This is what happens when I feel passionately about something

Jose Gonzalez was in town last night (Thursday), at The Parish Room. I had never been to that venue before, but I'll definitely be going back. The sound was excellent, the room was a nice size, larger without losing intimacy, which worked incredibly well for the show last night.

Gonzalez played a great set, not too long, not too short, about half the songs totally solo, the other half with a "percussion section," which was made up of a girl that shook something and maybe played keyboards, and a dude that played the congas and occasionally a woodblock. I actually like him better in live performances, by far over the studio work. I like hearing just his voice, not a multi-layered effect on it. And his voice was pretty amazing last night, as was his guitar playing. The lighting was good, and the general vibe during the whole show was great. I'd write a glowing review of it, but while I was at the show, I got to thinking about things. Like, the reason that I'm not exactly sure if the girl was playing a keyboard was that there was some 6'4" dude was standing in the very front, right in front of her. Standing straight up. In the very front row. WTF? Come on! Don't do that. Which got me thinking, this is the perfect time to unfurl:

Flenker's 10 Simple Rules for Going to a Show!!!!
(small venue edition)

1. You make a better door than a widow - If you're 6'2" and above, it's ok to stand near the front. If you want to, go right ahead! But if you're in the very front, at least make some sort of effort to minimize your stature and the amount of vision blocking from less vertically gifted concert goers. Stand off to the side, maybe, or bend down, or, you could be really kind and let some shorter people in front of you. You don't have to let some 6' dude in front of you, because fuck him, he can see around you. But if there's a girl or guy that's kind of short, I'm sure you'd make their day to not have to have their noses stuck firmly near your armpits. It's just a common courtesy, man.
   
2. Don't be That couple - I've been to concerts with a girlfriend (yes, I've had a girlfriend! A couple actually! You may only need to use one hand to count them, but they're there, I promise! KP can back me up on this one.), it's a common thing to do, concerts are fun! It's totally ok to hold hands or give a quick peck on the cheeks, or maybe even real kiss! But do not, under any circumstances, let your mouth open. No tongue action. No one, I repeat no one wants to see that anywhere, let alone in a concert with hundreds of sweaty people around you, most likely a high number of them perpetually single guys (at least at the concerts I'm going to. Sad bastards abound). Especially if your girlfriend looks like Tori Spelling plus 60 pounds, give or take, and if you look kind of like you belong in that family that grows hair all over their face. And take off your stupid fucking hat. (sorry, I've been wanting to say that since the show) Also guys, don't stand in front of your girl. That's just tacky. Unless she's more than 5 inches taller than you. In which case, ummm, good for you?
3. Leave the fedora to Indiana Jones - This applies to not only fedoras, but any other wide-brimmed hat, unless it's appropriate (I'm sure there's some "You might be a redneck" joke here, but I'm above that). Not only does it block the vision of the people behind you, there's also a good chance that you look like a tool. And, it'll contain body heat, so you'll get warmer in an already hot environment. Plus, if you have to comb the hair on your face and are clinging onto your tubby girlfriend, you're gong to need all the help you can get to keep your body temperature at a life-sustaining level. Leave your hat in the car, wear it to the bars with your hipster friends so they can reassure you how awesome you look. (really, I'm just bitter that this dude had a cool hat and had the ability to grow facial hair, two things I could never pull off.)
4. The floor is not for empties - I know, the empty bottle is heavy, it's cramping your style, and you can't comfortably hold more than two bottles at a time. You don't have to. Find a table or use a trashcan to dispose of your bottle. Don't set it on the floor. Because it will invariable be kicked, and roll around, and hit my foot. Then I'll be paranoid that I'm going to step on it and break it, so I'll have to run the risk of bending down in a crowded area to pick it up. Not good times.
   
5. No smoking - I know it's, like, awesome to get stoned and stuff. Whatever. Especially in a smaller, inside venue, don't be rockin' the ganj (do kids still say that? have they ever said that?). I honestly hate the smell of it, and get a headache. You can wait another 20 minutes, or go outside or something. Just don't do it in the middle of a crowded floor. Same with cigarettes. In a crowded place, someone is getting ashed on, and someone else is getting smoke in the face.
   
6. When I'm in the pit - At some concerts, mosh pits happen, there's no avoiding them. A ska concerts, skanking will occur. It's natural. Just go with it. Don't assume it's your responsibility to protect your girlfriend by unnecessarily throwing 'bows at nearby moshers. Moshing should be confined to a specific area, so just avoid it if you have a problem with it. And moshers: don't go out of your way to shit-stomp people that have no inclinations on being shit-stomped. Really, you shouldn't be shit-stomping at a concert. You don't need to fuck up shit, no matter what Reel Big Fish tells you.
   
7. Surf's down - It's not really that cool to body surf. Sorry to break it to you this way. It's one thing if you need to, if you're getting overheated or can't take the crowd, let people know around you, and they'll pass you back (this actually happened to me once, without me knowing. I somehow got way too overheated and blacked out for a minute. The next thing I knew I was being passed backwards. Definitely a weird set of events). And guys, if there's a girl crowd surfing, don't grab her ass or boobs. Not cool.
   
8. Sing it proud - If you know the words, it's ok to sing along. Sometimes even asked of you by performers (see: Ben Folds Live, on the songs Army and Not the Same. It's something that he's done every time I've seen him). One of the coolest experiences I've had was seeing Thursday, with the crowd singing the back-up vocals on some songs when the lead singer Geoff wasn't able to (he did all of the vocals, I think and there were some multi-layered parts that he obviously wasn't able to do live). If you don't know the words, though, please, please do not try to sing along.
   
9. Move! - It's ok to dance, it's ok to feel the beat, and it's ok to move with it. Do it naturally. If you're like me and have absolutely zero dancing ability, that's OK! Bobbing your head is fine, bouncing in place it a good start, and just letting yourself go is the best. I've come to learn, it doesn't matter. You're having fun, go with it! It shows the performers that you're enjoying what they're doing for you. Of course, if you're seeing a band like Kind of Like Spitting or Low or Mojave 3, it's not really appropriate to be frantically jerking your body around. But you can close your eyes, let the music envelope you, nod your head, enjoy it, take it all in.
10. And this is by far the most important rule for me - SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!! - You paid $15 or $5 or $30 for a ticket or cover to get into the club and hear a band play, not to have a conversation with your friend about what you're going to do tomorrow. More importantly, everyone else around you paid that same amount to hear the band play, and not to try to hear them over your shouting about how you don't really like wheat bread but feel like you should be eating more of it anyways. NO ONE CARES. Show the band some respect, listen to what they're doing. This is much more than just a show to them. It's their livelihood. It's their life. They've invested so much into practicing and touring and pouring their hearts into their songs, the least you could do is shut the hell up for an hour and really appreciate it. Nothing bothers me more than to hear the din of conversations going on in between songs, unless I can hear it during songs. Show some fucking respect. If you have to say something, do it as quietly as possible, to as few people as possible. Turn your ringer on silent. And don't have text message conversations. One is ok, if done inconspicuously. But don't send 5 or 6 messages back and forth with someone about how you hate your boyfriend that is AT THE SHOW WITH YOU and how you are thinking of breaking up with him, especially if you're standing right next to me and the light from your phone is annoying as shit while I'm trying to watch Loney, Dear (true story, ask H!).
    

There you have it. It may sound like a lot, but really, following the rules will lead to such a great experience. And it's all basically common sense stuff, just use your heads, people! I'm sorry if you break the rules and don't think it's a big deal. It is. I mean, it's on my blog and everything.

There's only been one concert that I can remember where all of the rules were followed by everyone: when Jeff Tweedy played in the Iowa Memorial Union on February 19th, 2006. It's been the show to which I compare other shows. There was such a good crowd, they were quiet and listening, with such positive energy, that, as Mr. Tweedy stated, "it feels like everyone in the room is working towards the same goal." It may be the best show I've ever been to. It'll definitely be very hard to top. (I do have a, uh, how you say, bootleg of it, if anyone is interested. . .)

So what are some rules that everyone else has? Of course, there are different circumstances. If the band playing is some crappy frat band, who cares. Or a tribute band. They're on the low end of the totem pole, barely qualifying as "bands." Then there's the opposite end, the arena shows, where everyone not on the floor is seated and eats $7 popcorn while the Red Hot Chili Peppers "thrash." (I have seen them in concert too. . . That was actually the show during which I blacked out! I'm not sure if it was from the heat or from what was coming out of the speakers) And festivals are something completely different altogether. But I'm talking about shows at places like First Ave in Minneapolis, or Emo's here in Austin, or 9:30 Club in DC, or the Metro in Chicago, or Zaphod's in Ottawa (probably the bar with my favorite name ever), or Gabe's/the Picador in Iowa City.

And yes, if it hasn't been painfully obvious for a while now, I am a music elitist. That's who I am. And these are my rules.

The newest girl I have a crush on but will never meet!

You may not recognize the name, but I'm sure almost everyone recognizes the song, by Ingrid Michaelson.



It was between this video from Carson Daly's show or the actual video for the song. I went with this one, because the other video not only has some other dude kissing her, but also clowns. The Flenker digs neither. (Though if it were more than 13 seconds of Carson Daly, it would've been a tough choice.) In spite of the fact that the song is used in an Old Navy commercial, I really like it. It's a nice little ditty. And her other songs are pretty solid, too. Plus, from what I've read, she's releasing everything on her own, without the help of a record label, which is admirable. Though I'm not sure if she'll be able to do that for much longer, with as much publicity she's been getting. And she's pretty cute. A cute musical girl (in addition to singing she plays guitar and piano) will be my downfall.

Stuffed like a . . . well, you know

I hope everyone had a great past few days, I know I did! My Thanksgiving was very filling, and spent with some good company. But, there were tinges of homesickness, when I was on the phone with everyone at my mom's place (mom, uncle, aunt, grandpa, sister, mom, brother, step-dad, mom - in that order), they had already broken out the wine (it was 1 in the afternoon, what can I say, my family knows how to celebrate!) and I think they were feeling it a little. My mom made me promise that I'd never be away for another holiday, that she had too much food and I needed to eat some of it. Then she made a rule that none of her children could ever move away from her again. I'm not sure if I'm grandfathered in under that one yet, I'm still checking. And a comment was made about me moving closer to home when grandchildren are on the way, so I thought for a minute that she had forgotten that she was talking with me. Any of her grandchildren coming from this Flenker are (hopefully) a ways off. A long ways off. I'm pretty sure you have to have another interested party to do that, so a long, long ways off.

I didn't quite feel like Thanksgiving, though, partially because it's my first away from home, but mainly because I had no mashed potatoes, and no pumpkin pie. I will give my hosts credit, though. They're Italian, so this isn't exactly their gig. And they had other extremely delicious food, and plenty of wine. I felt I needed to do my part for my family, and did some catching up. I'm pretty sure some text messages were sent to H at the height of my celebrating. And for the first time, I had chestnuts that were roasted on an open fire. Since this is the subject of my favorite Christmas song ever, I thought it was a travesty for it to have taken so long for me to experience this tradition. They were excellent. I'm not even joking. Big Texas and I were even sent home with leftovers, which are already gone. It was a nice diversion from beans and rice while it lasted.

Now, of course, I'm in the Christmas mood. I even think I saw a few flurries this morning! So, I'll leave you with Mr. Nat King Cole, and The Christmas Song. (His is the best version of this song, there's no discussion. And, one of the best Christmas songs of all-time. This is something that I will eventually get to.)

GBMCDE - A look back

Today in Austin, TX, we had a temperature drop of a little more than 40 degrees. We set a record high today at 89, while currently it is 48, and dropping. Finally, it's feeling like fall. I dig it.

Anyways, a few days ago, I posted the mix that I sent out for the initial Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange, and promised to at least mention the mixes that others had sent out. This is that post!

Now mind you, these aren't in any particular order, I'm not going to show preference to one over the other. I'm extremely pleased with how it went, all of the mixes were solid, and all got some good playing time in the car, while I was messing around on the internet, or just hanging around my place.

Lucy made it easy to decide when to listen to her particular mix. For starters, she went all out and made a different mix for each person. Most impressive! The one she created for me was titled "Rainy Day," and had "a mellow compilation to accompany the soggy days we know and love." It served its purpose well, with songs from Imogen Heap, The Shins, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant, The Flaming Lips, and more. Definitely a fine CD to throw on during those precipitation-filled days.

Going with a theme on the other side of the emotional spectrum was Marin's offering, "Keep a smile on -or- Face the surmounting frustration of a traffic jam." The songs that Marin assembled fit the theme perfectly, starting the day (and CD) with an upbeat ditty from Melanie Horsnell (starting off with the line "Every mornin' I get dressed for work"), one of my favorite songs from the GBMCDE comes a couple of songs later with Forever Thursdays' "How Can it Be", then a few wistful tunes from Regina Spektor and Loney, Dear, mounting angst from Of Montreal and Bright Eyes, and ultimately ending up with David Bowie's "Queen Bitch." Need I say more?

Continuing my theme (I've decided I'm listing these in geographical order, starting with Lucy in Georgia and heading north. Marin's in DC, which leads us to. . .) Krazee Eyez Killa, from Chicago, comes up next with a great mix, one with a cartoon guy holding his heart, saying "It's nothing special" (I loved that). Any time someone can go from Jars of Clay to Cypress Hill to Snoop Dogg to Dashboard Confessional with Michael Stipe to Ghostface Killah to Willie Nelson and end up at Pearl Jam (with sprinklings of his fellow Chicagoan Jeff Tweedy thrown in the mix) is impressive, even more so when the CD flows this well. KEK, you are my caucasian.

H gave us a mix spanning three decades of rock and roll, "The Essential H," starting with Bob Dylan in 1962, hitting the essentials of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin, two of Eric Clapton's groups (Cream and Derek and the Dominoes), her favorite song ever, then stopping in '78 for a while before ending up in 1991 with Pearl Jam. (Interestingly enough, KEK's and H's mixes each ended with Pearl Jam!)

And last, but only because he hails from the Great White North, is " Three Pints Mixtape Vol. 1: Music For Your Mom," put together by Jad. This collection of "mostly Inoffensive Music That You Can Safely Share With Your Mother" is listed in its entirety here, so check it out. I listened to this with my mom, and she gives it her approval. This mix contains another song that could be in contention for my favorite song of the exchange, with Julie Doiron's "I Left Town." (Don't let it fool you like it did me, I thought there was a kitty cat in my apartment the first 3 or 4 times I listened to it. Just wait for it, you'll see what I mean.)

There you have it! This second round of the Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange should be even better, if you can believe that to be possible! There's a few more people involved, so everyone will be getting even more tunes! I've even received one already, from Derek, one of my new Canadian friends! So be checking your mailboxes, and get to burning! I know of at least one more heading your way as we speak! Not mine. My envelopes will be going out in the next week. once the cover art is finished, and the track listings are finalized.

For my friends in the US, I wish you a safe and very happy (and filling) Thanksgiving holiday! For my Canadian friends, I wish you a safe and very happy (and fulfilling) Thursday! And here's to everyone , hoping that you'll celebrate Buy Nothing day!

This will actually be my first Thanksgiving away from home, but fear not! Big Texas and I have graciously been invited to the home of one of his coworkers, and with this turn of the weather, if I close my eyes, I may just think I'm back in Iowa!

No Country for Old Men

Earlier today, Big Texas and I went to a matinee of the latest movie by Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men. And you know what? I would've paid full price to see it. (Coming from me, that's saying something!)

Now, I'm a fan of other movies by the Coen brothers (Fargo, Blood Simple, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou, etc.), so I had an idea going into it that I'd like it. I had read a few reviews, and listened to Marin rave about it, so I started to get a little nervous that it would be hyped up too much, and that would skew my opinion. This was not the case, though.

I'm not going to go into the plot here. I've tried typing something down, just to get the basic idea across, but I felt like I couldn't do a good job at it. The trailer should give you gist of it.



I loved this movie. I think I loved everything about this movie. The sights, the sounds, the feelings. The actors were perfectly cast (the only exception may be that I did find it a little distracting to see Stephen Root in a more "serious" part), and did incredible jobs with their roles. From what I've gathered, the Coen brothers did a good job of keeping the script true to the novel from which it was adapted. It was violent and bloody and graphic, but not unnecessarily so. There was humor throughout, dark as it may have been (one peeve of mine was that the audience in the theater laughed at times that I thought were inappropriate, and then were silent when I was laughing. I obviously understood the movie more and therefore was smarter than everyone there.). This was also 2 of the most intense hours I've ever spent in a movie theater. I honestly would not be surprised to see this film nominated for multiple Academy Awards. And Anton Chigurh (played brilliantly by Javier Bardem) is one of, if not the, best villain, ever.


This definitely had a "Western" feel to it, which I appreciated. It mostly takes place and was filmed in Texas (though sadly, not in Austin), and all of the actors (who required one) had a great southern accent, even the Scottish Kelly Macdonald (another slightly distracting part was trying to figure out why I recognized her, then remembering that I saw her naked in Trainspotting. Yes, that actually wen through my head).

I feel like I cannot say enough about No Country for Old Men, but at the same time I don't want it to fall into the trap of being too hyped up for you out there. I don't want the three of you reading my blog to get such high hopes that can never be met, but at the same time I want to convey my feelings towards the movie. I'd have to think about the movies that I've seen recently, but off the top of my head, I can't think of a better movie from 2007. That's why it receives a whopping 6 Flenker Thumbs Up. Yes, it gets an extra thumb for being just an all-around bad ass movie. So go check it out, friendo.

A revisited quote of the day

I was looking through some of my old posts, as I am wont to do, and came across one of my favorites here. I thought it fit for my mood sometimes, so I'd repost it, just for fun. And because I haven't gone through and re-listened to the mixes from last time, so until then, this will have to tide you over.

Friday Recipe Korner: A spoonful of whiskey for every burden you shouldered in the name of getting the fuck by this week

Here's to some whiskey and gin, for getting the fuck by this week. Happy weekend!

If only I were in Pennsylvania. . .

I noticed on Project Jenny, Project Jan's myspace that they're playing with a band called Vampire Weekend tomorrow. Since I'm always looking for some new music, I decided to check them out, and they're not bad. Not bad at all. They have kind of a "retro" sound, maybe similar to the Beach Boys, with a modern influence mixed in. These guys are gonna be big, I can feel it! Check them out, give 'em a listen. I may include a song of theirs on my mix cd, you never know. . .

To the Beat of Rock and Roll (Alright!)

The second Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange is underway, emails have been sent and people are sitting by their mailboxes, waiting for it to fill with wondrous tunes from faraway lands, like Canada. So, like my Canadian brethren Jad has done (ok, exactly as he did it, so sue me!), I figured now is a good time to reflect on the last time around, starting with my own mix: To The Beat of Rock and Roll.

Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of my sweet-ass cover art to show everyone, but just know that it was indeed sweet-ass. And, I'm not sure how many of the participants realized or found this, but each one had a different interior to the "booklet." Will I do something similar this time around? Who knows?! Here's a tracklist, along with links you can click on and listen (courtesy of some space provided by the good people at Three Pints).

1. Panda Bear - Comfy in Nautica
2. Figurines - Race You
3. Of Montreal - Lysergic Bliss (Daytrotter Sessions)
4. Apples in Stereo - Sunndal Song
5. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
6. Mono Puff - Devil Went Down to Newport
7. WHY? - Gemini (Birthday Song)
8. Blackstar - Definition
9. Menomena - Muscle n' Flo
10. Rock Plaza Central - Our Past like Lighthouses
11. The Eels - Fresh Feeling
12. Built to Spill - Car
13. Now It's Overhead - Turn and Go
14. The Mountain Goats - Somebody Else's Parking Lot in Santa Fe
15. M Doughty - Train to Chicago
16. Love - Alone Again Or
17. Uncle Tupelo - Acuff Rose
18. Cub Country - O Great Telephone
19. Belle & Sebastian - If She Loves me (live from KEXP)
20. Iron & Wine - The Trapeze Swinger
21. The Weakerthans - My Favourite Chords

So there you have it! You say you want the whole thing in a .zip file? Alright! Here you go!

I felt like it was a pretty good selections of some of my favorite songs, some tracks from the lighter side of Flenker. Some of the tunes, like Alone Again Or and My Favourite Chords, have special meaning to me, so I included them. (Part of understanding the Flenker and the Flenker's past is all tied up in these songs, yes, it involves a girl, but that's not a topic I'll get into right now. Right now it's about the music!)

I'm going to try to go through everyone's mixes from last time around, but not put up links to the songs, because it's kind of a pain in the ass to do. I may do a few mixes in each post. We'll see how ambitious I'm feeling. Lately, ambition has been near all-time lows. Hence the lack in posts. But I've got a feeling that may soon change. So for now, enjoy some tunes!

I LOVE ICE CREAM

I am not stretching the truth with this statement in the slightest: Texas has some of the best ice cream I've ever eaten in my life. I guess it makes sense that a place that has a temperature in the mid-80's in the second weekend of November would have such a cool, tasty treat. With Blue Bell Ice cream, I'm in frozen dessert heaven.

Blue Bell's website says that their's is the "best ice cream in the country," and I don't doubt that for a second. It kind of pains me to say this, but I think it may be better than Whitey's. At least when purchased at the store. Every flavor I've had from them has just been phenomenal. This include chocolate chip cookie dough, cookies & cream, anniversary cake, chocolate brownie overload (which had walnuts, whipped cream, and brownie chunks in chocolate ice cream. Usually I'm not a huge fan of the ice cream with the brownies already in it, but these were perfect), pecan praline, and hot fudge sundae. Yes, I've eaten a lot of it in the month-and-a-half that I've been down here. There's only been about a week when we haven't had a half-gallon in our freezer. Right now we have 2. I could be in the worst mood ever, eat a bowl of Blue Bell, and instantly have a smile on my face. This ice cream could cause world peace. And I totally believe that.

In summation, this ice cream fucking rocks. When you come to visit me (and I expect everyone reading this to visit), I will buy us a half-gallon, and we will share it, and you will know true happiness.

ARG! I've been tagged

Well a couple of days ago, the lovely Heather from Slightly Dramatic tagged me! (not to be confused with my Heather from As the Coffee Brews, which is finally being updated again. I'm pretty sure she will have something to say tomorrow. I promise) Here are the basic rules:

A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...
B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...
C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...
D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
**You get it?? --- You got it?? --- [GOOD] --- So here goes:*

1. Believe it or not, I never tasted a drop of alcohol until my 23rd birthday. Not for any particular reason, I just never wanted to. I blame my friend Travis for ruining me. Apparently that night I called him and also blamed society for making me drunk. That damn society.

1b. OK, so that first one was sort of a lie. I did ingest some alcohol in high school, but not the normal, fun kind. For about a week, a friend of mine and I thought we'd be cool if we DRANK Listerine. Not for the alcohol or anything, but mainly because it told us not to, and we thought we'd be tough for doing it. Instead, we were just really, really stupid. And I know if I didn't list this here, KP would call me on it.

2. The most-prized items of sports memorabilia in my collection are (in no particular order): a personalized Roger Craig autographed 5X7 photo saying "To Chris, Be Good," (he's from Davenport, IA, and my uncle knew him and his mom, I've met him a couple times), an autographed Willie Mays baseball card, and a Buck O'Neil autographed baseball.

3. I have a strong desire to someday live in Boise, Idaho.

4. One of (if not THE) earliest memory that I have is from when I was about 3-years-old, being on the beach in Oregon, and getting knocked over by a wave. I can remember crying "The ocean got me!" to my mom, and seeing lots of gulls.

5. My favorite actress of all-time is probably Audrey Hepburn. There was a while there when I had a HUGE crush on her. It was kind of weird.

6. The reason I started playing the saxophone was Lisa Simpson.

7. The first movie that I can remember seeing was a showing of The Jungle Book at a drive-in movie theater. Be jealous.

now, for people that I myself will tag. . .

Of course H is there
As is Lucy
And WhiskeyMarie
Next is Christina
Then Nicole
Errr. . . and anyone else that wants to. I just needed to get my ladies out there first (I feel like some sort of blog pimp now.)

***

Also! Last chance to tell me you're interested in the Great Blogger Mix CD Exchange! I'll be sending out an email soon with more details, so if you want to join in, let me know!