So Runs the World Away

As most of you know by now, I am obsessive about a few things. One of them being Josh Ritter. His latest album came out yesterday. In my humble opinion, he is one of the most underrated singers/songwriters around today. His storytelling ability is pretty much unparalleled by any other contemporary artist. To visit his site and listen to some songs, click this spot.

This is Josh's first album on his own record label. Because of that, he had to deal with the distribution on his own. Luckily for all of us, Starbucks is selling his cd at all of their locations (except apparently the one right by my house where the cashier looked at me like I was speaking Chinese when I asked if they had the cd.) I don't normally condone spending money at Starbucks, but I'll make an exception for Josh because I feel I owe him more than he knows. The album is fantastic, and its influence can probably be seen all over my judging seminar paper...haha.

If you would like to learn a bit more about Josh, read this

I'll get a beer blog up soon...promise.

Be good and keep doing positive things.

Jónsi

Last blog, I said there was lots of good stuff coming up this week. Well, I had one specific event in mind when I said that, and it happened last night. Jónsi came to the Pabst. First off, what a tremendous venue! Deserving of an artist like Jónsi. Second, I've seen Sigur Ros twice, but it's been about 7 years since I last saw them. Those two concerts still stick out in my mind as two of the best concerts I have ever seen. After last night, you can add Jónsi's concert to that list. (For those of you with poor memories, Jónsi is the frontman of Sigur Ros)

Everything about the concert was perfect. The lighting and staging were unique and complimented the music. The other members of the band were fantastic. Each of them played a couple of different instruments. There was even an appearance by this instrument, which I have never seen my life. But that is what I love about Jónsi. He mixes straightforward acoustic guitar and piano with innovative, cutting edge instruments like the monome. It is really something that words cannot describe.

I should also mention the most incredible part of Jónsi, his voice. It's something special that needs to be heard in person. Hearing him sing almost brings tears to my eyes. When the band came out at the end to thank the crowd, Jónsi and I had a fleeting moment of eye contact...I promise, we did.

Overall, just a life-altering performance that will be incredibly hard to top. To see pictures and begin to understand the greatness of last night, click below

Jonsi

I urge everyone to give Jónsi/Sigur Ros a listen. If you need help, let me know. Until next time, be good.

-Jon

Amos Lee

Lots of good stuff going on, and none of it school related. Perfect.

Last night, C and I saw Amos Lee at the Turner Ballroom. We didn't take many pictures, but the ones we did take can be seen below.

Amos Lee

I was really impressed with Amos. His voice sounded great live, and the other two band members were fantastic musicians. He also played probably 5 or 6 new songs that will be on a future album. Actually, I liked some of those new songs more than his old stuff. When you throw in some Riverwest with good music and Christina, it's tough to top that.

Also, right across the street, the Bucks were winning game 3 to keep hope alive. A good night.

I will definitely have more good stuff to blog about this upcoming week. Hope you all are doing well.

Fresh

Hello Folks,

On a personal note, my last set of exams ever starts this week and goes through next week. So, yeah, I should maybe be doing some work...but, that just wouldn't be very fun would it?

The real reason I am blogging on this fine Saturday morning is because I saw a great movie on Wednesday night. The movie is called Fresh. It is a documentary that basically examines the food system in the United States. The film shows how our industrialized food model has really damaged the environment and our health. It is also unsustainable, and we owe it to ourselves to make some changes. I don't see how the movie couldn't, at a minimum, make you think about what you are putting in your body. I could try to keep explaining the film, but I'm not sure I could do it justice. If you want more information go here.

That's all I've got for now. The Bucks will hopefully get their first playoff win tonight. Keep hope alive. I am going to see Amos Lee tonight with C. Maybe I will blog about that at some point, which gives you all something to look forward to.

Until next time, best wishes to everyone.

P.S. I went to the Brewers game last night. Will we move Suppan to the bullpen or to his couch already? You aren't going to win many games when you are down 2-0 before your team has even picked up a bat. You also aren't going to win many games when you are giving up bombs to Fukudome. (Just for reference, he hit 10 homers in 2008 and 11 in 2009. But, for some reason he looks like Hank Aaron against Suppan....just ridiculous.)

BWBB

Hey world,

So today is time for the latest installment of the Bi-Weekly Beer Blog. I've been trying to keep blogging with some regularity, and now that my mock trial is over, I should be able to meet all of your extremely high expectations.

For this beer blog, we are going all the way across the pond to Suffolk, England. There is a pretty neat brewery there called "St. Peter's" which has some really tasty ales. The ones that are easy to find are the English Ale and the IPA. For purposes of this blog, I'll focus on the IPA. The first thing you will notice when you go buy the IPA is the cool bottle; it comes in this unique 500ml bottle. (my quick google search tells me that's about 17 oz) But that is besides the point. You should really buy the beer because it's so good to drink.

The St. Peter's IPA pours a light gold/orange color. It is relatively hoppy, but infused with a decent malt flavor. It also has a distinct sweetness for an IPA. I actually think it is one of the easier drinking IPAs that I have had in my life. (It is about 5.5% ABV) I have read in some places, that American IPAs tend to be big and bold, whereas the British ones are a tad more subtle. I definitely think St. Pete's fits in that typical British mold. Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from the those intense IPAs. I could also see this beer being a good starting place for people who aren't quite as enthusiastic about IPAs. Surprisingly, you can find St. Peter's ales in a decent amount of liquor stores and bars. I would say that the English Ale is probably a bit more prevalent, but it isn't too difficult to the IPA. Additionally, both ales are moderately priced, usually $4-$5 per bottle. Go buy it.

I'll be back blogging about other stuff in the near future. In the meantime, go try a beer you've never had and let me know how it is.

Until next time, keep living life.

Best wishes.