Record Store Day

Record Store Day was this past Sat., April 23rd, the weekend of the Coachella Music Festival.  I am not a collector of records per se, and have always been intimidated by knowledgeable aficiondos perusing the shelves.  But it's never too late for a new hobby.

Origami just opened in Echo Park and is also a label for California-based artists like wait.think.fast. and Writer.         Managed to pick up some 7"s on vinyl, and the sound is in fact, as they say, way better.  Also, there's something about locating a find out while out and about, rather than downloading a digital MP3 on to a computer.

Here's what I found at Origami:

Blitzen Trappen with the tracks "War is Placebo" and "Booksmart Baby".  They were signed to Sub Pop with their last album, Furr.

Florence and The Machine is a British group.  The record had "Kiss with a Fist" on the A side and "Hospital Beds", a Cold War Kids cover on the B Side.  They don't have a full-length record out yet, but Florence has an amazing voice, and I am a fan of the track "Ghosts".  As the ladies in the UK have been belting it out R&B style, so it seems, Florence's pipes are definitely comparable to the likes of Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone and Duffy.

Writer is a San Diego band and my favorite track of theirs is "Try and Stop Me".  I am now the proud owner of "Don't Wake the Sun" and "I Think She Died" on vinyl.  I like just writing that, as a matter of fact.

Stuart Smalley Wins!

Al Franken has won the Minnesota Democratic Senator seat by 312 votes to Republican incumbent Norman Cole.

Cole is not going down without a fight, sending the vote count to federal courts so that even more taxpayer dollars head down the drain.

Are politicians the new celebrity?  Other than Dancing with the Stars comebacks and Twitter-rama, the allure of Brangelina has lost its sheen with reality TV and Obamamania.

Franken had his last stint as a lame-duck comedian during the Presidential election.

Incidentally, it's impossible to find any video clips of Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on the Internet, which is disappointing.  That's a remnant of pop culture the Franken team is erasing!  And what's wrong with starting a career in politics at SNL?  Surely it's important to have a sense of humor; just ask George Bush Jr.

National Poetry Month

As it is National Poetry Month, if you are not aware of it already, there is something called the "six-word meme", or memoir.  Here is a book trailer from SMITHmag's latest collection of memes:

Six-Word Memoirs on Love & Heartbreak from SMITHmag on Vimeo.

It's difficult to write a poem in six words and remain succinct.  This is mine:  Caught cold at work, weekend obliterated.

The Obamas' New Puppy

Senator Ted Kennedy has found a puppy for the Obamas. Super-cute. It's even wearing a lei.

The State Returns!

Finally,  The State is set for DVD release on Bastille Day.  Posted below is a hilarious skit from back in the day when it was on MTV.  Not my favorite, but the best that I could locate on YouTube: 

The Plight of the Journalist

L.A. Citybeat's pages are fluttering closed after its last issue, which featured L.A.'s hottest bands at SXSW in about three pages of coverage.  The dread must have been impending. L.A. Citybeat's staff was informed of their publication's demise last Fri., during a meeting with Southland Publishing, Inc.

Such a shame.  The alternative weekly was one of the few publications available to pick up most places and flip through during a lunch break or a stop at a cafe.

Will nothing save print media, besides private investors and the skeptical consideration of government intervention?  It's not like newsprint is an archaic drudgery of the past, even with getting all that ink on your hands.

Video is the new wave of media consumption for online publications and newspapers alike. Media consumers can also check out behind-the-scenes of photos shoots for glamazons in Vanity Fair, or funny moments from TV shows like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon distilled into video clips from a favored blogger's perspective.

Kumquats: An On-the-Go Treat

I have encountered the kumquat in the produce aisle at the grocery store.  This tiny orange fruit is great to munch on as a snack, or toss into a salad.  The best part is that the skin has more flavor than the actual fruit itself, which is way more convenient than fretting over the disposal of a banana peel at an inopportune moment.

Posted below is an informative how-to-video on eating a kumquat.  It is tempting to try and peel them, but to no avail.