Best of 2014

This is pretty cool... 

A raving review of Radiohearts' EP, "Nothing at All!"

Also, we're #52 (out of 249) on this best of Oct. 2014 list...

And to top it off, the eponymous song, "Nothing At All" made an end-of-year, 2014 Top Ten List!!

Check out our music here.

Thanks, it's been a great year!!

ICYMI

THE THINGZ IN THE LA WEEKLY!!

The Thingz
ALEX'S BAR
For more than a decade, The Thingz have been one of Long Beach’s catchiest garage-punk bands, but their music often has been overlooked, perhaps because in their early days it was so supremely and defiantly silly. Back then, just about every song was about food (“Manicotti Massacre”) or the life aquatic (“I’m Glad I’m Not a Mollusk”), but even the trio’s goofiest tendencies were fully powered by Jason Cordero’s relentlessly punishing drums, bassist Kim Morris’ punchy bass lines and the controlled savagery of guitar riffs from her husband, Mike Morris. The Thingz finally come into their own on their new album, Red Future. Most songs clock in at a Ramones-y two minutes or less, yet the group reveals new emotional and sonic range with balefully uplifting anthems such as “Not Mean (Just Soured)” and the unexpectedly rootsy and morbidly poignant “Julia Brown.” — Falling James

99% Perspiration

Love the book, Songwriter's on Songwriting, especially this excerpt from Leonard Cohen on the value, and indeed, the intense labor of the creation/revision process...

My immediate realm of thought is bureaucratic and like a traffic jam. My ordinary state of mind is very much like the waiting room at the DMV… So to penetrate this chattering and this meaningless debate that is occupying most of my attention, I have to come up with something that really speaks to my deepest interests. Otherwise I nod off in one way or another. So to find that song, that urgent song, takes a lot of versions and a lot of work and a lot of sweat. 

But why shouldn’t my work be hard? Almost everybody’s work is hard. One is distracted by this notion that there is such a thing as inspiration, that it comes fast and easy. And some people are graced by that style. I’m not. So I have to work as hard as any stiff, to come up with my payload. (emphasis added)

So true, but what wonderful "work" it is!

You're to Know Your Audience

As a teacher, it's my job to be a grammar snob.

But this article really put my snobbery in perspective for me... 

It's all about your audience... who's reading what you're writing...

Know your audience (Especially, if you don't know your 'yours!')

The Thingz on TV!!

Check out our TV debut from last Friday, November 7!

Gotta admit: I felt a bit like Bobby Brady when the cameras started rolling!

The Bottled Spirits in LB Municipal Cemetery

 

Thanks, again to Kirk Dominguez for the awesome photo!

FANCY (Uniform Song)

 *UPDATED 12/7/14: 

As you may or may not know, LBUSD has a district-wide uniform policy.  While most of our students and parents understand the economic and safety implications of this policy and abide by it, some students (and parents) need encouragement...

To that end, I decided that I'd use the 2013 Song of Summer, "Fancy," to encourage compliance...

Here's my version:

First thing first: tuck your shirt in

Got this gotta go to school for working

And I’m still in the learning business

In my uniform I’m ready for my lessons

You should always come dressed for success

Don’t worry what to wear so you can do your best

Khaki pants, khaki skirt, khaki shorts,

Blue shirt or green – you know you’ve gotta choice!

Making sure my clothes look great, never sloppy

Clean top or I’ll put it in the laundry

Feet together, arms at your side

Can’t hide that Bulldog Pride!

I’m so fancy – you already know

I’m in uniform everyday I show

I’m so fancy – don’t you waste your dough

Remember every day – dress code!

In case you were wondering, the school I work at, Bret Harte, has a bulldog as a mascot, although I have (and will) change the lyrics for another school/mascot upon request.

Now, if I could only embed the audio somehow... *(FTFY)

Next up, "I'm all about the books, 'bout the books, no TV!" :)

The Bottled Spirits at LB Folk Fest

Thanks to everyone who came to the 2nd Annual Long Beach Folk Revival Festival!  We had a blast!!

Roald Dahl Quotes

To commemorate his 98th birthday last week, this website has compiled 13 Roald Dahl quotes*...

I especially like the ones about reading and books... Those'll probably end up in my classroom this year!

*Tip o' the energy dome to Moms for sending the link to me... love you!

e e cummings

Humanity I Love You

Humanity i love you
because you would rather black the boots of
success than enquire whose soul dangles from his
watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both

parties and because you
unflinchingly applaud all
songs containing the words country home and
mother when sung at the old howard

Humanity i love you because
when you’re hard up you pawn your
intelligence to buy a drink and when
you’re flush pride keeps

you from the pawn shop and
because you are continually committing
nuisances but more
especially in your own house

Humanity i love you because you
are perpetually putting the secret of
life in your pants and forgetting
it’s there and sitting down

on it
and because you are
forever making poems in the lap
of death Humanity

i hate you

Postmodern Jukebox

Yep!!

Advice from Bill Waterson

A few weeks old, but an excellent comic and article about the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, one of my favorite comic strips...

This quote hit pretty close to home...

to persist in the face of continual rejection requires a deep love of the work itself

Amen!

THINGZ on KXLU!

Last night The Thingz were invited on the "Stray Pop" show hosted by Stella on KXLU.  She interviewed us, then let us spin some of our favorite records, just like real DJs!  As you can see from the picture, we had a blast... thanks again, Stella!!

Bright Star

Edie and Steve have a new musical!

Time for a trip back to a Whale's Vagina! lol

A Daunting, Rewarding Task

I never thought I'd be quoting Andrew W.K. or know him for anything other than this:

But the other day, Brad Houser (whose bass guitar skills I will have the pleasure of listening to in-person, in Austin tomorrow, at what's apparently a one-night-only Critters Buggin reunion!) posted a surprisingly thoughtful Andrew W.K. article that addressed divisive politics in this country.

Apparently, the Village Voice has an "Ask Andrew W.K." column (or blog) and a "Son of a Right-Winger" wrote in to ask how he, a "liberal democrat with very progressive values" was supposed to "deal with" his father, a "super rightwing conservative."

W.K.'s response perfectly encapsulated feelings that I've had about partisanship for several years now.

It's rather long, but a few parts were especially remarkable.

First, his admonition to not reduce the complexities of life to black and white or "binary" systems reminded me of the dangers of tribalism and how the elite benefit from dividing us into two warring camps.

W.K. (8/6/14):  This is the fatal flaw of binary thinking in general. However, this flaw isn't just ignored, it's also embraced, amplified, and deliberately used as a weapon on the very people who think it's benefiting their way of thinking.

But he really hit it out of the park toward the end when he spoke of the daunting, but ultimately rewarding task of trying to understand people with different opinions.  In the end, we are all human, and we all (mostly) want to live.

WK (8/6/14):  So we must protect and respect each other, no matter how hard it feels. No matter how wrong someone else may seem to us, they are still human. No matter how bad someone may appear, they are truly no worse than us. Our beliefs and behavior don't make us fundamentally better than others, no matter how satisfying it is to believe otherwise. We must be tireless in our efforts to see things from the point of view we most disagree with. We must make endless efforts to try and understand the people we least relate to. And we must at all times force ourselves to love the people we dislike the most. Not because it's nice or because they deserve it, but because our own sanity and survival depends on it.

Indeed, our very existence depends on the Golden Rule, that exhausting task to love.

Criticizing with Kindness

this is actually a sound psychological strategy that accomplishes one key thing: It transforms your opponent into a more receptive audience for your criticism or dissent, which in turn helps advance the discussion.

As a liberal who likes to engage conservatives in policy discussions, this is extremely useful advise...

Read more about it here.

Live Mummies!!

If you've never seen this, stop what you're doing, and spend the next half hour* experiencing some of the greatest rock and roll ever recorded... seriously, this should be in the Smithsonian of Rock on infinite loop!

*or just FF to 22:32 for their cover of Devo's "Uncontrollable Urge!"

LA LA LAND

Pre-show view from the Redwood Bar & Grill, DTLA, 7/30/14

RIP Idris Muhammad

The first time I heard Grant Green, "Alive," I was blown away by his drumming... tight, melodic, and funky as all hell... Sad that I never got to see him perform live...

At least Idris and Grant can finally jam together again! 

Here's a nice article from his New Orleans hometown paper...

Aww, gee, shucks...

Lights Go Out Zine issue #28 . . .

"THE THINGZ - Red Future EP

Limited Edition of 200 12" vinyl with hand printed sleeves from Long Beach surf punks , the Thingz. I'm a fan of this band after hearing their last release 'Step Right Up' and their quirky sound and this release not only looks amazing, it sounds it too. Opener 'Down and Out' (reminds me of 'I Want Candy' by Bow Wow Wow) is a great start, catchy and right away gets you interested in this record. 11 tracks of garage inspired 50's sounding surf punk rock that's seriously infectious. The riffs are hugely catchy too, the lyrics are fun throughout and it can't help but put a smile on your face. With hints of UK band Chester too, this is always going to sit well with me. I admit it, I love this album, it's just pure fun and if all music was as happy as this (and wasn't ska) then this is very good thing."

Listen to it here.

Gospel of Bill

"Ultimately, the message in my material is a call for understanding rather than ignorance, peace rather than war, forgiveness rather than condemnation, and love rather than fear" - Hicks

Here ends the reading from the Gospel of Bill.

For the rest, go here.

Muisc = More Life

Every Wednesday, I have the privilege of singing and playing guitar with all the 5th graders at my school.  

This is why I do it. :)

Long Beach Folk Revival Festival 2014

Very honored and excited that The Bottled Spirits have been invited to perform at the 2nd Annual Long Beach Folk Revival Festival on Saturday, September 27! 

Look at that line-up!!  Frank Fairfield!  Tom Brosseau!!

Gonna be a good time!  Get tickets and more information here.

"Why Concerts Aren't Fun"

File this article under:  Disagree.  That's not me!  Duh, dance!!

Tenure

I don't know who this blogger is, but I ran across his post about tenure for print/tv media "journalists."

It seemed to combine two of my favorite topics:  education reform and media decline.

Basically, what does it take to get fired from the NY Times?

And don't say plagiarism because Jason Blair resigned!

Don't Date a Teacher!

Ha!

Media Narratives

Today's SCOTUS 5/4 decision reminds me that elections have consequences. 

Specifically, that the effects of the 2000 election still linger and will for many years to come... 

Putting aside conservative justices that made today’s Hobby Lobby vote possible (as well as George W. Bush's presidency), there remains a mainstream media practice that quite possibly was the real decider of the 2000 election:  the “journalistic” technique of employing narratives to typecast presidential candidates.

Remember the cast of 2000? 

The Straight-Talking Maverick, John McCain… (recycled in 2008)

The Authentic Texan, George W. Bush… 

And, of course, the out of touch, inauthentic, know-it-all liar, Al Gore. 

Our mainstream media (not Fox), began this “War on Gore,” as Bob Somerby has dubbed it, some 20 months prior to the 2000 election and arguably made the race so close that the SCOTUS had to step in.

Now, 14 years later, another script is being cast. 

For the past two weeks, the same type of poisonous narrative that was created by our press corp about Al Gore is currently being written, but this time not about an actual, announced candidate.

This time it’s forming around a presumptive nominee, Hillary Clinton.

She hasn't even announced if she'll run yet, but framing Clinton as too rich/out of touch has already begun in the Washington Post and by people like Diane Sawyer on TV, conveniently ignoring the millions of dollars a year pundits like her make for reading the “news” or giving their opinions on TV.

The hypocrisy is one thing, but for heaven’s sake, there are 29 months before our next presidential election!! 

In fairness, most pundits have played by The Clinton Rules for the last 29 years, so there's that.

But was there really NOTHING of substance Sawyer could have possibly asked the former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State? 

Instead of asking about her troubling speech fees, could Sawyer have asked Clinton about her "Too Small to Fail" campaign that tries to close that 30-35 million word gap that many students from low-income and low literacy backgrounds have by the age of three, a deficit that undoubtedly feeds our academic achievement gaps, not to mention national drop-out rates? 

Or would that not fit the narrative of Clinton being a big, rich phony?

Yes, elections have consequences, but so do these media narratives. 

My question is, in this age of social media, will these caricatures work again?

Psuedomaturity

Interesting article in the NY Times about "cool kids" in middle school and how their popularity wanes and leads to self-destructive tendencies ten years later.

HOFFMAN (6/23/14):  A constellation of three popularity-seeking behaviors characterized pseudomaturity, Dr. Allen and his colleagues found. These young teenagers sought out friends who were physically attractive; their romances were more numerous, emotionally intense and sexually exploring than those of their peers; and they dabbled in minor delinquency — skipping school, sneaking into movies, vandalism.

As they turned 23, the study found that when compared to their socially slower-moving middle-school peers, they had a 45 percent greater rate of problems resulting from alcohol and marijuana use and a 40 percent higher level of actual use of those substances. They also had a 22 percent greater rate of adult criminal behavior, from theft to assaults.

Sadly, I have/had 5th graders that could be described as "psuedomature."  I sure hope they figure it out before it's too late!

"It Deserves Your Attention."

“When you collect vinyl, it's much harder than just collecting MP3s, for example. It's expensive. It weighs a lot. You have to maintain it. Even when you listen to it, you can't just put it on and forget about it. It deserves your attention. I think people who collect vinyl have that respect for the music."

Truth.

"Try to contribute to the horror as little as possible."

Excited to be going to see Devo perform "Hardcore Devo Vol. I & II" at the end of this month!

Here's an interview with Jerry talking about the shows...

Duty Now, Spuds!

New Classroom Quote

"Literacy is the habit of paying attention and trying to figure things out." -Somerby, The Daily Howler

Roll like Spicoli

Ever wanted to roll like Spicoli and book your favorite band?

Find out how much money you'll have to blow here!*

*YDNFTF makes no claim to the veracity of this article nor the accuracy of these prices... :)

MC Thesaurus

Find out how your favorite rapper compares to Shakespeare and Melville on this handy chart!

Using the "number of unique words used within [an] artist's first 35,000 lyrics," Matt Daniels compared them to the first 35,000 words of 7 famous Shakespeare plays and the first 35,000 words of Moby Dick.

Wu-Tang Clan scored close to Melville, while my favorite, MF Doom, scored higher than Shakespeare!

"Hard Days"

Here's a video of a Bottled Spirits original, filmed by Cesar Serna....                                           Enjoy!!

"Snapshots From The Epicenter"

Kirk Dominguez and Jenn Kitner

So grateful to Jenn and Kirk!  I've had the pleasure of working with these two talented photographers a number of times over the past few years...  Now I'm even more flattered to be featured not once, but twice, in their excellent exhibit, "Snapshots From the Epicenter" at 4th St. Vine in Long Beach.

Read more about it here.

A thousand thanks again, Jenn and Kirk!!

Home Studios

These are sexy!

Why I Still Buy Records

This about sums it up.

It's Over!

Could you imagine breaking up with the internet?

David Byrne can...
 

Complicated Core

A couple days ago, this image started making the rounds on the internets.  Then, this morning, I heard Glenn Beck joking about it:

Later this afternoon, I heard that Indiana was the first state to reject Common Core.

But what's been really weird is watching my progressive and conservative friends finally agree on something:

They can't stand Common Core!

Here's the thing:  everybody needs to calm down.

CC may not perfect, but it's also not complete garbage either.

Kind of like Frustrated Parent's letter:  It isn't complete garbage, but it's certainly far from perfect.

First of all, "in the real world" there is more than one way to solve a problem. That's what this CC exercise is trying to teach. It's fine to use the standard algorithm (as FP did), but I want my students to know that even though the difference has three 1's in it, they're not all the same value.  Using a number line and skip counting is one way to teach that, but not the only way... like the old saying goes, "There's more than one way to skin a cat!" 

Why wouldn't a parent with a BS know that?

Second, while both FP and I would probably whole-heartedly agree with Bukowski that, "An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way," I would maintain that FP is a perfect example of why we shouldn't necessarily "value" "simplificaiton" "over complication."

(Who would have thought that someone with a BS "which included extensive study in differential equations and other higher math applications" could not "explain the CCM approach" of SKIP COUNTING? Or would find it anything but simple??)

But I digress... 

FP and I agree!  "The process used is ridiculous and [might] result in termination if used..."

Yes...  if that 3rd grader had a job!

(By the way, CC does NOT mandate that once your child is old enough to be employed, he MUST use skip counting to solve ALL subtraction problems.)

Sorry, I think FP might be simplifying things a bit...

To many youngsters, the symbolic nature of numbers and operations makes them very slippery concepts to comprehend, especially before their brains have physically developed the ability to understand abstract thought.  Developing minds need concrete connections (like number lines) to understand these fuzzy concepts.

CC (and more specifically CGI strategies developed by Meagan Franke, et al, 2000) attempts to give students a concrete basis for these abstract concepts (like place value to the hundreds in primary grades) so that they can articulate their thinking behind using the standard algorithm like FP used.

Unlike FP's child, we can assume that FP's adult brain is fully developed, with the ability to comprehend highly technical, abstract ideas and nuanced perspectives (not that this letter is a shining example of this)...

So are we really comparing apples to apples when we compare the mathematical understanding of the fully developed (not to mention, more educated) brain of FP to an elementary school student's?

Again, is FP simplifying things or does FP simply not know the differences in physiology between the two?

(In fairness, I don't think that Electronic Engineering degrees include a childhood development prerequisite.)

Progressives AND conservatives should be celebrating the diversity of thought that these standards support.  No longer is there The One Right and True Way of Doing Things (the teacher's way).  Students are encouraged to think creatively and try different strategies that work for THEM, so that they can articulate, not just a correct answer, but HOW they got it and WHY it works.

Everybody, That's a Good Thing!

Obviously, CC is not perfect--the fact that it's a top-down approach (funded by the Walton, Broad, and Gates' Foundations, to name a few) that is still tied to high-stakes standardized testing is unfortunate... 

But sometimes I feel like my fellow progressive friends won't take yes for an answer... To wit:  for years we've been championing students understanding the how and the why of math problems... Lo and behold, CC calls for that, and we still complain!

As one of my favorite bands said a decade ago, "History will show our progress is slow... when we win, we win in inches." 

Baby steps.  Little victories.  Progress is slowly being made...

Can't we celebrate that? 

We, as a nation, have gotten pretty good at guessing on multiple choice questions (only 1 right answer/when in doubt, always guess C!), and our critical thinking skills have suffered.

Simplifying everything down to The One Right Way is part of the problem, and FP, as well-intentioned as he/she seems, may be a good example of this.

Street Fighting Man

"What can a poor boy do, except to sing for a rock and roll band?"

Well, he could read the fascinating oral history of the '90's arcade sensation, Street Fighter II.

Never played the game in my life, so I'm not sure why I found the article so compelling...

I mean, 5 chapters is no small piece....

Someone please tell me in comments why this was so entertaining!

My Husband's Stupid Record Collection

This is awesome!

Wife listens to and blogs about her husband's records!

Panther Heart

A few years ago, I was in a folk-pop band called, The Clouds.  When we broke up, two separate bands formed in the aftermath:

California Lions and Panther Heart.

Much like the splintering of At the Drive-in, the two groups created were diametrically opposite:  the former, a pure pop band and the latter, an art/orchestral rock band.

I wasn't involved with either, but I did attend both groups' shows.

California Lions were a tight, cohesive unit with concise, if not quirky pop songs, a self-contained group with a Hollywood producer to boot.  Their songs were catchy and would sometimes be played in the background of reality shows on MTV.

In other words, they were pros.

Panther Heart were the antithesis of that.  Their first show was a fully improvised 60-minute set, complete with psychedelic projections and interpretive dance.  The next time I saw them, they performed a song cycle that would soon form the basis of their first two ep's, "Panther Heart Defeats the Dire Wolf," parts 1 & 2. 

These songs intrigued me.  They reminded me of my favorite Talk Talk albums, dreamy with a hint of foreboding.  They had wordless melodies, and their harmonies were gorgeous.  But while their songs were captivating, they lacked bass, and without its counterpart, the drums seemed noticeably unmoored from the rest of the band.

I saw my opening...

Sometime in the middle of 2012, I asked if I could play bass for them, and thankfully they let me, thus beginning my Tuesday ritual of weekly practices at the Panther Den.  By then, we had eight members, including me, and when we all sang, the sound was incredible!

We recorded the aforementioned ep's (Part 1 includes a book we hand-made) and occasionally played shows until this year, when we decided that this iteration of Panther Heart had run its course...

The good news is, I'm told there will be more music coming from a different version of Panther Heart...   

In the meantime, here's our website.  There are a few nice photos of our rather elaborate shows (including this line-up's farewell performance, January 31) and hopefully, very soon, you'll be able listen to (or purchase) our two e.p.'s directly from the site... 

 Enjoy!

Sincere Thingz

 

  Fun show last Saturday!! Thanks to everyone who came out!  

       And thanks to the OC Weekly for the kind words! 

"A man is real, not made of steel."

RIP Robert Casale, Jr. (BOB 2)

1952-2014

170

See what your IQ is here!

And if anyone can tell me what the missing letter is that fits in BOTH boxes (question 19, if it's the same test), please share in comments...

(I marked, 'I don't know' hoping I'd get points for being smart enough to admit that I don't know everything!)
 ;)

SALUD!

Thank you, Maker's Mark, for fighting cancer and my sobriety at the same time!

Read about more health benefits of drinking whiskey here.

"This is our concern, Dude."

 

RIP PSH

The GIFYS!!!

BEHOLD!!

Praise the Lorde!

On related note, I was very pleased to see that Lorde won a couple Grammys. 

She seems like the real deal...  Let's just hope she doesn't pull a Fiona... 

My favorite quote from her so far is:  "Make so much music you have no friends."

Amen.

If the show fits...

Watching parts of the Grammys the other night, I couldn't help but be reminded of this DEVO quote from General Boy:

"Artists and performers are usually good looking guys and girls who couldn't hold a real job. Seeing the world through twisted eyes leads them to "create." Through songs and the like they gain public attention. This does nothing to increase the general welfare of society, but instead it lines the pockets of spiritless sub-humans who should know better but don't. Entertainment is a cancer that we must eradicate. "Art" is sometimes the excuse by which these people perpetuate their cruel and selfish hoax. I ask you to join DEVO's efforts to correct this situation from the inside out. All of you must realize that a few are shepherds but the rest are sheep. It is every citizen's duty to be constantly alert."

HNY!!

2014!!!