Cults Concert Write-Up Part 2 (The Show)

In part one of this post I praised the venue that Cults concert was at. As much as I liked the venue though, the night would have been a mess if the bands weren't good. The show was headlined by Cults but was opened by Writer who was then followed by Guards.

Writer was a two man band that performed very atmospheric rock. It was hard to understand the lyrics through the haunting echo of the microphone but the singer's voice was great tonally and make for a great musical experience. The other band member, the drummer, played with one drum stick and one tambourine. It was something Id never seen done before and seemed like an interesting signature. As much as I enjoyed the whole set it was their last song that I liked the best. I guess that it was written by the drummer and they performed it sharing a mic with just the tambourines to keep the beat. Overall Writer was a great band and a superb opening act. When they left the stage I was more than pumped up for the rest of the concert.

Following Writer was a full band called Guards. Their lead singer was a long-haired guy who also played the guitar. They delivered a strong set of moody 70's-esque rock that seemed to me to bridge the distance between the tone and sound of Writer and the upcoming Cults. I really enjoyed Guards' sound and made a point of buying their CD at the merch. table after the show.

After Guards finished their set it was time for Cults to come on stage. I was really surprised when they started up because after listening to the album I thought that live they would use an echo mic effect like Writer in order to try and duplicate the sound from the album. It was a pleasant surprise to find the singer going a little harder and singing/yelling more than the innocent album sound. It ended up leading to a lot more energy and a much more passionate vibe. There was also a nice bit of banter throughout the set as the lead singer addressed the crowd from time to time. They ended the set with a "This is our last song, seriously. We have no more songs left over to use as an encore" statement that I thought was great. Here is a great little band that is just seeing some hype surround them and they ended the show with some naive honesty and a great song.

After the entire experience I have to say that it was one of the better concerts I've attended; the venue was great and each of the bands performed well. Cults was definitely the strongest of the three but as the headliner that is not only expected but also hoped for. Next time Cults make it back to Portland I'll be in attendance and I hope to see Writer and Guards again soon as well.

Cults Concert Write-Up Part 1 (The Setup/Venue)

On Saturday the 23rd David and I went to Mississippi Studios in Portland to see Cults in concert. The show was great but the overall experience was even better. This was my first time seeing Cults and my first time seeing a show at the Mississippi. In fact, the only reason that we ended up going to the show was that several coincidences all lined up and pushed us in that direction.

The first factor in this Trinity of coincidence is Donald Glover. David and I are both fans of his work on Community and of Childish Gambino, his rap alter-ego. On his IAMDONALD tumbler a while back he linked to Cults' album and simply said that it was "On fire". I gave a track or two a listen and thought that it was good but for some reason it didn't stick with me. Luckily for me though David also came across the link and took the time to grab the album.

That leads us to lucky break #2. I asked David to bring his CD's with us on a trip to Portland a couple weeks ago and one of the CD's he brought was "Cults" by Cults. I immediately recognized the song and that's when David mentioned Donald Glover's plug and I made the connection. After listening to the CD twice on that trip I was completely hooked.

The third and final coincidence was that while I was checking local venues for concerts (which I've been known to do occasionally) I got a bug up my butt to see if Cults was going to come to our area anytime in the near future. Low and behold they were! They were coming to Mississippi Studios which was a venue that I had never heard of about a week from that day and tickets were inexpensive.

Long story shorter David and I bought tickets and found our way to Mississippi Studios a few hours early on the day of the concert. We ended up finding out that it was a sold out show (lucky us) but we didn't have to deal with waiting in a line or anything. We were able to order some drinks and lounge at BarBar until the doors opened (BarBar is the bar attached to the venue).

The venue itself was small but well designed. It seemed to fit a few hundred people and had a great balcony that filled up faster than the pit. David and I were among the first in and camped out front and center. It was a great club and a great experience. Mississippi Studios has earned its spot in my "Concert Venues" bookmark tab and I plan on going to another concert there soon.

Always Entertainment: TV Podcast #3

We discuss news in the television world. Talk about shows that we are looking forward to returning, and end the hour with an in-depth discussion of Breaking Bad's Episode 2 of Season 4. Check the podcast out and subscribe on iTunes or listen via the player below.

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The Larry Sanders Show: Opinion

The following is my write up of season 1 of The Larry Sanders Show. Very mild spoilers to follow.

Earlier this week I made another step forward in my Summer TV Catch-Up project by completing the first season of HBO's early 90's comedy The Larry Sanders Show. Larry Sanders is a show that ran six seasons on HBO to great critical acclaim. Over the run of the series it earned Emmy, Peabody, and countless other award nominations. Having seen the first season I can understand and agree with much of the hype.

This show is both a take-down of late night talk shows and a solid entry in the sitcom genre. Larry Sanders stars Garry Shandling in the titular role, Jeffrey Tambor as his sidekick Hank, and Rip Torn as the show's producer Arthur. Over the first season many 90's celebrities made appearances on the show both as guests on the fictional talk show satirized through Larry Sanders and also throwing up their public personas during the "off air" segments. Celebrity guests during the first season included Dana Carvey, Robin Williams, Catherine O'Hare, and Carol Burnett.

As I mentioned, Larry Sanders is a satirical sitcom that focuses on fictional late night talk show The Larry Sanders Show and its host Larry Sanders. Average episodes during the first season focus around putting on the night's episode--sometimes several--and include problems working with the network, behind-the-scenes troubles with celebrity guest stars, and the drama of daily life working with narcissistic celebrities.

I have to say that I really did enjoy this first season. The comedy has held up surprisingly well for a show that is nearly two decades old. It was also a fun time capsule of the era, giving us a look back at the celebrities and culture of the early 90s. The one minor nitpick that I do have has to deal with the episode intros that ran throughout the first season. All of the episodes begin with Hank warming up the Larry Sanders Show audience with an extremely lame "applause/apple sauce" joke. I understand the necessity of the joke in that the character of Hank is a bit of a lame duck and in the universe of the show he is actually saying that same thing to the audience before each show to warm them up. In the end though it is still a pretty lame and fairly irritating sequence.

Now that I've seen the first season of the show I think that I'll be putting the remaining five seasons on the back burner. The main point of the Summer TV Catch-Up project for me is to broaden my TV knowledge and although seeing one season of a six season show doesn't come close to making me an expert it does give me a foundation for future discussions. I definitely recommend taking the time to sample the show. All six seasons of The Larry Sanders Show are available on Netflix streaming and a complete series box set is available on Amazon for $76.58, 49% off the $149.99 MSRP.

Always Entertainment: TV Podcast #2

We discuss news in the television world, including some of the recent Emmy nominations. We do another session of what we’ve been watching lately, and end the hour with an in-depth discussion of Breaking Bad's Season 4 premiere. Check the podcast out and subscribe on iTunes or listen via the player below.

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Hello, Portland!

Last night I went to see Owl City live at the Roseland Theater here in Portland, OR.  I somewhat knew what to expect since I went to the show they played last year, at the same venue, but regardless of my knowledge on their performance ability I was still blown away by how excellent their show was.

There were two opening acts that performed prior to Owl City hitting the stage.  The first band, Unwed Sailor, was an instrumental group that set the mood for the night.  Their music was calming and ambient at times and towards the end of their set they started to play more upbeat tracks.  The next act to grace the stage was Mat Kearney, originally from Eugene, OR, rocked the set for his home state.  You could tell through all of his songs that he really connected with the audience and was genuinely happy to be performing in front of us, and some of his family that was in attendance.  He did an excellent job performing, and in such, turned me into an instant fan (I hadn't heard any of his music prior to the concert).

The finale of the night was Owl City's moment on the stage.  The band was pieced together with numerous musicians, all who did an excellent job.  The way that each song was cleverly crafted to be performed live kept it very exciting.  From songs being pulled down to their raw basics, to others that got molded into something new with added electric guitar and other instruments. The mood of their performance was most often upbeat, but at one point turned very touching and heartfelt with Adam Young, the lead of Owl City, performing solo with just the piano and a microphone.

Adam was also very pleased to be back in Portland, saying how much he loves it here, joking about moving to this wonderful city, and even name-dropping Voodoo Doughnuts made him connect that much more with the audience.  Overall the concert was excellent.  Each act added something special to the show, and the spectacular work by every musician that contributed to the Owl City performance made for an awesome event!

Live In Concert!

There can be tremendous differences in the way an artist and/or band strikes a crowd and performs live.  Whenever I go to a concert I'm looking for a good time, great music, and an excellent performance.  Sometimes I get what I'm hoping for, other times not so much. So with all that being said, I have a few live shows that I'm attending in the near future and I'll be posting my review and thoughts on each show afterwards.

Always Entertainment: TV #1

We have our first television podcast up on our RSS feed! It has been submitted to iTunes and should be up there shortly. Until it is ready you can subscribe to the feed or listen using the embedded player below.

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Jhene Aiko

I've been listening to A LOT of music lately, but I really wanted to post about Jhene Aiko and her album Sailing Soul(s), because she is an artist a lot of people are not familiar with. To me, this album has it all. Her vocals are soft and elegant, and the way that they are placed over-the-top of the smooth instrumentals creates an easy-listen and enjoyable experience throughout the entire album.Her voice sounds sincere and truthful, especially on tracks like "July (feat. Drake)," "My Mine," and "Stranger." I find that her lyrics are easy to relate to, and due to that, she is very likable. I could see possible comparisons to Rihanna, but Jhene's music is more mellow and less mainstream, in my opinion. She is definitely an artist that you should check out, and Sailing Soul(s) is an album that should be added to your collection.

Sorry 4 The Wait...

Lil Wayne just released his mixtape, Sorry 4 The Wait, today. This is an apology for the delay of his upcoming studio album, Tha Carter IV, and I accept the apology. He hits his mixtape roots as he raps over instrumentals such as, "Racks on Racks," "My Last," and "Tupac's Back." Of course, he does his thing, and brings lyrics that make you think. Some of the songs to listen for on this mixtape would be: "Sure Thing," "Hands Up," and "Marvin's Room." Wayne is all about his fans, with his release of mixtape after mixtape, keeping them on their toes and wanting more. Sorry 4 The Wait is no exception, and the fans should appreciate this gift right before his release of Tha Carter IV, set to arrive August 29th.

Always Entertainment: Music #1

We have our first music podcast up on our RSS feed!  It has been submitted to Itunes and is working its way through that process right now but until it is ready you can subscribe to the feed or listen using the embedded player below.




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TweetTweet

Always Entertainment is now on Twitter!  

You can follow us @AlwaysEnt on twitter now.  We will be using the account to update everyone on the status of our various podcasts and to link to those podcasts as they are posted.  Also expect some links to various news items and blog posts.  All in all following us on twitter will be a great way to stay up-to-date with all the developments on the blog.

The Company Men

Thanks to Netflix I was recently able to watch the 2010 film The Company Men.  I found the movie interesting on a number of levels and decided to take a few minutes to work through my thoughts.  I’ll try to keep this post reasonably spoiler free with only general discussions of themes and character arcs but no specific plot details.

Conundrum--Torchwood: Miracle Day

Torchwood: Miracle Day airs on Starz tonight and I'm just not ready for it.  I am currently on episode 10 of series one, which I think is great progress, but is not good enough.  The question that has been plaguing me since I realized earlier in the week that I wouldn't catch up in time is this: Do I continue watching Torchwood in order or do I skip over a large portion of the show and start into Miracle Day tonight?  I'm told, and believe, that anyone could jump right into Miracle Day and be completely up to speed.  I believe this not just because I trust the people who have mentioned it but also because it is in Starz's best interest for this to be the case.  Therefore, the decision comes down to whether or not I feel that I should complete the showrunner's journey as it is laid out or not.

Walking Dead Season 2 Promo #1

Today AMC released the first promotional trailer for the upcoming second season of The Walking Dead.  The trailer doesn't show us much (there is no actual season two footage) but the mere release of it means that the hype machine is up and running as we proceed towards the season two premier.  Season two should begin airing sometime around Halloween just like season one did and as we approach October you can expect more and more good stuff from the AMC camp

Jacob's Summer TV Catch-Up List

As promised here is my list of TV Shows I plan to catch up on during these summer months. I don't think that I'll be able to make it through them all but I'll be putting forth a valiant effort.

In alphabetical order:
Boardwalk Empire (Season One)
Caprica (Season One)
Deadwood (Season One, Two, and Three)
Dr. Who (Series Six)
Farscape (Season One, Two, Three, and Four)
The Good Wife (Season One and Two)
Happy Endings (Season One)
The Larry Sanders Show (Season One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six)
The League (Season Two)
The Office: UK (Series One, Two, and Specials)
Parenthood (Season One and Two)
Rubicon (Season One)
Torchwood (Season One, Two, and Three)
The Venture Brothers (Season One, Two, Three, and Four)
Young Justice (Season One)

I will be updating this list as I progress, striking through the seasons and shows that I have completed. I plan on simply rolling over any shows I don't finish up to next summer or possibly sprinkling one or two of them in during the fall season depending on my viewing schedule.

Sons Ride Again

I'm really proud to say that just about three years ago I sat down to watch the pilot episode of Sons of Anarchy. Back then it was just me in my living room alone (not as depressing as it sounds).  Since then I've seen seasons two and three, bought the season one and two blurays, and introduced over a dozen of my friends to this great show.  This year, when the season four premier comes around, I expect to be in a room with half a dozen or more of my friends enjoying the 90 minute ride that Kurt Sutter has planned for us.  

In honor of one of my favorite shows, I'm embedding the first promo for this upcoming season:

Also, for those of you that are interested Kurt Sutter puts up a ton of extras on his YouTube channel.  If you love the show you should at least take a few minutes to check out one of his WTFSutter videos.

Summer TV Catch-up

In years past the summer months have acted as a brief reprieve from new scripted programming and a chance to catch up on series that one missed in previous fall seasons.  In the recent several years, however, more and more networks have started to schedule original programming during the period between the end of May sweeps and the beginning of the fall season.

Given that there are many great shows currently airing and even more coming to our TV sets and DVRs over the next few weeks my summer TV catch-up project is smaller than I would have hoped.  That being said I've already made a lot of progress.  Below is a list of seasons I've been watching since the end of the "official" September to May TV season.

The League season 2
Dr. Who series 6
The Venture Brothers seasons 1 and 2
The Office (UK) series 1
Boardwalk Empire season 1

I'm pretty proud that I've been able to make such good progress and with a little more than two months until the Fall season kicks into high gear I'm hoping to knock off many of the TV Shows on my list.

Speaking of my list...

I'll be posting my full Summer TV Catch-up list tomorrow and plan on updating it as I check off more and more shows.  Hopefully this will bring attention to some great television and also keep me on track as far as the catch-up itself is concerned.