Back at School

I felt like posting something. Not much to talk about...room is good, glad to see everyone again, having a good time, can't wait for 6 hours of classes tomorrow!

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Well I'll start this with catching up with things I did while doing the top 21 albums countdown, then sup up the rest.

• Grandma Klein's 90th birthday party was on Sunday, nice to see a majority of the large Klein family
• Went to Six Flags Great Adventure one last time with Kyle. Kingda Ka was working which was nice
• Got the Scrubs season 8 DVD, ending my summer the way I ended the school year: "My Finale"
• "Inglorious Bastards" is great. Any time Jews fight back its always badass.

Notes from this summer!

• I didn't work. Long story short, TD Bank was not taking seasonal employees back this summer, so I'm still employed but just not working. "It's Complicated". I did not look for another one
• I bought a bike and successfully lost about 9 pounds.
• Yankees are awesome

TV shows I watched this summer on DVD (How I spent most of my time)

1. Band of Brothers (twice)
2. Scrubs seasons 1-5, 8
3. Psych seasons 1-3, currently watching 4 as it airs.
4. Mad Men seasons 1 and 2, watching 3 as it airs
5. Breaking Bad season 1
6. The Office 1-3
7. Freaks and Geeks (only one season)
8. Undeclared (only one season)
9. Arrested Development 1-3
10. Weeds 1-4
11. How I Met Your Mother 1-4
12. Big Bang Theory 1 and 2

Our softball team won our 3rd championship in 4 years. Good stuff.

Bands I saw live!

• The Gaslight Anthem
• A Billion Ernies
• Fatter Than Albert
• Flaming Tsunamis
• Reel Big Fish
• The English Beat
• The Supervillians
• The Waffle Stompers
• Less Than Jake
• Anti-Flag
• NOFX
• Bad Religion
• Flogging Molly
• Streetlight Manifesto
• Big D & the Kids Table
• Westbound Train
• The Piestasters
• Catch 22
• The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
• .....I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty.

Time to go back to Loyola!

Top 21 Albums, #1

Now, time for my favorite album of all time. Like I said earlier, this whole post will be devoted to this particular album.

(21-17) (16-12) (11-7) (6-2)

1. "How It Goes" by Big D & the Kids Table (2004). "How It Goes" has basically been my favorite album since I got it for Christmas in 2004. I got it right as I was starting to really get into punk and ska, and this album is an amazing combination of the two. In anticipation of writing this, I listed to the CD again and still am amazed by it. I could write a full post about all 20 songs probably, they're all that good.

To me, this album is Big D at their best. It combines hard punk with horns and a decent amount of ska, but the punk and horns are what really jump out about it. I think that this is what Big D is as a band: a punk/ska band with horns. "Shot By Lammi" and "Good Luck" are both excellent albums, but you can tell that they came very early in the band's career. "How It Goes" is their first album at maturity. Since it, "Strictly Rude" has had too much generic ska, and "Fluent In Stroll" sucks.

The tracks are packed with hard punk, loud yet melodic horns, and fun lyrics. "How It Goes" features Big D's two most popular songs, "L.A.X." and a cover of The Special's "Little Bitch". Both these songs are played at almost every live Big D show (but they've been playing "L.A.X." less and less these days). It also features my favorite song of all time, "If We Want To". From the instrumental "Sounds of Allston Village" to the end of "A Moment Without an End", all 20 tracks are just amazing. I can honestly say I'm not the biggest fan of "Voice Alone", but even that is a great song.

Yes there are more songs on "Somewhere In the Between" (# 4) that I exceptionally like, but this album has such meaning to me. I got it when I was first getting into the style of music. I have a poster featuring the album cover in my room. "How It Goes" has always been the banner on my cell phone (Cause that's just How It Goes). It has been the first CD in my car's player since I've been driving it. When the band was tour with this album is when I liked them most live. I can't say enough good things about "How It Goes".

In addition to the 20 songs, the album comes with even more great things. To go along with all of the songs are illustrations by Dan Dobi. Also, the booklet comes with band members' thoughts on all the songs in addition to the lyrics, something I wish more bands did...or at least wish Big D still did

Favorite Song: "If We Want To"

Top 21 Albums, 6-2

Almost at the end of the countdown, here are my favorite albums, 6 through 2. Tomorrow's post will be devoted entirely to number one. (21-17) (16-12) (11-7)



6: "The '59 Sound" by The Gaslight Anthem (2008). The second release by New Jersey's The Gaslight Anthem has launched them into the mainstream with performances on Conan, Letterman, and a show in London With Bruce Springsteen. Speaking of Bruce, if you like him you will LOVE this album. Of all the albums on this list, this is probably the one I recommend most. Every song is great. Live they're amazing. The band is getting huge. Really no reason not to try them out. They do an amazing job to combine blues, rock, and punk, and on top of that, the songs are all amazingly written. If punk is what you're into, then I'd say check out their older release, "Sink or Swim" as that has more of a punk sound. However, "The '59 Sound) is just amazing with every listen.
Favorite Song: "Great Expectations"




5: "Progress" by the Rx Bandits (2001). The last ska-heavy album by the Rx Bandits is essentially flawless. Every song is filled with emotions; passion, anger, love. Rx does a great job singing their political voices, spreading their message of peace and love. Even though this sound of Rx doesn't exist much these days, "Progress" songs still get their fair share of live play and still are great. A lot of bands don't properly use their music to speak their minds. "Progress" does nothing but that. Songs about war, violence, dependence on technology, downfall of society, drugs...you name it, Rx addresses it. Even if you don't agree with their politics, you can't deny at least thinking about what the band is talking about, especially in the line, "When was the last time you looked up, gazed upon a shopping mall and said 'how beautiful'?"
Favorite Song: "Analog Boy"



4: "Somewhere in the Between" by Streetlight Manifesto (2007). The long awaited second original release by Streetlight was instantly one of my favorite albums. Hell, I loved it when I got two songs of a sampler split with the Voodoo Glow Skulls, and the other 8 tracks soon joined in on being amazing. Tomas once again writes amazing songs with rocking guitars. The horns are great, perfectly fitting on every track. Nothing on this album rubs me the wrong way. I've always defended Streetlight's excellence by saying that they have to write music for eight parts (vocals, guitar, bass, drums, tenor sax, bari sax, trombone, and trumpet) and get them to blend perfectly....for 10 songs in the case....spanning just under 45 minutes. They do that perfectly, all the songs are just great. They're very energetic, and never disappoint.
Favorite Song: "Down, Down, Down To Mephisto's Cafe"




3: "Everything Goes Numb" by Streetlight Manifesto (2003). Yes, I know that there are two Streetlight albums in a row, something that usually would bother my inner OCD. But here is why: the albums are essentially tied in my mind. The reason I rank their debut album higher is because "Everything Goes Numb" has 12 songs, "Somewhere in the Between" only has 10. That's the only reason, there is more to love. Now time to discuss the album itself. Wow. I'm sure back when it was released people we not sure that Streetlight could compare to what Catch 22 had done but boy do they ever. Great, fast, intense songs, amazing from start to finish. I probably love this album (and Streetlight for that matter) because of how well they play fast music. Its hard to understand many of the lyrics, but once you know what they are boy are they something special. Like I said, this album couldn't be closer in my heart to "Somewhere in the Between", so everything I praised that for I also feel for "Everything Went Numb". From the opening saxes to the closing note, this album is just something very special.
Favorite Song: "The Big Sleep"




2: Destruction by Definition" by The Suicide Machines (1996). I don't think a band can release a better debut album than The Suicide Machines did back 96 with "Destruction by Definition". I won't waste any time saying why I love it: It is the perfect mix of punk, hardcore, and ska...which is what TSM did best in their active years. If you claim you don't like ska, maybe this an album for you. Only two tracks use horns, so it plays more to the guitar beats element of ska rather than through the use of horns. Doing this allows the band to transition the three genres mentioned above so easily. Most people actually know a song from this album and might not even know it. "New Girl", track one, was featured in "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (one)", and that song does a great job of representing the sound featured throughout the whole album. From "New Girl" to the cover of Minor Threat's "I Don't Want to Hear It", there isn't a bad song. There isn't a boring song. There isn't a slow song. There isn't a quiet song. Most importantly, there isn't a band song. Despite sounding so good, you still get the feeling listening to it that it was written by kids (well, in their early 20's), which makes the album feel so much fun. "Destruction by Definition" was been in the #2 CD slot in my car since I've been driving it, and it doesn't look like it'll get bumped from there any time soon.
Favorite Song: "Hey Ska"

Top 21 Albums, 11-7

Time for favorite albums 11-7. (21-17) (16-12)



11: "The Sufferer & the Witness" by Rise Against (2006). Another album that at first I felt didn't quite live up to the band's previous releases, but it grew on me quite well. I don't know if I own a more energetic album, and once again Tim Mcllrath does a fantastic job of balancing the melodic singing with the hardcore screaming. Rise Against once again tackles a variety of issues, and once again raises their political voice to be heard. The album kicks off with perfect sound clip, "This is noise" (anyone know what that is from?), and right away jumps into a fast paced opener. It has thus far been the band's most successful album commercially, and rightfully so. Although it isn't my favorite song, "The Approaching Curve" deserves special mention. The song is sung so beautifully as if its poetry spoken over punk rock, the story told still sends chills over me as it ends.
Favorite Song: "Drones"

10: "Let's Face It" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones (1997). Another album that was very successful commercially during the late 90's ska fad, "Let's Face It" contains one of the most successful songs of that era. While some people have said to me that this was the Bosstones' "sell out" album, I still love it. Yes, it is a very different sound from their previous albums, but that doesn't fade me. Sure the band is best when playing their share of hardcore, but this album lacking it doesn't phase me. I understand that is much poppier than people would like from the Bosstones, but to me this is a great album start to finish. This album also provides one of my favorite music videos,"The Rascal King".
Favorite Song: "The Impression That I Get"




9: "Three Cheers for Disappointment" by The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (2006). The long awaited first and only complete full album by ASOB was well worth the wait. From beginning to end there are no bad songs in my mind, all of which seem to transition to each other really well. With everything that went wrong with the band recording this, it came out really well. Like the previously mentioned Bomb the Music Industry! albums (in 16-12, linked above), this album is also FREE to download on the Quote Unquote Records website, here, so check it out. While this is the only complete album ever put out by the band, there is also a B-sides album available via iTunes (featuring my favorite ASOB song, "So Let's Go Nowhere!", re-recorded for "Three Cheers") and a live album of Radiohead covers (also on the Quote Unquote Records site). Those are also highly recommended.
Favorite Song: "Piss Off"



8: "And the Battle Begun" by the Rx Bandits (2006). Just an exceptional album, even the intro is worth listening to every time. In their (for arguments sake) fourth album, the Rx Bandits drift further and further away from their older ska sound. But unlike bands who try to hide their ska past and fail (Less Than Jake for example before GNV FLA) Rx seems to get better and better the further they drift from their original sound ("Mandala" kind of contradicts that). The band still uses horns throughout, and none of the songs ever seem to get boring (despite 4 being at least 5 minutes long). Not counting the intro as a full track (but still great), the first three tracks are just phenomenal and never fail to blow me away every time.
Favorite Song: "And the Battle Begun"

7: "Keasbey Nights" by Streetlight Manifesto (2006). The long rumored/long awaited (recording started in 2004) re-recording of Catch-22's 1998 classic is nothing but improved when done by Streetlight. I know that this version doesn't have the instant classic feel that Catch had with theirs, but I argue that this recording has 8 years of maturity and quality improvements going for it. The vocals sound better (except on "Walking Away), music sounds better, the horns sound much better. They incorporate the great third verse of BOTAR's "Dear Sergio" making that song even better. All around, this is just got better over time. With 2 original Catch members on the recording this time, it still feels authentic and not like a tribute album (owed all to Tomas Kalnoky's guitar and vocals). Yes this isn't as classic as Catch's version, but it is without question better. Everything about their feelings of why to do this is explained at the end of "1234, 1234" in an interview over music with Tomas. The interview has three of my favorite quotes associated with the re-recording: "Whatever you want to call it, it'll piss people off. And that at the end of the day is all that really matters", "We're going to keep doing what we do whether or not a single record is sold", and to end the album off, "Peace Out Bitches"
Favorite Song: "Dear Sergio"

Top 21 Albums, 16-12

So to continue the countdown, here are albums 16-12.
(21-17 )




16: "Revolutions Per Minute" by Rise Against (2003). The second album by Rise Against, and one of the first punk albums I ever bought is just great. From start to finish this album pumps you up, just as the band intended to do. This was one of the first albums that after just one listen, I thought nothing but "wow". It blew me away. They do a great job of covering topics from relationships to politics. Tim is flawless at balancing his singing with his screaming, unlike all the other scene-hardcore bands out there. Rise Against gets angry when its appropriate, putting them so far ahead of most bands in terms of ability. "RPM" was a great way for me to get introduced to the band, and I highly recommend this album. It should be noted that I first bought because of "Like the Angel" was featured in "Tony Hawk's Underground", but even from that one song I knew I wanted to get more. Plus, it ends with a great cover of Journey's "Anyway You Want It"
Favorite Song: "Broken English"






15: "Get Warmer" by Bomb the Music Industry! (2007) When I first downloaded (for free from here) I wasn't to fond of the whole thing. I liked a couple songs, but I also got their (his?) previous three albums at the same time, so I had a lot of BTMI! to juggle. After some time, I listened to the whole thing beginning to end and then realized exactly what an amazing CD this is (did I mention its FREE?). I will say its not for everyone, but for an artist who gives out their music for free you can't expect perfect quality. "Get Warmer" is great despite this. You really have to appreciate Jeff Rosenstock and his career to really appreciate his music. But never the less, "Get Warmer" is a lot of fun, and in my mind very easy to enjoy with every listen.
Favorite Song: "No Rest For the Whiny"







14: "Losing Streak" by Less Than Jake (1996). The major label debut for Less Than Jake is far from selling out (Despite what Johnny Quest might think). It might be poppier than "Pez-core" was, but they still do a great job of mixing punk, pop, ska, and their share of metal as well. I don't have much to say about "Losing Streak" besides that it is in every way a great album.
Favorite Song: "Johnny Quest Thinks We're Sellouts"








13: "Scrambles" by Bomb the Music Industry! (2009) Again, I was not overly impressed by BTMI at first, but then i took to time to really listen. I used to think all the piano-heavy tracks were boring, but boy was I wrong. Those songs are some of the band's best, and really do a great job to capture Rosenstock's struggles as a musician in a non-flashy way. Every time i listen to one song, I feel obligated to listen to all the ones that follow since the album flows so well. Again, this album is FREE here, so feel free to listen for yourself guilt-free.
Favorite Song: 25!






12: "Turn the Radio Off" by Reel Big Fish (1996). The second, and most notable release from Reel Big Fish is far from overrated in my mind. It has their most popular songs ("Sell Out", "Beer", "Everything Sucks", "SR", "She has a Girlfriend Now"), and those songs are the most popular for a reason. I always love how so many people claim to not like ska, but say "I love this song!" when "Beer" will come on. Reel Big Fish has survived the late-90's ska craze better than most other bands, and still are great to see live. Why are they still so good live? I don't think its a coincidence they still play most of the tracks off this 13 year old album.
Favorite song: "Beer"

Top 21 Albums, 21-17

So in Romo fashion of doing a top 20 countdown, I've decided to do a countdown/review of my 21 favorite albums. Why 21? Two reasons. 1) This way I can devote a full post to #1 as opposed to something small, and 2) I couldn't make the cut on the last 2 albums, so I left it at 21. There wasn't much criteria for these, just i looked them all over and decided which ones I truly love listening to, which ones are in my car, which ones don't get old, which have the most songs I like, and possible sentimental value.

21: "Anthem" by Less Than Jake (2003). "Anthem" has gone through some drastic changes in terms of how i felt about it over time. When I first got it, it was my first Less Than Jake album and I LOVED it. As I got into older LTJ, and their newer stuff was getting bad, I started to look at this as just some pop-punk album that wasn't that good. Then I realized that it is just a pop-punk album, and a really, really good one. Sure they stopped playing ska for the most part, but if you look at this as a pop-punk album with horns its on its own level of ability. The songs are fast, catchy, really fun live.

Favorite song: "Plastic Cup Politics"

20: "No Self Control" by the Planet Smashers (2001). You know those albums that when you listen to them again they remind you of where you were when you first got it and listened? Well "No Self Control" reminds me of spring break 08 in Florida, just sitting on the deck and listening. I still love listening to this one from stat to finish, even though its not really anything special, I just love to listen to it.

Favorite song: "Blind"

19: "More Noise and Other Disturbances" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (1991). The second album from the Bosstones, every track on this I love. The songs live up to the title, within the first 3 tracks are the lines "I like noise that's why I'm living where I am" and "WHHHAAAAAAA????? WHAT ARE THESE NOISES??????". They really demonstrate how mixing two very different genres (at least in 91), ska and hardcore, can come off so well. This album got them on the soundtrack and into the movie "Clueless", where they preform the second track, "Where'd You Go?". Even seeing them live 18 years later, these songs still come off great.

Favorite Track: "Doctor D"

18: "GNV FLA" by Less Than Jake (2008). The most recent release by Less Than Jake, and their return to their "older" sound. The first 30 seconds of reggae on the first track, "The City of Gainseville" made me right away declare it was better than 2006's "In With the Out Crowd". They use their horns more, they play ska more, they play more hard punk and have a less poppy sound while still being catchy. It is really just a perfect blend of their pop-punk of "Anthem" with their harder punk-ska from the 90's, all into one great return to glory album. Less Than Jake acknowledges that their previous album, "In With the Out Crowd", wasn't exactly a fan favorite despite being something they were proud of, but they also have said that this is something both they and their fans love.

Favorite song: "Devil in My DNA"

17: "Minority Rules" by Whole Wheat Bread (2005). Debut album from Florida punk/hip-hop trio, Whole Wheat Bread does not disappoint. From a great punk track "Broke" to the three untitled rap songs at the end, this album has no dull songs. Since this their songs have, in my mind, gotten better, but this album as a whole just has a special place to me. I saw them at one of my first live shows and despite being the only non-ska band there, they blew me away. Three black guys from Florida who play punk? I thought it was the greatest thing ever then. Now I appreciate them for their music, for their ability to play multiple genres, and for their ability to Soulja Boy on stage. Like they say in the first song, "It aint because [they're] black", its for their music.

Favorite Song: "Broke"

Ursa Major [Excelence]

Now that it has actually been released, I'm going to talk about fourth and latest album from Third Eye Blind, "Ursa Major". As I said in my Summer Albums. post, I've been waiting for this album for about six years. Overall, I think that this is an excellent album. I don't think it is as good as 2003's "Out of the Vein", but definitely better than their first two releases in the 90's. I do think, like their previous albums, it loses strength towards the later tracks, but that could be just because the earlier ones are so good. Now for the individual track reviews.

1. "Can You Take Me". Wow. What a way to kick off your first Album in over 6 years. I think it is better than "Faster" was kicking it off in 2003, and is probably one of the band's best songs overall. Its great to hear a band like Third Eye Blind get angry and sing about things like rioting, shows they're more than just that college-rock oriented band they were known for 10 years ago. If you liked "Danger", than you'll love this song.
2. "Don't Believe A Word". Another great track. Like "Non-Dairy Creamer" did, the band showcases their ability to sing about more serious topics. Plus it provides my favorite lines from the whole album "Rap stars brag about shooting each other? What ever happened to 'Brotha, Brotha'? We like thugs when they attack, and we like crime when its black-on-black".
3. "Bonfire". Good song. I don't have too much to say about it, besides that it is really enjoyable.
4. "Sharp Knife". It starts out quiet and slow, but then the chorus hits in and things really pick up. A great, hard song.
5. "One in Ten". A nice, sweet, slower song. I really like their use of piano and brass on the song, it comes out really really well.
6. "About to Break". Another song that starts out slowly and picks up very nicely.
7. "Summer Town". Starts out very fun, but kind of slows down at towards the end and goes on a little long.
8. "Why Can't You Be?" A really sweet slower song that first showed up last fall on the "Red Star EP". Except this time the song sounds much more professional and the instrumentals have come out much nicer. Another great line, "Sometimes a blow job is not enough".
9. "Water Landing". Not the greatest song, but still a good, slow, quiet one.
10. "Dao of St. Paul". Another one I'm not really a fan of, but I'll admit this one is better than I've given it credit for. I don't know what it is, just doesn't really stand out to me.
11. "Monotov's Private Opera". Probably my least favorite actual track on the album. Again, one that just doesn't quite float my boat.
12. "Carnival Barker (Instrumental)" Just an instrumental track to carry out the album, not really one to comment on even.

Overall, it is a great and highly recommended album. Third Eye Blind has done a great job over the course of their last two albums to really stand out to me. They're not the type of band I'd usually enjoy, but "Out of the Vein" (Specifically "Danger") really made me want to stick with them and their ability to get angry and make their music carry out a message. I got really excited with the release of their EP in the fall, specifically the way their voice their feelings in "Non-Dairy Creamer", which didn't make it to the album but I HIGHLY suggest you listen to it regardless.

Long story short, it was worth the wait. Great job, 3eb

Bosstones at the Beach

Sunday I went down the shore to Asbury Park to see a great show (once again, with Tommy and Shannon of course). We missed all but one of the Local Bands (Explosive sheep, not bad), but made sure we were there for the headliners, The Pietasters, Catch-22, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

Before I get into them, I first need to express my love for the Stone Pony Summer Stage. Inside of the club is nothing short of pure NJ rock history. The walls have posters from previous shows advertising those who have played in the past from legends like Billy Idol, to Jersey icons past an present of both the mainstream and the underground scenes (Bruce, Bon Jovi, Bouncing Souls, Gaslight Anthem, Streetlight Manifesto). Also around the walls include autographed guitars and drums from all the huge rock legends who have played over the years, really just rich with history.

Outside at the "Summer Stage", it is just an amazing environment. The stage faces north, towards the back door of the club (prior to this year it faced east towards the ocean). I love outdoor shows, there is always room to breath despite the size of the crowd. At the Stone Pony, its just great. You're literally across the street from the Asbury Park Boardwalk, and you can clearly see the Atlantic Ocean from where you stand. In the skyline around you can see the hotels, the shell of the Casino and the Carousel, and even at the other end of the boardwalk the Convention Center.

Now for the show, wow. First up was Virginia's The Pietasters. They weren't as good as the last time i saw them down in Baltimore, but still really good. They played mostly songs wasn't familiar with, but they did play "Out All Night", "I Don't Want To Know", and "Freakshow". Their set felt off, probably because of the lack of the keyboard and trumpet players that they had recorded all the songs with, but that's what happens with ska bands. Also, Chris from the Bosstones came out for 2 songs on Trombone.

Second was New Jersey's own Catch-22. Now it should be noted that I and NOT a Catch-22 fan. I only like one post-Keasbey Nights album, their following release, "Alone in a Crowd". I don't even like "Keasbey" much anymore now that Tomas and Streetlight have re-recorded it, so I was not looking forward to them playing anything off that live. Their set was very tolerable. No "Keasbey" songs, a decent amount of "Alone in a Crowd" songs, and the rest i was either not familiar with or don't like (which they for the most part went hand in hand). Overall, I didn't mind them. They seamed a little off, but the trumpet player was a fill-in, which made me more tolerable of the performance. Their singer did I think a great job of balancing both singing and playing sax, not favoring vocals over horns (Like Obi in Westbound Train has been doing recently). But I can't complain about no songs off "Keasbey Nights" and they did play "Bloomfield Ave.", a shout out to my local stomping grounds.

Then....THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES. Oh wow they were great. I was in the front-ish for most of the set. The crowd was great and very friendly. Being outside in the sunset down the shore was just such a good feeling. They, like always, had an amazing performance. Here is what I remember of the set (in order of which they show up on my iTunes)

1. Howwhywuz, Howwhyam
2. The Cave
3. Rudie Can't Fail (Clash Cover)
4. Last Dead Mouse
5. Don't Know How to Party
6. Someday I Suppose
7. Holy Smoke
8. Tin Soldiers (Closed set with, did tribute to all the Soldiers, and did band intros)
9. Mr. Moran
10. Everybody's Better
11. Noise Brigade (Opening song)
12. The Rascal King
13. Royal Oil
14. The Impression That I Get
15. 1-2-8 (Second song of the night)
16. Don't Worry Desmond Dekker (Encore song)
17. Where'd You Go?
18. All Things Considered
19. So Sad To Say
20. Toxic Toast
21. New Song (New Album due out this year!!!!)

I wish they played "Doctor D", "Awfully Quiet", "Devil's Night Out", "Old School Off the Bright", but with 110 songs on my iTunes by them, I can't really expect them to play all the songs I want. Plus they did "The Cave", can't expect more when they do that.

Really just a great set and show overall.

Pie for Pie, Ranting, and anticipation

So I went to Loyola this past weekend (well, Friday and Saturday) to start to move in because I don't like waiting to do it all at once. The visit was a lot of fun, however there was a lot of things (mostly driving related) that pissed me off. Out of respect, I'll start with the good things

1. Seeing Speca, Tony, and Dylan (before he leaves us for a year!)
2. Seeing Jess and Glenn
3. Seeing the Orioles beat up the Angels
4. Felix Pie (If you don't know who he is, it is because he isn't good) of the Orioles hit for the cycle! Very rare! And he got a pie in the face for that
5. Oriole Park at Camden Yards Fireworks, included with a 6$ student ticket
6. 3$ 24-oz cans of Budweiser outside of Sliders
7. Swallows
8. Swallows with alumni
9. Seeing this commercial hammered at 3 am http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5mnhR44I0
10. Chipotle
11. Getting 265.5 miles on 11.71 gallons of gas, much of which was in traffic

Now for the old-man style angry ranting. These are the things on my trip that REALLY pissed me off

1. Traffic
2. Heat
3. The Orioles scoring a lot of runs against one of my fantasy pitchers
4. My swipe not working at Chipotle
5. Traffic in the heat
6. People who don't signal when changing lanes at 93mph
7. People who ride right on my ass when I'm going 78 in a 65
8. The piss-poor job Delaware tax dollars do to accomplish any remote form of progress on construction that has been going on for years
9. The piss-poor excuse of a state, Delaware. Those 10 miles of road are the biggest pain in the ass
10. Police escorted funeral procession on the Turnpike that include over 15 motorcycles, 6 cars, and a Military Truck with NJ plates that simply said AWOL
11. Random traffic not caused by an accident nor the shore, just people who suck at driving I'm sure
12. The bird who shit on my car
13. Loyola......University.......
14. Moe's thinking they have the right to get rid of Salsa Ricos....who do you think you are?
15. People who do the wave at a baseball game. If you're so bored, GO THE FUCK HOME
16. Stupid flat-brim hats
17. People who now think Felix Pie is good
18. The Sliders security staff for not carding but throwing a huge hissy fit if, god forbid, you step off of the curb.
19. Traffic in the EZ Pass express lanes
20. People who drive 65 in the left lane in a 65

I'm sure there are more, but I'm tapped out at the moment. Now for something fun, all the different license plates I remember seeing!

1. New Jersey
2. New York
3. Conneticut
4. Massachusets
5. Vermont
6. New Hampsire
7. Pennsylvania
8. Maryland
9. Virginia
10. West Virginia
11. Washington, DC
12. North Carolina
13. South Carolina
14. Georgia
15. Florida
16. Missouri
17. Utah
18. California
19. Onterio
20. Quebeck
21. Tenessee
22. Indianna
23. Ohio
24. (I forgot Delaware...must be because its a piss-pre excuse for a state)
25. ....I know I'm missing at least one

Now for the anticipation part! Tomorrow I'll be in Asbury Park to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones play at the Stone Pony with Catch-22 and the Pietasters!!!! Also tomorrow, the Man Men season 3 premier! Tomorrow should be a good day.

Scrubs, Season "9"/"The Next Generation"

For anyone wondering about the future of Scrubs this winter on ABC, Allen Sepinwall of the Star Ledger posted his thoughts and transcript from his interview with creator, Bill Lawrence.

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2009/08/scrubs-creator-previews-next-season.html

I can give my thoughts on it now, but its still early.

Embrace the deception, learn how to bend, Your worst inhibitions......

......gonna Psych! you out in the end (This post is long overdue). Yes, Psych! started its fourth season on Friday, and I would be out of my mind if I wasn't going to share my thoughts about both the episode and the series in general.

Since I started watching in 2007 (show started in 2006), Psych has shot its way into my heart and become my third favorite TV show of all time (Behind "Arrested Development" and "Scrubs" and slightly ahead of "The Office" and "Futurama"). No matter what, the show is just fun to watch. I kind of want to list all the running jokes I love about the show, but there are way too many running through my head.

If you've never seen the show, I'll catch you up. Shawn Spencer was raised by his cop father to be ultra-perceptive and, with the help of his best friend Gus, has convinced the cops that he is a psychic to help the solve crimes. If you need a better explanation, I'll just quote the season premier from Friday

Shawn: You've seen the Mentalist, right?
Cop: Yes.
Shawn: It's like that.
Gus: Except that guy's a fake.
Shawn: Right, if I was a fake psychic it would be eerily similar.
Gus: Exactly.
Shawn: A virtual carbon copy

If you want to get into the show, these are the episodes I recommend:

• Pilot (Season 1)


• 9 lives (S 1)


• Weekend Warriors (S 1)


• Shawn vs. The Red Phantom (S 1)


• From the Earth to the Starbucks (S 1)


• Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast (S 1)


• 65 Million Years Off (S 2)


• Psy vs Psy (S 2)


• Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Man (S 2)


• Dislodged (S 2)


• Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead (S 2)


• Murder?...Anyone?...Anyone?....Bueller? (S 3)


• Gus Walks Into a Bank (S 3)


• Six Feet Under the Sea (S 3)


• Tuesday the 17th (S 3)


• An Evening with Mr. Yang (S 3)

Now for Friday night's season premier, "Extradition: British Columbia". The episode was worth the wait, but not one of the greatest I've ever seen. The best part was mentioned above, in "The Mentalist" reference ("Psych" started in 2006, "The Mentalist" in 2008), except the rest of episode was still enjoyable. I wasn't crazy that you knew who the thief was the whole time, despite there being more of a story to it. That worked well in "An Evening with Mr. Yang", but that was also a very intense episode. The one thing very much missing from this episode was without question, Rachel Leigh Cook, who looks oh, so good while on the show. Seems like she'll be back soon, so that is something to look forward to.

I'll end with my favorite quote from season 3

Lassiter: A dead body changes things
Shawn: That's his email signature

(Also, check out Andrew's "Blasting Off With the Jets" at http://blastingoffnyj.blogspot.com/ . I also added him to the blogs I like at the top right)

A general attempt to list every band I've seen live

As the title says, here is my attempt to list all the bands I've seen live. I'm fairly certain I got about 85% of them, remembering small small local bands from ticket stubs i found, posters, and just my general memory. I chose not to list bands at large events (Warped Tour, Bamboozle) who I didn't watch because that would be a giant pain in the ass. I did however, do my best to list all the locals bands I've seen in the past, and did an OK job of it.

But before I go with that, a couple of lists regarding live shows:

Best Live Shows (Whole show taken into consideration)

1. Starland Summer Campout 07 (Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, Streetlight Manifesto, Against All Authority, Suburban Legends, 16 local bands)
2. Starland Summer Campout 08 (Dropkick Murphys, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Civet)
3. The English Beat, Bad Manners, The Pietasters: 1/27/09 @ Rams Head Live!

Bands that put on the best live performance (in no order)

1. Rx Bandits
2. Streetlight Manifesto
3. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
4. Rise Against
5. Bomb the Music Industry!

So here is the incomplete but the best I can do list. It is listed alphabetically, with any bands I've seen multiple times noted so with how many times I have seen them.

Against All Authority (3)
Against Me! (2)
The Aggrolites (3)
The AKAs
Alkaline Trio (2)
All Star Otis
The Allstonians
Alto-Sound Fiasco
Anti-Flag (2)
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches
Awful Waffle (6)
Badfish (2)
Bad Manners
Bad Religion (2)
Beat Soup
Bedouin Soundclash
Big D & the Kids Table (7)
A Billion Ernies
Bomb the Music Industry! (2)
Bomb Town
Boss Relief (3)
Brain Failure
The Briggs
Bubble Gum Octopus (2)
Catch 22 (2)
Civet
Conspicuous Consumption (2)
Cooler Than Kip
Corporate Agenda
Dillinger Four
Drive-Through Pharmacy (2)
Dropkick Murphys (2)
Echo Movement
The English Beat (2)
The Expendables
Fairview Burning
Fatter Than Albert
The Flaming Tsunamis (4)
The Flamingos (2)
Flatfoot 56
The Flatliners (2)
Flogging Molly
The Fortune Tellers
The Gaslight Anthem (2)
GBH
Gym Class Heroes
Hit and Run
Hoochie & the Go Get Ems (3)
HorrorPops (2)
Houston Calls
Hub City Stompers
I Voted For Kodos (2)
Inspector Hector (2)
International Jet Set
Jade Fire
Jazz Face (2)
Jet Lag Gemini
King Django
The Krays
Left Alone
Legitimate Business (5)
Less Than Jake (3)
Long Shot Hero (2)
The Loved Ones
The Maddhatters
The Mafia
MC Lars
Men, Women, and Children
The Miasmics (4)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (4)
Dan From MU330 (2)
Mustard Plug (4)
Nine Lives
NOFX (2)
None The Less
Nurses
Offbeat in Suburbia (2)
ORESKABAND
Pasadena
Passafire (2)
Patent Pending (2)
Pepper (4)
The Pietasters (3)
Pirates of the Skaribbean
The Planet Smashers
Reel Big Fish (5)
Rise Against
Rx Bandits (2)
SGR (2)
The Shods
S1gleton (2)
The Slackers (2)
Slightly Stoopid
Sly Robbie and the Taxi Gang
Stephanie White and the New Jersey PhilthHarmonic (2)
Straylight Run
Street Dogs
Streetlight Manifesto (8)
Suburban Legends (6)
The Superspecs
The Supervillains (2)
Teenage Bottle Rocket
10 Cents Short
Thrice
Third Eye Blind (2)
Time Again (2)
Tip the Van
The Toasters (2)
Trevor Hall
Tri-State Conspiracy
The Upperhand
Vagiant
Voodoo Glow Skulls (2)
The Waffle Stompers
The Wailers
Wonka Mobile (2)
Westbound Train (7)
Whole Wheat Bread (5)
Wicker Hallow
Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer

SWEEP!

Yeah, can you say 6.5 game lead?

pictures from http://www.nydailynews.com/

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Thursday I went to an amazing Yankee Game. Yankees 13, Red Socks 6. I mean the score alone is all you need to know about why it was a great game. Broke the Socks winning streak vs the Yanks this year, established a steady first place in the east, and also established the end of John Smoltz's career. AND THEN....The Yankees would win Friday's game 2-0 in 15 innings and then Saturday 5-0. Their lead in the division is now 5.5 games! And I couldn't be happier with how the team is playing.

But that wasn't all in the baseball-related world this weekend. For the third time in four years (2006, 2007, 2009), my softball team, Roosevelt & Cross, were victorious in the championship. We won game one (without me) Thursday, something like 13-4. Then last night we won the second and final game, 12-3. I ended the season batting .471, with I believe 8 RBI in 12 games (stats including the playoffs). We overall were 11-3 on the season, easily winning the B Division. It should be noted that the 3 losses were during the regular season: one to who we would beat in the first round of the playoffs, and the other 2 to the team would beat twice in the finals. Great job to everyone on the team, can't wait til next season.

I decided to end with some interesting facts about the 17 Major League Baseball games I've seen in person. Thanks to http://www.baseball-reference.com/, my weird memory, and seasonal unemployment, I was able to look up all the box scores and find out some things worth sharing about the games. Enjoy.

Team Records;

• Yankees: 8-5
• Orioles: 5-6
• Rays: 0-2
• Red Socks: 2-1
• Twins: 0-1
• Mariners: 1-0
• Rangers: 1-1
• Blue Jays: 0-1

Notable pitchers I've seen;

• Andy Pettitte
• John Smoltz
• CC Sabathia (twice)
• El Douque (twice)
• Mariano Rivera (twice)
• Tim Wakefield
• Mike Mussina
• Carl Pavano as a Yankee lose in 2005
• Scott Kazmir
• Doc Gooden

Notable home runs I've seen;

• 500 Home Run Club Members: Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez
• Bernie Williams hit 2 in one game
• Jorge Posada has homered in 5 different games I've been to. Brian Roberts, Melky Cabrerra and Bernie Williams have 2 each.
• Notable steroid users: Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, David Oritz, Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, and Javy Lopez

Notable games I've been to;

• 5/16/98 (Yankees 5, Twins 2). Ramerio Mendoza throws 5 no-hit innings on Yankee Sock Day. The next day David Wells would throw 9 perfect innings on Beanie Baby day. This is one of the few times I'll be quoted saying Fuck My Life
• 4/6/09 (Yanks 5, Orioles 10) Opening Day at Camden Yard in Father Linnane's personal seats
• 5/8/09 (Yanks 4, Orioles 0) CC Sabathia throws a complete game, 4 hit, one walk, shut out and Alex Rodriguez homers in his first at bat of the season after being hurt. Yanks go on a roll from then on in.
• 5/8/99 (Mariners 14, Yanks 5) Who cares??? I saw Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run

Salute to Fiction

Here is my salute to my two favorite blogs created by fictional characters. You'd be surprised how many of them are out there, but these two by far are my favorites.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/how_i_met_your_mother/community/barney_blog/index.php
First up is "Barney's Blog" from "How I Met Your Mother". Barney writes on a variety of things, from what it means to be a Bro (Also in his "Bro Code", a book I have), to how to score with a certain chick where, to general thoughts on his fictitious life.

http://blog.nbc.com/CreedThoughts/
Next up are "Creed Thoughts" from "The Office". Creed blogs about...well basically anything. If you don't watch The Office, then this might seem hilarious. It should still be funny, but you really really have to know the Creed character to appreciate this.

Anyway, I recommend that you check them both out. They are great time killers, and quite humorous.

"Funny People" and Whisky.....no clever title, just a descrpition of Saturday

"Funny People" finally came out and I was very pumped to see it. Unfortunately....it wasn't amazing. Good? Yes. Funny? Yes......But not great nor hilarious. One thing it is is LONG. But I will give credit where credit is due

• Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill ("1 and 3/4 Seth"), hilarious as always
• Adam Sandler made fun of his typical movies and was great for the movie. His other movies suck, and he basically acknowledged it in this
• Always love to see "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" Alumni, most notably Jason Schwartzman, Carla Gallo, and Steve Bannos.
• Silent Apatow Regulars to appear in Movie poster form: Elizabeth Banks and Ken Jeong
• Probably the funniest person in "Funny People"....Eminem
• GREAT other cameos (Dave Atell, Ray Ramano, Andy Dick, Sarah Silverman, Norm Macdonald to name a few off the top of my head)
• And the best thing from the movie: Aziz Ansari as RAAAAAAAANDY. Not only was he being basically a shitty Dane Cook-comic, but has taken it so much further. Watch all the 8 videos he uploaded http://www.youtube.com/user/RAAAAAAAANDY

Really the biggest problem is how long the movie is. The other Apatow movies are long, but they were much much funnier. I know that this one wasn't supposed to as funny, but it really disappointed because I was REALLY anticipating it. To compare it using an earlier post (http://bgklein.blogspot.com/2009/06/oh-im-sure-if-they-were-orsen-wells-itd.html), I would rank "Funny People" at 9. Behind "Zack and Miri", but above "Adventureland". Judd Apatow himself is going to be quiet next year, only involved in the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" spin off.....which I'm sure wont disappoint.

Then after seeing that Saturday, I went to my friend Liz's to celebrate our good friend Kyle's 20th birthday. Long story short, 5th of Jack was gone by the end of the night along with some good ol' Natty Bohs. Good times minus people getting sick and cats waking me up.

And then today, we won our first playoff game in Softball. Finals are Thursday and Friday, should be reporting on that soon.

Also soon to come:

• Thursday's trip the Yankee Stadium for Yankees v Red Socks (yes, soCKS)
• A post regarding live shows I've seen as it seems I have new followers from the wide wide world of web who found my blog via google
• On that note, Google "Fluent in Stroll" (Not Strictly Rude)......I'm so proud
• Also more to come.....maybe more complaints about Tina. I think that's why the Google search came up so highly