXSW: Days Two and Three

The secret of SXSW, plus Lily Allen and the nature of rising celebrity

My low-key, brief recap of SXSW continues...

So, after being concerned about seeing most of my "must-sees," I learned that most bands play multiple times throughout the week. For free. With no wristband/badge drama. So, check Peter Bjorn and John off the list. Their goofy but endearing stage presence was enough to convert me into a fan. Also Lily Allen, who played an acoustic set at Waterloo at 3 o'clock on Thursday. CD browsing AND live music? If only life were like this all the time...

Also yesterday, Kari got us into WOXY.com's Austin studios where we met esteemed DJs Mike and Shiv and saw the up-and-coming British group The Rumble Strips perform an instudio. After the show we were able to give part of the group a lift back downtown, which was a pretty entertaining 15-minute car ride.

As we get into the nightly showcases, things become more of a mess. Lily Allen's Wednesday night show (which we heard part of from outside the stage) introduced a third category into the mix. Trumping badges and wristbands, was a dreaded third category: The Guest List. Lines out the door were typical and it would seem the best idea would be to find a venue with the best lineup and stake it out for the entire evening.

The worst case of this was at Mohawk's on Thursday. Hoping to see The Besnard Lakes (a buzzworthy band that's equal parts Beach Boys, Arcade Fire and Low), the doors opened late and mass confusion ensued. We had gotten in line a half hour ahead of time. Instead of letting people come in the order they arrived, the staff started dividing people into "wristbands" "badges" and "people just wanting to pay." Things were increasing more disorganized and the band started playing to a half-full house.

Standing in the wristband line, just two people from getting in, I started getting extremely frustrated. The staff handled the chaos as best they could, but they really should've opened the doors at least an hour earlier. Finally, during the middle of the second song, we were able to get in and see my third and final "must-see" of this trip, but it wasn't without a struggle.

Bands seen so far: The Forms, Bela, The Octopus Project, Peter Bjorn and John, Ladybug Transistor, Imperial Teen, Broadfield Marchers, Sparklehorse, Lily Allen, The Rumble Strips, The Besnard Lakes, Phantom Family Halo, Midnight Movies, Pusher, Office, Dead Child. Three of the last five are Louisville bands that I checked out for Velocity (just in case you thought I'd suddenly gone into a metal phase...)

More later!

SXSW: Day One

Chile's, T-storms and TexMex

When we arrived in Austin on Tuesday morning, we hadn't had much sleep and our heads were spinning from the insane twists and turns of the city's wacky highway system. This is probably what clouded our judgment to think that Chile's (right across the street from our hotel) would be the perfect dining option to start our Austin adventure. Unfortunately, whereever you go, Chile's is still Chile's. We spent most of the rest of the afternoon sleeping off our stomach aches...

Not necessarily a bad thing. The rest of the afternoon it stormed so insanely we half expected to see an infamous Texas tornado. Eventually it cleared up long enough for us to make our first trip downtown to pick of Kari's badge and my wristband for the event.

The badge vs. wristband thing is apparently kind of a big deal in Austin. The badges are treated with respect and swag (Kari received a goodie bag with everything from a free year subcription to Spin Magazine to some handy nicotine lotion -- for that special smoker who is trying to quit and looooves using lotion). Folks with wristbands receive a garden variety of restrictions. I'm looking at the wristband now (once you're fitted with one you have to wear it for the next 4 days) and it says fun things like "Many venues fill up" and "Badges will be given priority" and "Voild if stretched, severed or not snug on wrist." Feeling a little inferior, I drowned my sorrow in some excellent margaritas and veggie enchiladas at Chuy's -- recommended to us by Mymy and worth all of the 45 minutes we had to wait. Even if more stomach aches followed.

Fortunately, since our first day of the fest, I've found that wristband access isn't quite as restricted as I thought it would be - at least in some situations. More on that in Day Two. Check out Kari's SXSW blog for the latest. I'm the cameraman!

Oh I almost forgot! Above is a picture of Houston rapper Chamillionaire. He played one of the only showcases on Tuesday, but we didn't even come close to seeing it... more later!

Off to Austin...

Things have been quiet in Ronsonville and for good reason -- I'm gearing up for my trip to Austin this week to check out the SXSW music festival. SXSW is sort of an intense experience for any music fan: five days of music-related events and shows from bands covering the entire frickin' planet. I'm not sure what to expect, but initially I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and anxious about missing something or not getting into a venue to see someone that I'd be really excited to see.

I'm expecting some of bigger acts might put on a good show. I guess the only way they're "big" is in terms of buzz though. I've represented them w/ my lovely collage above (from top to bottom: a clip from Peter Bjorn and John's addictive video and song "Young Folks," Damon Albarn-led The Good, The Bad, and The Queen (apparently Paul Simonon was in a bar fight shortly before this photo was taken), Bloc Party and Lily Allen). The Stooges will be there too, but I fear there might be a little too much from their newest effort, the unStoogesworthy "The Weirdness."

Right now I'm taking the a more laidback approach to the whole event, hoping to see a couple of decent artists and stumble onto a few new ones. I'm also scheduled to write a story about the whole thing for Louisville right now (longish story), so I'm excited to get all journalistic while I'm out there too.

Journalistic...hmm...yeah.

Anyway, I'll send some updates throughout the week from Austin to this blog if I'm not completely crazed. Maybe even some photos and videos if I'm feeling saucy. So check back soon!

Look at the size of that kid's head!

Yep, you are not mistaken, that is the back of my head on the cover of this week's CiN Weekly (check it out here, just scroll down*) as the scruffy, mysterious, fluffy-haired blogger.

It's a little surreal to see the back of your head mass-produced, in case you were wondering. And the photo is super-detailed, which makes me think I shoulda shaved that morning.

I expect to be recognized by people standing behind me in lines for weeks to come...

*Valid this week only

Ronson Gets A Pizza: An Introduction

When the "Ronson Gets A Pizza" DVD comes out, it will include special bonus features, including deleted and extended scenes, a "making of" featurette, plus this special Director's Cut introduction:

Movie Debut: Ronson Gets A Pizza

So here it is, at long last: Ronson Gets A Pizza. Enjoy...

New White Stripes CD!

The new Stripes CD has a title and a release date (well, if you call "as soon as corporately possible" a release date).

The disc will be called "Icky Thump" and you can check out the details at the White Stripes web site. They include potential song titles and where the disc was recorded (I'll fill you in on that: Blackbird Studios in Jack's adopted home of Nashville). Also, it's just worth checking out for the goofiness that is a White Stripes press release...

Don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited for that corporation (that would be Warner Bros. since V2 shut down) to move this disc out ASAP...

Ronsonville Turns One

One year ago today, I made my first legitimate post to Ronsonville: The Blog. My attention span is pretty short, so to be able to keep up with something like this for this long is a pretty big deal.

Today, I direct you to Kari's Blog (which is at the top of my blog list-o-rama right now). She's already one-upped me on movie making (coming soon, definitely. My first film is currently stuck in post production). Today, she made a documentary about her burrito lunch. It's great, so check it out!

150-word OSCAR RECAP

Everything you wanted to know about the Oscars in 150 words. Here we go:

Apple commercial-like opening. Ellen monologue is awkward (look at all the different races here tonight!), but beats Billy Crystal's "sings the nominees" any night.

Naked "Shadow Man Group" create images from movies using nothing but their bodies. Sometimes a board. Sometimes Ellen.

Terrible montage tributes to random things. Everyone thanks Al Gore. Oscar continues to abuse "Dream Girls," snubbing Eddie "Norbit" Murphy and not giving it Song Of The Year, instead rewarding a message heavy Melissa Etheridge song. More Gore thanks.

Forrest and Helen win best acting. Skinny actresses pretending to be ugly are shut out. With no conventionally attractive winners, E! has nothing to talk about.

"The Departed" wins and Scorsese finally gets Best Director. "Pan's Labyrinth" wins everything else except Best Foreign Film (wha?), sending my scorecard right to the toilet. Four hours later and it's over! It's not the best Oscars, but definitely not the worst (ahem, "Titanic").

Epilogue: This might be a little late -- I think everyone's already forgotten about the Oscars. Go see "The Departed!" Maybe I should see it before I recommend it. Nah, Oscar has never steered me wrong. Oh wait...

An Open Letter to...

...my favorite, up and coming bands and performers:

Hey everybody!

Don't ever put one of your tracks up as the free "iTunes Download of the Week." It's a degrading and awful experience. Seriously, just read the comments on any given week. That's proof enough. Plus, why do you want Fergie and Daughtry fans discussing your music?

Seriously, just don't do it. You might think I'm just kidding around, but I'm not. I'd rather pay 99 cents for your music than see you get slaughtered like that.

Anyway, thanks! Say hi to Jeff for me!
Ronson

The Verdict Is In: No Fracture

UPDATE: A two-hour doctor trip (that included a trip to the hospital across town), three x-rays and 24 hours later, my doctor called this evening to inform me that the radiologist has determined that there is no fracture in my left distal humerus. As soon as the pain subsides, I should be back to normal. Woohoo – drinks are on me!

(Sweet x-ray illustration courtesy of the UVM College of Medicine...)

Ouch.

Above is the latest and greatest from the "dumb things Ronson has done in the last two months" file. It has been recreated in "wacky cartoon style" since the real story is waaaay to painful.

Here it is:

The stairs leading up to my place are a disaster, especially in snow-related insanity. Well, in Cincinnati this past week, it's been a snow and ice disaster. Friday, I was carrying the Valentine's Day flowers I bought for my girlfriend down these treacherous stairs. In fact, so much of my concentration was focused on them entirely. I had sort of forgotten that the sidewalk and the streets were equally snowy and icy. On about the third step toward my car, I started going down.

It was a slow, annoying fall. I managed to regain my balance a couple of times and didn't want to let go of the flowers in fear of the glass vase breaking and things getting really nasty. Instead I fell slowly and steadily, my knees made it to the ground without incident, my right arm was able to drop the vase right at the moment it hit the ground. But my left arm. Nope, not so lucky with that one.

My left arm was working on balancing out the rest of my body since my right arm was already occupied. It kept stretching further and further (on more ice) until it reached the furthest it could go. I don't remember hearing a snap (or anything, I think I was already yelling at this point), but I could definitely feel the arm going out of whack. It reminded me of how when I was a kid, I used to bring back the arms of my action figures into these unusual and awkward positions. Only it wasn't so cool happening to me.

My instinct was to jump up (which I did) and try to figure out was wrong. I could feel my arm but I couldn't move my fingers. I was a little panicked, but somehow let my arm go limp (I think this is what Kari was suggesting) and in a second it popped back into place. I could bend my arm and move my fingers again, but I was still in some major pain and even more shock.

Since this was Friday night and it doesn't seem like much of an emergency anymore (and I had no interest in paying emergency room prices), I decided to hold off and call the doctor on Monday. While this might not be the best move for several reasons, it's mainly meant three rather painful days of trying to figure out what exactly is wrong. Sometimes it hurts, sometimes it doesn't. There's no bruising, which according to my mom means there might be a slight fracture. Whoopie. Can't wait to find out.

Lessons? No lessons. It's just some annoying crap that ruined my weekend. However it's a somewhat gross story that I can tell people at parties and inspired me to put together a little illustration. It might be my first contribution to Illustration Friday. This week's subject is "gravity."

What's the deal with Interpol?

So, one of my favorite bands from the early 00's, Interpol, has apparently disappeared off the face of the earth. They were originally slated to play SXSW in Austin (which I'm excited to say, I'll be attending this year), but when the preliminary list of bands was announced late last week? No Interpol. Almost as though they were never announced (fortunately other acts like Bloc Party, Lily Allen and The Good The Bad & The Queen are still scheduled to play).

I know these things are "subject to change," but it seemed a little odd that a band I was excited about seeing again disappeared from the list. Even more curious, going to the Interpol Web site gets you nothing but forum speculation (they might be playing SXSW, Coachella and might be releasing a new album soon which may or may not have a title, but absolutely none of this has been confirmed by the band).

Other Web sites offer no help. Capitol is supposedly the band's new label, but there's no mention on their site. Old label Matador has outdated news from 2005, and their myspace page is totally unhelpful and a little weird (go figure). Even doing a simple Google search gets us no closer to the Interpol mystery.

So what gives? Are they so focused on the new album that they've ducked away from all other media and performances until it's complete? Have they (gasp!) broken up? Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of this. To be continued.

Happy Heart Day

And so, in 320 B.C., St. Valentine (pictured above) had a cow heart sent to his true love. When she rejected it, he stayed home, eating an entire box of chocolates and cursing women everywhere. Thus began the time-honored tradition of Valentine's Day. I think that's pretty much what happened.

Since we're still snowed in over here in Rville, I'll refer you to a post I put together for Popography a couple weeks ago detailing the worst love songs ever (just in case you missed it). However, I'll warn you now: fans of Huey Lewis, Michael Bolton and Celine Dion might want to pass on this one. I'm sure there are tons who check this blog daily...

So have a great V-Day, and remember:

Just when I believed I couldn't ever want for more,
This ever changing world pushes me through another door,
I saw you smile,
And my mind could not erase the beauty of you face,
Just for awhile,
Won't you let me shelter you?

Ronsonville: Snowed In

There is a snow emergency for much of Ronsonville tonight and last week. Blogging has been reduced to important posts only.

The following schools have been canceled:
Ronsonville Central schools
North Ronsonville
Ronsonville Montessori schools
St. Ronsonville's School for Troubled Kids

Local officials have recommended that all non-essential employees be dismissed early to contemplate why they are so non-essential. They also recommend locking yourself in your home and waiting for the white death to pass.

To pass the time, please check out the following CDs:
Califone • Roots & Crowns (Ronson overlooked this excellent low-key CD in 2006)
The Good, The Bad & The Queen • The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Damon Albarn-led, DangerMouse-produced downer-fest -- but with plenty o' good moments).
Stevie Wonder • Innervisions (a damn classic)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah • Some Loud Thunder (the best CD in the first 37 days of 2oo7)

That is all. Stay tuned for more alerts.

Ronsonville Blowin' Up

Movies are coming soon! In the meantime, I also picked up a couple of computer improvements this weekend. One of those items was a shiny new scanner. What does this mean for you, the Ronsonville blog reader? Enhanced graphics! Like the one above, one of the first of hopefully many illustrations for to keep me in the habit of drawing. My first effort is a variation of the sad clown I like to call "The Remorseful Bully." You might have to zoom in to notice the tear. So, yeah. Get excited for more of this! If I start getting the hang of things, I'll start taking requests...

Last.fm Update

After two weeks on Last.fm, I have discovered who I share music tastes with. They predominantly share the following traits (with each other, not necessarily me):

• Male
• Late teens/Early twenties
• European (everything from the UK to Denmark and Germany)

Wild. More updates to come...

Justice! ...Pretty much

Previously on Ronson's Life: Ronson had just gotten back in town after the holidays, only to find a random parking ticket on his car. Wanting to protest, he held onto the ticket for a day, but then -- suddenly and without notice -- the ticket doubled in price! 80 bucks, all for leaving his car where his thought it'd be safe during his trip to Iowa. What a tortured soul.

Folder of evidence in hand, I marched into the Cincinnati Courthouse today to defend my case. Oh, was I ready. I decided to dress up, had my story down, my special personal circumstances, flight records etc. etc. Finding your way around the courthouse requires a compass, or perhaps a special guide dog. It's not easy. I finally found the door marked 105. There were several instructions:

"Please knock if you have an appointment."
"Wait in the hall until your name has been called."
"DO NOT go into Courtroom B."

I was relieved I didn't have to go into Courtroom B (that's where most people were going). It looked like an awful place. I was a little early, but I knocked on the door. No answer. A group of fellow accused parking violators began to join me. A well-dressed man (complete with suit and tie) with a whole portfolio was making me feel a little insecure about my wimpy folder. We were joined by a pretty laid-back guy and a very vocal woman (there was a story about someone being ticketed for parking in a handicapped spot even though she actually had handicapped tags. I don't know. Seemed very involved.)

Eventually, a shorter woman with white hair and a very strong voice came up to the door and told us all to be seated. She'd call each of our names when she was ready. At this point I realized I had about 20 minutes left in my meter and thought it would be a bitter irony to lose my case and then have my car ticketed again. So very, very bitter.

Well-dressed Man was called in first. After he went into "the mystery room," the white-haired woman running the show came up to the bench where the rest of us were waiting.

White-Haired Woman addresses Vocal Lady first. "What's your name? And how will you be pleading today?"

Wait a second. Pleading? I didn't realize I had to plead anything. Will I have a lawyer appointed to me?

Now, we come to the special lesson of today's story. Apparently, it is Cincinnati law to ticket ANY vehicle that has been parked in one spot for more than 14 hours. Where did this come from? Vocal Lady (who's charges must be similar to mine) freaks.

I'm next. I decide to plead "Not Guilty" just to see what happens. I mean, I didn't come all the way out here to be guilty. She asks if I have "taken pictures." Again, I had no idea. I say "no, but I have some evidence," gesturing with my little folder. She seems satisfied with this answer.

She then re-explains the 14-hour rule to me. I say "B-b-but I have a special circumstance. I was out of the state at the time." She says, "OK" but wants me to be aware of this when I enter the Room Of Mystery, it will probably work against me. Says it's a "Catch 22," which I didn't really get. If she is aware of the ridiculousness of it, how has it come to exist? Vocal Lady steps in to mention how she thinks it sucks. I pretty much agree.

Well-dressed Man leaves, seemingly satisfied and somehow Vocal Lady, who was the last to arrive, is called in next. 12 minutes left on the meter. Great.

About 6 minutes later, Vocal Lady leaves, still pissed. I feel bad for her, she's explained to me what she's been ticketed for and it's a lot more than my 80 bucks. I'm next, she calls me in by "Ronson" which I find strangely personal.

I enter the room of mystery, which is actually simply two tiny offices. I've been wondering for days how this is going to play out. How am I going to act. I imagine three scenarios:

Scenario 1: I try to parlay my meager CiN Weekly status into getting a "Not Guilty" verdict. Sample defense: "Do you know who I am? I will BURY you!" Thank God this doesn't happen.

Scenario 2: I literately and competently describe my case without a hint of emotion in my voice. Sadly this doesn't happen either. Plus, I can't even come up with a line of dialogue that would best exemplify this. Clearly, I've learned nothing.

Scenario 3: I nervously stammer that I don't have a garage or "parkway" (meant to say "driveway") and blah blah blah. Basically babbling like an idiot and unintentionally going for the pity vote. That's what happens.

The kind man in charge of my case doesn't even look at my carefully compiled folder of evidence and hands me a sheet of paper that serves as official notice that I've learned about this 14-hour rule. It's basically a form letter as no doubt 50,000 people do this a year. He then (again, very kindly) drops my $80 ticket to a $10 ticket. I think that's about the time my heart rate returned to normal and I started seeing shapes and colors again.

Then, though the offices are tiny and connected with an open door between them, White-Haired Lady calls me into the other room with an intercom. Surreal. She hands me the payment information and I leave, wiser about the world. Well, Cincinnati anyway.

Laid-back Guy is still on the bench when I leave. I wish him good luck. He's gonna need it. He forgot to take photos.

Suddenly - I'm a calorie freak.

I'm not on a diet, so I can't explain where this instant curiosity came from. Perhaps it has something to do with my recent workout kick or maybe it's because it's January and I'm bored. Nonetheless, I've been sucked into the rest of the country's obsession with food.

It all started while questioning the amount of calories in a Chipotle burrito (a meal that I have a lot). Lucky for me, tons of people have already wondered about this and there's a web site dedicated to calculating the calorie count to your order. After punching in a few numbers, I found out that having my usual vegetarian crispy tacos totaled around 700 calories. Add 150 to that and you've got my usual burrito order. Fascinating. This led me to my next question: Exactly how many calories am I supposed to be eating anyway?

I found out, thanks to the trusty Internet, for someone of my height, gender, etc. I should be packing in about 2,000 cals a day. Well, that led me to wonder about the calories in everything, so I began to monitor. Tuna sandwiches? Coke? Falafel? Chips and salsa? Frozen yogurt? Frozen pizza? All part of my usual diet and all bad for you in some way. Now I remembered why I never bothered with calorie stuff. In my research, it seems that only things that are actually good for you are raw carrots (pretty much) and water (depending on the source).

So what did I learn? Not much. I pretty much eat the same way I've always eaten, but I did switch to diet soda (which, shockingly - to me anyway - knocks about 400-600 calories off my regular diet. Who knew?). Otherwise, I've been casually monitoring my calorie intake (somehow, naturally, I seem to be pretty good about how much I eat in a day) and in my "not so fitness conscious" moments, practicing a healthy state of denial.

I know this is scintillating stuff, but it did feel good to sum up all this caloric nonsense. Now, I promise never to mention it again...until I somehow gain 500 lbs.

Last.rs

About, oh say, a year ago, Mike sent out a link to his last.fm profile (check out his blog, it's bloody brilliant). It's one of those community sites that allows you to see what other folks are listening to and how often (basically myspace voyeurism for music freaks). I finally set up a profile today and was immediately hooked.

Somehow (scary or not, can't tell yet) Last.fm can track every song you've been playing from your computer, whether through iTunes or your iPod. My little profile is pretty wimpy right now, but you can check it out if you want. I'm sure it will reveal all the secret obsessions I hoped no one would every find out about. Or just confirm that I listen to a bunch of weird stuff.

Other features include radio stations based on what you've listened to, a "Shoutbox" where I guess you can give shout outs to people with similar tastes in music (yeah, doubt I'll be using that) and the particularly useful "Events" box that will clue you into cool shows happening X miles from your city. My personal "events" box included National indie acts appearing at The Mad Hatter and The Southgate House. It was nice to see them all organized in one place.

So, I love it. I'm really, really, really late on jumping on the bandwagon for this site (I think I'm the trillionth user), but as a music fan, I'm impressed. It's like six music sites rolled into one and I'll probably be addicted until the next web craze comes along (in about 4 days)...

The Oscar for most random Oscar nominee goes to...

Sure, a film that was nominated 8 times was snubbed for best picture and you could give out the acting awards today if you had to, but who wins the "nominee that sticks out like a sore thumb" award?

BEST MAKEUP
“Apocalypto,” “Click,” “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

Yep, the “Click” tucked between a movie about ancient Mayans and the critically loved fantasy pic IS, in fact, that Adam Sandler remote control movie. That musta been some good makeup.

200-word Chili Peppers concert review

A vague idea of what the Red Hot Chili Peppers show looked like. Not even slightly an image from the show I was at, but you get the idea.

A Ronsonville exclusive! 200 words with Gnarls, the Chilis and me.

Gnarls. Running late. Who knew 7:30 meant 7:30? The Gnarls crew (there are roughly 10 peeps on stage) are dressed up in Catholic school uniforms. Good theme. They close with Crazy and (lesser known but more upbeat single) Smiley Faces -- shock! Aaaaand that's it.

Bathroom. Someone in line is telling some dude that while Cee-Lo is the singer, Gnarls Barkley writes the songs. He's clearly messing with him. Pretty funny.

Concession. 6 bucks for a Bud Light. Must be a sale!

Peppers. Long jam opens the show. Flea dressed as an L.A. Laker (complete with headband). Good stuff. Anthony Keidis starts in with his croon. Peppers are gettin' old and more family friendly. Someone requests "Sir Psycho Sexy." Good luck with that, buddy. A few old songs, mostly newer, California-themed songs. Never much of a Peppers fan, but their charisma carries the 2-hour show. These Stadium Arcadium songs get taxing though. Have to sit.

Encore. Under the Bridge, Give It Away. It's as easy as that. Then, ear-bleeding, long jam: part two. Think if everyone here attended a couple Southgate House shows this year, the music scene in general would thrive a lot more. Random, cranky music snob thought.

Conclusions?
Gnarls was great. Would love to see them in a non-arena setting someday, and with a new CD out in 2007, I might get the chance. My thoughts for the Chili Peppers are more complex than I thought and that scares me a little. They're a band I never thought I'd see live, but it was fun for the experience. Flea's the best, Keidis strikes me a sort of an egomaniac (I guess that's the usual band dynamic). Also: hearing an entire stadium recite the lyrics to a song you've never heard before is pretty surreal. I guess that's what makes an arena show such a draw, not necessarily the music, but the spectacle. And on that level, it was verrrry satisfying.

Cavalcade of Jerks

Great illustration by Ryan Sanchez for this (ahem) interesting story in the New York Times about dealing with freaks (aka difficult people) in your day-to-day life. The story doesn't offer much in the ways of dealing with these folks, just identifies a few theories on the issue and explains that it's a huge book & seminar biz right now.

While refreshing to know we're not alone in dealing with the fools of the world (#2 e-mailed on NY Times.com right now!), there are clearly no easy ways to resolve these relationships. But maybe I'm just being a Negativist...

Best lyric I've heard in awhile

"Eating Spam and Oreos and drinking Thunderbird, baby."

from the song "Hard Times" by Baby Huey & the Babysitters. It's also just a flat out awesome song. I've decided this box set needs to be issued to every home. I'll work on it...

Popography, Version 2.0

Little Popography is all grown up. We're now recognized as a Cincinnati.Com blog now! Well...sorta. We have been added to the CiN Weekly web site as a regular feature which is a pretty big step. Soon, they'll be be adding the bios of the Popographers, so be on the lookout for that. This also means the site will be updated on a pretty regular basis. Last I checked, there were only a couple of small gaps between posts. Not bad!

Anyway, for my latest contribution, check out my thrilling post about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who I will be watching on this Saturday along with Gnarls Barkley (above -- how many of these press photos did they do?), which I'm pretty excited about. I only hope that there won't be too many jeers and wtf? comments as I try to watch DangerMouse and Cee-Lo's 45-minute set. Being the opening act for an arena rock band has gotta suck.

Otherwise, check out Popography regular, which I'm pretty sure will be the next Google. Ow!

Golden Globes: Now More Boring

The Golden Globes happened last night. What? You forgot? Yeah, so did I. What's startling about this year's awards (other than the unusual amount of love for Ugly Betty) is how totally predictable they were (that is from checking the list of who won). Looks like I didn't miss much. There were no upsets and no crazyass memorable speeches that the Globs stake their reputation on. Congrats to deserving winners Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy, and I'm sure Forrest Whitaker and Helen Mirren are amazing, but this is exactly what people said would happen when the awards were announced. If this is any indication of this year's award season, zzzzzz.

The shockers came in the TV awards, but they weren't good shocks. Alec Baldwin winning over Steve Carell? I love 30 Rock, but it's an ensemble cast and only has only been on the air for about six weeks. Carell boosts The Office to new levels and is much more deserving of the award. I have a feeling Baldwin is getting the "we-honor-you-for-being-a-movie-star- lowering-yourself-to-TV" award. Speaking of 30 Rock, how do you not even nominate Tina Fey? OK, I'm done.

So, as they say, "Anything can happen at the Golden Globes!" Even exactly what you think will happen.

What Have I been doing?

Here are a few quick updates on what's up with Ronson:

Meet Digi!

A Christmas gift from my most excellent girlfriend Kari, this little camera will make all my "making stupid movies" dreams come true. Former blog mentor and current video mentor Gina taught me the basics of iMovie this week, so I'm sure this'll be a big time suck for most of 2007. This might mean fewer posts 'round here, but the posts will have magnificent sound and visuals. Ronsonville may never be the same...

My version is called Twinkle Twinkle Little @$??! Star

Another recent fascination for me has been the guitar. Which is to say I learned how to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on it the other day. Plus, I learned the E and B strings, and have been playing some pretty sweet études. It's a little early to say, but I'm thinkin' I might be a virtuoso by age 35...

And it always goes back to pop culture...
Here's some stuff that I've been checking out lately that I highly recommend:

Nas - Hip Hop is Dead
I'll admit it: between the new Jay-Z and the new Nas, the new Nas wins. Minus one bum, jokey track, this CD is solid all the way through.

What It Is! Funky Soul & Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
This collection is as amazing (and exhausting) as I thought it would be. I've hardly heard of any of these songs and yet almost every single one is awesome.

Six Feet Under
Thanks to a little thing called HBO On Demand, I've seen every episode of this show up to the middle of season 2. If you're not afraid of thinking about your own mortality, you'll love it, if you are, you might be a little put off at first, but, trust me, it gets better with every episode.

Entourage
The flipside to Six Feet Under, as gloriously vacant as a TV show could be. Every episode ends with a high five, no one ever seems to go through any major life change and most of the characters are totally and completely shallow. But I like it, what can I say? Everyone talks about Jeremy Piven, but Kevin Dillon as past-his-prime actor Drama pretty much steals the show for me.

Everything But Rap and Country
A recent Pitchfork.Com article only scratches the surface on what I think is a fascinating concept in modern American music tastes (it ends up just being a review of a recent Country box set). This really is the standard answer to the question "What kind of music do you like?" (I've conducted my own "studies" on this). In fact, I used to share this opinion with most of the country, but over the last five years of listening to music I've included both of these genres (often times extensively) into my favorite music.

So why did I change? In my own personal experience, I think it had something to do with thinking of Garth Brooks when I heard "country" and "The Thong Song" (or whatever) when thinking of "rap." It took me awhile to expand my ideas on these genres. I'm pretty sure that's it. I guess. I think I've replaced my irrational dislike for country and rap with an irrational (maybe?) dislike for reggaeton and jam bands. Weird, right? Some graduate student should write their thesis on this...

All for now...I'll post again once I've composed my first acoustic guitar masterpiece.

Latest ridiculous obsession

SketchSwap.com

Rob introduced me to this -- it's as insane as it is addictive. So far I've drawn reasonable facsimiles of Krusty The Clown and the milk mascot from Blur's Coffee & TV video, plus a whole host of strange and unusual portraits and stick figure adventures. If you see a crudely scrawled "RS" next to the drawing, that might be one of mine! Not sure what's more exciting, coming up with my own drawings, or checking out what other people come up with.

Check it out, but be warned: It's addictive power can be strong. Especially if you are crazy doodling nutjob (like yours truly)...

Ronson blogs about Dreamgirls

Back to blogging. Saw Dreamgirls on New Year's Eve and liked it. A lot. Seriously! I did!

Despite the usual problems I have with musicals/movies based on musicals with people randomly breaking into song, I really liked this (ahem) creative retelling of the Supremes' story. Of course, you probably shouldn't take it as fact, unless you want Berry Gordy kicking your ass.

So now, here are five random factoids about Dreamgirls:

1. Beyonce was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for this movie. Jennifer Hudson, who had twice the songs and twice the lines, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. It's almost like the themes of the movie are playing out in real life!

2. The story of the "real life" Effie White (Florence Ballard) was not nearly as exciting and hopeful. After being kicked out of the Supremes, she DID sink into poverty and she DID stage a comeback in the mid-70s, but sadly died before anything came of it at the age of 32.

3. The fake Jackson 5 song in the movie (Boy Meets Girl, Girl Meets Boy) is actually a pretty funny parody. Someone should sign that fake Jackson 5. The Dreamgirls theme song however? Not a fan.

4. I think this movie deserves to win at least one Oscar, based on the fact that this is the first movie Eddie Murphy's been in since 1988 that I actually liked.*

5. Speaking of Eddie Murphy, who's he supposed to be exactly? James Brown? Singing style, sure, but lifestyle, nooo. Marvin Gaye? A little closer, but not really. I guess he's the mystery piece of the puzzle that makes it technically a work of fiction. Well, that and the love child.

* OK, fine -- I liked Boomerang too, I just liked the sound of 1988.

Aaaaand I'm back.

Not much to report from the land of Ronsonville. Just got back from Iowa only to find that my car was ticketed by the City of Cincinnati. Apparently, they cleaned the streets on Dec. 21 and I was selfishly out of town and left my car parked there. Foolish me. Now they're asking me to pay them 40 bucks. Thanks for the love, Cincinnati.

But that's about it. More drama from that to come, I'm sure. Happy New Year from Ronsonville...

Home for the Holidays

Hey folks!

Currently hanging out in Iowa, recuperating from this crazy year and counting down the days until I hit double threes. In the meantime, I suggest checking out how my music lists measured up to the (ahem) professional critics' selections by looking at the overviews at Metacritic.

I'm not too surprised (some of the stuff I deemed "overrated" has popped up alot), but the real news is that it appears there's no overall winner for "CD of the Year" -- the closest to anyone comes to a consensus about are Bob Dylan and TV on the Radio.

In one of the more disappointing lists of the year, Pitchfork.com dubbed The Knife's "Silent Shout" their CD of the Year. While I tend to disagree with Pitchfork (alot) they're usually right on the money about their #1 spot (previously honors have gone to Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire -- both brilliant and deserving pieces of music). I bought Silent Shout for $2 earlier this year just to see what the fuss was all about. While it's interesting, it's far from "CD of the year" (and personally wouldn't even make my top 100 of '06).

Anyway, more to come later in the week. Happy holidays from Ronsonville...

Top 20 CDs of 2006 (and more)

Now it's time for the big category: Top CDs. Songs are great, but the cohesiveness of an album (especially in this day of quick hits and single downloads) is especially remarkable. Since I've already talked about a lot of these CDs when I went through the songs, there won't be a lot of comments (except if the CD has not been previously mentioned). Also wanted to get this in before I was tainted by critics' opinions which will roll in about a week.

And just cuz I'm feeling list-y, I'm gonna throw in a few more, including a list of overrated critical darlings and some potential good stuff that I just haven't had the time to check out.



The Best of 2006
1. Tape 'n' Tapes • The Loon
While it was a tight race between The Eraser and The Loon, I give the edge to Tapes 'n' Tapes, with their well crafted debut. I love all kinds of music, but indie rock still tops the list. Sufjan Stevens, Interpol, The White Stripes and Arcade Fire have topped my past lists, and I feel like this disc stays in line with those past picks. It was a rough year for indie rock -- a lot of disappointments from big names (i.e. The Walkmen, Fiery Furnaces). This was the CD that reminded me why I'm such a fan of this music.

2. Thom Yorke • The Eraser
3. Ghostface Killah • Fishscale
4. Art Brut • Bang Bang Rock And Roll
5. Boris • Pink
Because of stupid international release date schedules, these CDs were already easily available in other parts of the country last year, and other review sites and magazines (because they're mean) have long reviewed them and put them on 2005's best lists. However this is the first year we, the common folk, had access to either Art Brut's brilliant debut or Boris' stunning drone masterpiece. Art Brut has a modern Sex Pistol feel, bratty and smart. Boris' music is so heavy, you don't even care that you can't understand what the singers are saying (oh yeah, that's because it's in Japanese).

6. Belle & Sebastian • The Life Pursuit
7. Prince • 3121
8. Lupe Fiasco • Lupe Fiasco's Food And Liquor
9. TV on the Radio • Return To Cookie Mountain
10. Beck • The Information
11. Morrissey • Ringleader Of The Tormentors
12. Jay-Z • Kingdom Come
13. The Black Heart Procession • The Spell
14. Heartless Bastards • All This Time
15. The Decemberists • The Crane Wife
16. Yo La Tengo • I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
17. Arctic Monkeys • Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
I nearly forgot about my two-month obsession with the Arctic Monkeys in early 2006 (so much so that I forgot to include "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" on my best songs list. It really deserves an honorable mention). Two things stun me about this group: First, they're all barely 20 years old. Second, their band name includes the word "monkey" and they're not completely annoying. Possibly the last great Brit post punk dance album...until post punk becomes popular again...in about 15 years.

18. Cat Power • The Greatest
19. Gnarls Barkley • St. Elsewhere
20. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness • Fear Is On Our Side
Rounding out my top 20 this year was tough, but I thought I'd give the spot to another disc that I liked, but kinda snubbed in my song list this year. I Love You, But... definitely lives up to their name with a haunting Pink Floyd-esque vibe with a lot of beautiful moments in between.

Overrated?
I predict these will appear on critics lists everywhere this year. I wasn't so impressed:
1. Joanna Newsom • Ys
2. The Hold Steady • Boys And Girls In America
3. Clipse • Hell Hath No Fury
4. Mastodon • Blood Mountain
5. Destroyer • Destroyer's Rubies



Wild cards?
Since I'm only one person and don't get CDs advanced to me every week (terrible, isn't it? Please, feel free to pity me), I can only possibly buy, listen to (even sample) and enjoy so much. Here are ten discs that might very well be classics, but I just haven't gotten around to them yet:
1. Bob Dylan • Modern Times
2. Lilly Allen • Alright Still (to be released in Jan 07)
3. Chin Up Chin Up • The Harness Can't Ride Anything
4. Nellie McKay • Pretty Little Head
5. Nas • Hip Hop Is Dead (to be released Dec 18)
6. Jarvis Cocker • Jarvis
7. Albert Hammond Jr. • Yours To Keep
8. J Dilla • Donuts
9. Phoenix • It's Never Been Like That
10. Califone • Roots And Crowns



Honorable Mentions
Last but not least, here's a tiny list of stuff that I forgot about or liked, but for whatever reason, didn't fit into the rest of my 06 recap.

1. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – iTunes live session
While "Show Your Bones" was a respectable YYYs effort, it never really stuck out to me, especially when it came time to rank everything at the end of the year. This tiny, four song EP that includes a cover of the great Sonic Youth song The Diamond Sea and a slowed down version of their own "Gold Lion" took me by surprise. Probably the only worthwhile "iTunes session" to date.

2. Dean Wareham's cover of Distractions, Pt. 1
Dean (along with Stephen Malkmus) is the curator of obscure tastes for the 90s generation. Wareham has introduced me to a number of artists (Serge Gainsbourg, Dream Syndicate) through his beautifully arranged covers. This, off his EP with Britta Phillips available only at indie record stores, is a Bobby Darin song, during Darin's apparent folkie phase (this is the same Darin who sang "Splish Splash" and was a loungy Sinatra style crooner for awhile). The songs lyrics are eerily relevant and Dean's vocal delivery so completely owns the song that you'd think he wrote it.

3. Jens Lekman
While Jens didn't have a proper release this year, a compilation of his earlier stuff was compiled and released early this year (Oh, You're So Silent, Jens) making it technically my favorite reissue of the year. Plus, minus the Belle & Sebastian concert I saw, I don't think I saw a more entertaining live show in 2006.

4. Soundtrack of the year?
The excellent mix of 70s new wave, Spoon and Maxïmo Park and instrumental mood music that is "Stranger Than Fiction." Not only does it play a significant part in the movie, the music stands well by itself -- the obvious (but tricky) key to any truly good music soundtrack.

5. Sufjan Steven's Songs For Christmas
Not often do I buy or even recommend Christmas music, it's definitely more of an individual thing and pretty difficult to rate. Sufjan manages to put together five years worth of his Christmas EPs for those wanting to hear some Christmas tunes that don't involve belting divas or overdone crooning. It ends up working out pretty well with some of the songs having a shelf life beyond the holidays. Raise your eggnog to this one...

Hope you found all of this mildly interesting. Remember to consult at least one more music source before buying anything I recommend. Thanks for reading!

We were pop rocked

Above is the Beck poster I picked up at this year's Pop Rocked exhibit at Powerhouse Factories in Covington, KY (design by Boss Construction). It's now proudly displayed in my living room for all to see.

The event itself was a lot of fun, Rob showed his work, Dan took photos (including me posing stoically with my purchase), and then there's this video of the event (available via Gina's blog) which is hilarious beyond description (esp. for those of you who know Paul). You've gotta see it. I get kissed! Twice!!

Top 25 songs 2006, Top 5

Here are the top 5 songs of 2006, hand-selected by me. It was a tough call, but I'm mostly satisfied by this final lineup:


5. White Collar Boy • Belle & Sebastian (The Life Pursuit)
B&S continue their evolution from mid-9os masters of sad, 60s style indie pop to mid-00s masters of indie Thin Lizzy style pop-rock. It's amazing that Stuart Murdoch has led B&S for over 10 years now, especially in a genre of music whose critics generally don't reward people who stick around. This song, with fuzz bass, great lyrics and delivery by Murdoch and sunny feeling overall, proves they're not going anywhere.


4. Insistor • Tapes 'n' Tapes (The Loon)
Debut of the year. This band manages to take the best parts of Pavement and the Pixies and reinvents them for this indie rock suite. In a year that may favor "freak folk" and the "techno/electro experimental" movements, Tapes 'n' Tapes proved there's still some life in indie rock.


3. Lolita • Prince (3121)
Prince has still got it. His knack for writing catchy singles continues on his second decent "comeback" album in two years. This one throws a twist into the (surprisingly) often used "young girl" temptation song: He actually has no problem resisting it. This has got to be the hottest song about monogamy ever.


2. Ghostface Killah • 9 Milli Bros. (Fishscale)
I'm not really into the drug rap craze that seems to have the rest of the critical world in recent years. It appears that you have to be a street hustler rapping about your tough life to have a well-received album these days. It's surprisingly small-minded from people who are supposedly more open-minded and adventurous about music. That said, I really liked Ghostface's "Fishscale" this year. Ghost takes these raps to whole different levels using creative, theatric words and imagery and spending more time discussing the downside of the life. This is my personal favorite of the bunch though. It's a concise Wu-Tang reunion, that in 4 minutes, gives all nine members plus sometimes member Cappadonna (including a hair-raising, quick rhyme from beyond by ODB) time to take a verse over a celebratory MF Doom production. It's never boring and always feels over way too soon.


1. Black Swan • Thom Yorke (The Eraser)
This is really a vote for all the songs on Thom Yorke's debut solo CD. It's honestly too difficult to choose one song to represent the group. Critics generally set their sights way too high on this one too; they should've accepted it for what it was: a simple, modest, but nonetheless powerful collection from someone who always moves forward with his music. This song is a great example, one of the more accessible tracks, with an upbeat bassline offset by Yorke's fragile voice/lyrics. However, from the opener (The Eraser) to the stunning closer (Cymbal Rush), the album is consistently good and at 41 minutes, one of 2006's most concise statements. Definitely one of the best CDs of the year.

Vote for Kari!

Kari boldly puts her mad ballet skillz on the line in this video dance off versus musician Tracy Walker and Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell. I might be a touch biased, but I think she smokes the competetion. Check it out! Then go vote for her here!