Kyrandallo

I was introduced to The Avett Brothers when I was living in CookeVegas, TN.  They were decently well-known in that area since they are from Concord, NC.  I started by listening to some underground stuff from their days as the rock group, Nero. Then I transitioned to their new style under the name, The Avett Brothers.  I was blown away…

I grew up in a music family (kind of a Hispanic Jackson 5+2).  As a result, I have learned to appreciate good music and the qualities that can make it so.  I have never heard a style quite like theirs.  Scott and Seth have absolutely mastered the art of harmonizing with each other.  I once read an interview where they said their harmonic inspiration came from listening to Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell (two guys who also mastered harmony).  Their mix of banjo, acoustic guitar, stand up bass, and cello is beautiful.  Furthermore, Scott and Seth also play electric guitar, piano, drums, and harmonica.  Amazingly, Wikipedia has a pretty good description of their style,

The Avett Brothers combine bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a sound described by the San Francisco Chronicle as having the heavy sadness of Townes Van Zandt, the light pop concision of Buddy Holly, the tuneful jangle of the Beatles, the raw energy of the Ramones.

I was absolutely hooked!  Since that time, I have purchased all of their albums and seen them live about a half a dozen times.  I simply cannot explain how amazing their live performances are.  All I can say is that I have never been disappointed.

I recommend listening to one of their early albums such as, A Carolina Jubilee. I think that will help you appreciate how their music as evolved as you make your way through their albums.  Of course, you can skip to their latest album, I and Love and You. It’s pretty amazing too.

4-year-old Josh “Rizzo” Sacco has become a bit of an internet sensation over the last week.  His father claims that Josh has watched the 2004 film, Miracle, over 150 times.  You’ll be hard-pressed to deny that claim after you watch Josh’s recitation of Herb Brooks’ (played by Kurt Russell) locker room speech.  It’s incredibly weird, but also hilarious.  He’s become such a hit that he’s already made his way on the Ellen Degeneres Show.  Of course, leave it to the “humorously-challenged” to start a controversy over the whole story.  Enjoy!  

You can compare and contrast, but remember that this kid is 4 and cannot read!

It seems that Miles Austin’s 10 catch, 250 yard, 2 touchdown day against the Kansas City Chiefs has earned him a place in the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.  I will proudly (and at the expense of readers) admit that I am one of the biggest Dallas Cowboys fans on this planet.  My cause of death will almost certainly be extreme depression after one of their miserable performances.  My point is that I desperately want this guy to become one of the greatest receivers in the history of great receivers.  However, let’s tap the breaks a little before guaranteeing this guy a spot in Canton. 

Miles had 1 monster game that wouldn’t have even been that amazing if he would have made some crucial catches earlier in the game.  All those “told ya so” fans out there are full of crap!  Austin had 5 catches, 81 yards, and 1 touchdown in the 4 games prior to the win in Kansas City. What exactly could any logical person have said about him prior to Sunday? 

Let’s give him a few more games with his expanded role before we determine that he needs a 6 year extension and a new line of shoes.

UFO enthusiasts have been buzzing lately over the rare formation of clouds in Moscow.  I spent about 10 minutes reading the wild and crazy theories that have emerged, and I must say that some people are out of their minds.  Nevertheless, the formation is pretty amazing.  Russian meteorologists have attempted to dispel the rumors of an alien invasion by saying that it was merely a natural phenomenon. 

Personally, I blame Roland Emmerich and Sony’s 2012 marketing team.  What better way to advertise the movie than to manipulate the atmosphere in such a way that an apocalyptic hole in the sky can form over a foreign country?  Americans were only able to see the “cloud” via 3rd party footage.  No one across the globe can verify whether this was an act of God or the beginning of the end.  Now we’ll have to see the movie to find out.

Well done you Sony.  Well done.

All people have an egocentric trait within their character makeup.  It is simply impossible to be completely selfless.  Unfortunately, some of these individuals are incapable of regulating their self-centered side.  This post could go on forever about the various instances of egocentrism (airport Darwinism, salad bar space cadets, etc.), but that’s not my intention.  Why are some people such freaking idiots about certain types of cell phone etiquette?

Because I currently live in San Francisco, I often find myself on BART, MUNI, or some other form of public transportation.  I have already come to terms with the fact that sharing public transportation will never be pleasant.  I just don’t get the people who get on a bus, plane, or train and determine that we need to hear what they have to say.  And not only do we need to hear it, but we need it to be loud and clear. 

On a daily basis, I can pretty much rely on that guy who is shattering the acceptable decibel level to report how shit-canned he got the night before.  I also can rest assured that little miss “I can’t believe she said that he said that I said what we all thought we should have said” will honor my fellow passengers with a string of high-pitched cacophony.  I truly believe that many of these people are unaware of how annoying they really are.  My dad has been a loud person in general for as long as I can remember (which is probably why I am so sensitive to it).  I’d be willing to bet that he has no clue.  I just think people need to have some personal rules when using their phone in public.  Here are a few suggestions:

• Don’t use your phone on any form of public transportation unless it is necessary.
• If you must use your phone among your fellow passengers, don’t try to project the conversation through a brick wall.  Volume!!
• That above-mentioned rule also applies in public places where it’s relatively quiet (i.e. movie, store).
• For the love of baby Jesus, don’t use the speaker phone!! That also goes for using the speaker as a boom box (We really don’t want to hear your iTunes through a 1 inch, distorted speaker).
• If people are staring at you while you are on your phone, it’s probably because they want to kill you. Shut up.
• Be aware that you are not the only person on this planet!
• Oh God! If you do nothing else, please put your loud, annoying, horrible ringtone on vibrate.  If you have to keep it on, don’t let it ring for 45 seconds.

If you really can’t adhere to any of these suggestions, please get rid of your cell phone because I hate you.

Rush Limbaugh confirmed last week that he and St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts are interested in buying the amazing St. Louis Rams (0-5).  Rush made quite a splash in the NFL during his time with ESPN by saying that Donovan McNabb was overrated due to the color of his skin.  It is primarily for that reason that his decision to buy the team is being met with such fierce opposition.  Al Sharpton is the most recent “high profile” public figure to express outrage over the news.  Various NFL players and members of the NFLPA have also voiced their concern.  Even the soft-spoken, politically correct Jason Whitlock has expressed his opinion.

I’ll admit that I am not the biggest fan of Rush Limbaugh for various reasons.  I am not even sure that he would know the first thing about running a professional football team.  Furthermore, the Rams have no chance of saving face this season.  They are bad.  A new ownership probably won’t help balance the ”win” side of the standings.  Nevertheless, I don’t see why the man should be banned from owning a team for the comments he made in the past.  He may be a loudmouth bastard, but so are many other team owners.  I certainly don’t condone racism, but is he really the first racist figure to enter the league?  Give me a break.  Besides, I just can’t see him becoming a racist figure of tyranny and oppression under Roger Goodell’s reign.  Roger would destroy Rush in such a circumstance. 

Maybe a new ownership will do this team some good.  They are so bad right now.

In an effort to boost sales, attract younger readers, and make history, Playboy’s November issue will feature Marge Simpson as the cover girl.  Marge, the moralistic mother of the Simpson family, will be the first cartoon character to ever grace Playboy’s cover.  Matt Groening and Hugh Hefner both support the idea.  Of course, why wouldn’t they?  There is almost no doubt that sheer curiosity alone will lead plenty of people to buy a copy of the magazine.  It’s kind of twisted and a bit odd, but I think it’s a genius marketing tactic.  There will obviously be some kind of negative criticism toward the innovative idea, but when doesn’t that happen?  How much controversy can really come from having a prominent cartoon character bare all?  If anything, it will probably open the door for similar types of collaborations.  Personally, I think Lois Griffin should follow suit. 

The magazine hits the stands October 16, 2009.

The Nobel Peace Prize Organization issued this press release today:

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama’s initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama’s appeal that “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

It’s a bit of a shock, but I certainly love the man.  Well done you Mr. President.

I’m pretty sure that there are more people in this country that hate the Dallas Cowboys versus those who love them. In fact, I’m often convinced that many people choose to hate the Cowboys on sheer principle. I suppose it what it is. Most dynasties are typically the target of enmity. People just love to hate. Although Dallas certainly has its share of enemies, the most recent Harris Poll has found that the Dallas Cowboys are indeed America’s favorite football team.  I should point out, however, that 1 in 5 of those surveyed chose the Pittsburgh Steelers to win it all.

Whatever.

One of the purposes of Facebook is to keep people connected. The other purpose is to make internet marketing easier than shooting fish in a sippy cup – that’s a post for another time. Needless to say, I really don’t have a problem with who creates an account. I have even come to terms with the quizzes, pirate requests, pokes, and horrid/incriminating photo tags.

In my opinion, there is really just one issue with Facebook (two if I count the fact that some people spend too much time on it). It’s basically summed up here: http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/.

What do you do when your parents, aunts, uncles, and all their friends come knocking on your Facebook door? One might think it’s as simple as ignoring or declining the request, but c’mon, really!? I can already imagine divided Thanksgivings and broken Christmas days. Plus, you’ve practically accepted if one of your siblings or friends has already caved. Just think about it.

I’ll admit, I did the “right thing” and accepted.  However, that decision did not come until after I removed hundreds of photos, posts, updates, and certain friends. Since then, I’ve sat back and watched the flood of family and friends join the circus. It’s actually interesting to see my elders act the same way we did more than 10 years ago when we were introduced to social networking.

The thing I started to resent was the inability to say things like “damn I hope that cop doesn’t find me” or “I could have never learned THAT in school”. I know there are all kinds of filters and security features, but I wouldn’t have needed any of that shit before clicking “accept”.  I also got sick of the profuse whining and lamenting about any and everything. Although, that element of Facebook was exasperating even before “they” showed up.  I have a teenage cousin that should be shot in the face over some of the stupid crap he posts.   

I digress.

In any event, I said screw it and deleted the account.  I’ll stick with Twitter.