a e l p h a B E T A

2011-07-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

e.

2008-09-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

[ E L L I O T . S M I T H ]

i cannot accurately express my love for elliot smith without relaying my experience in discovering his music.

rewind about five years- i am in best buy in grandville just browsing with a lack of excitement about current music offering and need some inspiration. i judge books and albums by their cover, but nothing was standing out.

as i wander aimlessly, someone approaches me and asks me how i've been, as i have not seen them in quite some time. turns out to be cousin dom, returning from a californian adventure of about 2 years. he is tattooed up and looks quite different. after some catching up, i mention some useless dribble about how i am lost on music right now and need something to get me away from the beatles. he immediately takes me to the ‘e’ section and hands me 'either / or' by elliot smith.

life changes.

you can hear the sadness in elliot's voice.
such an amazing gift, rest in peace.

i could write quite a bit about elliot’s music and story, but i feel it is best to let each person experience what they will, and decidedly so.
click on the [ T I T L E ] to read his story.

[ E M I L E . H I R S C H ]

i recently read an interview with the face on the cover of the newest issue of nylon guys mag. this got me to thinking.

when I first encountered the work of emile hersch, i was intrigued by the style with which he played jay, opposite heath ledger in lords of dogtown. while heath was moving in the film and supposedly the ‘lead’, for me, emile stole the show. one particular scene was
M A G I C as a character portrayal. after dogtown, hirsch went on to play in the girl next door, alpha dog, and the air i breathe.
i believe the shining point for me was emile’s performance in INTO THE WILD.

preview the film here.

if you have not seen it, do that. first read the book by jon kraukauer. it chronicles christopher mccandless' pilgrimage of self discovery and disconnect from consumerist society that ends in his demise. hirsch nails it. he IS alexander supertramp.

the soundtrack is amazing as well.
curiously E nough, it is all original tracks created by eddie vedder.
HERE is one of my favorite tracks.

i have it on constant PETE AND re PETE.

as with elliot's, i’ll let emile's craft speak for itself. he has two movies on the visible horizon: milk and taking woodstock. the second of which there is no preview for yet. both look (and sound, in taking woodstock's case) promising as a whole and i’m sure will only be elevated by emile's work.

[ E N T O U R A G E ]

the same holds true for entourage as most of the series' that i recommend. i came upon it a few seasons into the life of the show. this proves both a blessing and a burden. because i came upon entourage at the end of season four, i initially had quite a bit of catching up to do. i spent hours watching episode after episode, with the ‘oh its only 230 am, just one more will do' mentality.

long story short, i caught up. and am currently caught up to season five episode three. waiting for episode four this sunday night. useless information yes, but it has to do with my enjoyment of watching the show so it belongs.

entourage follows vincent chase, up and coming hollywood megastar and his entourage: manager and best friend eric ‘e’ murphy, brother johnny ‘drama’ chase, and pal 'turtle'. the show is funny and fast paced. my favorite aspect is the constant appearance of celebrity guests. appearing as themselves. you never know when one is going to show up. if you are looking for a new show to watch with a catalog of seasons available to feed your addiction, entourage is my recommendation.

one another note, my favorite cool kids song, 'bassment party', played on the most recent episode. hey im chuck this mikey rocks.

thumbs up.

[ E M M A . W A T S O N ]
[ T H E . E M E R S O N S ]
&
[ E L E C T O R A L . C O L L E G E ]

read up.

d.

2008-02-17T20:57:00.000-08:00

[ D A A C ]

aka the division ave. arts cooperative, located in the downtown heartside district grand rapids, michigan, is committed to local artists and musicians. the goal of the daac is to provide the community with events that encourage involvement in the growth of the emerging art in grand rapids. they host art galleries and shows for local artists. they also have a phenomenal logo.

[ D A R I O . M A R I A N E L L I ]

italian born film composer responsible for the soundtracks of the brothers grimm, pride & prejudice, v for vendetta, and most notably, atonement. he has received nominations for an oscar for pride & prejudice and golden globe & academy award nominations for his work on atonement. lovely.

oh, by the way, atonement may be the saddest thing that has ever happened to me.
i am still recovering over a month later. but see it.

[ D E L I C I O U S ]

delicious cupcakery and bakeshop is ace & rebecky. these young OVENpreneurs are baking their way into local hearts with a creative ingenuity and a taste for perfection. red [velvet touch] cupcakes, rocky climbing cupcakes, boston molasses disasters. a few of the amazing recipes delicious is mixing up. i can personally recommend some of these delicious cupcakes based on my taste testing experiences, but let's leave the recipe decisions to the experts. expect big things from these ladies. if you are in the grand rapids area, check them out.

[ D ' S ]
[ D A N G E R . M O U S E ]
[ D E G A G E ]
&
[ D J . U N K ]

c.

2008-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

[ C A L I F O R N I C A T I O N ]

i watched the whole first season in a day. needless to say, i can't wait until summer 2008 when season two starts up. it airs on showtime, so it is for mature audiences.

david duchovny plays hank moody, a los angeles novelist who can't seem to get it right. he has relationship troubles, work troubles, alcohol troubles, and can't seem to have enough sex with random women. the complicating part is that he is desperately in love with the woman that he let get away, karen, with whom he shares a daughter. ifyou were happy when the o.c. killed M A R I S S A, you will love this show. actually that has nothing to do with this show but i just thought someone should say 'the o.c. killed marissa'. there are quite a few random references to popular culture laced throughout the episodes as well, which i really enjoy.

hank moody is the guy everyone hates to love. or vice versa.

also, i don't watch the o.c.

[ C A R I B O U ]

this band is a serious change for me. caribou is the brainchild of daniel snaith. he originally performed under the name manitoba, which i find equally as enjoyable as the current. snaith usually plays percussion and electronic compositions.

he is also quoted to enjoy lsd and the canadian wilderness.
go get yourself some caribou / manitoba pronto.

[ C O B R A S N A K E ]

cobrasn = mark hunter. his website features club and party photographs, something i have become increasingly partial to wasting time looking at. these people exist in such a different world than grand rapids, michigan. that is primarily what i find entertaining. along with the beautiful stylish women. while this is not my favorite site for random photos of people that i do not know, it does start with the letter 'c'. cobrasnakes website's popularity has led to a weekly section of photos in the LA Weekly.

honorable c. mentions

[ C A L G O N E ]
[ C A N . I . G E T . A ]
[ C O F F E E ]
[ C O U S T E A U ]
[ C R A I G S L I S T ]

b.

2008-02-14T12:52:00.001-08:00

[ B A R R Y . M C G E E ]

aka R A Y . F O N G
aka T W I S T & variated monikers
aka R O B E R T . P I M P L E

the 1960s san fransisco born painter and urban graffiti artist has been making a name for himself since the early 90s. TWIST rose out of the MISSION SCHOOL art movement. i first found ray fong when GEOFFREY HOLSTAD showed interest and have seen some of his work online periodically since. very creative. His painting is iconic.

[ B I L L I O N A I R E . B O Y S . C L U B ]

launched in 2005, the BBC clothing line exhibits the creative genius of pharrell williams, one half of the prolific production team the neptunes. pharrell partnered with japanese fashion icon nigo of A BATHING APE / BAPE and launched the clothing lines billionaire boys club and it's delicious counterpart ICE CREAM. BBC currently has a flagship store in TOKYO, JAPAN, and stores in NEW YORK and HONG KONG. all of the items are considered limited edition 'high end luxury sportswear'. save your pennies kids.

'see these ice cubes? see these ice creams?'

[ B R A N D O N . B O Y D ]

well what can i say? INCUBUS vocal frontman, inspirational writer, philanthropist, and seemingly all around nice guy. boyd has been performing with incubus since the early 1990s and has six albums to date. FUNGUS AMONGUS, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., MAKE YOURSELF, MORNING VIEW, A CROW LEFT OF THE MURDER, and LIGHT GRENADES. not to mention, he is my favorite entertainer.

click on the ALBUM TITLES to enjoy a sample.

honorable b. mentions

[ B E A R D S ]
[ B E A N I L L A ]
[ B O N . I V E R ]
&
[ B R O W N I E S ]

a.

2008-02-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

[ A N A T H A L L O ]
from wikipedia:

[ Anathallo is a band originally from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and now based in Chicago, Illinois. Anathallo utilizes a wide variety of instruments, including horns, guitars, drums, piano, bells, and even unconventional objects like chains, velcro strips, and pipes. The band has released several recordings through Selah Records, a vinyl release with Javelins through Potential Getaway Driver, as well as completely independent releases. The band's name, Anathallo, is derived from a Greek word meaning “to renew, refresh or bloom again.”[1] They are currently recording at Engine Studios. ]

this is an amazing band. i have personally seen them twice and was taken aback by their musicianship. also, their ability to interact with the crowd.

here is their blogger site.

zach also likes them quite a bit.

here is one of my favorite songs by them, titled
'kasa no hone (the umbrella's bones)' off of the album 'floating world.'

[ A N T E N N A . M A G A Z I N E ]
comprehensive new (07 - 08) fashion magazine with fresh&clean photos of all things a-z in new clothing, gear, accessories, and culture. a great read and an inspiration. the spring 2008 issue not only features gear from a to z, it has the letter 'H' profiling HYPEBEAST : THE online magazine for fashion, sneakers and culture. check it out.

from their site:
[ Antenna is the first mainstream magazine to target individuals who are on a constant quest for the newest and coolest products on the horizon. And it does so without using celebrities, models, concept shoots, service stories and whatever else we deem superfluous to our mission: to become a guidebook, allowing readers to navigate the most extensive collection of products ever compiled in a single publication, while championing the people who create, sell and collect them—all in one comprehensive, artful, elegant and innovative format. Featuring everything from dress shirts and cellphones to jeans and graphic T’s, Antenna is considered to be a non-disposable magazine in a disposable world. And you cannot ask for more than that. ]

[ A P P L E . T R A I L E R S ]
something i commonly refer to as 'trapples'. [trailers+apple] this is my favorite site for watching new trailers. very comprehensive, great user interface, and updated frequently. while this makes getting to a movie in the theatre on time dramatically less exciting, it is a great use of time if you are interested in film. i get quite excited when a new set of 'TRAPPLES' appear on the site. trailers are epic. watch them. besides, who can deny apple?

morelater

this blog.

2008-02-13T18:28:00.001-08:00

things i enjoy.
alphabetically.

amendments may be made if they follow the letter category.

click on the alphabetical word [ T I T L E S ] to follow up.

please enjoy and comment.