I think I’ve found THE pop-rock album of the summer – Tinted Windows. Yup, it’s the much hyped “supergroup” that features Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick) and Mr. Mmm-Bop himself, Taylor Hanson. I wasn’t really expecting much when I popped in the CD but surprisingly it’s a fun, energetic and tuneful record that is perfect for rockin’ out in the car with the top-down during the summer months. Don’t expect any deep lyrics here. Just crank up the volume, turn-off your mind and enjoy the crunchy guitar riffs and rock-solid drumming. Schlesinger and company’s ultra-melodic tunes effortlessly recall Cheap Trick, the Knack and the Raspberries without being on the wrong side of parody. I know it sounds a bit weird having a *Hanson* lead a band of veteran rockers but thankfully Taylor’s voice isn’t as *squeaky* as it used to be and in fact, he does a pretty darn good job singing pop-rock gems like “Dead Serious” and “Messing with My Head”. Other highlights include the mid-tempo ballad “Back with You” (awesome Cheap Trick like chorus) and “Nothing to Me”.
It’s too bad Ben E. Carlos is busy with Cheap Trick because it’d be great to see the band in action. They’ve done a handful of dates recently to launch the album but only have three dates scheduled for the month of June. Hopefully we’ll see more of these guys once Cheap Trick is off the road.
retroGrade: B
Artist: Tinted Windows
Album: Tinted Windows
Released: April 2009
Label: S-Curve Records
TrackList: 1 Kind of a Girl (Schlesinger) 3:13
2 Messing with My Head (Schlesinger) 2:55
3 Dead Serious (Schlesinger) 4:13
4 Can’t Get a Read on You (Schlesinger) 2:53
5 Back with You (Iha) 3:43
6 Without Love (Schlesinger) 3:00
7 Cha Cha (Iha) 2:21
8 We Got Something (Schlesinger) 2:34
9 Nothing to Me (Hanson) 3:23
10 Doncha Wanna (Schlesinger) 4:02
11 Take Me Back (Hanson, Schlesinger) 3:29 (more…)
After learning about the rash of neighborhood break-ins in an informational meeting held last week, I attended a followup meeting with a police officer to get more details on how the break-ins occurred. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, we’ve all been very concerned about these crimes occurring so close to home and want to take the necessary steps to prevent such an incident from happening in our own homes. We learned from the police officer that there seems to be a pattern with the majority of the break-ins. For instance, all the burglaries occurred during the middle of the day while the occupants were at work. And most of the stolen items were small electronic items which seems to indicate that the criminals didn’t drive up to the house but rather walked in and out on foot. It’s definitely time for us to install a wireless security system to protect our household. I never thought that we’d have to resort to a home security system but obviously times have changed and keeping around a baseball bat for protection doesn’t really help us during those times that we’re not at home. With the new type of wireless systems, installation is a lot easier and less invasive than in years past. And since installation is simpler, the upfront costs are much more reasonable than ever before. I’m currently considering the Platinum Package which secures 15 doors or windows and includes a motion sensor as well as a garage door sensor. The monthly cost for monitoring the system is pretty affordable and more importantly, it provides peace of mind in the middle of the night as well as those times when you’re out of town. Protect America even throws in two keychain remotes when you use their toll free number 877-470-2751 to order one of their systems.
Looks like another grueling summer trek for Arnel Pineda. Last summer’s tour with Heart and Cheap Trick tested the limits of Pineda’s voice by requiring him to sing these difficult songs night after night. And looking over this year’s schedule, it appears to be more of the same type of “vocal cord torture” for the current lead singer of Journey. The summer tour begins with a run through Europe in June and doesn’t stop until they get to Oklahoma at the end of September. whew. good luck Arnel! and stay strong! I plan on catching a show sometime in September. Hopefully Pineda’s voice will still be intact at that point!
Here are the U.S. Summer Tour dates: July 16, 2009 – Walker, MN – Moondance Jam
July 18, 2009 – Cadott, WI – Chippewa Valley Rock Festival
July 21, 2009 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheater
July 23, 2009 – Paso Robles, CA – California Mid-State Fair
July 25, 2009 – Reno, NV – Reno Events Center
July 26, 2009 – Boise, ID – Boise State University
July 29, 2009 – Pala, CA – Pala Casino
July 30, 2009 – Pala, CA – Pala Casino
August 01, 2009 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manual Amphitheatre
August 02, 2009 – Tucson, AZ – Anselmo Valencia Center
August 04, 2009 – Bossier City, LA – Centurytel Center
August 05, 2009 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
August 07, 2009 – Thackerville, OK – WinStar Casino
August 08, 2009 – Memphis, TN – Mud Island Amphitheatre
August 15, 2009 – Youngstown, OH – Chevrolet Centre
August 16, 2009 – Indianapolis, IN – Indiana State Fair
August 18, 2009 – Rockford, IL – Rockford Metro Centre
August 20, 2009 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
August 21, 2009 – Louisville, KY – State Fair – Freedom Hall
August 23, 2009 – Des Moines, IA – State Fair – Grandstand
August 25, 2009 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
August 26, 2009 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
August 28, 2009 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
August 31, 2009 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum
September 02, 2009 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
September 04, 2009 – Atlantic City, NJ – The Borgata
September 05, 2009 – Atlantic City, NJ – The Borgata
September 07, 2009 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
September 09, 2009 – Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena
September 10, 2009 – Reading, PA – Sovereign Center
September 12, 2009 – Manchester, NH – Verizon Wireless Arena
September 13, 2009 – Wallingford, CT – Chevrolet Theatre
September 15, 2009 – Richmond, VA – Richmond Coliseum
September 16, 2009 – Pikeville, KY – Southern Kentucky Expo Center
September 18, 2009 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum
September 19, 2009 – Alpharetta, GA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
September 21, 2009 – Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Civic Center
September 26, 2009 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Arena
September 27, 2009 – Beaumont, TX – Ford Pavilion
September 29, 2009 – Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center
September 30, 2009 – Oklahoma City, OK – Zoo Amphitheatre
Journey: Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory, Deen Castronovo and Arnel Pineda
Here’s Journey performing “Stone in Love” at Raley Field in Sacramento, CA May 23, 2009
Watching some of these clips on youtube, I’m noticing that the band has already lowered the key to most of the songs now. It’s disappointing since it’s just “not the same” hearing these classic songs in a lower key but I suppose it’s necessary in order to NOT shred Pineda’s vocal cords!!
Now that SeaWorld’s latest attraction, Manta, is up and running, expect long lines for the highly anticipated “flying” roller coaster. The blogosphere is already a-buzz with coaster enthusiasts describing their heart-pounding experience on the ride. The sensation of “flying” face down through the air and dropping down 100 feet is unlike any other roller coaster experience currently available in the U.S. right now. Another cool feature that riders seem to like is the waterfall wall that riders come inches away from at one point on the course.
Anticipating long wait times for a coaster like this, SeaWorld custom built a 184,000 gallon aquarium that is viewable while waiting in line for Manta. There’s even a pop-up viewport for kids to stand in to simulate being “in” the saltwater aquarium with the fishes.
But for those that just can’t wait to get on the new coaster, RideManta.com offers a way to earn a “Front-of-the-Line” pass to the Manta coaster. By just completing six online activities on the site, you can get your very own pass to bypass those long lines. Now that sounds like a great deal to me.
I can’t wait to ride Manta this summer. Now that I’ve read all these positive reviews of the coaster, I’m REALLY looking forward to my upcoming trip to SeaWorld.
Well, it looks like all those Todd Rundgren fans on the other side of the Atlantic will no longer have to be so envious of those living near Ohio now. Rundgren Radio’s special A Wizard A True Star LIVE concert in Akron has now spawned a sister show in London!! Apparently, Doug and Mel of Rundgren Radio has caused such a buzz with their September 6th AWATS gig that a concert promoter in the U.K. decided to schedule Rundgren to perform A Wizard, A True Star at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday February 6th, 2010. I’m not totally sure why the show couldn’t have been scheduled any earlier but there you have it. I’m sure Todd fans are just glad to see that there’ll be another AWATS gig planned after the September 6th Akron show. Who knows, maybe now with two official AWATS shows scheduled, it’ll all snowball into a full AWATS tour! wouldn’t that be awesome? Let’s make it happen. Get those tickets now!
For more info on the 2010 London AWATS show, check out the official NoblePR press release.
For info on the September 6th Akron Show, head on over to AWATSLive.com
And in honor of the recently announced U.K. show, I thought I’d share a few live versions of some AWATS tunes. enjoy!
International Feel (live 1994 at the Forum in London) Here we are again, the start of the end but there’s more
I only want to see if you’ll give up on me
But there’s always more…
Never Never Land (with a twist 1997) I know a place where dreams are born
And time is never planned
It’s not on any chart, you must find it in your heart
Never Never Land…
Zen Archer (Live Feb. 28, 1998 Florida) Rivers of blood, oceans of tears,
life without death and death without reason…
I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby (live Feb. 28, 1998 Florida) Mistakes, I know I’ve made a few
But I’m only human, you’ve made mistakes too…
Just One Victory (Live 1981 Akron Ohio) The time has come to take the bull by the horns
We’ve been so downhearted, we’ve been so forlorn
We get weak and we want to give in
But we still need each other if we want to win…
I attended a neighborhood meeting the other night to get better informed about a recent rash of break-ins in our area. Frankly, it has been eye-opening to say the least. I’ve always felt safe living in our nice, manicured subdivision especially being on a small cul-de-sac. But I guess we can never be 100% immune to crimes like these. And now with the economic downturn and higher rates of unemployment, I suppose desperate people are resorting to desperate measures just to get by. What’s even more scary is the fact that one of the homes in our lil’ cul-de-sac got “hit” the other week. It happened in the middle of the day while most of us were out and about doing the daily grind. It’s one thing to learn about break-ins on the news but when it’s SO close to home, it’s very upsetting. So, with all this going on, I’ve been thinking about installing a wireless security system in our house. I’d love to be able to stay at home and defend it from intruders with a big ol’ bat in my hand but like most people, I’m not a shut-in and can’t be at home 24/7. That’s why one of those home security systems from Protect America sounds very appealing to me. It’ll definitely provide peace of mind while we’re away from home. I just checked their website and they’re currently offering some nice deals at the moment like their platinum package which only costs $149 upfront and covers 15 entry points as well as a garage door sensor. and they’re also offering two free keychain remotes if we call their toll free number 877-470-2751 to place an order.
I don’t know about you but I’m a bit tired of networks stretching the season finale shows to two hours. C’mon, sitting through nearly two hours worth of recaps and rehashes to simply find out who the DWTS Season 8 champs are, was a bit painful.
So, as I had mentioned yesterday, Shawn and Mark did indeed win the competition. But it was definitely close. Apparently there was only 1% difference in viewer votes between the two final couples. I think the outcome might have been different if Cheryl and Gilles had done something other than that awfully dated “Flashdance” routine.
There were several awkward moments during the live telecast including some off-color jokes by Lawrence Taylor and Steve Wozniak forgetting how to do “the worm”. But the ultimate “cringe-fest” occurred during “The Roast” segment done by Jeffrey Ross. It’s definitely tame compared to a real Roast but still the harsh jokes make ya squirm just the same. heh.
It’s now down to three celebs on Dancing with the Stars – Shawn Johnson, Melissa Rycroft and Gilles Marini. All three are very capable dancers and have been consistently at or near the very top of the judges’ leaderboard each and every week. I wasn’t really sure who to root for up until I saw the freestyle segment last night. I have to say Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas’ freestyle was an absolute joy to watch. Their dance featured intricate moves, high energy and fast technique that blew away the other two couples in the competition. Of course it’s ultimately up to the voters to crown the winner but if it were up to me, I’d pick Shawn.
Be sure to watch the season finale tonight at 9pm on ABC.
For years, Paul McCartney fans have been clamoring for an official collection of outtakes and unreleased material. With someone so prolific as McCartney, one can imagine that the man would have hundreds, even thousands of unreleased songs hidden away in his vaults somewhere. And back in the early 80’s, McCartney was close to releasing a collection of rarities titled “Cold Cuts” but for some reason the project got shelved. Whenever asked about revisiting his archives, McCartney would often dismiss it and say that he’s got too much NEW material to release. But now there’s word that a new collection of rarities has been put together and is currently being prepped for release sometime in 2010. There’s no solid release date as of yet but here’s the proposed tracklist.
Disc 1: 1969-1972 1. Goodbye
2. Maybe I’m Amazed – 1st original mix by Chris Thomas
3. Every Night – take 1
4. Rode All Night – edit
5. A Love For You
6. Little Lamb Dragonfly – without strings
7. Get On The Right Thing – take 1
8. Monkberry Moon Delight – alternate vocal take
9. Sunshine Sometime
10. Big Barn Bed – complete Ram ukulele version
11. Dear Friend – w/o strings and horns
12. Some People Never Know – oboe version
13. Breakfast Blues – instrumental edit
14. Mary Had A Little Lamb – long version
15. Give Ireland Back To The Irish – slow version take 2
16. Tragedy
17. Thank You Darling
18. Soily -1972 studio version
19. Best Friend – studio version
20. The Mess – studio version
21. C Moon Jam – with John Bonham
22. Lazy Dynamite – long version
23. Night Out – instrumental
24. Hi Hi Hi – slow verson
25. Only One More Kiss – take 1
Bonus Track: Radio spot with untitled instrumental for Hi Hi Hi / C Moon recorded at Abbey Road
Disc 2 – 1973-1978 1. Gotta Sing Gotta Dance
2. Why am I crying
3. I Lie Around
4. Six o’Clock
5. Bluebird
6. Let’s Love (April 1974 Version)
7. Send Me The Heart (Take 1)
8. Blackpool
9. One Hand Clapping Theme
1O. Live & Let Die (74 Version)
11. Soily (74 Version)
12. Love In Song (Take 1)
13. Rockshow (74 Version)
14. Wild Cat
15. Baby Face
16. The Note You Never Wrote (Take 1, Paul & Denny Everly’s Version)
17. Silly Love Songs (Fun Version)
18. Must Do Something About It (Paul on vocal)
19. She’s My Baby (Rock Version)
20. Waterspout
21. One Woman
22. Girlfriend (First Version)
23. Twelve Of The Clock
24. Did We Meet Somewhere Before
25. Goodnight Tonight (Original 1978 Version)
Bonus track : Wings 1974 Audio Ad for the Bread Company
Disc 3 – 1979-1986 1. Love awake (Ranachan Version)
2. Rockestra Theme (Wings Version)
3. Cage
4. Robber’s Ball
5. Blue Sway
6. Attention (Paul’s guide vocal)
7. Ode to a koala bear (Take 1)
8. Rainclouds + George Martin & Paul moving impromptu dialogue about John
9. Blackpool (1981 version)
10. All the Love is There (With Stewart Copeland on Drums)
11. I’ll Give You a Ring
12. No Values (1981 Montserrat Version)
13. Tug Of War (1st string arrangement version)
14. Stop You Don’t Know Where She Came From (With great Brass section)
15. Long & Winding Road / Ebony & Ivory Strawberry jam medley (With Stevie Wonder)
16. Tug Of War acoustic reprise
17. The Fool On The Hill
18. Martha My Dear / Gloriana Medieval Guitar Piece Medley
19. Your School
20. Lindiana
21. Yvonne
22. Goodtimes Coming / Feel The Sun (Long Version)
23. Angry long jam version (with Pete Townsend & Phil Collins)
24. Hey Diddle (Paul & Linda duet, Chris Thomas 1986 version)
25. Linda
Bonus track : The Juggler music 1981 Theme (more…)
Over the years, blogs have become an effective way in conveying thoughts and ideas to the masses on the internet. And various companies have taken notice of this and realized that there’s a potential power in word of mouth marketing through blogs. And in order to introduce new products or brands through the blogosphere, major companies like HP, Sears and even USA Networks have taken part in compensating bloggers to create buzz about them. This type of marketing is known as a sponsored conversation. There has been quite a bit of confusion about this type of blogger buzz and as a matter of fact there’s a new Caveman’s guide video on youtube that tries to clear things up about the issue.
I think the video does a great job in explaining how conversations get sponsored and why this is necessary. Coincidentally, this conversation was sponsored by IZEA.com.
at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday February 6th, 2010. I’m not totally sure why the show couldn’t have been scheduled any earlier but there you have it. I’m sure Todd fans are just glad to see that there’ll be another AWATS gig planned after the September 6th Akron show. Who knows, maybe now with two official AWATS shows scheduled, it’ll all snowball into a full AWATS tour! wouldn’t that be awesome? Let’s make it happen. Get those tickets now!
