Music Retrospective

Today has been pretty exhilarating, for me there is nothing quite likes finding new music to obsess about.  It has happen only a hand full of times for me, and it seems like it is occurring more frequently now.  I had every intention this morning in buying Mumford & Sons newest album Babel, but instead bought two albums by different artist based on a couple of songs that blew me away.  The music inspired me to write a little retrospective on my musical tastes over the years.  It is funny; ears are kind of like taste buds things sound different as you age just like food taste different.

In high school I listened to post hardcore rock, emo, some metal, anything with aggressive guitar licks and power chords.  There were a few standouts though that I matured in sync with.  Namely Thrice, I remember first hearing Teppi’s aggressive guitar, Dustin’s powerful vocals in the album Illusion of Safety.  Their music changed over the years and I always changed with them.  I listened to the same type of music for quite awhile until I started listening to The Black Keys.  Now The Black Keys are my favorite band but this is not really about them, but I do credit them for expanding my musical tastes in the past few years.  They are the tip of the spear that got me listening to blues musicians like T-Model Ford, RL Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.  In turn I picked up on Seasick Steve and his three string transwonder (name of his guitar.)  From there I found The Heavy, thanks to Borderlands 2 intro song Short Changed Hero.  I bought two of their albums The Glorious Dead and The House That Dirt Built, the latter has Short Changed Hero and another little song called How you Like Me Now.

This brings me to what I bought today two artists far apart musically.  First up, Patrick Sweany and his album Every Hour A Dollar Gone.  If you are a fan of The Black Keys or Dan Auerbach’s solo album Keep It Hid this is a must have.  From what I read Patrick Sweany has played with Dan on a number of occasions.  Check out his songs After Awhile, Burma Jones, and Hotel Women a few instant standouts for me.  Also today I bought something that is leaps away from my typical musical tastes, but has some granted very minute attributes that I like about The Heavy.  The artist is Aloe Blacc and he is an American soul singer.  I bought his album Good Things and it is unlike anything I listen to, but I really like it.  The Black Keys album Brothers had some soul influenced songs like Never Gonna Give You Up, cover of Jerry Butler Never Give You Up.  If you enjoy The Heavy or The Black Keys Brothers or old school soul check you the album.  I particularly like Green Lights, Take Me Back, and I Need A Dollar. 

Looking back I cannot believe some of the stuff I use to like.  I cannot wait to see who or what type of music Aloe Blacc will turn me onto.  So try new things and embrace musical artists that evolve cause if they don’t what is the point.

-Matt

Current Song Obsessions

The Heavy – Curse Me Good
The Heavy – No Time
The Heavy – What Makes A Good Man
Seasick Steve – Never Go West
Aloe Blacc – Green Lights
Patrick Sweany – Hotel Women

Mudshark Full Moon Belgian style white ale

After dropping my daughter off this past weekend I had some stuff to do around the house and decided to pick up a 6 pack to drink while I did chores. I try to grab something new to try that way I'm not stuck in a loop of delicious yet predictable Budweiser. This time my selection was Mudshark's Full moon Belgian style white ale.

Brewed in Lake Havasu, Arizona, which pleased me to discover that it was a local brewer. i had picked it up at a Fry's so I'm sure they have it at BevMo! in the phoenix area
but I'm not sure on how far this company ships to. I was relatively shocked by how smooth it is and the fact that there is a rather pleasant after taste and that the company was able to accomplish this without adding in a fruit that would ruin the beer. I powered through my first one while vacuuming and going worked on my second, and pleased to discover it wasn't getting old and was still enjoyable. If I had to compare it to another beer I would put it somewhere around the drinkability of an Amber Bock or a Killians Irish Red. Two hours later I had punished 4 beers and went to work on my 5th, shortly after that I realized that things were becoming slightly more difficult to accomplish, in other words.....I was shit faced.
So here comes my warning that comes with this beer. it is a 8.9% alcohol and obviously a sipping beer not meant to be treated the way I was trying to.

I would definitely recommend this beer to people trying to get into something new but not ready for something as strong as the stone arrogant bastard or a Guinness. all together I would say
3.5 out of 5 on the taste scale, on my "ninja drunk scale" I give this bad boy a 4, it sneaks up on you amazingly fast.

Side note: This beer was responsible for one of the best drunk naps I've ever had.

-mike

Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT)

There was a reason my first word was car and it had everything to do with KITT.  While most kids between the ages of two and five were watching Sesame Street, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, or taking a look in a book on the Reading Rainbow. I was obsessed with shows like Knight Rider and Air Wolf.  Everything a young boy loved: cars, attack helicopters, and crazy explosive stunts.  KITT was not a traditional humanoid robot, but a 1982 Pontiac Trans AM with more tricks than James Bond’s DB5.

Who can forget his first appearance where Michael Knight sneaks into a pitch black warehouse and is greeted with the eerie red cylonesque light and woooe wooe echo sound.  Then the head lights flip up and the tries screech as it races to a stop at Michael’s feet.  The first episode, Knight of the Phoenix, had many great memorable moments like Michael falling asleep at the wheel and getting pulled over by a cop.  It taught a valuable lesson on how to get out of tickets, just act deaf. 

KITT is nearly indestructible; his Molecular Bonded Shell can deflect gun fire and explosive devices and later high energy laser beams. Turbo Boost is the most iconic feature allowing KITT a boost of speed and the ability jump over obstacles and gaps.  KITT’s tool kit includes: grappling hook, oil jets, smoke screens, tear gas, laser, microwave jammer, chemical analyzer, and with more scanners and sensors than you can think of. 

KITT is my number one seat when it comes to robots and AI.  He may not be humanoid, but what is cooler than a super intelligent talking car.

Fee Hee Hee Hee EEENY… FEENY!

-Matt

Johnny Five no disassemble

Since my childhood I remember being mesmerized by the story and characters included in short circuit, and more specifically....Johnny Five. With much time of my adulthood being spent thinking about robots I've come to the conclusion that he is the best robot in all of cinema and possibly all of media. There is actually one point in the movie I could point out that I believe could completely seal this argument, but why not make this a slow burn. for those of you unaware of Johnny Five...i both pity and envy you. i pity you because you have not yet seen this amazing, lovable, and startling realistic looking robot. however I do envy you because now you get the chance to experience how amazing this is for the first time.

 Johnny Five was created as a robot created during the cold war for use by the military,
As with most robots Johnny Five becomes self aware, after during a lightning storm strikes Johhny Five and he wanders off to start his adventure. after befriending an animal lover and learning from her how to assimilate to humanity he starts his adventure. He's not a robot that came out to destroy humanity from the future like the terminator, he's not from outer space
and partially homosexual with a trash can following him around. he was made for war and by FATE i tell you! he was hit by lightening and decided to live peacefully with humanity. Until someone screws with his friends and then its on, and not in the break dancing way, I mean the i will fucking kill you way. if you're seeking the scene I am referring to I would like to point you
here-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2EqzWz6BE8..........the I need a hero montage is one of the most inspirational and amazing montages created in cinema and I DARE you to find one that says otherwise. The closest one that even comes close is the "you're the best around" montage made famous by the Karate Kid. Johnny Five goes from loveable friend robot to bad ass with metal Mohawk and eye patch. I would also like to make the point that to move around he used tread giving him quick mobility, versus a robot with metal legs and not the fluid motion a person has during travel.

Between his program being altered by none other than god himself, being created for war and learning to assimilate to humanity and becoming a lovable machine. The mobility is a huge advantage as well and Johnny Five being made during the cold war era makes him ahead of the robot curve.

I leave you with "Johnny Five is alive!"
-Mike

the dumb droid rises

this is the beginning of....well hopefully something. we will be making an effort to post at least a couple times a week as well as a podcast we will come up with a timeline for. Its really just a outlet for the things we are into so it'll will be a mixture of everything from music, movies, comics, games, beer, and probably other things that wont really make sense. we'll probably work some sort of current events in as well so keeping checking in and we will keep adding content! we'll be back.