Have you ever received a gift so great that you didn't feel you deserved it? Just such a thing happened to me this very morning. Just before 11:30 I arrived at my accounting information systems class. I sat at the same computer I always do, logged on, and checked my email, as I do every other day. Nothing new in my inbox but I had one new spam message. I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my spam folder; even though its contents will be eventually deleted automatically, I always delete spam messages immediately anyway. I decided to get the better of my compulsions and let it be. But as seconds ticked by my compulsions got the better of me and I opened the spam folder. The message was from Stateside Presents, a booking agency from home that periodically announces shows and tickets sales happening in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. I almost deleted the email without opening it when I saw the words "Jimmy Eat World" at the end of the subject line. I was semi-curious -- they are one of my favorite bands -- so I opened the email. I scrolled down and read this:
JIMMY EAT WORLD
Clarity x 10 Tour
Playing the 1999 album in its entirety
March 7 @ Marquee Theatre
ON SALE THIS SATURDAY.
At first I didn't understand. I read it again. My second reaction was disbelief. My heard started to race. Let me explain: Jimmy Eat World and I have quite a history, which I won't delve into. Anyway, in 1999 Jimmy Eat World released an album called Clarity. Commercially, the record didn't do well; it wasn't until their follow up album originally titled Bleed American that they "hit it big" so to speak. Nonetheless, when it comes to hardcore fans like myself, Clarity is often our favorite JEW album. And it's cool because they still play three or four songs from Clarity at their shows today. But to hear them play this album in its entirety? Start to finish, all 64 minutes, hopefully all 18 minutes of Goodbye Sky Harbor? Attending this show is not optional.
I decided to investigate further. The band's website confirmed as much; starting in February the band will embark on 10 show tour in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of the release of Clarity. The tour starts in NY and finishes in the band's home state of Arizona. Beneath the list of tour dates I noticed the following:
Reuben's Accomplice will support Feb. 23-Mar. 4.
"Oh awesome, I love Reuben's Accomplice," I said to myself. I read on:
No Knife will support Mar. 5-7.
My heart stopped. Now, there are few of you readers who realize the gravity of that simple sentence (the one about No Knife, not the one about heart stopping). Few of you know who No Knife is, which is cool, they never really made it out of the underground classic emo/indie genre. I never had a chance to see them because they broke up at the beginning of the decade. But apparently Jimmy Eat World playing the entire Clarity album was reason enough to get back together.
So on this evening of evenings I praise and honor the gods of music who have bestowed this invaluable gift that I am unfit to receive. I don't know what I did to find myself so highly in their favor.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Heart Songs
Last week Zach was kind enough to share some of his favorite Ryan Adams jams with us. His kindness inspired me to do the same thing with my favorite Weezer tunes. All of my friends back home and my brothers and I are huge Weezer fans. If their tours skipped Phoenix it wasn't a question of whether or not we would drive to California to see them, the question was in which city in California we would see them. Nothing to do on a Friday night? Never, not when we had acoustic guitars, vocal chords, and every lyric and melody from Weezer's first two albums wedged snuggly in the creases of our brains. It's hard to truly assess the impact that my extreme Weezer fandom has had on my life (my first kiss, for example, was a girl from Seattle that I met at a Weezer concert in San Francisco).
So, when I came to Rexburg and made friends with so many people with great taste in music (like my friends from home) I was somewhat surprised that some weren't really into Weezer. Why wouldn't they be? My hypothesis: there's a lot of good music out there so maybe they just haven't made their rounds to Weezer yet. My remedy: I've created and uploaded a mix my favorite Weezer songs. If a song made it on this list, it's because it has either had, in one way or another, a huge impact on my life, or it's simply an awesome song.
Here's the list and why I love these songs:
"My Name is Jonas" -- My older brother Spencer brought home the Blue Album when I was in 7th grade. Either this or "Buddy Holly" was the first Weezer song I heard, I can't remember. It's hard to describe the feeling I had when I first the acoustic guitar intro and pounding distorted guitar that followed. It was similar to nostalgia, but what I was nostalgic for I have no idea. Whatever that longing feeling was, it quickly translated into a longing to hear more Weezer. Thanks Spencer.
"Say it Ain't So" -- I remember listening to this song on my discman at the tender, impressionable age of 14 while driving in a rental car in Utah with my mom and brother. As Rivers and Brian ended the soaring guitar solo that led back into the last chorus I came to an important conclusion with what I wanted to do with my life: "I wanna rock!"
"Only in Dreams" -- In high school I was in a band called The Manhattan Project. This band disbanded in December 2001 when I left to serve a mission. The last song we ever played together at our last show was this one. People cried.
"Susanne" -- In high school we had this great friend named Suz, which is short for Susanne. About every Sunday night my junior and senior years we had waffle night at her place. Our first Weezer sing-along took place in her basement at her birthday party. Oh, and this song is awesome too.
"Jamie (Live Acoustic)" -- Please do not confuse this with Dashboard Confessional's painfully inferior cover of this song; "it hurts me so much" when people do that. I especially enjoy Rivers' vocal treatment of the bridge compared to the original rock version.
"Tired of Sex" -- The first track from possibly the greatest album of all time, making it Weezer's best album, Pinkerton. I chose this song because it represents almost everything I love about Pinkerton: it's raw, rowdy, and it rocks, complete with shredding solo and buzzsaw guitars. The other thing I love about Pinkerton is that is incredibly easy to relate to; while I find the subject matter of this song quite unrelateable, I do enjoy the line "Oh, why can't I be making love come true?"
"Across the Sea" -- Wow. This might be Weezer's most emotionally evocative song ever. "As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams, oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel!" I think we've all felt like that at one time or another. I dare you, no, defy you, to listen to this song at full volume and not get the chills. What a song.
"The Good Life" -- I don't know what Weezer did when they recorded Pinkerton but somehow they managed to capture the energy and excitement that's only really present during a live performance. "The Good Life" is a great example of that.
"El Scorcho" -- I listened to this song almost every day before school in 8th grade. Listen for Matt Sharp's falsettos ("How cool is that?!") and killer screams right before the bridge and in the middle of the last chorus; I miss that guy (he quit in order to devote more time to his band The Rentals). It's impossible not to sing along with this one. Great music video too.
"You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" -- A b-side from the "El Scorcho" single. This is possibly my favorite Weezer song. Ever. From the start of the pick scrape at 0:04 to the last cymbal crash 1:54 later, this song never lets up. Go ahead and listen to it twice. I usually do.
"Waiting on You" -- B-side from "The Good Life" single, also called the "Oz EP". I really love the guitar intro/interlude, and when Rivers sings to the same melody ("I asked you had a good heart / You answered, yes, I'll never do you harm"), backed by Matt's complementary falsetto, it just doesn't get any better.
"Crab" -- I don't care that much for the Green Album. In fact, I have a hard time listening to more than two consecutive Green Album songs. But this song is good. I have no idea what it's about though.
"I Do" -- This one is a b-side on the "Hash Pipe" single and the eleventh track on the UK import of the Green Album. They opened with this song when I saw them in San Francisco on March 17, 2001 (possibly the greatest concert of my life), and I've loved it since.
"Keep Fishin'" -- I first time I heard this song was at Subway in Ottawa, Ontario, while I was on my mission. Other than that I don't have much to say about this one. Another great video.
"Perfect Situation" -- Weezer's best song (at this point) since Pinkerton. And the story of my life.
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" -- I don't have much to say about these last few songs, mostly because they're pretty new and I haven't had the chance to associate very many memories with them yet. But let's be honest, there's probably two of you who read it this far so it doesn't matter. This song is just plain cool.
"Pork & Beans" -- It took me a while to warm up to this song. What eventually got me were the Pinkerton-esque guitars on the chorus and the overall message of the song.
"The Angel and the One" -- It's been 12 years since Weezer has been this emo. I really dig the soaring guitar at the end that matches Rivers' vocal.
"Longtime Sunshine" -- This isn't technically a Weezer song but I include it because it could've been. It's from an album that Rivers released last year containing demos he recorded by his lonesome over the years (In Michael Cera's opinion, "The greatest thing to happen to music since 1996 [the year Pinkerton was released]"). I like it because evokes that same nostalgic feeling I experienced when I first heard "My Name is Jonas".
"Lover in the Snow" -- Good song. That's all.
Kudos to you if you've read this far. Here's your reward, download and enjoy:
Myke's Ultimate Weezer Mix
So, when I came to Rexburg and made friends with so many people with great taste in music (like my friends from home) I was somewhat surprised that some weren't really into Weezer. Why wouldn't they be? My hypothesis: there's a lot of good music out there so maybe they just haven't made their rounds to Weezer yet. My remedy: I've created and uploaded a mix my favorite Weezer songs. If a song made it on this list, it's because it has either had, in one way or another, a huge impact on my life, or it's simply an awesome song.
Here's the list and why I love these songs:
"My Name is Jonas" -- My older brother Spencer brought home the Blue Album when I was in 7th grade. Either this or "Buddy Holly" was the first Weezer song I heard, I can't remember. It's hard to describe the feeling I had when I first the acoustic guitar intro and pounding distorted guitar that followed. It was similar to nostalgia, but what I was nostalgic for I have no idea. Whatever that longing feeling was, it quickly translated into a longing to hear more Weezer. Thanks Spencer.
"Say it Ain't So" -- I remember listening to this song on my discman at the tender, impressionable age of 14 while driving in a rental car in Utah with my mom and brother. As Rivers and Brian ended the soaring guitar solo that led back into the last chorus I came to an important conclusion with what I wanted to do with my life: "I wanna rock!"
"Only in Dreams" -- In high school I was in a band called The Manhattan Project. This band disbanded in December 2001 when I left to serve a mission. The last song we ever played together at our last show was this one. People cried.
"Susanne" -- In high school we had this great friend named Suz, which is short for Susanne. About every Sunday night my junior and senior years we had waffle night at her place. Our first Weezer sing-along took place in her basement at her birthday party. Oh, and this song is awesome too.
"Jamie (Live Acoustic)" -- Please do not confuse this with Dashboard Confessional's painfully inferior cover of this song; "it hurts me so much" when people do that. I especially enjoy Rivers' vocal treatment of the bridge compared to the original rock version.
"Tired of Sex" -- The first track from possibly the greatest album of all time, making it Weezer's best album, Pinkerton. I chose this song because it represents almost everything I love about Pinkerton: it's raw, rowdy, and it rocks, complete with shredding solo and buzzsaw guitars. The other thing I love about Pinkerton is that is incredibly easy to relate to; while I find the subject matter of this song quite unrelateable, I do enjoy the line "Oh, why can't I be making love come true?"
"Across the Sea" -- Wow. This might be Weezer's most emotionally evocative song ever. "As if I could live on words and dreams and a million screams, oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel!" I think we've all felt like that at one time or another. I dare you, no, defy you, to listen to this song at full volume and not get the chills. What a song.
"The Good Life" -- I don't know what Weezer did when they recorded Pinkerton but somehow they managed to capture the energy and excitement that's only really present during a live performance. "The Good Life" is a great example of that.
"El Scorcho" -- I listened to this song almost every day before school in 8th grade. Listen for Matt Sharp's falsettos ("How cool is that?!") and killer screams right before the bridge and in the middle of the last chorus; I miss that guy (he quit in order to devote more time to his band The Rentals). It's impossible not to sing along with this one. Great music video too.
"You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" -- A b-side from the "El Scorcho" single. This is possibly my favorite Weezer song. Ever. From the start of the pick scrape at 0:04 to the last cymbal crash 1:54 later, this song never lets up. Go ahead and listen to it twice. I usually do.
"Waiting on You" -- B-side from "The Good Life" single, also called the "Oz EP". I really love the guitar intro/interlude, and when Rivers sings to the same melody ("I asked you had a good heart / You answered, yes, I'll never do you harm"), backed by Matt's complementary falsetto, it just doesn't get any better.
"Crab" -- I don't care that much for the Green Album. In fact, I have a hard time listening to more than two consecutive Green Album songs. But this song is good. I have no idea what it's about though.
"I Do" -- This one is a b-side on the "Hash Pipe" single and the eleventh track on the UK import of the Green Album. They opened with this song when I saw them in San Francisco on March 17, 2001 (possibly the greatest concert of my life), and I've loved it since.
"Keep Fishin'" -- I first time I heard this song was at Subway in Ottawa, Ontario, while I was on my mission. Other than that I don't have much to say about this one. Another great video.
"Perfect Situation" -- Weezer's best song (at this point) since Pinkerton. And the story of my life.
"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" -- I don't have much to say about these last few songs, mostly because they're pretty new and I haven't had the chance to associate very many memories with them yet. But let's be honest, there's probably two of you who read it this far so it doesn't matter. This song is just plain cool.
"Pork & Beans" -- It took me a while to warm up to this song. What eventually got me were the Pinkerton-esque guitars on the chorus and the overall message of the song.
"The Angel and the One" -- It's been 12 years since Weezer has been this emo. I really dig the soaring guitar at the end that matches Rivers' vocal.
"Longtime Sunshine" -- This isn't technically a Weezer song but I include it because it could've been. It's from an album that Rivers released last year containing demos he recorded by his lonesome over the years (In Michael Cera's opinion, "The greatest thing to happen to music since 1996 [the year Pinkerton was released]"). I like it because evokes that same nostalgic feeling I experienced when I first heard "My Name is Jonas".
"Lover in the Snow" -- Good song. That's all.
Kudos to you if you've read this far. Here's your reward, download and enjoy:
Myke's Ultimate Weezer Mix
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Bound by hope and love
So a weekend or two ago we were singing Weezer and Neil Diamond at Leah's and somehow we ended up deciding to write a song for Music Outlet. Rather than trying to describe this life changing experience, I'll let our song speak for itself:
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
I choo-choo-choose you!
Maybe you're like me and you're a little disappointed with both of the candidates for the presidential election only a week away. Honestly, if America is a land of choice and freedom why do we only really have two options when it comes to choosing our president? It's quite ironic. My lack of excitement about this election's candidates got me thinking of people who I'd rather for . . . .
Kenobi/Skywalker
Most likely my first choice. Not only did he serve as a general in Clone Wars but Obi Wan "Our Only Hope" Kenobi was an invaluable member of the Jedi Council; there's no doubt this Jedi Master knows how to be a leader. Furthermore, he was one of two Jedi to survive Emperor Palpatine's Jedi extermination order, and when he was finally done in by his former apprentice he became "more powerful than you can possibly imagine". Luke Skywalker is the obvious choice for Kenobi's running mate. While a great military commander in his own right -- he destroyed the Death Star and turned one of the galaxy's most traitorous Sith Lords away from the dark side, even before actually beginning his career as a Jedi -- Skywalker truly represents the everyday working man, his own roots planted in the moisture farms of Tatooine. Not only would they bring order to our country, but to the entire galaxy as well.
Joad/Hamilton
Tom Joad is the protagonist of John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. We first meet Tom on the road to meet his family after serving four years of a seven year sentence in the state penitentiary on charges of manslaughter. Tom's case was clearly a matter of self defense, having been stabbed by the man he would beat to death with a shovel. Tom would fight with equal fierceness and without mercy to protect and defend the ideals and morals upon which this country was founded. Samuel Hamilton of Steinbeck's East of Eden is Joad's complementary running mate; Hamilton's calm, collected, considerate manner is the perfect balance to Joad's hotheadedness.
Clement/McKenzie
I know I know, neither of them are American but my other candidates are either from another galaxy or literary characters, so why not nominate "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"? They probably wouldn't do much for our country; in fact, we probably wouldn't have much of a military, thanks to their "blondes not bombshells" policy. To be honest, I just think it'd be cool to see Jemaine and Bret in the White House. And Murray Hewitt would probably end up in their cabinet; it'd be silly not to put his great managing skills to work for our country.
Kenobi/Skywalker
Most likely my first choice. Not only did he serve as a general in Clone Wars but Obi Wan "Our Only Hope" Kenobi was an invaluable member of the Jedi Council; there's no doubt this Jedi Master knows how to be a leader. Furthermore, he was one of two Jedi to survive Emperor Palpatine's Jedi extermination order, and when he was finally done in by his former apprentice he became "more powerful than you can possibly imagine". Luke Skywalker is the obvious choice for Kenobi's running mate. While a great military commander in his own right -- he destroyed the Death Star and turned one of the galaxy's most traitorous Sith Lords away from the dark side, even before actually beginning his career as a Jedi -- Skywalker truly represents the everyday working man, his own roots planted in the moisture farms of Tatooine. Not only would they bring order to our country, but to the entire galaxy as well.
Joad/Hamilton
Tom Joad is the protagonist of John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. We first meet Tom on the road to meet his family after serving four years of a seven year sentence in the state penitentiary on charges of manslaughter. Tom's case was clearly a matter of self defense, having been stabbed by the man he would beat to death with a shovel. Tom would fight with equal fierceness and without mercy to protect and defend the ideals and morals upon which this country was founded. Samuel Hamilton of Steinbeck's East of Eden is Joad's complementary running mate; Hamilton's calm, collected, considerate manner is the perfect balance to Joad's hotheadedness.
Clement/McKenzie
I know I know, neither of them are American but my other candidates are either from another galaxy or literary characters, so why not nominate "New Zealand's fourth most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"? They probably wouldn't do much for our country; in fact, we probably wouldn't have much of a military, thanks to their "blondes not bombshells" policy. To be honest, I just think it'd be cool to see Jemaine and Bret in the White House. And Murray Hewitt would probably end up in their cabinet; it'd be silly not to put his great managing skills to work for our country.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I'm it
Chelsea tagged me. Seven random facts:
==> I have awesome grandparents. My mom's dad passed away when she was five, and her mom remarried when she was 11. So my maternal grandfather is technically my step-grandpa, if there is such a thing. I've always known that he's not my mom's biological father but that fact never hit me until I was older because he's always treated my mom like a real daughter and us kids as if we were his biological grandkids. Anyway, he's really impressed me for that reason in addition to many others. My other grandparents are rad and deserving of mention in a blog post as well.
==> I strongly dislike the cold. (I'm trying to have a good attitude about, so I refrained from using the word "hate".) I'm definitely a product of having lived in Arizona for the better part of my life. And I think I have seasonal affective disorder. It seriously bums me out when the sun goes away. While I do love rain and clouds, you seriously can't beat a warm sunny day.
==> I have a mancrush on Michael Cera. If there's anyone I'd like to get bromantic with it'd be him.
==> My Google searches come up in Spanish. Not sure why this happens, I must have hit something that switched languages (at least it's not Arabic or Chinese). Whenever I search something it says at the top of the page, "Buscar sólo resultados en español." If anyone knows how to change this any help would be appreciated.
==> I'm amazed at how many guitarist can't tune their guitar. Every Monday night I go to Music Outlet with my friends, which is essentially an open mic night, and it always surprises me (and annoys me) how many people cannot tune their guit. I didn't know it was that hard. Honestly, if I can do it, just about anyone should be able to.
==> I'm all about keyboard shortcuts. Anything that keeps me away from the mouse or the touchpad on my laptop. They're so much faster, and people (especially the ladies) are so impressed when you use them. My faves right now are Alt+Tab (cycles through open programs on Windows) and Crtl+PgDn or PgUp (cycles through tabs on your Internet browser or sheets of an Excel spreadsheet). Let me know if you know any cool ones.
==> I'm kinda over the whole neo-folk trend that's been going on. A lot of it's great and extremely well done, but right now I need me something that rocks. Distorted guitars, heavy drums, and an anthemic chorus would be great.
==> I have awesome grandparents. My mom's dad passed away when she was five, and her mom remarried when she was 11. So my maternal grandfather is technically my step-grandpa, if there is such a thing. I've always known that he's not my mom's biological father but that fact never hit me until I was older because he's always treated my mom like a real daughter and us kids as if we were his biological grandkids. Anyway, he's really impressed me for that reason in addition to many others. My other grandparents are rad and deserving of mention in a blog post as well.
==> I strongly dislike the cold. (I'm trying to have a good attitude about, so I refrained from using the word "hate".) I'm definitely a product of having lived in Arizona for the better part of my life. And I think I have seasonal affective disorder. It seriously bums me out when the sun goes away. While I do love rain and clouds, you seriously can't beat a warm sunny day.
==> I have a mancrush on Michael Cera. If there's anyone I'd like to get bromantic with it'd be him.
==> My Google searches come up in Spanish. Not sure why this happens, I must have hit something that switched languages (at least it's not Arabic or Chinese). Whenever I search something it says at the top of the page, "Buscar sólo resultados en español." If anyone knows how to change this any help would be appreciated.
==> I'm amazed at how many guitarist can't tune their guitar. Every Monday night I go to Music Outlet with my friends, which is essentially an open mic night, and it always surprises me (and annoys me) how many people cannot tune their guit. I didn't know it was that hard. Honestly, if I can do it, just about anyone should be able to.
==> I'm all about keyboard shortcuts. Anything that keeps me away from the mouse or the touchpad on my laptop. They're so much faster, and people (especially the ladies) are so impressed when you use them. My faves right now are Alt+Tab (cycles through open programs on Windows) and Crtl+PgDn or PgUp (cycles through tabs on your Internet browser or sheets of an Excel spreadsheet). Let me know if you know any cool ones.
==> I'm kinda over the whole neo-folk trend that's been going on. A lot of it's great and extremely well done, but right now I need me something that rocks. Distorted guitars, heavy drums, and an anthemic chorus would be great.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
"The songs I keep singin'", part 2
Most nights I try to get a good six hours of sleep, and it's usually enough to get me through the day. But I'm always surprised how well I function on just two. I'm not one to deprive myself of sleep; when I do it's usually to complete some homework assignment I've procrastinated. Tuesday night's deprivation, however, was purely recreational. I spent last weekend debating whether or not I would make the three hour drive to Salt Lake City to attend my sixth Weezer concert. Several friends planned on making the journey with me but they had to bail for monetary reasons, which was understandable, since tickets were about $55 after the ridiculous service charges. I'd have to make the trip alone if I was to go at all. I was prepared to pay for gas but what worried me more was making the trip back to Rexburg by myself immediately after the concert. Staying the night in Utah wasn't an option thanks to my early 7:45 a.m. class I couldn't miss.
When I rolled out of bed Monday morning the first thought that came to me was how hard it would be to get of bed on Wednesday, the day following the concert. I was discouraged and felt that driving down alone was be a bad idea. I debated the idea in my head while I prepared for school. I usually rock my iPod on the way to class; I made sure it was on shuffle and hit play. The first song? "Tired of Sex." It was hardly a sign from above, I'm pretty sure God wouldn't use that song to send a message, but it was a sign nonetheless. So, I made up my mind to go even if I had to drive alone.
Later on I ran into Kari and Leah. I can't remember how it happened but Kari and Leah agreed to come with me and hang out in SLC while I go to the concert with Matt. This was a huge relief because I'd have people to talk to on the way back up, and also because Kari and Leah are rad and it would be fun to road trip with them.
The concert was at the E Center in West Valley City, which is, you guessed it, west of SLC. I was expecting a full-size sports arena but it was refreshingly smaller -- about the size of a college arena, which meant closer seats and fewer people. We arrived in the middle of the first band, which should've been Tokyo Police Club but turned out to be some local band instead. Too bad cuz I was interested in seeing them but not a major disappointment. Angels and Airwaves was a joke and impossible to take seriously. After all, this was one of the singers for Blink 182. And it didn't help that he spent most of the show prancing around on stage like he was in a musical.
Our time was better spent doing this:
I know, borderline sacrilegious to substitute my face for Matt Sharp's, but what can you do?
Weezer went for the painter look as they took stage, wearing white jumpsuits. Rivers took things to the next level with white head sock thing painters wear to keep crap out of their hair. After a few songs they stripped down to red track suits (they should've sold these at the merch table, I would've bought one).
Here's the setlist, as transcribed on the back of my ticket:
My Name is Jonas
Pink Triangle
Perfect Situation
Say it Ain't So
Susanne
Keep Fishin'
King
The Sweater Song
Pork & Beans
Dreamin'
Dope Nose
Troublemaker
Automatic
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
What's the Story (Morning Glory) (Oasis cover)
The Greatest Man that Ever Lived
Island in the Sun
Beverly Hills
Heart Songs (played on a record player that Rivers kicked over when they came back on stage)
Sliver (Nirvana cover)
Buddy Holly
"Perfect Situation" was probably my favorite song of the night, followed by "Susanne", which started off a capella, barbershop quartet style. It was also rad hearing the songs from the new album, especially dancing the Ben Jackson and the Urkel (ask for a demonstration at the next dance party) with Matt during Pork & Beans. "Pink Triangle" was great too, since I'm pretty sure I haven't heard that one live. "King" was a song I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. It's a bonus track on the deluxe version of the Red Album; I don't like it that much because the lyrics are kinda lame and Scott sings it. But live, I was quite impressed with Scott's voice and the overall arrangement of the song.
It wasn't the best Weezer concert I've been to (San Fran 2001 holds that title, probably always will), but it did deepen my love for them and reminded me how much fun they are live.
I really enjoyed the drive back; Kari and Leah are great driving companions. I'm super glad they came with me; I don't think I had realized how hard it would be to make the drive back to Rexburg alone. Although, if I did fall asleep and die, doing so right after a Weezer concert would be the way to go. Anyway, thanks for coming Kari and Leah, and helping a bit with gas, I totally owe you guys.
And yeah, it was pretty difficult getting out of bed on Wednesday after a mere two hours of sleep, but not as difficult as I had anticipated.
When I rolled out of bed Monday morning the first thought that came to me was how hard it would be to get of bed on Wednesday, the day following the concert. I was discouraged and felt that driving down alone was be a bad idea. I debated the idea in my head while I prepared for school. I usually rock my iPod on the way to class; I made sure it was on shuffle and hit play. The first song? "Tired of Sex." It was hardly a sign from above, I'm pretty sure God wouldn't use that song to send a message, but it was a sign nonetheless. So, I made up my mind to go even if I had to drive alone.
Later on I ran into Kari and Leah. I can't remember how it happened but Kari and Leah agreed to come with me and hang out in SLC while I go to the concert with Matt. This was a huge relief because I'd have people to talk to on the way back up, and also because Kari and Leah are rad and it would be fun to road trip with them.
The concert was at the E Center in West Valley City, which is, you guessed it, west of SLC. I was expecting a full-size sports arena but it was refreshingly smaller -- about the size of a college arena, which meant closer seats and fewer people. We arrived in the middle of the first band, which should've been Tokyo Police Club but turned out to be some local band instead. Too bad cuz I was interested in seeing them but not a major disappointment. Angels and Airwaves was a joke and impossible to take seriously. After all, this was one of the singers for Blink 182. And it didn't help that he spent most of the show prancing around on stage like he was in a musical.
Our time was better spent doing this:
I know, borderline sacrilegious to substitute my face for Matt Sharp's, but what can you do?
Weezer went for the painter look as they took stage, wearing white jumpsuits. Rivers took things to the next level with white head sock thing painters wear to keep crap out of their hair. After a few songs they stripped down to red track suits (they should've sold these at the merch table, I would've bought one).
Here's the setlist, as transcribed on the back of my ticket:
My Name is Jonas
Pink Triangle
Perfect Situation
Say it Ain't So
Susanne
Keep Fishin'
King
The Sweater Song
Pork & Beans
Dreamin'
Dope Nose
Troublemaker
Automatic
Hash Pipe
El Scorcho
What's the Story (Morning Glory) (Oasis cover)
The Greatest Man that Ever Lived
Island in the Sun
Beverly Hills
Heart Songs (played on a record player that Rivers kicked over when they came back on stage)
Sliver (Nirvana cover)
Buddy Holly
"Perfect Situation" was probably my favorite song of the night, followed by "Susanne", which started off a capella, barbershop quartet style. It was also rad hearing the songs from the new album, especially dancing the Ben Jackson and the Urkel (ask for a demonstration at the next dance party) with Matt during Pork & Beans. "Pink Triangle" was great too, since I'm pretty sure I haven't heard that one live. "King" was a song I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. It's a bonus track on the deluxe version of the Red Album; I don't like it that much because the lyrics are kinda lame and Scott sings it. But live, I was quite impressed with Scott's voice and the overall arrangement of the song.
It wasn't the best Weezer concert I've been to (San Fran 2001 holds that title, probably always will), but it did deepen my love for them and reminded me how much fun they are live.
I really enjoyed the drive back; Kari and Leah are great driving companions. I'm super glad they came with me; I don't think I had realized how hard it would be to make the drive back to Rexburg alone. Although, if I did fall asleep and die, doing so right after a Weezer concert would be the way to go. Anyway, thanks for coming Kari and Leah, and helping a bit with gas, I totally owe you guys.
And yeah, it was pretty difficult getting out of bed on Wednesday after a mere two hours of sleep, but not as difficult as I had anticipated.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Way To Normal
I got my copy of Ben Folds' Way To Normal in the mail today. I think Amazon needs to adjust their shipping so I get the album on the day it comes out, not the day after. Anyway, I bought it on beautiful vinyl, which has become my preferred format, but only if it comes with free mp3 downloads, or if it's old and cheap. The former applied to this album.
I've been texting back and forth with Trevor for a good part of the day about our feelings on the album (it's OK for guys to discuss their feelings -- after all, it's the 00s). Trev said that he saw it as Ben Folds' Pinkerton (if you don't know what Pinkerton is, please leave). It's not a conclusion I would've come to myself but in some ways I agree with Trev; the album is full of rowdy sing-along songs, fuzzy 90s bass distortion, and introspective and/or intensely personal lyrics -- a side of Ben we've seen before, just not in this way.
One of my favorite tracks -- the "Butterfly" of this album, if you will -- is "Cologne". I'm pretty sure this song is about leaving his wife. Actually, pretty much the entire second half of this album -- namely "B**** Went Nuts" and "Brainwascht" -- seems to deal with divorce. This got me wondering about Ben's personal life and what relationship it might have to his songs. I did a little research. According to Wikipedia, he was divorced in April 2007 and married again in November of the same year, which explains much of this album.
I've always thought of Ben as a pretty shameless guy. This is evident in the fact that he doesn't mind involving others in his songs. Sometimes for the better ("Gracie", "Still Fighting It") and sometimes for the worse ("Trusted", "Give Judy My Notice"). And he's been dropping names (from "Kate" to Lisa to Fred Jones) since his Ben Folds Five days. Probably most are fictional, but I can't help but think they're based on real people and true events. While Ben goes easy on the name dropping this time around, the subject matter comes across as very real and extremely autobiographical. Which, incidentally, makes me wonder what his ex-wife and kids feel about his songs. What does she feel about how she "went nuts"? How does she feel that thousands of people will hear about it? I'm probably reading way too much into this, I'm just a little curios, that's all.
It's hard not to like Ben Folds, and Way To Normal is hardly an exception. It's a little more profane than Songs For Silverman and Rockin' The Suburbs, but it's still quite accessible and easy to get into. "Hiroshima", "Cologne", and "Brainwacht" are my favorite tracks.
I've been texting back and forth with Trevor for a good part of the day about our feelings on the album (it's OK for guys to discuss their feelings -- after all, it's the 00s). Trev said that he saw it as Ben Folds' Pinkerton (if you don't know what Pinkerton is, please leave). It's not a conclusion I would've come to myself but in some ways I agree with Trev; the album is full of rowdy sing-along songs, fuzzy 90s bass distortion, and introspective and/or intensely personal lyrics -- a side of Ben we've seen before, just not in this way.
One of my favorite tracks -- the "Butterfly" of this album, if you will -- is "Cologne". I'm pretty sure this song is about leaving his wife. Actually, pretty much the entire second half of this album -- namely "B**** Went Nuts" and "Brainwascht" -- seems to deal with divorce. This got me wondering about Ben's personal life and what relationship it might have to his songs. I did a little research. According to Wikipedia, he was divorced in April 2007 and married again in November of the same year, which explains much of this album.
I've always thought of Ben as a pretty shameless guy. This is evident in the fact that he doesn't mind involving others in his songs. Sometimes for the better ("Gracie", "Still Fighting It") and sometimes for the worse ("Trusted", "Give Judy My Notice"). And he's been dropping names (from "Kate" to Lisa to Fred Jones) since his Ben Folds Five days. Probably most are fictional, but I can't help but think they're based on real people and true events. While Ben goes easy on the name dropping this time around, the subject matter comes across as very real and extremely autobiographical. Which, incidentally, makes me wonder what his ex-wife and kids feel about his songs. What does she feel about how she "went nuts"? How does she feel that thousands of people will hear about it? I'm probably reading way too much into this, I'm just a little curios, that's all.
It's hard not to like Ben Folds, and Way To Normal is hardly an exception. It's a little more profane than Songs For Silverman and Rockin' The Suburbs, but it's still quite accessible and easy to get into. "Hiroshima", "Cologne", and "Brainwacht" are my favorite tracks.
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