Summertime is just around the corner. It's time to prepare your body's for less coverage and prepare your sensory organs for quality entertainment.
With Coachella going on this weekend, the Summer Festival Season is already starting. Hipsters and music lovers are all preparing for their festival(s) of choice. I'm looking forward to attending Lollapalooza in August, but there's a lot of time between now and then.
I watched sets by Jake Bugg and Stars at Coachella on Youtube yesterday. I was very impressed by Jake Bugg. I'd been hearing about him for awhile, but wrote him off for whatever reason and didn't actually check him out. I'm disappointed I did this. He looks like a normal, young dude (he's 19). I guess I assumed he was like one of those kids that get played on Disney Radio or something, but he's not. He's a British kid who grew up with musical parents and has a throwback rock sound similar to the Rolling Stones and lists influences like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and the Everly Brothers. Check out "Lightning Bolt".
Other music I've been into a lot lately (and looking forward to see at Lollapalooza) are Haim, Shovels and Rope, Charles Bradley and Frightened Rabbit. Shovels and Rope I discovered after the Lolla list and then found out they were in the line-up. They're a very good folk/country duo formed made up of a married couple who switch instruments and just seem to enjoy themselves a lot. Check out "Birmingham".
Haim is a band I've been pumped about since I discovered them a couple of months ago. It's like Paul Simon had 3 daughters and raised them on Fleetwood Mac. I urge you to check them out, so enjoyable. Check out "Forever".
Charles Bradley is the "Screaming Eagle of Soul". He was born in 1948, so he's seen his share of life. And from his music you can tell he's felt his share of struggle. He's been taking off recently, and it's no surprise with how the American economy has been the past few years. There is so much emotion and soul in his voice, anyone can feel the pain and relate to the struggle he sings about. Check out "No Time For Dreaming" and "It's So Hard".
I've been a huge fan of Frightened Rabbit for years and am super excited about finally getting a chance to see them. They're a Scottish indie-rock band that may not appeal to the masses, but they appeal very strongly to me. Check out "The Twist" and "Swim Until You Can't See Land".
Feel free to let me know about any music you're currently jamming or looking forward to seeing. I'm always looking for new music of all kinds to listen to.
Stay Fresh,
KK
Kickin' it with Kel
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Kentucky Knife Fight - Donnie's Homespun - Springfield, IL
I went to a show last night in Springfield, IL. It was a band I've seen a few times before, Kentucky Knife Fight. The show had 2 openers I'd never seen before (The Maintenance Men, Brandon Carnes) at a venue I'd never been to before.
The venue was Donnie's Homespun. The Springfield location opened in the Fall of 2012. It was a cool venue; restaurant by day, music club by night (I had dinner before the show, a chicken philly, very tasty). The restaurant and bar was upstairs in a balcony setting overlooking the lower level which featured the stage and another bar. I recommend checking it out for anyone in the Springfield area.
The first act, The Maintenance Men were enjoyable. A two piece band consisting of a drummer and a singer/guitarist. They had a good sound with rock and blues influences. I couldn't find any information online, you may be able to.
The second act was Brandon Carnes. An acoustic singer/songwriter from Springfield. To me, he sounded a few years out of date. I personally didn't enjoy his set, but that's not to say you won't. I did find some dated sites online for him, such as profiles on Myspace and Reverbnation that looked like they hadn't been updated. Perhaps most of his songs were from a few years ago, which could explain their sounding dated.
The headliner was Kentucky Knife Fight. I've seen them multiple times in the past. They were my "college band". I attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Kentucky Knife Fight played the end of every semester at The Stagger Inn along with various other shows in the St. Louis/Edwardsville area. They always put on a good show with their rockabilly sound. They won the Riverfront Times Award for Best Rock Band in St. Louis in 2011 and 2012, and have been touring a bit the last couple of years. I recommend their show for anyone who likes rockabilly, southern rock, or just rock and roll. They played some new material I hadn't heard before, including "Love the Lonely" (which they currently have a video for, and said would be on an album in March) along with standards like "Wild Irish Rose" and "Herschel Walker". "Love the Lonely" fits right in with those and I'm sure will become a standard at their shows. The new songs were very strong and showed that they've grown as a band and musicians.
I had a good time at the show and plan to attend more shows at Donnie's Homespun in the future, and I'm sure I'll be seeing Kentucky Knife Fight again.
www.donnieshomespun.com/
http://kentuckyknifefight.net/
The venue was Donnie's Homespun. The Springfield location opened in the Fall of 2012. It was a cool venue; restaurant by day, music club by night (I had dinner before the show, a chicken philly, very tasty). The restaurant and bar was upstairs in a balcony setting overlooking the lower level which featured the stage and another bar. I recommend checking it out for anyone in the Springfield area.
The first act, The Maintenance Men were enjoyable. A two piece band consisting of a drummer and a singer/guitarist. They had a good sound with rock and blues influences. I couldn't find any information online, you may be able to.
The second act was Brandon Carnes. An acoustic singer/songwriter from Springfield. To me, he sounded a few years out of date. I personally didn't enjoy his set, but that's not to say you won't. I did find some dated sites online for him, such as profiles on Myspace and Reverbnation that looked like they hadn't been updated. Perhaps most of his songs were from a few years ago, which could explain their sounding dated.
The headliner was Kentucky Knife Fight. I've seen them multiple times in the past. They were my "college band". I attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Kentucky Knife Fight played the end of every semester at The Stagger Inn along with various other shows in the St. Louis/Edwardsville area. They always put on a good show with their rockabilly sound. They won the Riverfront Times Award for Best Rock Band in St. Louis in 2011 and 2012, and have been touring a bit the last couple of years. I recommend their show for anyone who likes rockabilly, southern rock, or just rock and roll. They played some new material I hadn't heard before, including "Love the Lonely" (which they currently have a video for, and said would be on an album in March) along with standards like "Wild Irish Rose" and "Herschel Walker". "Love the Lonely" fits right in with those and I'm sure will become a standard at their shows. The new songs were very strong and showed that they've grown as a band and musicians.
I had a good time at the show and plan to attend more shows at Donnie's Homespun in the future, and I'm sure I'll be seeing Kentucky Knife Fight again.
www.donnieshomespun.com/
http://kentuckyknifefight.net/
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Remembering 9/11
On September 11, 2001, I was at school when the first plane hit.
I was waiting in the sophomore hallway at my high school before classes began. One friend walked in and said "Someone just flew a plane into the World Trade Center." and another friend asked "Like, they opened the windows or something?" and we all laughed, not knowing exactly what was going on yet.
As classes started, it was realized things were serious. The other tower was hit, and the Pentagon, and there was another plane somewhere, and who knew what else. I was in an art class first period, and ended up watching news coverage in the library right across the hall.
When second period came around, I went to Chemistry, where we still had class. My teacher said "everyone's going to forget about this in 2 weeks, anyway". He was/is a very wise man, but I think he was wrong about that. Either that, or he just wanted to get through the lesson and not fall behind.
As a 15 year old kid, I probably didn't take it as seriously as I should have. Singing "It's The End of The World As We Know It" in the halls, but it really was. Things changed that day, for better or worse. People were being more patriotic and more alert. Everyone was scared of similar things happening, even in small communities like mine.
As the day went on, you could tell things were weird. When I finally got home, after waiting in line for gas with my older brother (word on the street was prices were going to rocket), the third WTC building fell, which I still think is really weird since it got hit by nothing. They say underground tunnels are the reason, or something like that.
I'm still affected by 9/11 today. It introduced me to one of my favorite musical artists. Ryan Adams shot a video for his single "New York, New York" just 4 days before the attack. When the video was completed, I remember it being played on CNN, at least a clip, which led to me checking it out and enjoying it and he has become one of my favorite artists over the years.
I also can't help but think of the attack whenever I see images of the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. The scene in Home Alone 2, when Kevin is on top of the WTC is still a bit chilling.
Looking back, that day really was the end of the world as we knew it. The people of the United States have gotten either more or less patriotic, it's hard to tell sometimes. We grew together for awhile, and seem to be getting more divided nowadays, being election season and all. I hope you all remember in your own way and try to do good in the world, because September 11 reminds us that there is plenty of evil.
I was waiting in the sophomore hallway at my high school before classes began. One friend walked in and said "Someone just flew a plane into the World Trade Center." and another friend asked "Like, they opened the windows or something?" and we all laughed, not knowing exactly what was going on yet.
As classes started, it was realized things were serious. The other tower was hit, and the Pentagon, and there was another plane somewhere, and who knew what else. I was in an art class first period, and ended up watching news coverage in the library right across the hall.
When second period came around, I went to Chemistry, where we still had class. My teacher said "everyone's going to forget about this in 2 weeks, anyway". He was/is a very wise man, but I think he was wrong about that. Either that, or he just wanted to get through the lesson and not fall behind.
As a 15 year old kid, I probably didn't take it as seriously as I should have. Singing "It's The End of The World As We Know It" in the halls, but it really was. Things changed that day, for better or worse. People were being more patriotic and more alert. Everyone was scared of similar things happening, even in small communities like mine.
As the day went on, you could tell things were weird. When I finally got home, after waiting in line for gas with my older brother (word on the street was prices were going to rocket), the third WTC building fell, which I still think is really weird since it got hit by nothing. They say underground tunnels are the reason, or something like that.
I'm still affected by 9/11 today. It introduced me to one of my favorite musical artists. Ryan Adams shot a video for his single "New York, New York" just 4 days before the attack. When the video was completed, I remember it being played on CNN, at least a clip, which led to me checking it out and enjoying it and he has become one of my favorite artists over the years.
I also can't help but think of the attack whenever I see images of the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. The scene in Home Alone 2, when Kevin is on top of the WTC is still a bit chilling.
Looking back, that day really was the end of the world as we knew it. The people of the United States have gotten either more or less patriotic, it's hard to tell sometimes. We grew together for awhile, and seem to be getting more divided nowadays, being election season and all. I hope you all remember in your own way and try to do good in the world, because September 11 reminds us that there is plenty of evil.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Inspiration: A review of Safety Not Guaranteed
Yesterday, I saw Safety Not Guaranteed. It was a great movie. It's about a girl (Aubrey Plaza), who is an intern at a magazine. She gets picked to help an overconfident writer (Jake M. Johnson) work on a story about an article he sees in the classified section of a neighboring town. The article is a man looking for a partner to travel back in time with him.
The film ends up being about relationships with people. How first impressions aren't always correct, how things don't work out sometimes, and sometimes they do work out when they were never expected to.
The movie was great in the way that it was inspiring. It was made by the Duplass Brothers, who also made Cyrus and Jeff, Who Lives At Home. Safety Not Guaranteed made me feel like doing things, not traveling time or anything, but it gives that anything is possible feeling. That kind of feeling that tells you to go for whatever you had in mind. It made me want to write, play music, chase dreams and to be happy, and live without regrets.
I have not been in a lull or anything, but I feel this movie would be great for somebody who is.
The film ends up being about relationships with people. How first impressions aren't always correct, how things don't work out sometimes, and sometimes they do work out when they were never expected to.
The movie was great in the way that it was inspiring. It was made by the Duplass Brothers, who also made Cyrus and Jeff, Who Lives At Home. Safety Not Guaranteed made me feel like doing things, not traveling time or anything, but it gives that anything is possible feeling. That kind of feeling that tells you to go for whatever you had in mind. It made me want to write, play music, chase dreams and to be happy, and live without regrets.
I have not been in a lull or anything, but I feel this movie would be great for somebody who is.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Progress.
I've come a long way. I've been working my ass off and making great progress. I am proud of myself.
I had some setbacks this week. My wrist was sore from lifting so I took some time off from it, I also tweaked my knee, so no running. I did a little time on the bike the other day, that's about it. I don't think this break is going to hurt, it may actually help. Not being able to work out has been kind of hard; I've been wanting to, but know its better not to.
These setbacks won't be stopping me or slowing me down. I plan on easing back into it starting in the morning, and pushing until I can go full steam again. Nothing can hold me back.
I had some setbacks this week. My wrist was sore from lifting so I took some time off from it, I also tweaked my knee, so no running. I did a little time on the bike the other day, that's about it. I don't think this break is going to hurt, it may actually help. Not being able to work out has been kind of hard; I've been wanting to, but know its better not to.
These setbacks won't be stopping me or slowing me down. I plan on easing back into it starting in the morning, and pushing until I can go full steam again. Nothing can hold me back.
Monday, July 2, 2012
It's July!
I'm getting ready to go work out, listening to this new album Summer of Steve by Donald Glover's (Childish Gambino) little brother, Steve G. Lover III. It's a decent album, It's got a great track called "Make Em Mad" featuring Childish Gambino. The album as a hole is decent, its free online, if you want it you can find it. I'm looking forward to seeing Gambino at Lollapalooza. Steve joined him at Bonnaroo, as well as Heems from Das Racist. If I'm lucky, they'll show up at Lolla, too.
Ted was a great movie. Funny flick about friendship and growing up and having to let your friends grow, but keep your meaningful ties, because without them, you aren't yourself.
I went to a show last night in St. Louis at the Gramophone. My first time at that place, I liked it. Nice little bar with a good setup for the stage (outside of one inconveniently placed pillar). The Forecast were the headliners, and it was good to see them again. They put on a good show, as usual. The other bands were definitely worth checking out, too. One even covered "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" which was awesome.
Anyway, time to hit the gym in a few.
Stay fresh kids.
Ted was a great movie. Funny flick about friendship and growing up and having to let your friends grow, but keep your meaningful ties, because without them, you aren't yourself.
I went to a show last night in St. Louis at the Gramophone. My first time at that place, I liked it. Nice little bar with a good setup for the stage (outside of one inconveniently placed pillar). The Forecast were the headliners, and it was good to see them again. They put on a good show, as usual. The other bands were definitely worth checking out, too. One even covered "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" which was awesome.
Anyway, time to hit the gym in a few.
Stay fresh kids.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Summertime.
It's officially Summer now, my favorite season of the year. Mine isn't looking to be very special, but I'll enjoy it nonetheless. I finally got to see Jeff, Who Lives At Home this week, since it came out on DVD/BluRay. I didn't get a chance to see it in theaters as I live in the Midwest and am a busy man. The movie was very enjoyable as I wanted it to be. If you don't know anything about it, it was made by the Duplass brothers who made Cyrus with Jonah Hill and John C. Reilly. One of brothers is also starring in this summer's Safety Not Guaranteed which I'm looking forward to seeing.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home stars Jason Segel and Ed Helms as brothers who have nothing in common. Segel plays Jeff, who has no job and still lives with his mom and believes in fate and following the signs life sends you to get where you're supposed to be. Ed Helms' character thinks he has it all together with his job and wife and his new Porsche. It turns out neither of them quite have it all together. It was a highly enjoyable film about different kind of people and learning to work together and respect each other. The movies also features Susan Surandon as the mother of the two, and how she deals with getting older and her sons growing up and not being the perfect lovable tikes they were when they were younger.
I also recently saw the movie Goon, which was written by Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, She's Out of My League). It was a delightful movie about hockey. I'm not a huge hockey fan, as my favorite sport is basketball and I'm usually following the NBA while the NHL season is happening. The movie centers around a guy, Doug (played by Sean Willam Scott (American Pie, Role Models)), who is a bouncer, goes to a hockey game with his friend and ends up fighting a player who charges into the crowd after some trash talking from his friend (Baruchel). After the fight, he's contacted by a minor league hockey team and gets added to the team as an enforcer even though he doesn't know how to skate or anything. His parents don't approve of what he's doing, and there's a glimpse into the future of what he could become in a character played by Liev Shreiber. It's a good movie with good humor and a little heart.
Jeff, Who Lives at Home stars Jason Segel and Ed Helms as brothers who have nothing in common. Segel plays Jeff, who has no job and still lives with his mom and believes in fate and following the signs life sends you to get where you're supposed to be. Ed Helms' character thinks he has it all together with his job and wife and his new Porsche. It turns out neither of them quite have it all together. It was a highly enjoyable film about different kind of people and learning to work together and respect each other. The movies also features Susan Surandon as the mother of the two, and how she deals with getting older and her sons growing up and not being the perfect lovable tikes they were when they were younger.
I also recently saw the movie Goon, which was written by Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, She's Out of My League). It was a delightful movie about hockey. I'm not a huge hockey fan, as my favorite sport is basketball and I'm usually following the NBA while the NHL season is happening. The movie centers around a guy, Doug (played by Sean Willam Scott (American Pie, Role Models)), who is a bouncer, goes to a hockey game with his friend and ends up fighting a player who charges into the crowd after some trash talking from his friend (Baruchel). After the fight, he's contacted by a minor league hockey team and gets added to the team as an enforcer even though he doesn't know how to skate or anything. His parents don't approve of what he's doing, and there's a glimpse into the future of what he could become in a character played by Liev Shreiber. It's a good movie with good humor and a little heart.
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