A Closer Look On... Michael Cera.

You remember little George-Michael Bluth from Arrested Development, right? Well, turns out the 18-going-on-19-year-old ain't so little no mo’.

Yeah, he looks exactly the same, BUT he does have this new movie coming out soon which looks brand new. It's the one from the trailer above. It's called Super Bad and it's directed by Greg Mottola, who has actually just directed a lot of TV to date (including three episodes of the aforementioned Arrested). The script was co-penned by Seth Rogan, who plays the lead character in that new Judd Apatow flick, Knocked Up. I know right, it's all so incestuous.

Anyway, back to this Cera kid. Can you believe he's only 18? The nerve of this little prick knucklehead to have talent and ambition.

Because if you haven't heard, he’s also been spending some quality time on the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! recently while simultaneously creating this new (internet only?) comedy short series called Clark and Michael with some dude named Clark. Check it out.

AND! As if that weren’t enough, he also has another theatrical film scheduled for release later this year called Juno, directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking). It co-stars Ellen Page, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner and it's said to be about an offbeat young woman who makes an unusual and bizarre decision regarding her unborn child when faced with an unplanned pregnancy (Knocked Up 2?). It's a dark comedy.

Wow, if I didn't know any better, I'd have to say that Michael Cera has got it going on!

And this has been your a closer look on... Michael Cera.

Mr. Sprinkles #5

This Week in Rock & Roll TV: May 28 - June 3, 2007

Here's the line-up:

MON 28: *Lily Allen on Conan
TUE 29: *The Flaming Lips on Leno
TUE 29: *Kelly Clarkson on Kimmel
TUE 29: *Calexico on Conan
TUE 29: *Vietnam on Carson Daly
WED 30: *Paula Abdul on Craig Ferguson
THU 31: *Peter Bjorn and John on Leno
THU 31: *Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on Kimmel
FRI 1: William Shatner on Henry Rollins Show [IFC]
FRI 1: *Modest Mouse on Letterman
SAT 2: *Saturday Night Fever (1977) [VH1C]
SUN 3: 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs [VH1]
SUN 3: Subterranean [MTV2]

* = Episode previously aired

Check local listings for show times and channels in your
area.

On The Live Concert Venue... The Arcade Fire.

After a long day of trekking around the city it was amazing to walk inside the swank (and air conditioned) Chicago Theatre. The giant marquee catches my eye everytime I'm in town and I have to say seeing a show there had been on my list of things to do for some time. We picked up our tickets at Will Call and picked up our cocktails at the lobby bar – they were equally intoxicating (THANKS AGAIN, CHRISTINA!). Looking around the place it was hard to avoid uttering the clichéd “they don’t build’em like this anymore”. The details and the elegance in the craftsmanship – from the staircase to the walls and adornments – it was all quite a sight to behold.

We made our way to our seats, which were about fifteen or so rows back from the stage on the lower level. We were happy.

The opening band, Electrelane, was pretty cool. They’re a four-piece all-girl band from Brighton, UK. While many people were still filing in and finding their seats the girls made sure they were anything but background music and the crowd seemed to love them. Their sound actually reminded me a lot of our local Rosehips (who BTW have a new 7-inch being released June 1st on Manup, but more on that later), if not for the obvious female connection, for the blazing guitar work often balanced by sweet, yet spirited vocals. Although the comparison could be considered a bit of a reach by some as Electrelane split their set pretty evenly between psyched-out scorchers and airy, keyboard-driven melodies.

After a modest pause between bands and a couple more cocktails through our hands, The Arcade Fire strode confidently onto the stage. They went right into a thunderous version of “Keep The Car Running” which instantly whipped the crowd into a sing-a-long frenzy.

For better or worse, I found myself analyzing the band throughout the show – analyzing the show even. After all, as a fellow musician, it’s hard not to wonder how a band can achieve such meteoric success on the independent level.

How have they done it? Here are a couple of conclusions I came to: write really great songs and be really awesome live. Also, stay humble, surround yourself with smart, talented, fun people who "want it" and always eat a balanced breakfast. Simple enough, eh?

When I saw them a little over two years ago, they were six sordid people playing (mind you, tearing up) a small club in Columbus, Ohio, for some four hundred folks. Now, they were ten strong, standing up straight and commanding a legendary stage to a sold-out crowd in one of our nation’s largest cities. It was pretty inspiring to say the least.

I wish I would have jotted down the set list as they played, but I was too caught up in the moment. By my recollection they played a pretty balanced set between songs off of Funeral and Neon Bible. Though the new record hasn’t really affected me as much as the last one, I have to say that the new material held just as much weight live.

The presentation on stage included five small circular screens that rotated through various imagery, from live shots to old artsy (found?) footage run through a grainy over-saturated filter which made for a really cool effect. And the band members themselves are always fun to watch as at least six of the ten swap instruments every song or two. The stage is in a constant state of flux and the energy they create keeps the crowd on their feet (and dancing) throughout the entire show.

Regine’s tunes seemed to especially resonate this night as personal highlights included “Haiti”, “In The Backseat” and the dark and new wavy “Black Wave/Bad Vibrations”. “The Well And The Lighthouse” and “(Antichrist Television Blues)” were rocking, too.

I shot some video of them doing "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" above. It probably doesn’t do the band much justice – not enough detail and a little too much crowd noise - but check it out anyway. I know that a lot of people have been turned off by this band due to the constant barrage of hype here, there and everywhere. All I can say is you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t at least try to be open-minded and experience this band once in your lifetime live. It will move you, trust me. And you will understand why so many people have such a hard time shutting up about them.

Mr. Sprinkles #4

No Need To Panic

OK... seriously, I’m back from Chicago. No joke. It was a whirlwind of a time.

I got a flat tire, didn’t see Angelina Jolie’s stunt double hanging out of a helicopter, saw an amazing show, spent a decent amount of time in a girl’s dressing room, ate waffles with real pieces of crunchy bacon cooked right in them, saw Chicago at night from ninety-six stories up, got some great advice from an old time cabbie, took the same picture that is on the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, lunched at a place that was doubling as the shooting location for Beauty and the Geek auditions, experienced some incredibly old and exciting artwork, explored the Lincoln Park area, watched a movie, ate that pizza, spilled Guinness on the pillowcase, walked, showered, shaved, and drove, amongst other things.

Look for my complete review of the aforementioned Arcade Fire concert in the next day or two.

Until then, it’s back to our regularly scheduled program.

And it’s back to the basement for Sam!

AMBER ALERT

New Dark Ages founder and big tymer Bob "A Snake" Miller has gone M.I.A. during his trip to Chicago aka "The Rainy City." Just last week, he promised "to blog on the trip as much as possible," but it has been a full three days since his last internet posting. If you have seen this man please call the authority at 880-KING immediately. Don't hesitate! CALL NOW!

Night At The Drive-In

Friday entailed a lot of driving -- nearly seven hours worth. Made all the more excruciating wondering just what Craighead might be doing to screw up the website.

When we finally rolled into Chicago we were met by a shit ton of traffic, the entire Loop snarled by what turned out to be the filming of some new Angelina Jolie movie. Yeah, 8 o’clock on a Friday night... good idea, Timur. It literally took us an hour to find a way around all the roadblocks to get to our hotel. If we could have gone straight on the road we were supposed to it would have taken two minutes. Literally. Now I really have a valid reason to hate Angelina Jolie. Although I have to admit it was kinda cool seeing her hang perilously out of a helicopter hovering fifty feet over the Chicago River. That is if I saw it, which I didn’t. But, I sure heard about it.

That is right before I heard about how I had a flat front tire from the valet dude.

Now, all we have to do is catch some sort of ancient disease and it will be just like an Ogborn family vacation! I kid because I care, Ogsie.

Needless to say, the night was not going as planned.

Now, it’s Saturday morning. AAA is getting the tire fixed and we’re gonna hit the Mag Mile to spend some money we don’t have before the Arcade Fire show tonight.

I’ll try to get some pics and video up at some point.

P.S. I am also thoroughly convinced now that “Chicago-style pizza” is grossly overrated. I’ll take my Smokin’ Joe’s tomato, banana pepper and feta over this flavorless crap any day of the week. More on this later?

Watch Ur Back

Since Bobby is going out of town, expect a few changes around here. Change the first: check out this sweet drawing of Christopher Columbus that I just colored in! That is to represent "Columbus." It is where I will be hanging out this weekend. If anyone has any suggestions, email me at yahoo.com. Thanks!

Neon Peter Cetera

The lovely lady and I are heading to Chicago this weekend to, amongst other things, celebrate her birthday by taking in the Arcade Fire concert Saturday night at the legendary Chicago Theatre. It will be the band's second of three consecutive sold-out shows in the Windy City. The last time I saw them in person was on the 12x12 stage at Little Brother’s in Columbus, Ohio. They’ve come a long way in a little over two years, eh?

I’m also really looking forward to checking out the two big art museums and the Planetarium. And eating some of that pizza. Are there any must sees or must dos or must eats that you Chicagoans (or experienced visitors) might care to recommend?

P.S. I’ll be attempting to blog on the trip as much as possible -- which may be a bunch or very little depending on wi-fi availability, costs, etc. Stay tuned. I'm pumped!

On The Phonograph... The High Strung.

The High Strung

"What A Meddler" { Mp3 - 6.90MB }

Get The Guests { Park the Van, 2007 }


I meant to say something on Tuesday as some really excellent stuff came out. Namely, The High Strung’s newest compact disc called Get The Guests. I’ve been playing my advance copy of this thing like crazy over the last few weeks. For the uninitiated, I’d describe The High Strung’s sound as too tight and melodic to be labeled as garage rock, too intellectual to be called punk and too raw and uninhibited to be described simply as pop, but it sits confidently somewhere amongst the best of all of that. "What A Meddler" shows the Detroit trio sprinting through their harmony-rich routine as clever and self-assured as ever (indicative of the majority of the material on Get The Guests), with Josh Malerman’s bird-like voice perched impressively beside some really nifty horn lines. I highly recommend this record.

Buy it here >>>

And I didn’t even mention how incredible The High Strung are live and in person. It all starts with great songs, but they are definitely one of those bands that never fail to "wow" me. Here are some of their upcoming tour dates, but check their MySpace page soon as they are about to release a whole summer full of dates at various libraries all across the country:

May 17 9:30 Club (with SON VOLT) Washington D.C.
May 18 Trocadero (with SON VOLT) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 19 The Knitting Factory w/ Richard Lloyd (of TELEVISION) New York, New York
May 20 The Icon w/ These Arms Are Snakes & CURSIVE Buffalo
May 21 the Oasis New London, Connecticut
May 22 TT The Bear's Cambridge / Boston, Massachusetts
May 23 Union Hall Brooklyn, New York
May 24 Lime Spider Akron, Ohio
May 25 "Get The Guests" CD Release party Lager House with The Henchmen & Mano y Mano Detroit, Michigan
May 26 Canton Cup Soccer Tournament Canton, Michigan
May 30 Sunset Tavern Seatle, Washington
May 31 Thrasher Low Dough Show at Dante's Portland, Oregon
Jun 1 The Hemlok San Francisco, California
Jun 2 Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Jun 5 club congress Tucson, Arizona
Jun 7 Larimer Lounge Denver, Colorado
Jun 8 Replay Lounge Laurence, Kansas
Jun 9 TWANGFEST St. Louis, Missouri

We Hate Mixtapes #10

This mix comes courtesy of our friend Forest Lawrenceston over on the DW boards.

"If I find, or hear, the individual that has said that about me, I'm gonna break your goddamn neck, you sonofabitch!" - Elvis Presley

We Hate Mixtapes #10:
ELVIS PRESLEY IS STRUNG OUT (ON MUSIC)

01 - Jokke & Valentinerne - Hvis Jeg Var Deg
02 - Rocket From the Crypt - Crazy Talk
03 - Perfect - Yap Yap
04 - The Breeders - Son Of Three
05 - GiveGoods - Unfamiliar
06 - Roger Miller - The Moon Is High (And So Am I)
07 - Grandpaboy - Psychopharmacology
08 - Reigning Sound - Medication
09 - Elvis Presley - Strung Out (on Music)
10 - The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Blow My Cool
11 - The Muffs - I'm A Dick
12 - Terry Anderson and the Olympic Ass-Kickin' Team - Check Please
13 - Frank Black - That Burnt Out Rock and Roll

http://www.sendspace.com/file/w6w2xd/url

Mr. Sprinkles #3

On The Live Concert Venue... Peter Bjorn and John.

Last Monday I was lucky enough to catch the Peter Bjorn and John performance at The Wexner Center. They lived up to the hype and the sound at the Wex was immaculate (as always). They re-worked a lot of the songs off Writer’s Block, mixing up the arrangements and instrumentation (some more subtle than others), which made the show that much more entertaining. Personal highlights included the severely stripped-down “Amsterdam” and the hopelessly romantic “Paris 2004”, plus a real rocker off an early album of which I failed to catch the name (but I will hunt down). I recorded a little footage here of them doing “Young Folks” with guest vocalist, Heather D’Angelo, of opener Au Revoir Simone.

The band has a couple of shows lined-up this week on the West Coast:

05/14 Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR)
05/15 Bimbos 365 Club (San Francisco, CA)
05/16 Bimbos 365 Club (San Francisco, CA)

If you live back East, don’t fret, you can catch them on the television set this Friday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

This Week in Rock & Roll TV: May 14 - 20, 2007

Here's the line-up:

MON 14: The Story of Metal Marathon [VH1C]
TUE 15: Wilco on Letterman
TUE 15: Feist on Kimmel
WED 16: Lily Allen on Tavis Smiley [PBS]
WED 16: Avril Lavigne on Kimmel
WED 16: *Eagle-Eye Cherry on The Cosby Show [NICK]
WED 16: Silversun Pickups on Conan
WED 16: Modest Mouse on Craig Ferguson
THU 17: Rufus Wainwright on Letterman
THU 17: M. Ward on Conan
FRI 18: The Blood Brothers & Joan Jett on Henry Rollins Show [IFC]
FRI 18: Elvis Costello on Letterman
FRI 18: Peter Bjorn and John on Leno
FRI 18: Blonde Redhead on Conan
SAT 19: *Dixie Chicks on Austin City Limits
SAT 19: Zach Braff & Maroon 5 on SNL
SUN 20: Dead Famous/Ghostly Encounters -- Janis Joplin [BIO]
SUN 20: Subterranean [MTV2]

* = Episode previously aired

Check local listings for show times and channels in your
area.

Happy Mothers Day!

Don't forget to call your Mommy!

On The Phonograph... Two Cow Garage.

Two Cow Garage

"Mediocre" { Mp3 - 9.51MB }

III { Suburban Home, 2007 }


This is the track off the new Two Cow Garage record, III, which really sold me. I was enjoying the album alright, but when this song came on my jaw just dropped. Yes, those are blazing horns. And twinkling piano lines. And yes, this band has grown up and blossomed right before our very ears. And if you were forced to pick one tune for absolute proof, this would be it. So, enjoy. And come celebrate the CD release with all your rowdy friends Saturday night at Little Brother’s. Big Back 40, The Razers and Tree of Fern will be playing in support.

Buy it here >>>

Oh! And here are some other confirmed dates for the Two Cow boys that are right around the corner. If they swing through your neck of the woods make sure you round up some friends (the kind that can really hold their liquor!) and go check them out.

May 17 The Hideout w/ Grand Champeen Chicago, IL
May 18 The Mill w/ Grand Champeen Iowa City, IA
May 19 Off Broadway w/ Grand Champeen St. Louis, MO
Jun 7 Duck Room St. Louis, Missouri
Jun 8 White Water Tavern Little Rock, Arkansas
Jun 9 Hole in the Wall w/ Grand Champeen Austin, Texas
Jun 12 Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado
Jun 14 Sunset Tavern Seattle, Washington
Jun 15 Last Chance Chili Shack Georgetown, Washington
Jun 16 Private Party at The Doghouse Stanwood, Washington
Jun 17 Dante's Portland, Oregon
Jun 19 Capitol Bowl Sacramento, California
Jun 20 Fritz's Reno, Nevada
Jun 21 The Mint Los Angeles, California
Jun 22 Last Exit Bar Tempe, Arizona
Jun 23 Plush Booking Tucson, Arizona
Jun 24 Rubber Gloves Denton, Texas
Jun 28 Star Bar Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 29 Soapbox Wilmington, North Carolina
Jun 30 Pour House Charleston, South Carolina
Jul 1 Hideaway BBQ Raleigh, North Carolina
Jul 3 The Garage Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Mr. Sprinkles #2

This Week in Rock & Roll TV: May 7 - 13, 2007

Here's the line-up:

MON 7: David Hasselhoff on Larry King Live
MON 7: Biography -- Buck Owens [BIO]
TUE 8: Feist on Leno
TUE 8: Bloc Party on Carson Daly
WED 9: The Kooks on Letterman
WED 9: Aqualung on Leno
WED 9: Patrick Wolf on Conan
WED 9: Dinosaur Jr. on Craig Ferguson
THU 10: The Bird and the Bee on Carson Daly
FRI 11: Chris Cornell on Henry Rollins Show [IFC]
FRI 11: Kelly Clarkson on Kimmel
SAT 12: *Ray Davies on Austin City Limits
SAT 12: Molly Shannon & Linkin Park on SNL
SUN 13: Dead Famous/Ghostly Encounters -- John Lennon [BIO]
SUN 13: Subterranean [MTV2]

* = Episode previously aired

Check local listings for show times and channels in your
area.

Today, we HORSE.

Yes, Columbus boys and girls, boys and girls in surrounding Ohio counties, and all remaining NDA faithful -- today is the first official day of the second quarter of the year. And you know what that means!!!!!!!

HORSE CLUB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What is Horse Club you ask? Well, I’m sorry, but the first rule of Horse Club is that I can’t talk about Horse Club.

But, I will say this: Horse Club is when a decent size group of our friends get together, dress like old people and head out to wager fistfuls of change on the trotters at Scioto Downs. It’s a day of belly laughs and well-earned leisure that frequently ends with one or more of us winning BIG (like at least $25!) and the rest of us drinking way too much cheap draft beer for our own good. Plus, hot dogs!!!!!!

It is raining today, so that could throw a wrench in my picks. I really like Lucky Lindy in the 4th race, but he’s not much in the mud. Also, Bizarre Barista in the 7th looks solid, if not frothy.

So, meet up at Tompkins around 6:30pm today if you want to be a part of the Horse Club caravan. But, remember… if this is your first time at Horse Club, you have to HORSE!

Whatever Happened To... OP?

Mr. Sprinkles #1

We Hate Mixtapes #9

We Hate Mixtapes #9 is brought to you by our resident puppeteer, Matt Ogborn. Mcgob, if you will, says "everything on this is probably at least 10 years old and nothing is particularly obscure, but these are some of the songs I've been listening to a lot lately." We’ll be the judge of that!

Tracklist:

1. Baby Vampire Made Me - Helium
2. Pink Frost - The Chills
3. Star Bellied Boy - Bikini Kill
4. God Made the Virus - McCarthy
5. New Puritan - The Fall
6. Barlows House - Dead Famous People
7. Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow - Felt
8. Split - Liliput
9. Track Star - Prichard
10. Doubt Beat - Scritti Politti
11. Drive It All Over Me - My Bloody Valentine
12. Jaffa Boy - Bird Nest Roys
13. The Leanover - Life Without Buildings
14. What Will You Do? - Garageland
15. Hawaiian Baby - The Spinanes

http://www.mediafire.com/?7yj5zznwgng

The Michael Showalter Showalter with Special Guest Paul Rudd

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