Odds & ends

1) Traversing along on his musical journey across the 50 States, the Trees Lounge blog has a TON of tunes about everyone's favorite island paradise, Hawaii, just in time for Spring Break. Do the hula with Brian Wilson, The Breeders, Ray Charles, The Cramps, and The Red Elvises singing their Hawaiian Dancing Song. Oh, it's in Russian (I think). Cheeseball Vegas deluxe = fabulous.

2) The new Josh Rouse is available NOW on eMusic (in advance - it's actually released next Tuesday) and it's great. I really dig "Summertime" (can't wait to listen to this in the sunshine), "His Majesty Rides," and the harmonies on "It Looks Like Love" are one step away from celestial. Definitely one to buy.

3) Radiohead & Thom Yorke (solo) are scoring films now, contributing music to the new Richard Linklater movie. And Yorke has a solo album coming out.

4) This is pretty cool: Said The Gramophone has invited modern artist Katy Horan to create images inspired by her favorite music. This is her impression of Ryan Adams' lovely rolling twangy ode to the restlessness of the soul, "Let It Ride." I think she captures it.

5) Speaking of Señor Ryan Adams, I was stoked to find the New Year's Eve show he did with Phil Lesh in San Francisco is up on the Live Music Archive in its entirety. Select beauts are
"Peaceful Valley" and "Stella Blue."

6) If you are perchance an uber-nerd like me, you might like this awesome, awesome PBS series about famous world dynasties. I got the DVD set as a Christmas gift from my hubby, and I was telling him last night that I think it is one of THE best gifts I've ever gotten. Yeah, wow. Hip, I know.

We watched the one on the Medici Family last night, all about Florence, where I studied abroad and lived for the best 4 months of my life. It was amazing to me to see all this history come to "life" on these recreations on the streets where I literally lived and walked on a daily basis. I was yelling at the TV, "I totally walked by there on my way to school each day!" It made my heart thump a bit faster. The 5 disc collection includes The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, The Roman Empire in the First Century, Egypt's Golden Empire, Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire, and The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. I am just a big history dork, apparently. But this stuff gets me excited. Uh, yah.

7) This just in: Rivers Cuomo to wed Kyoko Ito. Mmmm, makes me want to sing a little El Scorcho. I guess he was serious when he sang, "God damn you half-Japanese girls . . . do it to me every time..." (one of my favorite Weezer songs).

8) Finally, I know this made the rounds a few weeks ago, but I never took the time to watch it: Natalie Portman as Badass Rapper on Saturday Night Live: "Leave you screamin, pay for my dry cleanin!" - instant classic! Side note: what's up with the bridge from the Viking (Samberg)? Fabulous. Let's all wear Viking hats (that was my high school mascot so it reminds me of homecoming, et al).

As for Natalie, this is a far cry from her heartfelt portrayal of a dancing elephant with Elmo on Sesame Street.


Yeah, that was great.