Hallelujah

I literally sit around all day looking for the best version of this Leonard Cohen classic. I think everyone in the world has covered this song at some point in their life. I’ve heard Leonard’s verison, Rufus’s version, Jeff Buckley’s version, Cale’s version from Shrek, Phil Wickham’s version (which I didnt really care for) and so on and so forth. But there are two I particularly like. The first is by some woman named ‘Angelou.’ No, not Maya. I’ve only seen it on itunes, but it is great. It is essentialy Buckley’s version with a woman singing, and 2 steps higher, but it gets me every time. Download it if you can. The other version is by some weird looking Norweigan dudes (apparently one of them won World Idol) But the simplicity of it is really nice, though short. Check it out.

I also found this one earlier today. I think they succeed in making it their own. It’s not perfect, but pretty refreshing.

I’m sure there are tons I have missed. Which versions do YOU like to listen to?

What a Knight it will be

Bought our tickets on Saturday.  Friday, July 18th.  12:01am.  Fresno IMAX Theater.

The story continues…

Cause for Celebration

McCain n’ Me

Full story here

You will not believe my day (or, how I ended up on CNN)

On Friday, Randy informed me that Presidential Candidate John McCain would be holding an open Town Hall meeting here in glorious Fresno, CA. Being the firm Republican I am, but still not entirely sold on McCain as my choice for president, I felt it would be a great experience to attend and hear what he had to say about certain issues in person. And when would another a presidential candidate visit Fresno?

After driving around west Fresno for about 20 minutes, and realizing Fresno State’s website had given bogus directions, I arrived at the Satellite Student Union Building. I was able to chat it up with some other proud repubs, many of whom had traveled from all over the valley to come hear McCain. Randy showed up right before I made it to the door, and we were in. We noticed one of our friends was working event staff, and he asked if we would like to sit on the stage….um, yes please! The day suddenly took a turn for the better!

We had the best seats in the house. Here’s a few glimpses from my view (some of the pictures are bad, they’re all from my phone):

the podium!

stage right

stage left

Alan Autry and other Fresno big-wigs

After sitting on stage for an hour, and having some nice conversations with those around me, John McCain took the stage, gave a speech, and proceeded with the town hall meeting. It was great to be up close and personal with all the action. The meeting was aired on Fox News, CNN, KSEE 24, and ABC30.com. I am on a few clips on CNN’s website, as well as this clip here (I am literally behind McCain as the video begins, and as the camera pans out I’m there in the green shirt.)

Here’s a pic of the man himself

a very blurry John McCain

After he answered the final question, I got to shake his hand! Even though that’s really bad, you can see how close I was. It was truly an amazing day. He answered the questions fairly, dealt with opposition in a very classy and respectful manner, and presented himself as very knowledgeable and prepared to deal with all issues. Even though I don’t agree with all he stands for, he earned my respect for putting himself out there in service for our country.

Here’s one final pic, as he left the building

boo-yeah

This is one for the ages. What a great day.

*** UPDATE – My dad informed me this morning that there is a picture of me shaking John’s hand (I call him John now) in the ‘Local and State’ section of the Fresno Bee. Check it out if you can!

3 for 3 (or 0 for 0)

If anyone truly knows me, they know I love music more than anything. They also know how defensive and opinionated I get about the bands I love, like, and the ones I absolutely hate (basically all rap and country.) The past year has seen the release of new albums from 3 of my favorite bands: Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day, and Weezer. This should’ve been a banner year. But it wasn’t, and I’m sad. Very sad. Now I have to wait even longer for these guys to redeem themselves. If actual members of these bands actually read my blog, they should know these critiques come from one of their biggest fans. They should take into account everything I say so they can make a better album.

Jimmy Eat World – Chase this Light

They had 3 great albums in a row (Clarity, Bleed American, Futures) then they release this album, and its almost like they’re starting all over. I’m not saying each album needs to sound the same as previous ones, but Chase this Light feels too disjointed, more like a collection of random songs thrown together rather than a full, complete album. I love you, Jimmy. I know you’re capable of writing better songs. I still have hope. My rating = 2 stars out of 5

Saves the Day – Under the Boards

I understand this band is not for everybody. I became a fan when they released ‘Stay What you Are’ which was one of my favorite albums during my high school years, and is still one of my favorite albums. They reinvented themselves in 2003 with ‘In Reverie’ which I still hail as their masterpiece. The guitar work alone blows my mind. 2006 saw ‘Sound the Alarm’ which was almost a combination of the previous two albums. 3 solid albums in a row. So how could this one fail? First, their drummer Pete Parada left to join The Offspring (they’re still a band?) and they took the experimental-ness to a whole new level. Which is not a good thing. I enjoy a few songs from this record, but it leaves me wanting more, like they could have focused more on writing good songs than being artsy, or being different just for the sake of being different. At least I have their other 3 albums (oh yeah, anyone who thinks their albums before ‘Stay What you Are’ are the best Saves the Day records is just stupid. I guess if you’re not a fan of music you’ll like them more.) My rating = 2 stars out of 5

Now, the worst….

I LOVE WEEZER. They have written some of the best, cathiest, rocking pop songs I have ever heard. Its not rocket science to write a good pop/rock song, but other bands just seem incapable of pieceing together a good song like Weezer has in the past (Say it Aint So, Buddy Holly, The Sweater Song, El Scorcho, Hash Pipe, Beverly Hills, etc. etc.) When I first heard ‘Pork n’ Beans’ on the radio, I thought, “Weezer is back!” The guitars were reminiscent of the Blue Album (goodbye, line 6 pods), and although the lyrics were rather poor, it achieved what Weezer does best: creates a catchy pop song. Imagine the disappointment I faced after I listened to the album in its entirety for the first time. “What in the world did I just listen to?” These are some of the worst songs I have ever heard in my life. Are we experiencing Maladroit 2: The Red Album? I get more confused with each listen. It contains probably the worst lyrics I have ever heard. They are on par with “Summer Girls” by LFO. I think there are 3 songs I like on here, the rest are garbage (please, for your own sake, stay clear of ‘Everybody get Dangerous’ for it is one of the worst songs I have ever heard in my entire life) Sigh, poor Weezer. Scratch that, poor me! I really hope they get it together for their next release, not only for me, but for their biggest fan, Gene Pensiero.  My rating = 1.5 out of 5 stars

p.s. you can find my review for The Red Album on the itunes store, filter the reviews by rating, and mine is one of the 1 star reviews

I hope Jem releases a killer album this summer, cause I miss her.