Music Friday: "Hold Back the River"

I'm not usually someone who listens to stuff that is played on the radio. "Let It Go" by this fellow is a song that got a lot of traction on pop-focused radio. 

A week or two ago I watched James Bay and his band play on Austin City Limits. 

I like his stuff. As he related in the interview after the performance, one of his parents listened to rock music, and his other parent mainly listened to soul music. The influences are apparent. 

Here's one of my favorite songs from his album.

Music Friday: "Hope The High Road"

The new album by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound, is getting all kinds of deserved attention. 

Here's one of my favorite songs off the new album. 

After the video with lyrics is Isbell's extended interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. 

Random Notes from a Crank

I started watching the movie Cider House Rules today, and doing so spurred me to buy the novel. I read that book way back in high school, and I remember it as one of those books that fundamentally changed the way I look at things. I might start revisiting books I haven't read since high school. 

But wow, I had forgotten the movie had Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, and Paul Rudd in it. 

News came across my FB feed today, and an ad related that Deer Tick will have two new albums out this fall. Vol. 1 is all acoustic, and Vol. 2 is a rock album. Check out the ad: "Deer Tick New Albums on PledgeMusic." 

I dislike ketchup on hot dogs and sausages. I was glad to find out that the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council supports my disdain via its "Hot Dog Etiquette" guidelines.

Random Notes from a Crank

My paranoia about electronic voting machines appears to be well founded. As the article "Homeland Security Offical: Russian Government Actors Tried to Hack Election Systems in 21 States" relates, an FBI counterintelligence official said that "Russia’s goal was to 'sow discord' in the United States and to 'denigrate' Clinton and help Trump." 

As I've said before, I talk about the 45th president as "MoscowDon." So should many other people. 

I just worry about anyone, let alone Russian hackers, being able to screw around with electronic voting machines and alter election results. I want to go back to old fashioned ballots. 

Men's Health magazine provides advice in "11 Things Men Shouldn't Wear This Summer." I'm good with all of those recommendations except for one. I wear cargo shorts on a regular basis. 

The guy who founded Cook's Illustrated has left the magazine and started his own cooking mag. It's called Christopher Kimball's Milk Street magazine. I signed up for the charter issue. It's free.

Random Notes from a Crank

On Father's Day Mrs. Nasty, the kids, and I went to the Wonder Woman movie. I enjoyed it. I'm not a DC Comics kind of guy, but it was an entertaining movie. Of the DC comics characters, Wonder Woman is one of my favorites. 

And the actress who plays Wonder Woman is hotter than the hinges hanging off the gates of Hell. 

Unfortunately for her, "Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman Salary Was Shockingly Low." 

This past weekend I took my son to the local comic book store, and he picked up a copy of Black Panther Vol. 1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I read it that afternoon. I really enjoy Coates' work, but the narrative was a little too fragmented for me. 

One of my excellent discoveries was that Bendis created a new stand-alone Jessica Jones narrative. Good stuff people. 

Music Friday: "Early Bird Cafe"

Some people might not know this, but John Mellencamp put out a new album this year. It's titled Sad Clowns & Hillbillies. 

Five songs on the album feature Carlene Carter, but the song I'm featuring today does not. 

Here's "Early Bird Cafe." 

Music Friday: "Prayer for Peace" & "Run Red Rooster"

The North Mississippi Allstars have a new album out. I think it's one of the stronger albums in their catalog. 

If you like blues-rock bands, you need to check it out. 

Random Notes from a Crank

Some people get obsessed with how their lawns look. I don't. There are already too many herbicides polluting the hell out of our waterways. This time of the year my lawn is sprouting lots of clover, which I find appealing. I like the way it looks ~ this little white sprouts dotting the lawn. Also, honeybees like clover, and honeybees need all the help they can get these days. 

MoscowDon pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Here's the op-ed piece by the co-director of the MIT Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. He basically calls the current president on his bullshit and lies: "Trump Used Our Research to Justify Pulling out of the Paris Agreement: He Got It Wrong." 

I'm currently watching the Comey Hearing. Some of these dipsticks are really going to run with the wording of "I hope..." Stop the bullshit. MoscowDon was asking Comey to gut the Russia investigation. That is obvious morons.

Stay Positive: Parks & Recreation

I finished watching all of the episodes of Parks & Recreation last night. 

It was an outstanding series. I don't know why I didn't watch when it was actually on TV, but Netflix bailed me out. 

Nick Offerman is the man (read his books, btw), and he got the opportunity of a lifetime to play Ron Swanson, who is a character I agree with on some matters (related to manhood) and not many others (government, vegetables, etc.). 

Unfortunately, I suspect there are some folks who literally (as Chris is fond of saying) take the character as he is. Satire is wasted on dumbasses.

And oh, Leslie Knope, as I've stated before, oh how I have a crush on you. 

[Belated] Music Friday: "Southern Bells"

I missed yesterday's post - just plain forgot about it. 

Sorry about that, folks. 

I've been listening to Langhorne Slim & The Law a lot recently. A number of his songs are being used for commercials for whatever reason. 

Good money if you can get it...

Here's a song that isn't being used for advertising purposes.