New Year, New Look... Sorta.

Overhauled my website. Just recorded a new (vocal) cover from Adele's first album; the track is Hometown Glory. I have another recital in March... more tuba to come.

The Met Man, Vans, and Tuba

Got to play with Dr. Denson Paul Pollard (Bass/Tenor Trombonist of The Metropolitan Opera) last week. It was pretty bad ass. My new Vans look pretty good too. Love those shoes. 

Disconnect

Just about everyone in the Free World interacts with the internet in some way. It's a normal condition to be available to a slew of acquaintances, friends, and even strangers at the touch of your cell phone. I watched Disconnect (2012), thinking this would be a mediocre survey of the situations our connections with one another brings us. The surprise was not pleasant. Rather, it was a deeply relevant and honest side of the truth about our relationships, both in real life and in cyber space.

The three story lines weave in and out of each other to highlight the dealings with social media, grief, identity theft, marital and familial relationships, and lots of secrets. Paula Patton and Alexander Skarsgard play a troubled married couple trying to cope with death. Jason Bateman is a lawyer, husband, and father of two high school children; a family living the 21st century American Dream. The other story line takes place between a newswoman and a young guy in the internet sex industry.

Visually, I found the movie very interesting because of the muted colors used in the wardrobes and camera filters. It showed how often we can physically be somewhere but not really be present. The soundtrack was always brooding with angst, anxiety, and loneliness. At the start of the movie, I felt like I was falling and that feeling never went away.

This isn't one of those thrillers where you're trying to string dots together. Instead, you see inevitable misfortunes coming that cut deep, in spite of the foresight. It is a powerful movie.

Story Time: A Wild Wolverine Runs into A Bunch of Poisonous Nuts on the Beach

I'm in Miami Beach, it's after 1AM, and I'm starving after a very long and satisfying Orange Bowl. Honestly, I wanted a smoothie. But there was no one making stuff like that so late, which was weird as it was Friday. Bars and small food joints are open til 4 in the morning. I decided to take a quick walk from the hotel to find some eats. There was one Cuban sandwich place that I remembered was good from the last time I was here or there was Burger King. For some strange reason, I liked the idea of Burger King: they sell beer and they're open 24 hours! Heaven, at least until you have to reconcile your decision to eat crap with a very angry stomach the next day.

It didn't look very crowded inside, as I approached the Burger King door. I see an alarming amount (two guys) in red and white athletic gear. And having just come from the Orange Bowl where I got "Go Blue(d)" at, cursed at, and "you're a brave guy to be wearing that shirt," I was a little on edge. Oh, but that's a Yale dri-fit shirt. Why Yale? Whatever. Not a Buckeye fan. Not a big deal. Don't get me wrong, I can take jeering and I can give it back. But I was tired and I wanted to eat. So this was especially welcome relief.

While I'm waiting, must have been for less than a minute, the far door to my right is overflowing with OSU fans. And they were headed my way to meet up with their lone Yale and OSU fans. Okay, so I'm awake now. Here we go, I'm thinking.

OSU guy: "Are you alone?"
Me: Excuse me? Me?
OSU guy: "Yeah, are you by yourself?"
Me: "Yeah..."
OSU guy: "Oh yeah, go ahead."

I'm thinking okay, how nice. He's letting me cut in line, since there are a good 15 of them that have to order.






Me: "Oh okay. Thanks." Pause... "Wait, what? You mean order?"
OSU Lady: "Yeah. Just do it. It's fine...." Then some other words about how terrible the game was and (joking) how this is a once in a lifetime to get free Burger King from your enemy or something.
Me: "Oh, I thought you just meant I could go ahead of you in line."
OSU Guy: No it's fine. Get whatever you want."
Me: "You sure?"
OSU Guy: "Yeah. Get what you want. What do you want?"
Me: pause. "I'll have a whopper..."

After all of that, these guys start chatting me up and vice versa. The guy and his daughters, wife, friends, all their daughters' boyfriends... all these people were with him. I'm asking where they're from (some Ohio, some Tennessee), they're asking me what I do, where I live, etc. Turns out it was one of these girls' 21st birthday. I hugged her(?). I hugged her. Told her she "might have to take a shower after she touched me," since we're mortal enemies and all.

Having traveled with the football team as a Michigan cheerleader, tailgated near opponents as a Michigan student, gone to other schools to visit friends, blah blah blah... These were some (dare I say) really cool people. Nicest fans I've ever come into contact with. Notre Dame fans were the worst rival experience I've had to date (different story but it involves beer cans, being mooned, cursed at, and four year olds). I don't hate ("THE") Ohio State any less. But I do have a much larger respect for their fan base (who dominated the Clemson fans at Sun Life stadium). I previously perceived OSU fans as being a bunch of Walmart fans, frankly. I've been proven wrong to a large degree. I know that every school has asshole fans, even my own. But when you have an archrival, it's like a socially encouraged permission to be a bigot. One learns to hate sports teams/fans on principal and ask questions later. "Are you here by yourself?" was one of the best questions someone has ever asked me.

Merry Christmas Music Wishes

Hoping to listen to a lot of (non-study-or-academic-related) music in the next two months. I've already found some artists I'm really fascinated with but hoping to dig into even more of them.

Everything Miike Snow

Hooked. Plus I need some new electronic blood in my life. I definitely wore out the last Daft Punk album.

Everything Lianne La Havas 

Again, totally hooked.

Arctic Monkeys' latest album

I've heard two songs; one from early work, the other more recent. They're really interesting.

Beyonce's new album 

I need to figure out what all this fuss is about.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

I've listened to them while studying for exams. But haven't paid much attention to what's going on.

Lady Gaga Artpop 

I mean c'mon. Applause is pretty weird and cool. The rest of the album has to be worth at least one go around. I know. I'm late to the party

A Great Big World 

Say Something gets some serious eye moisture going for me every single time I hear it. Gotta see what these two dudes are about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Have a Prosperous New Year!

Girl from The Sun

It started with "Summertime Sadness." I didn't know it was a remix but I didn't care. Those lyrics and that voice; I was hooked. Lana del Rey is bringing originality to mainstream music. I love my repetitive, dirty, stupid pop music. But that stuff is like the process food of mainstream music.

Born to Die, del Rey's latest album, is good from beginning to end. Her words are like well-balanced IPA beer. It's got a hoppy bite;  raw, fresh, and a taste you can't easily get out of your mouth - nor would you want to. It is description, storytelling, and straight up wordsmithing the hell out of the English language:

My old man is a tough man. 
But he got a soul as sweet as blood red jam
And he shows me he knows me, every inch of my tar black soul 

Sweet lord, yes.

Her lyrics also remind me of some of rap's better artists. The expletives and seedy situations that feel essential rather than glib and authentic rather than contrived. Musically, she has a mix of classic rap too. Think dirty trash can drum sounds like Beastie Boys and Run DMC. And then there is an unmistakeable sound of The Western Frontier. The music of Aaron Copland would have you imagining Montana and the Dakotas... Expansive skies, rolling plains, mountains. Born to Die is deserted and reverberant. It emotes loneliness, deep, rusty colors, and long shadows of shanty towns at dusk. It's beautiful.

Lana del Rey's voice is my favorite aspect of her music. And, even though it is unique, it is reminiscent of one of my favorite singers of all time: Karen Carpenter. Lana has a chest voice that, when I close my eyes, sounds just like Carpenter. The way they slide to different notes, the way they pronounce words, the timbre too. The semblance is at times chilling. Just listen to the first five words of the album's first song also called "Born to Die." If you can't hear it, you might be crazy. Also listen to "Off to the Races" and "Video Games."

Besides her ghostly offerings, she invokes many other vocal styles: Gwen Stefani, wiry-voiced cabaret singers. And there's even something secretive and devious in a voice del Rey uses often on the album that reminds me of Marilyn Monroe singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You."

The girl has pipes and she's got the style to know how to use them.

Listen. Now.

Wait, What?

I've lived in Arkansas for a little bit over a year now. As far as football is concerned, I expected a world of change once I got here. I heard all about the SEC before I even got here: tradition was a word thrown around a lot, the rabid fandom, the intense competition. Since I've been in SEC country, the reputation preceding my arrival is still more of a fantasy than it is a reality; at least that is the case with the Razorbacks. Though, I sincerely hope Bret Bielema turns it around here. With all that said, it's safe to say I'm not going to be a diehard fan of SEC football. I respect it and I'll cheer on the Hogs. But I'm a B1G Boy. There is something I've learned here, though. Something I greatly desire as a Wolverine, as an all around supporter of the Big Ten Conference.

Consistency.

There is just something so consistent about the top dogs in the SEC. I'm not talking Razorbacks or UK Wildcats. I'm talking Bama, Missouri, Texas A&M... And I'm not even really talking about wins and losses. I'm talking performance on the field and knowing what team is going to show up. Some of the top teams of the SEC have experienced losses, upsetting ones. It's because they get out played, however.  B1G top dogs look like Pomeranians. We don't get out played, we succumb to self-induced hysteria and, dare I say, ineptitude.

Let's do a fun little connect the dots game, starting with my team. The Michigan that I watched play Notre Dame looked tough. Offensive line protected the QB. The quarter back was on point. Defensive line did a wonderful job. That's the last time during this season that I ever saw Michigan play with an offense and a defense that were on the same page. And, I say this cautiously since it seems like the picks thrown at this game were just a sample of the COSTCO sized quantity to be ordered up later in the season.

Michigan v UConn. Obvious disaster. Michigan wins in scathe and shame, only to retroactively be embarrassed when UConn is wrecked by one of college football's lowest achieving teams (Buffalo Towson). In conference play, I offer you the Michigan - Indiana game. Defense lets 47 points go by. FORTY SEVEN POINTS. Was the Defense asleep? I was asleep, literally speaking. Got made fun of for the rest of the night... On the other hand, Devin (Head Case) Gardner breaks a school record? And if you don't like the phrase "head case," I'm dying to be proved wrong. Seriously, I don't even know what I would do if I was wrong. But the fact is he's unpredictable for a reason that no one has been able to resolve.

Indiana terrified Penn State with a win, as Michigan later loses to Penn State in a battle of who could make the worst coaching decisions. Northwestern takes on TOSU* like champs for 7/8 of the football game and then makes The Nuts look like a great football team at the end. TOSU was the same "powerhouse," top 5 school that, through much labor, struggled to lay down Wisconsin.

Northwestern's loss to TOSU was all a big foreshadow to the massive failure against a team named after an animal that dies often from heart attacks (Gophers). Meanwhile, Michigan State is still watching Youtube videos to learn how to get an offensive touchdown. And as I live and breathe, trying to understand our very mixed up world, Minnesota is poised to embarrass the hell out of Nebraska - the supposed sleeping giant of the B1G.

I'm not turning on my people. I never will. I just can't take being called "The Cupcake Big Ten," with literally nothing valid to say back. It would be nice if the stars of this conference played to their potential and not their fears. Just give me some consistency. Stop playing down to the talent (or lack there of) before you. I'm rooting for you. Millions of us are. But what you're doing is not working. Take your scholarships and millions of dollars in salaries and figure this out. We look very small, very sweet, and very uninterested in sitting at the table with the big boys. If you're going to keep living up to this cupcake persona, you're going to get eaten.

*And that's why you shouldn't call yourself THE Ohio State University. It looks really stupid.