Monday, September 28, 2009

Feeling Low?

Check these guys out. I don't know anything about them, I'd never heard of them before, but I came across this video, and now I'm hooked.


Sir Renegade of the Damned

Saturday, September 26, 2009

October Events

October is going to be a busy month here at Not Lame Minus.

☻ After an abortive attempt to participate in Kevin Youkilis' book drive for kids back in June (cancelled due to lack of interest, partly due to our little blog being so new, as well as the relatively short notice), we here at NLM are looking to do something of True Importance - contribute to a charity or cause of worth. We have posted a poll for all of our readers to help select which of several great organizations we will support. Below the poll there is a list of links, so that you can check out each option if you can't decide which you would most like to help. Once the chosen cause is determined (on October 20th), we will be asking that you readers please contribute at least a dollar out of the goodness of your hearts, and a willingness affect positive change in the world, no matter how small it might seem. Details will follow, but each person who sends in at least a dollar will receive a wooden nickel and an NLM magnet just for helping! There will also be a prize (hint: wearable) for the largest donor, and depending on how many readers participate, at least one other random winner.

☻ Also, we are going to have a Halloween Costume Contest! After all of the parties & celebrations have ended, please send a 'fit to print' (nothing x-rated please) photo of you in your costume to NotLameMinus@gmail.com so that we can choose the best (and probably a few other categories like Scariest, Sexiest and Most Original). The winner(s) will get something cool in the mail, and possibly a post about the event(s) at which it was worn. Finally, as a cool link to the charitable project listed above, NLM will donate one dollar per photo we receive!

☻ And lastly, if anyone has the urge to taste-test various fall beers (Octoberfests, pumpkin-based, etc...), feel free to submit a review and/or full-length story for publication to the e-mail address in the previous paragraph. We would love to hear voices other than our own, as well as be directed toward the best autumn grain-based potables!

Thanks in advance to all who dive into the shared fun here at Not Lame Minus. It's turning out to be what we imagined: a place for our friends & families to find local fun stuff easily, promote our friends' bands, and relate the random antics of a few guys most of you know. Let's make October the best month yet, and don't forget to check out the links at the top of NLM for all of your Outdoor Fall Fun searches!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Album Review: Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson "Break Up"

*sigh*

I really have a problem with actors/actresses who decide they want to put out an album. For example: I enjoyed Zooey Deschanel's singing in the movie "Elf", but the cd she did under the name "She & Him" was uneven at best, and actually not enjoyable to me (I wound up giving the cd away after a few listens). When I found out that Pete Yorn had a new cd coming out on the heels of the recently-released "Back & Fourth", I was elated! Until I heard that it was a shared bill with Scarlett Johansson.

I saw the video for the first song, "Relator", on VH1 a week or so ago, and it validated my suspicions: while the music was good (as Pete's almost always is), the female voice sounded like it was being phoned in to a vanity project. Still, it had a catchy beat.


Fast-forward (flash back?) to this past Tuesday: I caved and bought the cd when I found a Newbury Comics coupon in my e-mail ($8.99), figuring that Mr. Yorn's music might outweigh what I imagined would be a car-crash of sorry singing by yet another amateur actress. After ten listens (I played it four times straight through while I was sketching the day I bought it, and at least once a day since), it's actually Not (completely) Lame Minus (I couldn't resist). There are a few good songs, and a few annoying ones. It would be MUCH better if Scarlett hadn't overlain her bored and nasally "yes, I am an actor, but music is my first love" vocal dabblings on Pete's songs. But she is good on a few.

I recommend the disc as a whole for background music at a casual get-together, or as a palate-cleanser between cds you really love (haha), say Pete's other cd's, Mojave 3, or John Mayer. Or if you are a fan of Jack Johnson (I am not), Scarlett's singing is just as bored and lazy, and it would fit right in. My official review:

"Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson's 'Break Up' is a pleasantly bland aural cracker, whose main purpose seems to be to help you enjoy the finer vintages of music you listen to on either side of it. Though there are a few tasty crumbs within."

Now tell me how you liked it! ☺

Monday, September 14, 2009

Sunset at NLM Central

Taken through my open home office window earlier tonight...

Saturday, September 12, 2009

The "Big Beatles Poll" Results


After a week's worth of hype, various levels of excitement & participation, and a surprising number of submissions, the results are in! Some people couldn't pick just one album or song, so the only '1-vote-per-person tally' will be for 'Favorite Beatle', while 'Favorite Album' will be the top three vote-getters, and the 'Favorite Song' section has so many ties, I'll just list the ones that appeared in the most submissions, and also had reasons why and/or memories alongside...

Favorite Albums (in order):
  1. Rubber Soul
  2. Abbey Road
  3. Let It Be
Favorite Songs (random order):
  • "Norwegian Wood"
  • "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"
  • "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds"
  • "She Loves You"
  • "Ticket to Ride"
  • "Here Comes the Sun"
  • "Twist and Shout"
Favorite Band Member:
  1. Paul - 14 votes
  2. John - 9 votes
  3. George - 6 votes
  4. Ringo - 4 votes
There you have it! The people have spoken. Worthy choices all. And as a thank you, one lucky contributor chosen at random will receive the remastered cd of his/her choice! Thanks to everyone who took the time to add their votes or send a few words. And a HUMONGOUS thanks to those of you who sent longer pieces, with permission to print them. You folks made this a lot of fun for us here at Not Lame Minus.

And for those of you who didn't get a chance (or opted not) to participate this time, have no fear! There will be a pair of chances to be heard (and seen!) amidst the Not Lame Minus community towards the end of October, when we will have an R.E.M.-based event (smaller than "Beatles Week"), as well as a Halloween costume contest!

"Beatles Week" Unfinished Business


Since I was born in ‘68, I was too young to be a part of Beatlemania. I was never consciously a Beatles fan while I was growing up, even though they were played on the radio or in the car all the time. When I first began recognizing artists as I was getting into music, I’d actually thought of The Beatles as a more serious version of The Monkees, since I’d watched the latters’ tv show religiously, and my mom had several Monkees records sitting in her album stack to mess around with. And the only song of the Fab Four I really knew and liked was "The Beatles Movie Medley” that came out around ‘82. It had a lot going on in it, with many catchy parts. And as bizarre as 'Monkees over Beatles' might sound, as an added bit of irony, my friend Steve L. and I used to buy every John Lennon’s 45 ("[Just Like] Starting Over", "Beautiful Boy [Darling Boy]", "Watching the Wheels", and "Woman") we could get our hands on at the local downtown record store when we had a spare dollar or two. So: The Beatles were ‘too serious’, yet the most serious Beatle of them all had a big place in our record collections! Oh well, what the heck did I know? I wasn’t even a teenager yet… ☺

Once I reached college, my friend Keith B. was a humongous Beatles fan, so I heard a lot of their stuff in his dorm room. However, I was all caught up in the 4AD and Sub Pop record labels, R.E.M., and ‘alternative’ bands with female lead singers, so again, they didn‘t make a very big overt impression on my musical taste or preferences.

Fast-forward to 2009: I spent the last few days listening to the remasters of "Rubber Soul", "Revolver" and "Abbey Road", as well as "Let It Be...Naked" (and the last 3 Wednesday nights watching the "Beatles: Anthology" documentary). Since I'd never really been into The Beatles growing up (as I said above, they were all over the radio, and I enjoyed their songs, but never felt like I needed to own the albums), it was very cool to immerse myself fully into this greatest of rock bands.

I could listen to "Rubber Soul" every day for a long time and not get bored or annoyed. The first three songs are amazing - 8 minutes of nostalgia. However, after several days of repeat listenings, I have had quite enough of "The Word", "Michelle", and "Girl". Perhaps that will change in time, but they are just a little too 'ditty-ish' for me. The rest of the album rocks. I won't bore you with run-downs of the other three discs ("Abbey Road" is my favorite), but to sum up: there are so many great songs scattered throughout that were never released as singles, that I feel like I've discovered an amazing new band, because so much of the music is new to me (over 40 years after they were released!), yet they don't sound dated. Not to mention the fantastic remastering making them fill my home office with a clear and deep sound unmatched by the original cd offerings back in the late 80's. It's been a pleasure spending so much time with The Fab Four this past week or so. I am glad I took the trip. A few of my favorite songs from the four albums I listed above:
  • Rubber Soul: "Norwegian Wood" & "Drive My Car"
  • Revolver: "Tomorrow Never Knows" & "She Said She Said"
  • Abbey Road: "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" & "Sun King"
  • Let It Be...Naked: "Get Back" & "Dig A Pony"

Here are some reminisces of other folks my age, children of the Beatlemania generation:

Heather B says: "The Beatles' music is some of the most prominent music I remember from when I was a kid. My parents turned me on to it, and it was music the family could all agree on to listen to in the car. I remember being so excited to get my very own Beatles albums on cassette! I listened to them all the time when I was in grade school. Then I stopped. Of course, I still heard them because they get played all the time. Somehow, whenever I hear a Beatles song, I seem to know all the words - which is saying something because I rarely remember the words to sing along with a song. The Beatles reappeared in my life 3 years ago when my housemate Nan moved in. She had The Beatles on her ipod! We played them really loud when we had chores. Most recently, I listened to their "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album on repeat for the days & days it took my to redo my front hall walls. I would have to say that over time, my favorite Beatles song is "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". "Dear Prudence" would have to be second."

Katie A says: "The best part of this Beatles revival is that my 15 year old is finally listening to some great music. His favorite is "Strawberry Fields". I have to go with "All My Loving", because when my son was little we use to sing it together before he went to sleep. "Revolution" is a close second."

Thanks for the words! The results of the poll (favorite album, song and band member) is coming soon...

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Remasters


I went to Newbury Comics this morning expecting a mob of sexagenarians pushing and shoving in a long line, waiting to refresh their childhood memories with cds from the newly remastered Beatles catalog. However, when I arrived it took me all of three minutes in the near-empty store to grab copies of "Rubber Soul", "Revolver" and "Abbey Road". Also (and the reason for my being there right after the store opened at 10 am), since I bought more than one album, I received a limited edition black & white lithograph of the Fab Four as a bonus. Say 'hello' to the proud owner of #1935/10000. Now I just need a nice frame to- But I digress...

Anyway, when I got home, I listened to them in chronological order, and had myself a nice 2½-hour musical trip. Since I'd never owned any Beatles albums before this year, it was fantastic to discover many songs that were new to me. And hearing them in stereo is amazing. These don't sound like songs that have been around for over 40 years. They are going right onto my iPod, and will carry me through many weeks of heavy rotation (alongside "Let it Be... Naked", which has been in there for a few weeks now), subtly altering my musical taste along the way, in what I am sure will be interesting ways.

How do you like the new remasters? Are they better than what you expected, or is their very existence sacrilege to your memories? We want to know!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

They Were There


I sent out a Beatles survey to as many people as I thought might be interested in participating, and reminiscing a bit about what the Fab Four and their msuic meant to them growing up. There has been a decent turn out so far, and there will be a full tally of sorts at the end of "Beatles Week", but this first story is about The Ones Who Were There...

Michaelene M (my mom) says: "My first memory of the Beatles is hearing their first famous (I think) song playing on the car radio as I was riding to Oakmont. "She Loves You [yeah yeah yeah]". It was so catchy! Or it could have been "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." Then along came the others from their first (U.S.) album. I still have the original album that I bought in 1964. I was so captivated by their music and them, that I would stare at their faces on the album cover and try to decide who was my favorite! It turned out to be George (always), with Paul a close second, though I thought he looked a bit too feminine! John creeped me out for some reason, and poor Ringo was always overlooked..."

"As for how they shaped my music appreciation? I think their lyrics were clean and simple, while the incredible beat set the stage for all other (albums) to come. They are the Elvis of my generation. Even now, when I hear one of those originals, my heart leaps. "


June J says: "I went to one of the Beatles' very first USA concerts (Atlantic City) back in the day, and it was awesome. If you've ever seen clips of their concerts with women fainting, that wasn't fake! I was in the 15th row and had great views, but could hardly hear them playing due to the screaming (yeah, I think I was screaming too). I have loved Ringo ever since (which is why I love drummers). I still love listening to them…"

Jean Marie N's favorites are: (Song) "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"; (Album) "Rubber Soul", especially the song "Norwegian Wood"; and (Band member) George.

Thanks ladies, it's great to get input from the people who experienced Beatlemania first hand, something the rest of us can only imagine (or pretend to know) from all of the footage we've seen over the decades. It's not too late for the rest of you to get in on the survey! Follow this link, and then follow the instructions if you'd like your voice heard during "Beatles Week" on Not Lame Minus. We'll even throw a thank-you pack in the mail for any contributor who wants some goofy stuff, if you include your mailing address.

Just a heads up: all of the remastered albums come out on cd tomorrow, 9/9/09, and many places (including Newbury Comics, Borders, Barnes & Noble, etc...) have cool promotional giveaways if you buy more than one album.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

9-9-09 = "Beatles Week" on NLM

In honor of The Fab Four's entire cd catalog of remasters coming out on 9-9-09 (this Wednesday), and because the entire world of entertainment (and a lot of other media) will be focused heavily on this, we have decided to throw our hats into the ring and make this "Beatles Week" on Not Lame Minus.

If anyone would like to contribute stories about how the Beatles affected their lives, or how their songs shaped their musical sensibilities, we would be most grateful if you'd send them to NotLameMinus@gmail , and we will post any quotes you mark 'okay to print' in one of several Beatles-themed blogs over the next week!

Also, for a poll we are doing, please let us know what your all-time favorite Beatles song (or songs, if you can't choose just one) and album are. Results will be posted at the end of the week!


And please become a 'follower' of our blog (see the "Followers" section in the right hand column). If you have Yahoo or GMail it takes a few seconds. If you use any other e-mail provider, it takes only a minute or two. Look around the site (May I recommend the "
Links to Fun Outdoor Places for the Whole Family" and "Local Music Dates" sections?), and decide if we are worth the effort! Followers who leave the occasional observation or comment are eligible for freebies and our upcoming contests (with t-shirts, cds and other cool stuff as prizes!). Even if you decide not to become a follower, comments on our writings are always welcome & appreciated. Thanks for your help with the Beatles survey, and for reading all the way through this!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Mt. Wachusett


Mt. Wachusett, located next door to my hometown of Westminster, in Princeton, MA. I drove up the mountain yesterday on my way to the lake for some reading and peace, but instead of a long-winded ramble on the "glory of nature's majesty" (yadda yadda yadda...), I'll just let the views speak for themselves (click on each image to enlarge!)...