Who Goes There?

I receieved two emails this morning notifying me that I had received two new "followers" on Twitter. When I clicked on both links to see who these individuals were, I was stopped by the "Twitter owl," another light-hearted cartoon. If you have read my previous post (I Tweet Therefore I Am), then you will know what I'm on about. Anyway, the owl notified me that the pages I was trying to visit were suspended. I guess Twitter is also being infultrated by the evil SPAM. Here he is:

Incubus-Black Heart Inertia

Incubus - New Music - More Music Videos

It's been a while since we've heard from Incubus, and I'll be quite honest, its been a while since I've listened to them. Growing up, they were one of my favorite musical groups and somewhere along the line I tucked them away into the confines of some of my fondest memories. However, they weren't too far away, as I can now feel myself getting a little nostalgic and (quite frankly) excited about seeing them on their North American Tour this summer.

Above is the video for the group's latest single "Black Heart Inertia." The band is also releasing a record on June 16 titled "Monuments and Melodies," containing 13 of their biggest hits as well 11 rare tracks. There are also a few more surprises in the works. Please CLICK HERE for more information.

The Kooks: One Last Time

It fascinates me, how a song can immediately change your mood. Sometimes its not the lyrics but rather the music that captures me. The other night I was driving to my local pub to meet up with some friends and "One Last Time" by The Kooks came on and it completely altered my mood. It made me feel relaxed and (just a little bit) sad. I suppose with this song it wasn't just the lyrics, but also the music itself that affected me. It's a mellow song, but through out it's structure there are all these different textures that come and go. I desperately wanted to write what I was feeling at that moment, but sadly I couldn't. To double check my feelings about this song, I am currently looping it, and I am glad to say that these emotions are back (for the most part).

Music has always had that effect on me, and I suppose it goes for many of the people on this Earth (if not all). However, I also believe that its not just music, but literature, art, daily events, etc., that take us back and allow us to pause, if just for one second and drift away. Its a comfortable feeling (at least for me), knowing that within this hectic world I can still escape no matter where I am.

Cheers,

Ray

Linn Olofsdotter

While reading "The Cool Hunter's" art section, I came across the work of Linn Olofsdotter. You may read more about her HERE.

The Compartment Man

Read all about it HERE

Mariachis Are The New Black

This weekend we not only celebrated Easter, but we also took part in a two day celebration of my Grandmother's birthday. On Friday (her actual birthday), my family, girlfriend and I took my grandmother out to a lovely seafood dinner, where we over did it on crab claws, fish and desert (deeeelish). The next day, was her birthday party, and let me just say, that it was "off the hook." Is it OK if I say it like that? "Off the hook?" Either way, my mother had the party catered with all these Delicious and fattening Cuban dishes. We had masita de puerco, arroz imperial, congri, platanitos maduros and plenty of other dishes. Not to mention, an abundance of adult beverages and Coca-Colas in glass bottles. But what really made the party, was the surprise attack by three Mariachis! Excuse my Miami lingo again, but "bro, those guys can jam."

The Mariachis performed a great set, playing classic Mariachi songs like "El Rey." My grandmother was completely surprised and even got a little emotional at first. However, the tears washed away when her good friend decided to jump on the mic and become the fourth member of the Mariachis. In short, the party was a great success and there were enough left overs sitting in my fridge to feed a family of 10 for the next week. As always, here are some pictures:



Birthday Candle Blowout

Grandma and the kids

The men of the hour

The fourth Mariachi

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Who You Gonna Call?

Ok, so I may be one of the few American semi-adults in this country (make that the WORLD) that doesn't really partake in video games. Now that's not to say that I don't play completely, occasionally my friends will be playing something that looks interesting and I'll give it go. However, after reading the New York Times blog Arts Beat, I think I may explode of sheer excitement. Why you ask? Ghostbusters, that's why! One of the most popular movies of any generation (I have no data to back that up), and one of my favorite series of movies, is now releasing a video game. Which, Dan Aykroyd hopes will lead into a THIRD movie! (I'm about to spontaneously combust). Above is a (you guessed it) screen shot from the game. Please read the full post HERE.