Hole In The Wall

As I was watching the Cowboys game this past Sunday, I noticed an ad for a new T.V. show that has somehow met T.V.'s already incredibly low standards. The show is called "Hole In The Wall", which is a spin off on a Japanese T.V. show. 

The synopsis of this clever program is for people who are desperate for attention to try and contort their bodies to fit through a moving wall. And if they don't succeed then they will be pushed into a pool of water losing both their dryness and dignity. One episode was named so quaintly "The Beer Bellies versus the Six Packs." 

The chances of these people making it through the wall seems slim to none, thus lots of wipe-out and lots of humiliation. And the contestants look equally as ridiculous trying to twist their flabby bodies through these awkwardly shaped holes. Unfortunately that is what Joe American seems to be demanding these days, since similar shows have recently been aired like "Wipe Out" and "I Was On A Japanese Game Show." Am I surprised that the American shrine known as Television created such as show, but I still can't help but feel disappointed. 

Garfield minus Garfield

Officially my new favorite creation in the magical world wide wed is garfieldminusgarfield.com. The idea is simple and hilarious. To take Garfield the cat out of Garfield comic strips leads you to find a bipolar and despondent John Arbuckle. Or as the website states at the top of the page, "It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights the losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb." 

The website posts a new comic strip just about everyday. You may be thinking that the website could get old after a while, but the comics stay fresh and funny. At least in my opinion. I guess watching a middle aged man yell at the wall for no reason will always be funny. 

After a while of reading these comics I realized that the absence of Garfield does not really make John much crazier. I mean the guy talks and yells at his cat all day and is still has a hopeless love life. Nonetheless I like the comic strip more without Garfield. 

Go here now: GarfiedMinusGarfield.net

Why Is Tennis Dead?

While I was watching U.S. Open (tennis) this week, I was reminded that most people in America don't care about tennis. The U.S. Open is the biggest stage in American tennis and none of the matches sell out. On Saturday, Roger Federer (number 2 in the world) played Novak Djokovic (number 3 in the world) and only about 70% of the arena was filled. We all know tennis's lack of popularity has been going on for years now. But I think the quality of play is high enough now for Americans to get back into tennis.

The reason why nobody in the U.S. really cares about tennis anymore is simple, there are no more really good American players. On the men's side we have two guys in the top ten, Andy Roddick and James Blake. But only Roddick has a grand slam win and that seemed like ages ago. Plus Roddick can never beat Federer and seems to get knocked out of tournaments earlier and earlier. Same goes for Blake. On the women's side we have the great Williams sisters. Who when focuses are in my opinion the two best women's players in the world. But they are just about the only competitive American women and they are not always focused. I will have to say they have been playing great as of late. 

The reason why I think tennis should be more popular is that on the men's side there is a great rivalry forming. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer played an epic 5 set match in Wimbledon a couple months ago and have met in many previous grand slam finals before that. Federer seemed to have the upper hand on hard courts, while Nadal was the master on clay. But now it seems that Nadal is surpassing Federer on hard courts. Outside of these two Novak Djokovic is another worthy player, who won the Australian Open this year. Even though none of these three are American, they are all sure fun to watch.

Now on the women's side, the Williams sisters are finally emerging again. Also two of the top five players in the world are super sexy babes. Ana Ivanovic (#1) and Maria Sharapova (#5). And we all know that in America, sexy babes are exactly what we are looking for.

Incredible Jazz Guitar

Wes Montgomery's Incredible Jazz Guitar is exactly what the title implies, the greatest jazz guitar album of all-time. Montgomery is unconscious during these sessions, starting out with the fast passed "Airegin," Montgomery improvises throughout a constantly changing chord progression that is to complicated for myself to even fathom. Wes is backed by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert Heath on drums. But there is no doubt that this is the Wes Montgomery show.

Wes plays in his signature octave style throughout most of the album. His unorthodox technique with his strumming hand gives him a completely original sound. "Four on Six" is a jazz standard with the most recognizable jazz guitar riff around. Montgomery explores every part of the fretboard in the song and cleverly integrates octaves within his improvisation.

I have always thought that Montgomery was underrated in the world of guitar. Maybe not jazz, but when people talk about the all-time greatest guitarists, Montgomery's name usually does not get mentioned. The most obvious example is when Rolling Stone came out with a list of the 100 greatest guitarists, Montgomery's names was not even mentioned. The almost undisputed greatest jazz guitarist of all-time. Rolling Stone even put Grant Green and John McLaughlin on the list, but no Wes.

Nonetheless Incredible Jazz Guitar is a monumental album that continues to amaze me every time I listen to it.

Freddie King Tribute

Yesterday was Freddie King's birthday. I feel obligated to pay tribute to Freddie because his name seems to have been lost in the decades since he passed away. King, in my opinion, was one of the all-time great blues guitarists. 

Freddie had a style all of his own. With silky smooth vocals and an original sounding guitar, Freddie sounded like B.B. King but with a Texas twist. "Hide Away," is considered to be the pinnacle of  Freddie's career, it is one of the most recognizable blues songs and has been covered by such greats as John Mayall and Stevie Ray Vaughn. 

Getting Ready is what I considered to be his finest recording. This is a must have album for any blues lover. Freddie covers many blues classics such as "Dust My Broom,"  "Key To The Highway," and "Worried Life Blues." Freddie's sound is fresh on the album, including a string accompaniment on the opening track "Same Old Blues." 

Unfortunately Freddie died in Dallas in 1976 of a heart attack. He toured heavily until he died and was probably took a toll on his vitality. Freddie's impact on the blues is still felt today, influencing later blues men like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and John Earl Walker.  

Cat Power Jukebox

Cat Power (Chan Marshall) is sticking with her newfound soulful sound with her 2008 release "Jukebox." "Jukebox" is an energetic album, backed by a musically gifted band containing Erik Paparazzi on bass, Jim White on drums, Gregg Forman on keyboards and piano, and Judah Bauer on guitar.

This album is mostly covers but arguably the two best songs are the two originals. "Song To Bobby," is Chan's intimate ode to Bob Dylan in the same fashion that Dylan payed tribute to Woody Guthrie with "Song To Woody." "Metal Heart" is the other original track, the song has a building structure that ends in a erie, melodic jam.

Marshall shows her first-rate taste in music in what she covers. Playing songs of greats such as James Brown, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Joni Mitchell. The album starts out hot with the short but groovy tune "New York." The album is structured well because "New York" flows perfectly into the next track "Ramblin' Woman." You could never tell "Ramblin' Woman" was written by country legend Hank Williams. The song has a psychedelic sound, a slide guitar off in the distance and melodic organ chords somewhat reminds the listener of a Pink Floyd jam.

Another highlight is "I Believe In You," a cover of a Bob Dylan gospel song. Marshall remains true to the song, but Marshall's raspy vocals gives the song a new dimension.

Singers with true emotion in their voices are rare to come by and Marshall is undoubtedly one of those singers. She spills her heart out when she sings, which makes her one the premiere female artists of today.

A-

Narrow Stairs

Ben Gibbard is probably the most poetic songwriter of this generation. Love lost seems to be the motif of Narrow Stairs, Death Cab For Cutie's 2008 album. This is a slight rebound from their 2005 release Plans, which was undoubltably their most commercially successful album and in my opinion a little overrated. 

The album starts out strong with two tracks that are both sturdy instrumentally and lyrically with "Bixby Canyon Bridge" and "I Will Possess Your Heart." The intro to "I Will Posses Your Heart" is to cool. With four and a half minutes of a steady bass line and random attacks from the piano and guitar. 

The rest of the album changes mood with short cute songs. "Cath..." and "Your New Twin Sized Bed" are the highlights of these. 

Death Cab seems to have a clearer focus on Narrow Stairs than they did on Plans. As I said, the songwriting is always excellent from Gibbard, and the band's sound is as full as it has ever been.