Coyol at The Satellite

I am really late on this post, but I was on vacation (excuse). Coyol hit the stage at The Satellite awhile back on a Monday night. I saw them once and thought: I like them. I saw them at The Satellite and thought:  I love them plenty.

 

A Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

A Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.  (An Essaouria day trip.)

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.  (A day trip to Essaouira.)

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

Photo Series: Marrakech

I'm off on vacation so here' s a photo series from my last vacation in Marrakech.

7th Annual Dre Day at El Cid

I better be careful what I say about Dre Day.  Last year I wrote some dry humor remarks about Pu$$y Cow and got taken down for it.

The first band, The Horror Squad  kicked it off before a crowded house at El Cid.  Comment of the set:  241.  I have no idea what that meant.  The sound guy came over to the stage and told the lead singer, "241." They made sure the tone was set with the paper bags.

Side note:  I'm lucky I showed up before 10 p.m. when there was much of a line at El Cid.  I walked over to the entrance later that night and was told by a friend that she'd been in line for 45 minutes.

Pu$$y Cow was up next.  A few microphone issues resulted as lead singer Joe Dana jumped out into the crowd a few times and his microphone cord wasn't able to keep up with him.  He needs a wireless microphone.  Chissum played it up with the crowd.  Two surprise guests showed up to play up on the Dre Day theme.

Side note:  Dre Day is all about having fun, but that doesn't mean you aren't expected to be well behaved.  During Pu$$y Cow's set, a woman starting tossing water into the crowd.  There was a confrontation and the woman was tossed.  A reminder was mentioned:  there were plenty of folks in line, waiting up to 45 minutes to get into El Cid and so if you wanted to misbehave someone else was more than willing to take your place.

Neighborhood Brats has a lead singer that just doesn't stop moving.  Do you want a non-blurry photo of her?  You better be fast with the trigger.  Comment of the set:  Who gave me this tape?  What the f*#k is this about?

Closing out the night, Fartbarf provided synth aggression to the crowd.  Wow.  How couldn't one leave on a high after that set?  Conversation of the night happened while the crowd was switching over between those dining at El Cid and those coming in for Dre Day.  Two couples were leaving for the night.  One of the guys did a quick dance:  do you want to stay and dance?  One of the gals said:  dance to the bands?  The guy replied:  it's a punk night, one of the bands is called Fartbart.  The general conclusion among the group was, No.  Oops, they missed a great night -- admittedly, to each his own.

There were some competitions set up for the night. The first was who could drink two 40s the quickest. I could be wrong with my memory, but this one had a 10 minute time limit versus prior competitions that didn't have a time limit.  This was a male vs. female competition.  Our male contestant was way ahead, but had a bit of a problem towards the end holding down his alcohol.  Well, tortoise beats hare, though the tortoise didn't drink down her two 40s.  Another was a free style rap competition.  As with last year, it was a run away victory.  There was comradery in the competition.  When one faltered badly, the guaranteed victor came  in to provide some assistance.

Horror Squad



Pu$$y Cow



Neighborhood Brats



Fartbarf

Duke Basketball vs. Maryland: 83-81

A loss, but we did have some good signs.  Josh Hairston played solid and has developed a nice baseline shot.  Alex Murphy got some solid minutes and played well.

The bad:  Mason Plumlee was pushed around by Alex Len and never got into the game.  And so the loss falls on his shoulders.

Considering all the turnovers that Maryland had, you'd think this would be a blowout, but Duke just couldn't do it.

Duke Basketball vs. Carolina: 73-68

I missed over half of this game.  I thought I set my DVR, but apparently not.  Stinks, but I guess I got to miss the worry of seeing Duke down by as much as ten.  

Instead, I got to see Plumlee hitting his free throws and Tyler Thornton playing tough.

And well, I couldn't help but notice Coach K telling folks not to rush the court and everyone listening.

Duke Basketball vs. Boston College: 62-61

From what I read, this was a strange situation for Duke.  Due to weather, the basketball team arrived in Boston in the morning instead of the previous night.  Even though I suspect it isn't the longest plane flight, I know from my experience that the whole process is painful.  You need to get to the airport early.  You need to go through the whole security check.  From what I saw of the game, Duke suffered from this.

Some highlights from a very close game:

Mason Plumlee hit 70% of his free throws.  For awhile, he was reverting to some very awful free throw shooting, but hopefully he is bouncing back to a decent level.

Seth Curry and his shin continue to over-perform.

For BC:  Was it Eddie Odio who averages only 3 points a game the guy who put it down on Plumlee.  I do believe so.

Kan Wakan at The Echo

Kan Wakan's residency started up a couple Monday's ago at The Echo.  A music that is as smooth as Sade, leaving one wishing for a night walk through Griffith Park.

The Donnies The Amys at The Echo

The Donnies The Amys hit the stage at The Echo on a prior Monday. You'd think a two piece band would be lo fi and that is how they describe themselves, but I found them to soar in an orchestral explosion of sound.


 

Omar Velasco at The Echo

Running a bit behind schedule on this. I caught Omar Velasco at The Echo last Monday. Beautiful voice.

 

My Fall/Winter 2012 movie rankings

 Here's my ranking of the movies I saw this Fall/Winter 2012:

Oscar Nod Movies

Amour
Zero Dark Thirty
Django Unchained
Skyfall
Wreck-It Ralph
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Les Misérables
Argo
Lincoln

Just short of Oscar Nod Movies

Silver Linings Playbook
Anna Karenina

Fun

The Hobbit
Seven Psychopaths
Flight
Looper

Okay, worth seeing

Life of Pi

Frankenweenie
Dredd 3D

Only worth seeing as a catch-up with characters type movie

Taken 2

Blah

The Master
Cloud Atlas

A Movie Review: Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas.  This is a movie that seemed to greatly divide critics. Some loved it. Some hated it. I side with those who hated it. I just couldn’t help but wonder: what exactly is the point of this movie that crosses centuries and argues for reincarnation? That some folks start life out as evil men, but their reincarnated selves eventually find love? In the end, I didn’t care what the message was. I just wanted the movie to end.

A Movie Review: Life of Pi

Life of Pi. Is there a God? Good question. A solid movie, but it got a little tedious watching a boy and hit tiger.

A Movie Review: Seven Psychopaths

Seven Psychopaths.  A movie needs to be written, but there is a lack of inspiration. A friend comes to the rescue, but this results in various murders and mayhem with a low level mob boss. This wasn’t what was expected by the lead character, but it makes for an enjoyable movie.

Duke Basketball vs. Florida St: 79-60

Ryan Kelly on the sidelines.  Mason Plumlee out of the game in the middle of the 1st half due to foul trouble.  What would be the result?  Duke kicks Florida St to the curb.  Tyler Thorton getting only 1 foul might represent how efficient Duke played on defense.

Has Duke learned to play without Kelly?  Let's wait to see how things work out with NC State before we jump to any conclusions.

A Movie Review. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit. Okay, we know that books can be divided in half to make a movie, but can they be split into three? This movie doesn't work as well as the Lord of the Rings movies, but it still works. One has to go in forgetting the brilliance of the LOTR movies. If so, I think one will enjoy this movie.

A Movie Review: Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina. I'm a big Keira Knightley fan so perhaps I'm biased here. This movie started off like a play, which made me wonder if it would stay in that mode, but it shifted out of it. I'm happy it did. I loved how certain leaps of judgments were allowed to be made.  And well, Knightley is awesome.

A Movie Review: Les Miserables

Les Miserables. This movie takes place over the course of around 20 years, but do Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe look like they might be getting younger as the film progresses? Whatever. This movie takes you on a journey of redemption: either rejected or accepted. Anne Hathaway pulls at your heartstrings. Will her acting result in the biggest blowout win ever for Best Supporting Actress?

A Movie Review: Django Unchained

Django Unchained. Over the top. Violent. Strong use of racist language.  Brilliance.

A Movie Review: The Master

The Master. This movie is obviously about Scientology, but doesn’t outright say it. Come on, a boat is the first introduction we are given to this cult/organization/philosophical group. I’m no Scientologist so I’m not offended by the portrayal. I’m simply offended by what I thought was a rather uninspiring movie. The main character of the movie is an individual who is probably just a bit psychotic, driven that way by both the war (World War II) and perhaps by the drink concoctions he makes (ingredients include paint thinner). He joins the group and somehow becomes both an enforcer and a guinea pig.  And well, I didn't find it all that fascinating.