New Music: Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience come from Norway and I approve of them.
Much of my writing, the nascent phase of it at least, happens when I'm under the influence of mellow Indie. I might have mentioned before that I wrote my dissertation and book monograph listening mostly to Mandalay.

My current writing projects are different from one another currently. When I work on my medieval research I tend to listen to a lot of Verdi. A lot of Aida and Requiem. Seems apropos to me.
The more modern writing tends to be accompanied by much Indie and the band that's monopolizing that playlist these days is The Kings of Convenience. The reason why I enjoy them is because they manage to make their musical point quietly without distracting the listener. They make me think of those people you love having around you because they quietly do their own thing as you go about accomplishing your tasks. They add a measure of quietude that serves as a powerful extrinsic motivation. That, in a nutshell, is what the Kings of Convenience do for me.

You, guitar aficionados out there, might enjoy this band as well.

Here's their track Failure:

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The United States of Tara: Toni Collette's New Playground to Score

I like Toni Collette. Even though star power isn't why I watch certain films and programming, Toni Collette is one of the very few performers I will watch in everything.
The saying in Hollywood is that respectable actors don't do TV. One, apparently, does not go from the movies to TV. To me that thinking sounds too 20-th century. Many actors have made a smart move to TV, per me. Think Harvey Keitel, Glenn Close, Timothy Hutton.... I think these performers, well, their agents at least, understand the market and the psychology of the modern, busy person.

Many of us don't have the extra time to go to the movies. I find myself agreeing to watching very few theater movies and the real reason is time. I don't want to sacrifice time that way. Plus, the internet, OnDemand features on cable and access to only a handful number of relevant cable channels, allow me to pick and choose what I, well, choose to view that won't be too time-consuming. I can get informed politically, artistically, and pop culturally while working on my own projects. Isn't it all about maximizing one's time?
I think so.

So, in modernity, a good artist is not only one who gets the true nature of his/her craft but also one who knows how to work the market so that people can be aware of them and see them as relevant. Think, the Rolling Stones and how they reinvented themselves by virtue of a basic understanding of markets. They're relevant for a very important reason: visibility.

So, Toni Collette is now on TV.
Not the annoying, commercial-laden kind, though. The kind that I do not watch.
Collette's new show, The Unites States of Tara is on Showtime. The show is exec produced by Steven Spielberg and its premise is serious, yet entertaining. I can see why someone with Collette's abilities would want to do a challenging show like this.

First, the show is about Dissociative Identity Disorder which means the performer, Toni Collette, would be portraying FOUR different charters. First, she plays a housewife in middle America. She has two teenage children and a loving husband played by John Corbett. Her 'alters' are T., an out-of-control teenager, Alice, a prudish housewife a-la-50's, and Buck, a macho, heavy smoker of a male. Her portrayal of Buck is what sold me on the show. I think Toni and I think there is an actor who can play it all.

The only reason for me to watch the 27-minute episodes is to see Toni Collette's unique abilities to portray vastly different characters so convincingly well. To me, the viewing experience is one of education. Being aware of someone's talent, I think, feeds well our own talents. Uniquely talented people ooze a sense of possibility that is contagious. And Collette is one of these people.

Here is the first episode of the show which currently airs on Showtime every Sunday night.

I give this show a well-deserved thumbs up.

Showtime is making the first episode available online commercial-free.

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Franz Ferdinand: Get a Clue from Muse

About five years ago I had one of the best musical experiences of my life. I was taken to a small venue to watch Muse live in concert. I don't know what struck me the most, the fact that Muse is fantastic live or that the setting was truly intimate and conducive to true artistic enjoyment. Or perhaps that I was experiencing an indie rock sound that I had not heard up to that point. After that experience, we discussed how unique the concert was and that hopefully the band would retain their sound when faced with the pressures of fame on the fast lane, aka, the mainstream. At that point I knew Muse would hit it big.
And hit it big they did.
Did they ever!
They went from performing in very small venues to giant sold-out stadiums.
And yet, whether they play for 100.000 or 100 people, this band has managed to retain their unique sounds quite well.
Enter, Franz Ferdinand. Their music was indie and unique in the beginning but when their track "Take Me Out" started to get a lot of airtime, Franz Ferdinand became mainstream. And so did their look. Although their originally unique style was solely theirs, once the attention fell on them, their unique clothing texts started to get read much more often.
Franz Ferdinand is an example of a rock band that understands too well the difficulty to resist the side effects of the mainstream. After having experienced the mainstream, they are now back trying out their new sound in very small venues, away from music execs in an attempt to re-enter what I call Indie-topia (yes, it my coinage).

And I wish Franz Ferdiand the best. I want them to be remembered for their music and not for their idiosyncratic haircuts and matchstick pants. I remain a fan, after all as I did think they had potential in the beginning.

The Times has a feature on them today, as well. A bit says:

"Since then the members have found that their aesthetic — from their high-hat beat to their mod wardrobe — has gone mainstream, especially in Britain, Mr. Kapranos said. “You feel like, right, that’s become so much a part of musical vocabulary of the contemporary band, it’s now a cliché, and you have to leave it,” he said.

So no more “angular guitars,” Mr. McCarthy said, a description that has stuck to the band as surely as their slim-cut suits. (Or their angular haircuts."

Read more here.

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New Podcast: Wim Wenders' Far Away, So Close

The new podcast is now available on iTunes under Gendering the Media with Brikena Ribaj as well as in here.
This piece was first conceptualized a while back while under the active influence of the philosophical movement of existentialism. I have always been a fan of Wim Wenders' cinematography because I always felt a sense of affinity with his work and his implementation of existentialism. The text of this podcast is also my first published co-authored article. I find this to be an oldie but a goodie, for the most part.
The cinematic text I'm reading closely is the 1993 German film In Weiter Ferne, so nah!, i.e., Far Away, So Close!.
It's another contribution to modernity, I suppose.
You can listen to the piece here.

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Camille Nelson's Album "First Words": Why I Love it

This is Camille Nelson, my very good friend.
Camille Nelson is one of my all-time favorite people. Among so many other things, she is also an artist par excellence. Camille is also the one who patiently taught me how to play the guitar, the one with whom I've had many an adventure over the years, and the one who simply excels at all she does. And she manages to do it all by being unapologetically good and quintessentially Camille.

I can categorically say that she is one of the very best people I know. Here are some reasons:

Camille is perturbingly talented. She is an accomplished guitarist as well as a classically trained violinist. But that's not all. She plays a litany of other instruments, as well. She has her own private studio where I have also played the guitar oh-so-badly. But that's what makes Camille a great person and friend. She embraces people's weaknesses with the same grace she embraces their strengths. That's just the kind of person and artist she is.

She is also a linguist par excellence. She speaks a number of languages. I never run out of things to tell her my way. She just gets it. Whether we are at IHOP at 3:00 AM, at Macaroni Grill on a very busy night, or driving around town and getting stuck in my 1981 VW yellow pick-up truck as a result of my oh-so-bizarre driving habits, we manage to read every situation with the kind of unencumbered freedom that true linguistic diversity and genuine friendship afford us. Camille is also an entrepreneur. Her technology savvy is incredible. She can visualize like few can.

In addition, she has a number of graduate degrees, too. Graduate. Oh, and did I mention she in not yet 30?

And, it gets better. Trust me.

Camille is also an athlete. She's a certified trainer, a world traveler, a university instructor, a toffee maker par excellence (yes, this is a business she had), bungee jumper, and sky diver. And of course, she wouldn't just bungee or sky dive in any old place. She did so in Africa. I do think that what makes Camille truly unique and so (seemingly) effortlessly good at things is her inability to recognize fear. She was born to be curious and allow her curiosity to take her places. That seems to be her mantra. And, what a mantra!

Camille also has a genuinely humanitarian spirit. She has spent months in South Africa helping with various non-profit projects. Just when does she do it all, you might ask? Well, the fact that she is a fellow insomniac helps. Many a night my dear friend and I would play the guitar at sacrilegious hours, thus progressively increasing the annoyance level of my neighbors. Don't they know art comes with a price?! But more importantly, Camille has a good grasp of the mechanics of time and how to plan things. Plus, she is truly talented. And there is simply no 'cure' for talent. Blame her success on a great combination of a good gene pool and strong work ethic.

The reason I'm doing a post on Camille is not to promote hero worship. I am very clear about my deep respect for my wonderful friend. She is someone everyone should be so lucky to have in their life. I feel lucky to have met her. Lucky.

The reason I'm blogging about Camille is to inform you all about her new full length musical album entitled First Words.

My CD arrived last Saturday and I have been listening to it since then. I also had a number of friends and colleagues listen to it as well. What pride I have felt this whole week. My pride is rightly informed by the high quality of her work. The music and lyrics are all her doing. And her voice comes across not only as highly trained but also crisp and contemporary.

First Words is a well-balanced blend of indie folk/rock and traditional pop.

A song like "Red Letter Day" has all the elements of a piece where the lyrics meet the melody at the right point. The song made me appreciate concretely the seemingly little and inconsequential joys of quotidianity. It's a high-frequency track on my playlists now.

Then there is the track in Italian entitled "C'e la Luce della Candela." Camille's understanding of contemporary Italian pop comes to life here. Like a good artist, she pays homage to artists past from the old world. It made me think of Pausini, Ramazzoti, and Minghi. Camille's understanding of Italian culture and language is apparent here. The track is also well-tempered and reflective.

The track "Reminiscence" sets the tone for this album. The instruments converge beautifully and Camille's ability with the guitar, the violin, et al shines easily. You know you are in the company of a musician when you listen to this track.

"Reminiscence" is follow by "Some Day." The honest tone of this track comes across unambiguously.

And then there is "Dream On". A line that jumps out says: "Must we swim in such shallow waters?! Dream on...." This is another favorite track of mine as it oozes a kind of optimism that is rooted in reality, the honest kind.

Ergo, dear readers, check Camille Nelson's First Words out. It's versatile, indie, rock, folk, classic, pop and more.

Her myspace page is here. She is also to be found here.

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Remixing, Colbert-style

The following is most likely the most entertaining thing I have seen in a few days. Colbert's version of 'remixing' is a parody par excellence. I give it an A!

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Stephen's Remix Challenge

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

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Radio Station Indie 103.1: Good Luck to You!

“Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge,” the station said in a statement on their Website and an audio blast that aired several times this morning. “Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option: to play the corporate radio game. We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.”

And that is the reason why I don't do mainstream radio. My musical tendencies are not featured in it the way I'd like them to be and nothing is as effective in engendering a bad mood as, well, bad music.

Radio has definitely shifted much from the days Everclear was inspired to write the song AM Radio. And with the web taking over, I find Indie 103.1's decision solid and laced with integrity. It is also sad. Indie 103.1 has served as an arena where a lot of good acts were discovered. It's helped Indie music a great deal, indeed. If the industry says you need to comply or else, very few places have it in them to say, 'uhm, I'll take 'else,' please, Alex."

And I, for one, will be supporting Indie 103.1. Not solely out of the kindness of my heart, however. Music is a serious business with me, after all. I will be checking them out because I know I can listen to the Kings of Leon, LCD Soundsystem, and Morrissey et al., and not be bothered with pseudo melodies.
Best of luck to you, Indie 103.1. I will be listening.
Read more here.

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Gender in Higher Professions: How Does It figure?

"“People say, oh, we shouldn’t have quotas, but diversity is a form of excellence, and there are plenty of outstanding women out there,” Jo Handelsman, president of the Franklin society and a microbiologist at the University of Wisconsin, said in an interview. “You don’t have to lower your standards in the slightest — you just have to pay attention.”

Some would like to see novel approaches to treating systemic problems that often work against women’s scientific ambitions. Mary Ann Mason and Marc Goulden of the University of California, Berkeley, have gathered extensive data showing stark male-female differences in the family structure and personal lives of academic researchers at the top tiers of the profession."

A very good piece! And not only for those in academia. More here.

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"Bonneville" and the West

You can't really explain the West to those who have not experienced it. The West cannot be captured by language. It's simply too vast and larger-than-life.
I was recently surprised by a good film. It's called Bonneville and it's brilliantly shot. I felt the director actually 'got' the pace of the West and what it means to face the vastness of the landscape. So, next time someone asks me what the West is like, I will recommend that they see this film.

Well, this and the end of Matador. Its end credits do justice to Colorado, I find. But that's another post.

I have been lucky to have driven the same areas featured in Bonneville. I find that one doesn't really get to appreciate places like Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California if one hasn't actually experienced them on the road. And this film is a respectful homage to the gift that is the nature out West.

The film starts in Idaho with the main characters embarking on a long road trip. They start by going South in the direction of Salt Lake City at which point they decide to head south to California. The characters stop at places like Lake Powell, go boating in its shallow waters, get unstuck and then unstuck, and consequently reach Las Vegas. The characters' final destination is California which the film captures nicely as well.

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David Gregory Makes Me Laugh. Really?!

Cable news entertains me greatly. Truly. It's entertaining and relaxing. The prospect of my favorite news commentary becoming available via podcast is as thrilling to me as reading a brand new title in my field of research, or going to a Muse concert. Yes. It's right up there.

I had a bit of a moment the other night. It came to my attention that I was laughing profusely when David Gregory was on. Now, humor is not the first thing to think of when one looks at David Gregory. If anything, he is s serious journalist. He's very tall (actually because of that, Bush refers to him as 'Stretch'), has silver hair, and features uninteresting intonation patterns. So, when asked why I was laughing, I said, "I really don't know what it is but when David Gregory speaks, I can't help myself but laugh. The need to laugh is too great to contain."

David Gregory is the new moderator and managing editor of the very serious program Meet the Press. I used to be able to follow the program with interest when the late Tim Russert was in charge but now my interest is of a different nature.

Consider the following clip. David Gregory is featured towards the end (his bit starts at the onset of the fifth minute). I do not know what it is but David Gregory does to me what Larry and Leon do on Curb Your Enthusiasm. But, at least, the latter two are comics. Go figure.

Are there things out there that have no business making you laugh but somehow they manage to?

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Bush and the Press

Colbert at Christmas
Colbert Christmas DVD

Green Screen
Bill O'Reilly Interview

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