http://appleshoot.tumblr.com/

my taste in music is awesome 2009

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:47:00 -0500

Lets just do this in one burst of fury, shall we…

I finally sifted through all my legal / illegal / youngandbarelylegal downloaded albums of 2009 to compile this list, which ends up working out to the albums I loved the most or had the most meaning to me for some sappy sentimental reason like it’s the album I was listening to when I found a really sweet pair of sneakers.

I always appreciate seeing people’s top 10 / 50 / 64.2 albums of the year because there’s a chance that not everyone put the standard-have-to-put-greater-than-the-bible album “Wolfgang Amadeaus Phoenix” by Phoenix on their list and put an album I hadn’t heard of or listened to.

So lets do this!

10. The Life of the World to Come - The Mountain Goats; probably a sentimental choice. The album is pretty incredible as a full listen through. I’m not sure I’d find myself listening to songs individually. But whenever I listen to the album it’s generally on rainy days, or when I would be sitting alone at a table at some starbucks with big pensive eyes. Basically what I’m saying is if you ever saw me while I was listening to this album, I probably looked like I should call a hotline. John Darnielle is pretty brilliant. Song: “Ezekiel 7 and The Permanent Efficacy of Grace”

9. I And Love And You - The Avett Brothers; another sentimental choice. The Avett Brothers are a band I saw about 3 years ago and I didn’t know who they were. I went to the concert with a date who was into concerts in weird places like garages and tree houses. That relationship didn’t work out, partly cuz of the treehouse thing, but my fondness for the Avett Brothers survived. They’re a band that is good at sweet, heartbreaking songs. Scott Avett is an amazing banjo player if you ever get to see them live. It makes me wish I was good at stuff. Song: “I And Love And You”

8. Middle Cyclone - Neko Case. The whole album is incredible. The songs stand on their own as amazing pieces of songwriting. I’m noticing I’m really into moody stuff. I think I should talk to someone. Anyways, the musicianship and adventuring into various instrumental sounds are incredible and that against her strong voice is a pretty masterful combination. I’m An Animal and This Tornado Loves You are favorites. She’s an awesome lady who should be my friend. Maybe she can talk me through what’s going on in my life. Song: “I’m An Animal”

7. Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is - Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. My 2009 memory of this album was me preparing to go to sleep, going through my itunes to find something relaxing, seeing this album, queuing this up instead, then not going to sleep for 3 more hours. This album is the reason I was exhausted in 2009. It’s a fun great album. Very simple songs, clean musicianship, and just plain fun. See there is light in my life… see Neko… see. Song: “I’m Broke”

6. Sometimes I Wish I Were An Eagle - Bill Callahan. Best album title of the year award winner. I’d like Bill Callahan to be the voice that tells me all of my dramatic news. Or I’d even just like him to read the Wendy’s menu to me. His voice is incredible and his post-Smog career shows its mellow tone doesn’t have to emit just dark, dreary tones. The cellos, violins, french horns, light percussion, etc with his voice is perfectly arranged for a real dreamlike album. Song: “Jim Cain”

5. As Seen Through Windows - Bell Orchestre. What I appreciated about this album and other music with this style is the attempt to blend genres. It’s a rock orchestral which is an experience to listen to. It could be easy to dismiss this as just a lot of noise. There’s something incredible and awesome in this album that forthtells (not a word) of future albums that will probably be mind blowing. Also, my gripe with a lot of bands these days is that they don’t really explore the range of their instruments, and it’s always awesome to see musicians try to do exactly that even if in trying to do so, they fumble at times in the process. Either way, this album is worth a listen. Song: “Stripes”

4. Phrazes for the Young - Julian Casablancas. Julian Casablancas kind of irritates me. The thought of him bugs me. Like my guess is he’s annoying to know. Like if he was your friend, and you called him up and said “Hey lets go to the Westminster Dog Show.” He’d reply back, “Why that sounds dumb,” completely missing how fun and funny it would be to just watch dogs parade around with their ridiculous owners. So annoying. As annoying as I find him as a concept, his stuff is pretty great. This album mixes a bunch of different styles and his I’m-a-malfunctioning-drive-through-order-box voice is great with the arrangements on this album. Although he would be an awful friend to have (I mean, hey maybe he’s a good listener and would be there for you if you were ever in a jam, but he’d be awful to bring to fun, light hearted social events), this album is great. Song: “Ludlow St.” (kudos to whoever put this you tube clip together)

3. Noble Beast - Andrew Bird; I think another sentimental choice. Andrew Bird is the greatest. I mean, have you seen this? Get out of town. He’s fucking the man. Anyways, this album is more of the same awesomeness. His musicianship is jaw dropping. And I bet he would go to that dog show with you and WOULD TOTALLY GET IT. Anyways, Dr. Stringz brings the arrangements, the vocals, the lyrics, it’s all in there. Song: “Masterswarm”

2. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Phoenix. Yeah ignore that snarky comment in my intro. This album fucking rocks and deserves to be in everyone’s top ten including Michelle Obama’s Top Ten. Their last album is still on constant repeat on my itunes. And this one didn’t replace it; it just got added to the mix. These songs are tight. They have a style that is really all their own. I mean, they are French, which is it’s own problem. But I think they get clemency because of this album. Song: “Lisztomania”

And finally…

1. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists. Any of you jerks who normally read this or my twitter knew this was probably going to be number one. I can’t get enough of the Decemberists. I’m all LOLcats nom nom about the Decemberists. And this album is no different. Colin Meloy is inspired. The craftsmanship on this album, the transitions, the arrangements, the story, the pure theatrics of the whole thing… it’s awesome. It tries so many different things and I have a real emotional experience listening to it. By the end, I’m forelorn and thinking about all the loves that I’ve lost at sea, which is none, but I imagine someday I’ll be blessed enough to lose someone to the raging waves of the ocean. Someday. Someday. Song: “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)”

There are other albums that could be interchanged for some of these, but overall, this would be the list for me of the albums in 2009 that I listened to very often, made me think or was the album I was listening to while buying a new pair of sneakers (Thanks Avett Brothers).

There you go. Now who wants to go to a dog show? Neko…? Please just return my calls, Neko.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:25:08 -0500

Because everyone is making their end of the year lists! I can’t wait to read everyone’s top ten lists and judge them as people! It’s Christmas twice!

Oh holy shit. Here is a kid playing Jason Mraz’...

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:16:24 -0500

Oh holy shit. Here is a kid playing Jason Mraz’ ‘I’m Yours’ on the ukulele. He is confirming that you have a heart inside your body.

If you want to see the alternative lyrics he’s using, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dblvVHv1sYk

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song How I wish that it would...

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:30:34 -0500

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song

How I wish that it would snow now.

A follow up to the last video. This is what the show Glee...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:47:51 -0500

A follow up to the last video. This is what the show Glee wishes it could be.

It’s fair to say I’ve watched this video and the...

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:44:00 -0500

It’s fair to say I’ve watched this video and the collection of videos posted by this man at least 10 times each. Each time I have doubled over in tears and laughter. I think these videos might prove to be a friendship test for me. If you watch these and don’t laugh or enjoy them, you probably don’t understand me as well as you think you do.

You could definitely use some Marvin Gaye on your Wednesday.

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:40:32 -0500

You could definitely use some Marvin Gaye on your Wednesday.

I think the worst thing about breaking up with someone is not...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:57:30 -0500

I think the worst thing about breaking up with someone is not the emotional fall out that occurs; it’s the loss of mutually liked and frequented places. The fact that I can’t go to my favorite coffee place is really affecting my mornings. It’s been two mornings now I haven’t been able to have my favorite coffee and parfait, and I’m really broken hearted about it. I try to tell myself “Starbucks is just as good. Their parfaits are fine.” But lets face it. I’m fooling myself, people. I’m the king of wishful coffee thinking. Starbucks is awful rebound coffee.

Do you want context for this photo? Well you’ll be given...

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:52:00 -0400

Do you want context for this photo? Well you’ll be given it on Monday, October 5th at 6:30pm at the UCB Theatre, while attending All My Friends Are Getting Married, show poster below. Please come! Don’t let this picture haunt your memories without a clear answer to why it exists. Find the context you seek! Find it! Monday!

I’ll be promoting the hell out of this in the coming weeks...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:40:27 -0400

I’ll be promoting the hell out of this in the coming weeks because I’m really excited about it. Take a half day on October 5th. Treat yourself to a sandwich from your favorite sandwich vendor. Take a walk in a park, whatever park, doesn’t have to have trees. Then settle into a seat at the UCB Theatre at 6:00pm and spend some times with this cast of awesome people as they make you laugh and not worry that you’re single and living in an apartment in Williamsburg with four guys who are Carnival Cruise ship musicians.

Nang, shall you always watch down on us, hopefully with wrathful...

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:48:53 -0400

Nang, shall you always watch down on us, hopefully with wrathful judgment like good Catholics should.

thebishopchangedtheiropening:

What a bunch of stupid jerks.

This video and the show in which it promotes is in your interest...

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:50:50 -0400

This video and the show in which it promotes is in your interest to come to. Wednesday!!

oscarbait:

WE HAVE A SHOW THIS UPCOMING WEDNESDAY!

Oscarbait has a show next wednesday with our friends of AS THE DIAMOND BURNS. They have someone from Guiding Light coming to perform with them. To match this, we have invited the entire cast of COP ROCK to perform with us. No word yet, but we feel pretty sure one of them will show… At least juror number 1 and the court stenographer. WEDNESDAY, SEPT 16th @ 9:30pm. UCB THEATRE. TICKETS 5 DOLLARS. Make your reservation today: http://newyork.ucbtheatre.com/shows/2044

You are in for so much trouble,...

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:27:54 -0400

You are in for so much trouble, harolders.

thebishopchangedtheiropening:

Who the fuck is this?

Barber Shark Quartet. You’re welcome.

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:29:53 -0400

Barber Shark Quartet. You’re welcome.

Today is my birthday! I’m 25! Hertz Rent-A-Car here I come...

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:55:05 -0400

Today is my birthday! I’m 25! Hertz Rent-A-Car here I come today!

I found this picture of me on my 7th birthday. It was an okay birthday. I just hope this one has a lot less monkey shit in it.

"Ooh lady, do you know your foot's bleeding?"

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:20:23 -0400

I went to the hospital today because I jammed a giant piece of wood into my heel (not on purpose). After jamming this 6 inch splinter into my foot, an inordinate amount of blood began spurting from my heel, more blood than I even thought could be in a foot. What I’m saying to you is it was gross.

The last time I had seen the amount of blood coming from a wound on my body was when my dog bit my nose. When that happened, my blind dog bit my nose (which is a story for another time) and I blacked out a little from the pain. I got up from the floor and looked at my mom and said “Mom…” She turned, with a terrified face and screamed. I put my hands to my nose and then looked at them like people do in movies where they touch the wound after getting shot. There was blood all over my hands. I stumbled a bit (see, movies do tell the truth) and then grabbed onto a computer chair, which turned as I grabbed it, sending me spinning to the floor.

This time, blood was coming out of my foot in a manner where it seemed a prop guy had rigged a gag blood tube. I wrapped my foot in an entire roll of Bounty paper towels and mailing tape also known as a single woman’s tourniquet. I then put this in a plastic bag. I don’t know why I did that part. I just figured that might look more normal than the plain blood paper towels packaged to my leg. I thought about calling an ambulance. But decided against it for the following reason.

The night before, I had thrown a bachelorette party for a friend. As part of the bachelorette party, we had a sleep over back at my apartment for the bride where we ate popcorn and swedish fish and watched Pride & Prejudice. This is the moment I confirm to men that your stereotypes of women are true and accurate - never let a woman give you shit for them ever again. Anyways, the girls in the bridal party decorated my apartment for the bride which consisted of High School Musical balloons and cut out photos from Modern Bride magazine. My walls were covered with bride pictures and Zac Efron. So this would be the scene for a paramedic: A single woman, with a bloody bounty foot, with old swedish fish, Bridget Jones Diary films spread out on the floor, surrounded by Bride pictures…

So there I was hobbling down the street with a shopping bag of bloody foot. Luckily there’s an equipped hospital with an ER on my block, about 6 blocks away actually. I thought about actually stopping for a coffee at the 7/11 because I was really tired, but I realized that was most likely because I had lost a good amount of blood. Three people thankfully pointed out that there was something wrong with my foot. One man eating a twist ice cream cone asked, “Ooh lady, do you know your foot’s bleeding?” I replied, “Which one?”

I entered the lobby of the hospital and asked where the ER was. The woman looked down at my bloody bagged foot and rushed me into a room. She asked me “Did someone shoot you?” and I sadly replied, “No.” I paused and then said “I did this to myself.” A terrified, uncomfortable look crossed her face. The look my mom had given be right before screaming about my bloody nose. I realized… “Oh no no, I didn’t cut or shoot myself.” A phew face from her. She really didn’t want to have that be a part of her day. I revealed it was a giant splinter. She unwrapped my Key Foods Grade A butchered foot and had a doctor come in. The doctor, named Dr. Rudin Rebstein (which I’m still convinced is a moniker to hide a past identity) pulled out this 6 inch wooden shiv from my foot. He asked me what kind of place I was living in. I thought back to the bride pictures everywhere. I told him the building was very well maintained, but this corner of my closet doorway had been splintering for a bit. I should have been more careful. He nodded. A phew face from me. No one will have to see the bride pictures.

He cleaned the wound and literally put a simple gauze patch on it and taped it to my foot. I joked, “I still had some bounty left over if he wanted to conserve gauze.” He replied, with no hesitation, “We’re a hospital so we’re full of gauze.” Oh okay.

As I waited in the outpatient room, where no doubt all the other people had answered yes to the question “Did someone shoot you?”, Law & Order SVU was playing. I wondered to myself, there has to be something better to put on in a hospital, that doesn’t remind people of how they got to the hospital or that doesn’t involve children being mollested. I signed the release forms and was out the door.

I couldn’t believe that 3 1/2 hours had passed. Over a glorified splinter. I returned to my apartment still full of bride pictures and pop corn bags and Reese Witherspoon movies. I was so tired from the ordeal and the tetanus shot or whatever shot I was given that I passed out on the pile of pillows from the sleepover the night before. I woke up hours later feeling as though I was in a Roman colosseum surrounded by all these judging eyes, wearing bridal gowns. There I was in the center, wounded, wearing one gauze patched bandage (from a hospital FULL of them) and I thought to myself, I can never tell my mom this happened.

THE NEW OPENING IS UPON US!!!

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:22:01 -0400

I’m vomiting.

thebishopchangedtheiropening:

The Bishop is going to be doing their new opening at Harold Night tomorrow night (in the 5th spot)! The dreaded day is finally upon us. I can’t believe how stupid they are to change their opening like this!

We’ve also just heard they are going to do improv at Thank You Robot’s opening-ambivalent Summer Fridayz at Under St. Mark Theater in NYC’s Eastern Village! (10:30 in case you want to go and be SICKENED!)

I was sitting at my desk thinking about Aliens. I realized...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:27:50 -0400

I was sitting at my desk thinking about Aliens. I realized aliens are generally portrayed in movies not wearing clothing. If clothing was an invention of an evolved man, and aliens are thought to be far more evolved than men, it seems weird that they would evolve backward to not wear clothes. I’m guessing people will say “They have an evolved skin able to defend against climate change which was why clothing was developed in the first place.” But still. Put some pants on, aliens. I don’t want to see your alien junk.

oscarbait: Made for Marriage (2007)Premiered August 15,...

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:26:47 -0400

oscarbait:

Made for Marriage (2007)
Premiered August 15, 2009

Inspired by: “She checks out mozart while she does tae-bo” from ‘Drops of Jupiter’ by Train

Genre: Renee Zellweger RomCom Vehicle

Jennifer Albright (Renee Zellweger) (Lauren Conlin Adams) didn’t have much going on in her life. And that’s the understatement of a century!! Besides her three feral cats, this 30 something spinster hasn’t had contact from another living thing in some time. OUCH! Her best friend Ricardo (Brian Glidewell), a hot-to-trot, late 20s, popular, party animal, who’s gay…ooh no luck there Jennifer!, tries to convince Jennifer that she’s never going to meet the man of her dreams if she just stays cooped up in her Cincinnati studio apartment, wearing her sweatshirt and ugly face. Oh boy, what’s a girl to do when all she’s looking for is a boy to love her, which is really all any girl really wants.

Enter Dr. Stan Cunningham (Matt Culter). A dreamy, handsome, sunburst of a man. Yummo! The most well-renowned plastic surgeon in Cincinnati, Stan has made a life of helping others, whether it be giving cosmetic surgery addict Ms. Abernathy (Jessica Stickles) the rack she’s always wanted or whether it be taking care of three misfortunate children: Wheels (Eddie Brawley), Chong (Kirk Damato), and… Another kid…I know there’s another kid. I think he’s black? Andrew maybe? (Josh Patten). Anyways, one day when he lets Wheels lead the surgery on Ms. Abernathy, it occurs to Stan that while he can make the perfect pair of breasts, he can’t make himself the perfect woman to fall in love with. Where’s a delicious single, wealthy single man to go to find the perfect woman to be his wife to take care of him and his three (I think it’s three) adopted kids? (Call me, call me!)

Enter The Cincinnati Scoop, the famous Cincinnati Ice Cream parlor. One day, Jennifer is there (of course) eating a sink full of ice cream (of course) with her married friends (of course! God this is like my life!). As Jennifer attempts to leave, she clumsily trips right into the path of Dr. Stan Cunningham (oh my god, I wish that had been me!) The two lock eyes and it seems they lock hearts as well.

But before true love can take flight, an evil, unnecessary foe stands in the way. While waiting for Stan at the Cincinnati Carnival, Jennifer is met by the slimy, ice faced, fang mouthed Granville (Tim Martin). He plans to seduce Jennifer in order to take advantage of her for a cover shoot for Fashion, the fashion magazine he works for. The cover shoot “Ugly Pathetic Girls. Let’s Make Fun of Them.” He manages to smooth talk Jennifer into his helicopter, but Jennifer soon realizes Granville is not all he seems (duh! I could have told you that Jennifer! God eat something!) On a ferris wheel nearby, Stan sits with Wheels, Chong and… , bummed that he has been seemingly stood up by Jennifer. But suddenly, Stan’s keen eye spots Jennifer in Granville’s helicopter. In an act of love, Stan leaps from the ferris wheel to the helicopter to save her but is he too late… (I wish a guy would call me back let alone jump onto a helicopter!)

Will Jennifer and Stan end up together? What do you think the circulation quantity is for Fashion Magazine? Were there really three kids or just two?

With the title song “Made for Marriage” performed by Norah Jones, get ready to find out that, short of a great plastic surgeon, love is the greatest makeover of all.

thebishopchangedtheiropening: You want a hint of what this all...

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:21:42 -0400

thebishopchangedtheiropening:

You want a hint of what this all means? Is this such a big deal? Sure it is? Should you reblog this? Why not? Do you want some hints? Can you watch the video above? Does this all make perfect sense now?