Singles - YACHT - Works Like Magic
Their new EP is worth a listen in its entirety, but this is one funky ass jam!
What it all boils down to...
"Humans are caught - in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too - in a net of good and evil. I think this is the only story we have and that it occurs on all levels of feeling and intelligence. Virtue and vice were warp and woof of our first consciousness, and they will be the fabric of our last, and this despite any changes we may impose on field and river and mountain, on economy and manners. There's no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well - or ill?"
- Excerpt from John Steinbeck's masterpiece East of Eden
Read MoreSingles - Big K.R.I.T. - Cadillactica
I'll never forget seeing Big K.R.I.T. perform at Austin City Limits in 2012. Within seconds of taking the stage, he just controlled the crowd. He got everyone so pumped up, singing along as he waved his towel and we jumped, hands waving to the rhythm as he viciously sprinted through his rhymes. It was one of the best performances I've seen by a rapper. All that being said, his new album just came out. The title track is my favorite. King Remembered In Time indeed!
Read MoreR.I.P. Galway Kinnell
Galway Kinnell, an American poet, passed from leukemia at the age of 87 on October 28, 2014. A while back, my dad gave me a collection of his poetry, Three Books, which has been very inspirational to me in my writing. His poetry is simply written and slowly paced yet so engrossing. I read his poems and picture a grandfather rocking in his chair reciting line after line to the sweeping wind.
The following is one of my favorite poems by Kinnell. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Read MoreThe Giants Win...and SF riots a little (multiple pics)
The Giants won the World Series. Not only have I never lived in a city when one of their teams won the championship, but I've never gotten to partake in the revelry and riots. I biked through Union St to Chesnut through North Beach to the Ballpark through the Mission and ended up on Polk St. My pictures came out terribly, but it was a ton of fun to celebrate.
See you in two years!
5 Faves - Rome Fortune
I've recently been listening incessantly to Atlanta rapper Rome Fortune. He's got this nonchalant Barry White-ish baritone delivery over soothing, futuristic beats. It's a refreshingly original sound.
For fans of: Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown
My 5 Favorite Tracks:
Read MoreBest of Arctic Monkeys
Whenever I hear Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkey’s first album from 2006, I am reminded of the chaos and craziness of college. There’s a sense of freedom at college that’s intoxicating and drives you a little bit wild. The sound of this album encapsulated college for me in its fury-filled, punk, and schizophrenic pace. As silly as it sounds to equate college with punk, I felt a sense of rebelliousness in the mistakes I was making free from the gossip and punishment that similar decisions would have created during high school.
Read MoreFleet Week (multiple pics)
SF had its annual Fleet Week this year in mid-October, and it was my first since last year's was cancelled. Fleet Week, per its website, is "an annual public event that honors the contributions of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces while advancing cooperation and knowledge among civilian- and military-based Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response personnel."
There are a number of days and events to further and honor Fleet Week's cause, and it ends with an air show by the Blue Angels among others. Seeing the Blue Angels flying over the bay, by the GG bridge, and over my apartment was an experience I won't forget. The whole weekend is an awe inspiring reminder of what our Armed Forces can accomplish.
Lucky 7
See you next year...