Anything is something.

Some time has passed since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Yet, whenever I turn on the TV or read the newspaper, it seems as though nothing has changed. If anything, it has just gotten worse. Last Friday I watched the Haiti Benefit Telethon with my suitemate and we were extremely moved by the musical performances (the Jay Z, Rihanna, Bono show was especially amazing... on another note: Radiohead is pictured above at their benefit concert in L.A.). Seeing these musicians perform as well as watching the doctors, volunteers, etc on the news everyday has really impacted me. At the same time though, it reminds me that I have not done anything substantial in terms of helping. I'm sure you have thought about this too-- it's hard not to think that our help is too small for something so large. But it's not! For example, I am sure you have your phone right next to you. Pick it up, text 50555 (Red Cross) with "give" in the body of the message. You will receive a text confirming your $10 payment and voila! You have done something to help. And that is substantial.

In the hopes of contributing in some way, and within such a short period of time, I decided to make pins for people to wear on campus the Monday after Valentines day. The red pins, which are $5 each, say "United We Love HAITI" and the proceeds will go to surgeons doing pro-bono work in Haiti. While Valentines Day is a day to show love to your boyfriend, girlfriend, lovah, etc, it should also be a time to show your support.

There are a bunch of benefit concerts/events going on here in Nash. There was a benefit concert two nights ago at 12th & Porter (which is a super cool venue - I actually went to see a friend, the wonderful Lindsay Hayes, sing there last night - more on that later). There is another big concert at 3rd & Lindsley next Tuesday at 8 as well (yes, I know, LOST). There's a lot of stuff going on, just google that shit.


Other random things you might be interested in:

1. Review of JEFF the Brotherhood's concert last weekend. I didn't see the whole show, which sucks, but I got the gist. And they rocked: http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/12496


2. Y2k @ 12th & Porter, this Saturday: I seem to be talking about this place a lot. But hipster dance party? Yes please.

3. Silent Hats @ the Basement, Weds, Feb 3: I read that these guys were good awhile back and now they are making a come back. Could be cool.

4. Of Montreal next Saturday, Feb 6! And Alyssa Navia, aka best friend fo life/sistah foreva will be visiting! Girls will also be at Exit/In.... Hmmm Of Montreal or Girls? To be or not to be...

New Year, New Music

Hey hey hey. Like I said in the title - New year = New music. The first album this year that has made a solid impression on me is Vampire Weekend's "Contra." I wrote a review on it in Vanderbilt's artsy newspaper, Versus; however I will still include the review here because a) some people who read my blog don't go to Vandy b) I tend to get wordy/redundant/chatty in my writing (can you tell?) and the Versus editors cut out the good stuff! c) my friends at Vandy don't bother to read the newspaper.

Alas, here it is: 

I first heard Vampire Weekend's second album debut on Letterman, when they performed their funky-sharp, soufully charged single "Cousins" -- a performance executed with perfect delivery and boundless energy. The song highlights the band's transistion to embracing all that is eccentric, all that is brave -- although it's clear that they are still holding on to those pumping Afro beats and ska-inspired tunes, the indie band's sound exhibits a new kind of vitality; it represents a newly born musical life. 

Unlike their last album -- which was comftorably sweet and delightful to the ear -- "Cousins" is jarring and fast-paced. It's lacking that sense of leveled control, but in a good way. Lead singer Ezra Koenig speaks of his success, tracing back through his paternal history -- "dad was a risk taker / his was a shoe maker/ you, greatest hits 2006, little listmaker." But his commentary is not arrogant, it's humble. Instead of dwelling on the band's quick rise to power, he is talking of their passion for music and that ambition he feels in his blood: "you were born with ten fingers and you're gonna use them all." Koenig is aware of his gift and he is not afraid of using it. 

 

This sense of modesty is apparent in the band's intelligence. The album kicks off with, "Horchata," a melodic, gentle-sounding tune that sucks you in with a feeling of fairytale, happy holiday cheer (much like their airy/smooth second track, "White Sky"). But more importantly, you are blown away by the lyrics themselves. They rhyme such words as "horchata" with "balaclava," "Aranciata," and "Masada" (wait, what?). And although all you haters out there think these very smart dudes write such lyrics in a snobby, "we-went-to-an-Ivy" kind of way, instead they represent how being nerdy can be so cool. Again their intelligence doesn't come off as self-righteous, but subtle and modest. In fact, the band condemns rich kids' superficial elitism. Such is evident in "California English" -- a track that denounces the fakeness and embraces the basics by concentrating on what's real. 

 

Ultimately, Contra roots for all that is substantial, authentic and creative. This is clear in the beautifully orchestrated "Giving up a Gun"-- a song dedicated to the nostalgia for being young and just jamming on the guitar. This is also clear in the band's embrace of new sounds -- ranging from electronic to reggae to just straight up weird. But most importantly, it is obvious in the way that the band is sticking to what they believe in. In "I Think Ur a Contra," a perfect ending to a great album, Koenig reemphasizes his passion for music and his love for us especially -- "but I just wanted you, I just wanted you."  

...Yes, tickets are already sold out for Vampire Weekend's April 5th show at the Ryman. Yes, I bought my tickets right when they went on sale. Ssssss-awree I'm not Sssss-awree!

Here's some fun stuff for this week/weekend:

1. All week- Mercy Lounge will be celebrating their 7-year anniversary bash with a week of free rock shows. Wassaaaaap.

2. Wednesday- Better than Ezra @ the Wildhorse Saloon. AKA I suggest you do NOT go to the Wildhorse Saloon. Maybe check out Wild Funny Wednesdays (standup comedy) @ Corner Bar. 

3. Thursday- Pauly D from Jersey Shore @ McFaddens. Am I the only person who has not seen this show? ... Yeah. Also on a more cultural note, Werner Herzog's "My Son, My Son What Have Ye Done?" @ the Belcourt.

4. Friday- Jeff the Brotherhood @ the End

5. Saturday - Harold & Maude, midnight movie @ the Belcourt

(I like @ signs)

Other weekly things to check out:

- Ladies night at Cabana (check)

- Cooking & wine classes at Whole Foods (check, check)

LATA!

 

New Years Reso-whaaaa?

To begin with, I kinda suck. In my last post I said that I would have a "Best Films of 09" list after New Years aaaaand I don't. There are two reasons for this: 1) I am doing a Philosophy Thesis about drugs in film (yeah....) and instead of going on an '09 binge, I have been watching LOTS of junkie movies-- so much fun! 2) It was unrealistic. I thought I had time but I have actually been busy hanging with family, friends, studying like a maniac for the GRE, etc etc etc. The excuses are endless...

But that introduces my next topic. The subject of New Years resolutions. And the fact that they are NOT realistic. Ultimately, what's the point? It's just our way of trying to get something done that should be done without the label. In the end though, it does NOT get done! (I just said done three times. Made sense in my head...). Anyways, just check out the statistics:

"Among the top new years resolutions are ones about weight loss, exercise, and quitting smoking. Other popular ones deal with better money management / debt reduction."

The following shows how many of these resolutions are maintained as time goes on:
- past the first week: 75%
- past 2 weeks: 71%
- after one month: 64%
- after 6 months: 46%

.... Yeah. Ultimately, I think that New Years resolutions are useful because they force us to realize the good things we actually want to do with our lives. But come on, if you are fat, don't take twenty spinning classes for three days. Or starve yourself for five. Make a resolution that is REALISTIC. Start small -- you will get there eventually!

Making little charts are helpful. I started one.

Things I want to do before graduation:
- Run a half marathon
- Keep up this blog
- Work really hard on finding a job (cross your fingers...)

There's more, but I don't want to bore you. I suggest making a list of things you really want to do but keep in mind that actually doing them will take time. It takes two weeks to cut a bad habit, but it takes longer than that to keep this habit from coming back.

Alrighty then.

Fun Nashville to look forward to:

Oscar Night at the Belcourt Theater 3/7
Rogue Wave 3/9
Muse 3/15
Japandroids 3/26
(...March will be a good month)
Vampire Weekend 4/5 (At the Ryman! Oh baby!)


Yay for good music! Hopefully more will pop up as the year goes on...As we say in Mee-ah-mee: Ah-pee Neee-u Jeears to Joo!!

(Oh and although I didn't make a list of the "Best Films of '09," I did give it a try! I don't think that I would be giving the films I didn't get to see any justice if I were to make such a list though. Anywho, here are some that I was VERY impressed with:

- The Hurt Locker
- Inglorious Basterds
- Precious
- Up in the Air
- A Serious Man
- Avatar
- 500 days of summer (I know, I know. I am such a sucker.)
- Transformers 2 (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. JK. OMG. FML. ROFL. LMAO))