John Mellencamp will be the 4th musician to receive the Steinbeck Award, in a ceremony tonight in San Jose, California. The honor goes to artists and activists whose work reflect the values of John Steinbeck, including passion for the environment, common people and the struggle between rich and poor.
While the PNW dabbles in summer, the rest of the country is smack dab in the middle of it, and breaking records while they're at it. (I guess I shouldn't have complained about wearing a jacket yesterday.)
While Seattle is on top of things when it comes to recycling plastics, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world... or even the rest of our country. This, on top of years of not knowing or caring what these synthetics would do to the planet, has caused our oceans to be filled with trash and debris from decades of wastefulness. Like any ecosystem, the oceans are affected by the chemicals that come from the decomposing trash. So, even landlocked places (like my former home of Missouri), need to be concerned -- would you want to eat fish that has been sucking on plastic? Delicious!
I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to not thinking about where our trash goes. I sort my compost and recycleables, and the rest goes to the dumpster, never to be thought of again. But this serves as as good reminder that everything we do impacts the environment, and in turn, each other.
Has the ship sailed on big land-based festivals? Yesterday brought two announcements that makes me think there could be a shift in the "exclusive VIP" aspect to festival-going: The Coachella and Moody Blues cruises. Hey, if you're going to be in a confined space with thousands of other fans, you might as well be on a boat, right? No? At least you wouldn't have to camp.
I know these music cruises have been around forever, but I don't think a full festival has ever been on the water before. S.S. Coachella sails twice in December, on the 16th and the 19th, to the Bahamas and Jamaica, respectively. Pulp is the headliner, along with Girl Talk, James Murphy and more dancey bands. Cabins start at about $500. Wanna go? >>
If a big festival on a boat isn't your scene, you might like the Moody Blues Cruise, which sails in March of 2013. This cruise will feature special performances, Q&A sessions and special appearances from other musicians. Drinks with the guys on the Ledo deck? Don't mind if I do. Wanna go? >>
We heard Monday about Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney getting the power cut from their set Saturday in London, so The oss opened his Dublin show yesterday by poking fun at the incident:
There's a new Crosby, Stills and Nash live album out today, CSN 2012, but with so many releases coming this fall, I wanted to give you a quick preview.
-Bob Dylan has confirmed this new album, Tempest, will be out September 11th. This is his 35th studio album, and it marks the 50th anniversary of his debut release! Jack Frost produces... who is just Dylan using his producer pseudonym. How can a guy who already uses a pseudonym use a pseudonym? That's trippy, man.
-Also out on September 11th is the new Dave Matthews Band album Away From The World and The Avett Brothers' The Carpenter. Hear new songs from both on The Mountain's Music Blog.
-Just announced this morning via Twitter, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab For Cutie is putting out his first solo album. Former Lives is due October 16th. Not much more info out there yet...
-As I posted yesterday, Mumford and Sons release their sophomore effort on September 25th. I think they can beat the sophomore slump, and I'm excited to hear how!
Levon Helms' dying wish was for his recording studio in Woodstock, NY to continue producing music. The studio is in financial toruble, however, so his estate is looking to the fans for support with the Keep On Goin' campaign. You can help by purchasing a t-shirt, which comes with a digital download of "Drown In My Own Tears," which was going to appear of Volume III: The Best of the Rambles. For a greater donation, your name will be etched onto a pick that will become a part of the mosaic pictured above. Beautiful, huh?
An event 50 years in the making, says Bruce Springsteen, when Paul McCartney joined him on stage in London on Saturday. The promoters cut the performance off as to not violate the sound curfew... but it was cool while it lasted!
Over the weekend, I celebrated a big birthday and took photos of a toast... I did not, however, take photos of the unbelievable meal I had. Not sure how Johnny Sanchez would feel about beverage pics, but he makes it clear how he feels about food pics in this morning's :20 Funny.
What songs signify the weekend for you? For me, it's my karaoke favorites. Nothing says weekend like karaoking "Don't Stop Believin'!" Tonight, I suspect will be no different.
So, my three weekend songs (for this weekend, anyway) are:
"Sunday Morning" by No Doubt
"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey (of course)
"Brass In Pocket" by The Pretenders (ever since Scarlett Johansson sang it in the movie Lost In Translation, I've been hooked.)
Seems like everyone is fighting in the TV world right now, between AMC and Dish Network and now Viacom and DirecTV. But why must we all suffer! ::cue dramatic fake fainting::
AMC agreed to stream MORE to keep its viewers happy during the Dish battle... but Viacom is playing differently. DirecTV told its customers, basically, "Hey, you can still stream this stuff. Go to the internet, chumps." In rebuttal, Viacom pulled the full episodes of some of its most streamed show: "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report."
That's just mean. I know I can't be the only one who catches up on the previous night's shows while eating lunch in front of my computer. Don't get between me and my political satire! Hopefully, all is settled soon... so those of you with DirecTV can watch all the Comedy Central and Nickelodeon you want in the comfort of your own home, and so I can watch Jon Stewart in the comfort of my desk chair.
Since moving to Seattle, I've heard several times that there are more bars than churches in the city. So far, I believe it.
Floatingsheep.org decided to run a study of geotagged tweets -- over 10 million of them -- to see what Americans tweet about more -- church or beer? The results lay out pretty much as expected. The northeast and midwest like their beer, while the south loves its church.
"I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back," the band's lead singer said in a statement.
The band has a new album out this fall, and they are on tour with Cheap Trick, with a stop at the Tacoma Dome August 8th.
With so many changes in judges over the past few seasons, is it time to just say goodbye to American Idol? Like with The Office losing Steve Carell, one Simon was gone, the show lost its pop.
The game of chicken the Rolling Stones have been playing with the press (and our hearts) over a reunion tour finally has some answers.
In an interview this week, Keith Richards confirmed that, yes, it's happening. "There's things in the works," he said. "It's definitely happening, but when I can't say yet." Richards says the band has been rehearsing already.
I've never seen the Stones, and they are at the top of my bucket list. These tour dates cannot be released fast enough!
Last month, Stevie Nicks made a quick comment at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony about Fleetwood Mac starting to rehearse for a tour in 2013. Yesterday morning on CBS This Morning, she confirmed it!
"It's the plan," Nicks said. "Because that's what we do. I do my thing, and Lindsey [Buckingham's] out doing his thing." Her response to a question about the whole band being on board? "Oh yeah."
Originally there was talk of a 2012 tour and possibly a new album, but it looks like '13 is the magic number. Will we get a new album as well?!
New album or not, there's always that Fleetwood Mac tribute album that comes out this fall, for a different take on all the classics.
Nielson and Sony Electronics surveyed TV watchers on the most impactful TV moments in their lives. This was based on not only impact, but also if people remember where they were when watching and if they discussed it with other people. The results look like this:
1. September 11th terrorist attacks (2001).
2. Hurricane Katrina (2005).
3. The O.J. Simpson verdict (1995).
4. The Challenger space shuttle explodes (1986).
5. Death of Osama bin Laden (2011).
6. The O.J. Simpson White Bronco chase (1994).
7. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami (2011).
8. Columbine school shooting (1999).
9. BP oil spill in Gulf of Mexico (2010).
10. Princess Diana’s funeral (1997).
11. Death of Whitney Houston (2012).
12. Capture and execution of Saddam Hussein (2006).
13. Barack Obama Election Night speech (2008)
14. Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (2011).
15. John F. Kennedy assassination (1963).
16. Oklahoma City bombing (1995).
17. Bush/Gore disputed election (2000).
18. Los Angeles riots that followed the Rodney King beating (1992).
19. Casey Anthony murder trial verdict (2011).
20. John F. Kennedy funeral (1963).
I wasn't surprised about 9/11because that would be my pick, too... but I expected the Challenger explosion to be higher than #4. When I read the headline to this article, my first thought was, "Oh, the Challenger will be high on this list." O.J. Simpson? C'mon. The whole "discussed with other people" aspect must have helped propel that one to #3. Also interesting (to me, anyway), is that most of the celebrity events are more recent, aside from Princess Diana's death.
What would you pick as your most impactful TV moment?
Last month, Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin, said there was a new Beatle project on the way, but that if he gave ANY detail, he "might as well kill [him]self" because it's so secret.
Well, Ringo was a bit chattier about it. Sounds like now that the Beatles finally have a relationship with iTunes, there will be a new Beatles compilation released soon... Ringo says, "Any minute there's going to be a special compilation you can only get on iTunes, but don't tell anybody I told you."
I don't know what's gotten into the water at the CDC (but hopefully they know...), but they've been all kinds of random on their blogs lately. A few months ago it was how to avoid zombie attacks, and now, how to plan ahead for your disaster of a wedding.
OK, they really just want you to plan ahead just in case a disaster happens... whether that's a tear in a dress or a tornado. The blog encourages wedding planners to stay informed, build an emergency kit and have a Plan B.
Is it just me, or should the CDC be focused on things other than weddings? Maybe it's the single girl coming out in me, but I'd rather they be working on vaccines than worrying about what happens if the flower girl spills Kool-Aid on her dress.
"Make sure you grab your bags!" I'm pretty sure I've started saying it out loud to myself as I leave the house now. What about you? Ten days into the plastic bag ban in Seattle... how are you doing? Have you started carrying bags with you?
I've never been so grateful for my giant purse.
Even I'm surprised by the amount of stuff I've shlepped in there when without my bags.
It's cool to think what a difference we are making in the city by not using plastic bags! Hopefully this movement continues throughout the country.
Just what you've been waiting for - the Progressive Music Awards, as presented by ProgMagazine (UK). I just assumed Rush was the only band nominated in every category... but they have come up with a respectable list of nominees for categories like "Album of the Year" (for new stuff) and "Lifetime Achievement." Not sure how long this set of awards will be around, but for the time being, prog rock deserves love, too.
Ringo Starr celebrated his 72nd birthday Saturday on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with his All-Starr Band... and it was quite the party. Ringo's brother-in-law Joe Walsh and Lucy Walsh joined the crowd on stage, plus country singers Vince Gill, Brad Paisley and Kix Brooks; and former All-Starr Band members Felix Cavaliere and Richard Marx. The whole show was filmed for a DVD, so you can watch from the comfort of your living room. Or you could head to Chateau Ste. Michelle this Saturday and watch the band live!
Gwyneth Paltrow attended a show of her husband's band, Coldplay, on June 29th. As he played "Yellow," Chris Martin felt moved to go find her in the crowd and plant one on her! It's cute. But wouldn't you expect Gwyneth to have better seats?
Mountain favorites Dave Matthews and Brandi Carlile are on tour together right now, and Brandi has revealed that Dave has a special name for her.
Says Brandi, "Ah, I love Dave Matthews. I think he's a really special person, even though he calls me a 'big fat trumpet head.' No, he's really fantastic, he's been a good friend for a long time. I really enjoy playing with him and we sing a song together every time we see each other."
New to the world of travel apps is HootRoot, a site that calculates the amount of carbon dioxide used when planning a trip.
Just enter your starting and ending points, and HootRoot will tell you how long it will take to drive, walk, bike, take public transit or fly to your destination. It will also tell you how many pounds of CO2 is used in your choice.
To get from Seattle to Portland, it takes "2 hrs and 60 min" (their time, not mine. Isn't that 3 hours?) and 186lbs of carbon dioxide. Flying is twice as much CO2, but according to HootRoot, it only takes 1 minute! I'm starting to think their algorithm for time might need some tweaking.
Something to think about if you're traveling this holiday week!
Ed Robertson, the new frontman for Barenaked Ladies, says the band is going back into the studio, but they won't be working on a new album.
"We're heading out on the road, we're working on a Broadway production of Animal House, we're working on a symphonic tour we're doing in Canada in the fall. And I just think putting the focus into going in and recording 12 to 14 songs plus bonus tracks, I don't know how many people are going to rush out and buy a physical record anymore. For me, it's kind of more interesting at this point to maybe just record a couple of songs and release them as we record them."
Maybe they'll at least have one or two new songs when they play Marymoor on August 3rd with Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies and Cracker!
