If it's too loud, you're too dumb

ETY•Plugs®

One of my favorite concerts of my show attending career was the Cut Copy Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro on August 6, 2010. Dragonette had a killer opening set and during the encore I literally danced out of my shoe when the Aussie group played “Sands of Time” (my “totally obscure favorite song never expected to be heard live” track). It was also recorded in my personal history as my last concert without ear protection.

Not gonna lie: the decision did not come easy. Not just due to the realization of my mortality or maturity, but also because I previously scoffed at the idea. I once held the close-minded opinion of equating the practice with wearing a blindfold to a movie. I thought people would also tease in a “look at Old Man McGrampa / Go back to The Home and save up for Miracle Ear” way. I realized that for what I wanted in my life, I had to preserve my ears for a marathon instead of a sprint.

“If it’s too loud, you’re too young" – an insult from the young

“Get off my lawn” – a reply from the old

I’m not the only one realizing that it’s getting louder out there. Over half of the responders to the All Songs Considered poll wear ear plugs (Question of the Week: Are Concerts Too Loud? - NPR Music's All Songs Considered Blog).

As a fan of music, hearing loss scares the soul out of me. Aren’t the ones most passionate about star gazing the ones convincing us to view eclipses through a hole in a box? The popular opinion among music aficionados should be pro-plug, but it's not and that's wrong. Anybody wanting to hear more music should be aware they may be robbing themselves of future experiences, but careful foresight isn’t exactly punk rock.

I met Patrick that night at the show

I’ve had a few people look down at me when I say I now bring ear plugs to every show. But nobody cares when I’m at the venue – because nobody notices. What is noticeable, however, were the multiple people visibly plugging their ears with their fingers (while still dancing) to Fuck Buttons at Chicago’s Subterranean this past October. In what was by far the loudest show I have ever attended, I was never more appreciate of Etymotic plugs.


There are exceptions of course: it makes sense when at a small venue that barely fit the over sized speakers plugged into an EDM act named Fuck Buttons, but not to hear Night Beds play their debut album Country Sleep at a venue named S.P.A.C.E. (Society for Preservation of Arts and Culture in Evanston).

Every passionate fan of live music should invest in high quality ear protection. Trust the technology – the best products reduce, not suffocate, sound. Don’t bother with anything made out of foam or sold in packs of 10+ pairs at Walgreens. I recommend the ones I use and have also heard great EarPeace reviews.

Let’s make “Have them in case there is a ton of bass” be the new “no glove / no love.”

Do you take pictures at concerts?

My Morning Jacket at Millennium Park's Jay Pritzker Pavilion in 2012

Effective immediately, I am not taking another picture at a concert.

I sincerely hope I can hold true to this statement, for my “Instagram (Shows/Concerts)” FB photo album has been a source of pride since I started logging my concert pics. Although I believe I am not contributing to the problem, I wish this may be an opportunity to become a part of its solution.

On one level, concert photo taking (especially if you are using a “statue of liberty” method) is a very selfish move as the action not only blocks views from fellow concert attendees but also creates a visible distraction for anybody in eye-shot. Its bothered me for a while, and I’ve tried to keep my phone below my already tallish height, but it wasn’t until I started hearing complaints from artists that are making me want to keep my phone in my pocket.

Björk's message at the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival

The turning point for me was at this past summer’s Pitchfork Music Festival, where Björk posted a simple and polite message requesting for people to refrain from picture taking / video recording during the show. She cited the distracting element to her personal performance in addition to the worry of people robbing themselves of an optimal live experience. It created a noticeable difference in my enjoyment – I felt a responsibly was lifted (because I tend to really want one good picture, which comes with various levels of difficulty).

Further supporting the idea, while reading Lollapalooza performer interviews, one of my all-time favorites (Foals) didn’t understand why so many fans are inside their phones during their shows. It doesn’t necessarily bother them, but I can understand how odd it might feel  to see fans paying increasing amounts of attention to them through phones than in reality. And then there was the report I heard from the Newport Folk Festival, in which The Lumineers literally stopped their mega hit “mid-Hey” requesting for people to enjoy the moment instead of capturing it.

Most everyone respects the picture taking requests of dramatic theater and live comedy performances. Why are musicians not extended the same courtesy? When I look at it from this perspective, having never considered taking a picture during a comedy show, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to quit.

More importantly, I’ve realized I’m just being a show braggart. For me, it started in December 2009 when I joined Instagram. Since then, I’ve been using it to keep record (no pun intended) of which shows I have attended. I can accomplish this through other means (the leading candidate: taking a picture of something off the band’s merch table) that won’t negatively affect the experience for the performers or fellow concertgoers.

Could not have said it better than this graphic from DO312

Quick clarification: I have never recorded video at a show. People that record entire songs need to be stopped and punished to the fullest extent of social embarrassment allowed by law. I am referring to fellow amateurs – not the expert photographers I follow on Twitter that have much better photo equipment and credentials than I.

I’m not asking you to stop taking pictures. Hopefully all pictures you snap are taken with the respect of everyone else in mind. This is something I think will make concerts better for me – and it’s that selfishness that first started my picture taking that’s going to make my new practice successful.

What are my favorite 13 songs from the first half of 2013?

Jim James performing at Milwaukee's Pabst Theater on April 19, 2013

Spoiler alert: "A New Life" by Jim James is going to be my 2013 Song of the Year. It's a winner by knockout. Last year I was waffling all December not confident where I would land and 2011 saw "Midnight City" by M83 make an incredible down the stretch run in my mind. But this song had a one-two punch of circumstance that is distancing itself so incredibly ahead of the pack (again, this is just the internal music monologue of my mind).

First was the song's magnificent debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon...

Second, as the case with nearly every Song of the Year since I formally began awarding the informal title, I saw the song performed live (picture above).

There was an outside chance, in a year with new albums by some of my favorite due (Phoenix, Foals, Daft Punk, Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire) later in the year that it could change - but I feel comfortable calling it now.

I continue to build my Spotify playlist of my favorite songs, but I singled out 13 of them for my Top 13 of 2013's first half:

Top 13 of 2013's First Half

A few quick notes on these 13 tracks:

• Starred tracks indicate songs I've heard live (note: I have tickets for Phoenix later in the year, when I'll most likely hear "Entertainment")
• Pet Lions is an example of when I casually research the question, "who's opening tonight" and discover something much more
• If you liked Amy Winehouse, I can't recommend Jessie Ware highly enough: especially her Live Spotify Sessions if you have access to it
• Kacey Musgraves is not a typo - a bonafide country song has cracked this list for the first time ever
• Harlem Shake deserves to be on this list mainly because of Matt and Kim's fantastic effort

The back half of 2013 looks very promising as some all time favorites (including the #1 act I need to check off my Bucket List) performing live in Chicago. With how back loaded this year might become, I felt it was proper to write a first half recap. Thanks for reading.

Can you dance like nobody* is watching? (*ALL OF YOUTUBE)

Pardon me while I embed three of my favorite videos of people dancing. I just want to have all this wonderfulness in one place for when I need to smile, and dream, and believe, and hope, and know that there is level of self confidence in this world that will always match the stiffing unrelenting pressures of the society around us.

Which Postapalooza Show Should You See?

A hastily made Google Spreadsheet that helped me plan

It's Concert Lovers Christmas in early June!

My favorite concert news day of the year is not when the Lollapalooza lineup is announced, but rather when its Aftershows are revealed. Here are my recommendations, what I would see if I was ten years younger, and how I will act when they go on sale this Friday at 10 AM.

Wednesday July 31
My recommendation: Smith Westerns at Lincoln Hall
If I was ten years younger: Imagine Dragons at Metro
My target: [nothing]
Although SW@LH is tempting, Postapalooza now lasts five nights - best for me to not blast too hard out of the gate.

Thursday August 1
My recommendation: Hot Chip at The Vic
If I was ten years younger: Lana Del Rey at House of Blues
My target: [waiting and hoping]
Before the announcements I had Hot Chip very high on my list of acts I hoped to see on the Postapalooza Calendar. However I find it odd that there is no Metro show listed for this night (additionally, The Riv is completely empty of shows during the week). Last year I filled up my calendar too quick and missed out on seeing a later announced Franz Ferdinand show. This is mistake I will not repeat this year.  Sadly, Hot Chip will most likely sell out and I might have trouble getting tickets.

Friday August 2
My recommendation: Foals at Park West
If I was ten years younger: SBTRKT (with Disclosure) at The Mid
My target: Foals (with extremely large honorable mentions to Local Natives at House of Blues and Jessie Ware at Lincoln Hall)
There is no question in my opinion that this night is the best night of Postapalooza - there are three shows this night that are better than anything on any other night. However, I'm going to again learn from a past mistake and take the known entity of Foals as my pick. There is a 100% likelihood of having an awesome time seeing my fourth favorite band in a small venue. Not to mention, this decision all but pushes me down to St. Louis to see Local Natives at Lou Fest in September.

Saturday August 3
My recommendation: Band of Horses at Metro
If I was ten years younger: Kendrick Lamar (with Baauer) at Aragon
My target: [nothing]
Sadly, I have a bachelor party to attend this evening.  It would take a top ten favorite act to pull me from my friend's celebration. It's too bad, because this particular Groom-To-Be would probably want to see Two Door Cinema Club at House of Blues if he wasn't otherwise obligated.

Sunday August 4
The only act worth detailing on this night is Alt-J at Lincoln Hall. Last year I saw these kids (man, they looked so damn young) haul out their own gear after opening for Chairlift at the Empty Bottle for a Sunday Night 2012 Postapalooza show. In the year since they've played three sold out shows (Bottle, Metro, Metro) and are now at the too-small-for-their-current-level-of-fame Lincoln Hall. In my estimation, it will be the hardest ticket of all to get - especially with LH's will call only ticket policy.

Shockingly, I'm only planning to buy tickets to one show when they go on sale this Friday at 10 AM. I'm hoping to buy more, but I felt like I committed myself too early last year in this process closing off better opportunities that were later presented. And who knows, maybe I'll actually go to the actual Lollapalooza this year (slim chance).

That was Arrested Development?

Steve Holt?

The following are my initial thoughts after watching Arrested Development season 4 over the first 48 hours once all 15 epsisodes became available on NetFlix:

Beggars can't be choosers, right?

It became clear early into my binge that Mitch Hurwitz was correct in advising against marathon viewing. To that extent, I really wish he would have been able to instruct NetFlix to meter out the episodes - because there was zero chance I wasn't going to mainline AD. I also want to note that I expect the episodes to flourish with repeat viewings (I will no doubt watch all 15 episodes at least two more times) as I was so happy to have new content to behold I was sacrificing the foreground to see the background - knowing that I was choosing confusion for the promise of a later payoff.

As for the episodes, and it's overall quality, I had a rougher opinion until I read an excellent review from The A.V. Club that expertly noted the shortfalls but held it up against a new, not the same, standard. For various reasons (NetFlix budgets / actor schedules), the format of the show is different. The show remains groundbreaking with it's innovative method of storytelling, albeit for new reasons which differ from its prior seasons. The show refused to rest on it's laurels, and dared to venture out to make something larger. There was zero chance this storytelling format could have been attempted on a weekly aired network schedule.

Here lies my largest disappointment with the new episodes. The strength of the past method of storytelling utilized the show's best asset (the diverse talents of its awesome cast) to jump from 'A story' to 'B story' to let jokes snap or linger with precision. The new, still adventurous, method of storytelling is to portray each puzzle piece in great detail and hide the overall mosaic. The single character focus at the near total expense of any 'B story' and editing style sacrificed the timing I adored. Personally, in my amateur opinion, the change wasn't for the better. To further detriment to the show's pacing - each episode's increased length exaggerated the issue.

The storytelling also failed to gel the cast in the few instances in which they shared the same space. There are three major gateposts  that nearly all characters pass through: The police station immediately after the end of season 3 (which works well), a contrived premise of a hotel hosting three completely different events, and a Cinco de Cuatro festival that bookends the new episodes, but fails to give the overall season any meaning.  In fact, the major arc of the season was the incarceration of Lucile Bluth, in which the entire family is missing from the trial and the character that would most be impacted by it (Buster) is missing for the majority of the season. My misgivings aside - I actually have grown to appreciate how the final scene ended. It makes sense to me now (although did incite some rage instantly upon credit roll).


I also had issues with how the cast was treated/written. Characters like G.O.B. & Tobias felt as strong as ever, with showcasing episodes allowing them to flourish. The biggest happy surprise was the growth of George Michael Bluth and Maeby Funke. However, I felt George Sr. and his polar twin Oscar were neutered both literally and spiritually. Others have noted that Michael Bluth was alwasys, like the rest of his family, a bad person only to appear better in relation.  Without the ensemble, or the direction they provide, Micheal's character sunk to depths I felt too low (Bad parenting is not a new motif for AD, but they never took it to the shower or bedroom). Fringe characters came back with perfect notes (for example: Carl Weathers and Bob Loblaw), whereas others felt way too integral to the story (Lucile 2 might have had triple the screen time of Buster). Oh - and there was incredibly way too much Ron Howard: I understand there was a lot of lost time in need of his exposition voice over work, but that doesn't forgive the appearances.

On the bright side, Isla Fisher was awesome (and Maria Bamford to a lesser, but also stellar, degree).  Quick Sidebar: Hollywood needs to make a Anna Kendrick / Isla Fisher franchise with many installments. The rest of the stunt casting grew distracting. Why did we need to have different actors play George and Lucile in flashbacks? I would prefer to see Walters and Tambor in Wigs instead of one Wiig (although with an incredible impression).

Please know that I'm eager to watch these episodes again, and to appreciate them for what they are (instead of what I hoped). My favorite episode was the seventh G.O.B. focused "Colony Collapse" that was most definitely aided by the inclusion of Ann Veal (in recent years, thanks to Parenthood, I've become a big Mae Whitman fan). I'm confident the first six episodes - expect for maybe the George Sr. spotlights - will appear less jagged now that I understand the whole puzzle.

One thing is undeniably certain for me: I'm very happy we have new AD episodes. These past months, as many of us chose to watch our favorite episodes again, prompted an increase in Bluth Quoting (never a bad thing).

The Banana Stand is no more, but now we have Fake Block.

When did I fall in love with Jimmy Butler?

Jimmy Butler

Wesley Matthews

(in a very odd Today's Quiz first - I'm reposting what I wrote on my Fantasy NBA League's message board)

I fell in love with Jimmy Butler on February 17, 2009.

As many in this league know, nothing makes me cheer louder than the basketball team from Marquette University. It is where I went to school and where I had the pleasure of seeing nearly every Dwyane Wade home game of his career. I've been making the hour plus drive to Milwaukee multiple times every year for the past ten plus years.

On February 17, 2009 I saw a lazy win over Seton Hall. The (then ranked #10) team was led in scoring by Wesley Matthews with 24 points, but the takeaway memory for me was seeing Jimmy Butler slam down an ally-oop tossed from half court. I had only seen Butler play once before, he spent his freshman year at a Junior College and was reguluated to the deep bench behind an upperclassman heavy roster. That night he became my favorite player on my favorite team. A spot he never relinquished until his final game for Marquette.


I didn't think Wesley Matthews would make an NBA roster the following season in 2010, and although I loved the hustle I saw that 2009 night from Butler - I would've called you clinically insane if you told me Jimmy Butler would find his way into the Chicago Bulls starting lineup in under four years. When Matthews started flourishing early into his rookie season in Utah, I was able to pick him up in our Fantasy League because nobody was watching his box scores closer.  Again, even though I was over thrilled with Butler being drafted from my hometown favorite in 2011 - I didn't think I'd be repeating the same gesture.

And then we have tonight... The first time I was able to play Jimmy Butler in my starting fantasy lineup, where he shot an impressive 7-10 from the floor to yield a career high 19 points (and 6 rebounds).  I didn't get to see this game, for I was again in Milwaukee watching my beloved college hoops squad.  And even though the game featured a player scoring a career high 30 points, it was another player that made me smile.

Steve Taylor Jr.

Someday I hope to have Steve Taylor Jr. on my fantasy team. You'll never hear this anyplace else in your life, but you're hearing it here first. This freshman from Chicago's Simeon High School (he wears #25 for MU, which I owe my knowledge of its significance to the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Benji") is the next NBA player that Marquette will produce.

Today was a good day to be a fan of basketball.

P.S.
Yes, I ordered my Jimmy Butler Shrtsey online already, and I just couldn't wait until I received it to write this post!