As I strapped on my iPod the other day for a long, not so sunny bike ride, I figured Led Zeppelin would do as well as anything else (or better) for this day of musicness. I’ve been listening to Zep since about the 7th grade and really got into them in college. I can’t really stand any of their later stuff with all the synth and pianos. But everything up through “Physical Graffiti” is at worst, very solid or stellar at best.

Two of these stellar albums are “Led Zeppelin IV” and “Houses of the Holy.” On this particular day I decided to get the Led out with “Houses” and while listening made a gut level statement to myself that this is my favorite Zep album. Then instantly I had pangs of regret over that silent statement as I remembered how awesome “ZOSO” (“Zep IV”) is.

So now I’m caught in a dilemma: is “ZOSO” a better record, or is it the masterpiece that is “Led Zeppelin IV?” I’ve decided to do two things: one, pose this questions to reader(s): Which of these two albums is better? And is there another Led Zeppelin record that you like better than either of these? And two, I’ve listed out the tracks and assigned each one a grade. We’ll see which album comes out on top with the better GPA. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you today’s title bout…

Read More

The rockin’ and rollin’ antics of women’s (and men’s) derby skating is whipping it’s way into the hearts of angsty teens, resulting in the creation of junior leagues popping up in several states. Meanwhile, the feisty 20-30 and even 40 somethings touting bruises, fishnets and funky socks adorned with cross-bones and cutlery, continue to tear up the tracks to sell-out crowds. Yes, I am a wanna-be and despite being told, “you are too little and somebody will break you” I don my gear and grease the track in preparation for try-outs this spring. In frequenting the local roller rink, I have however, been re-introduced to a world of quad skating that I thought had died in the early 80′s when I traded my Barbie skates for some “totally rad” roller-blades.

I’ve since realized that Rhythm, Jam and Artistic quad skating is alive and well across the globe. Artistic skating in particular is something akin to the ice-dancing that mesmerizes my mother during the Winter Olympics and I am finding that it is just as fast, difficult, athletic and bruise inducing as practicing for derby. With artistic skating, I seem to get my ass handed to me on a much more personal basis. I can take my angst out on myself, my skates or the rink, instead of someone who, for all I know could be the nicest person in the world and has really done nothing, other than the fact that she needs to GET OUT MY WAY! Don’t get me wrong, I’m still all for a bit of healthy tactile competition, but, I’m glad to know that there is an alternative to derby that is just as sexy, saucy and (ignoring the music choice in this video) pretty bad-ass!

Last Monday, The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrated the induction of several musical greats during it’s 25th anniversary ceremony. Among the “performers” inducted were, The Hollies, who’s bright “Britpop” vocal harmonics still resonate across contemporary pop and rock culture and Genesis, who’s epic career has more than earned them rank in the Hall. The Hollies and Genesis my be new to The Hall of Fame, but are certainly not rookies to the music industry. The talents of these two groups and the individuals who comprise them, have not only affected the fabric of “Rock & Roll” but helped to create and perpetuate new genres and movements in music that continue to evolve and inspire decades later.

Whether their name be an homage to the great Buddy Holly or a bit of holiday decoration hanging from the eves of Graham Nash’s home, The Hollies smooth vocal stylings and infectious pop melodies rounded out the British invasion begun by label-mates, The Beatles. Despite several line-up changes, The Hollies’ distinctive sound, solid production and quality live performances captured hearts and chart success in both the UK and the US. One of their most popular chart-toppers was, “He Ain’t Heavy He’s my Brother”. The ballad was first recorded by Neil Diamond, but released in 1969 by the Hollies (featuring Elton John on piano) a year before the Diamond single. It was inspired by the curious history of the famous orphanage Boys Town. The Hollies are one of few British Pop bands that continue to record and perform today. Two particular favorites of mine are the Creedence Clearwater Revival inspired, “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “Carrie Anne”, the song for which actress Carrie-Anne Moss was named, and features an awesome steelpan percussion solo about 2 minutes into the song.

While The Hollies capitolized on brilliant pop harmonies, Genesis’ simple melodic beginnings, quickly evolved to help define the progressive rock movement. With a rather flamboyant Peter Gabriel on lead vocals, the band incorporated elaborate stage show theatrics with musical innovation, culminating in the release of their 1974 concept album, “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”. In an interview following the band’s induction, Steve Hackett notes,

Imagine a British band doing an album called ‘The Lamb Lies
Down on Broadway,’ in New York with the singer playing the
part of a Native American of Puerto Rican ancestry. It’s crazy,
in a way. We were taking a New York-based show to New
York, but they accepted us. Why, I don’t know. It’s crazier
than fiction, the reality of that.
(Link to the Genesis official web-site to read the rest of the interview and other commentary about the bands induction) Yes, Genesis had been accepted, but wasn’t embraced by the multi-generational masses in the United States until after Gabriel was replaced by drummer Phil Collins in 1975. With the break down of progressive rock into punk and Collins at the helm, Genesis redirected and emerged with a solid sound that eventually shifted from “prog-rock” stylings to more accessible, radio-friendly tunes like “Follow you Follow Me” released in 1978 and the bands first and only number one single in the US, released nearly a decade later in 1986; “Invisible Touch” (no matter how bad my day, the rediculious simplicity of this video and charm of the song’s hook never fails to get me to grab my sticks and sing along).

The recent chatter about a new Muppet movie sparked memories of Nanny’s green and white striped socks and a glassware collection preserved (I hope) somewhere in my parents basement. Back when kid’s meals actually came in handy handled boxes (perfect for transporting action figures, Legos and bits of plastic more useful than those that came with the meal), certain fast food establishments issued collectible glasses painted with pop culture’s favorite characters, including Snoopy, Kermit and even everybody’s favorite Wookiee.

We all know that it’s not easy being green and I’m not convinced that neon orange liquid they pass off as “drink” is really fit for consumption, however, when served as the backdrop for a cycling Kermit, the real question in my little six year old mind was not, “Why are there so many songs about rainbows?” but, what time do I need to wake up on Saturday morning to watch Muppet Babies?” I can think of few contemporary half hour segments that can provide a kid with silly cuteness, dangerous adventures in imagination and musical movie magic, like a Henson powered cartoon can. Then, why not wrapped it all up in a fashion statement dictating that green and white striped socks are really the only thing one needs to be fearful of? … Genius!

Read More

Is it really the end? It seems like I blinked and this year was gone. Having a new baby in the house will do that I suppose. It seems these Top Ten lists get closer together every year. *sigh*. Sad old man disease is creeping in. Save your pity. I can still put a ten together with the best of them. On with the show…

Here’s ten of what I consider my favorites of 2009.

Read More

If there’s one reason to convert to Christianity, this is it. Unless you’re a bad little boy or girl. If you’re a good guy (which I’m sure you are), you’ll dig the badassery that is Krampus. You might not have heard of Krampus, but that’s because anyone that’s ever ran into this demon, probably didn’t live to tell about it or was too frightened to do anything but be quiet little saints for the rest of their lives.

Krampus travels the globe just before Santa Claus each year; but instead of helping deliver gifts, he finds all of the naughty girls and boys and either beats them into oblivion or carries them away and drop them into the pit of hell. These days, when kids seem undisciplined as ever, I say bring back the traditional harshness that is Krampus today!

MERRY CHRISTMAS from RowThree and MorePop!!

more info on Krampus

 

According to his entry on Wikipedia, Arthur Kade is “a former financial adviser from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania…, [who] in early 2009 sold his financial planning franchise and embarked on what he calls ‘The Journey,’ the pursuit of his lifelong dream of becoming an actor and model.”

I have been perusing his blog since its creation and find it to be one of the most absurdly hilarious blogs in existence. He is a man who seems to consider himself one of the greatest actors that ever lived, a person of extreme beauty and influence, as well as a man on the verge of being the next Pitt or Clooney. Which makes many around the internet wonder if this guy truly lacks any sort of self-awareness (which makes the blog hilarious) or if he this is a Kaufman-esque prank which he embodies 365, 24/7 (which makes the blog both hilarious and genius).

I cannot even begin to describe the ridiculousness of Arthur Kade’s blog, but once you start reading, you will have trouble stopping. For instance, on his “Kade Scale,” which you can access from the links at the top of his blog, he has a very-detailed breakdown of his 1-10 scale for how women look. If he refers to a woman as an eight, the description is that they are a “cute girl, but not date worthy.” Examples of an 8? Jessica Alba, Kate Beckinsale, and Heidi Klum.

In his most recent blog, he describes how out-of-control his life is becoming now now his “Journey” is becoming so popular and he is being recognized at all of the hottest clubs and baseball games in Philly, being treated by people as an elite VIP, and getting roles on popular TV shows (like, uh, a role as an extra on Gossip Girl).

It really is amazing how powerful “Kade Nation” now travels, and I feel like sometime soon my phenomenon will rival that of other “A Listers” like The Beatles, Bead Pitt [sic], and even Frank Sinatra, and my fan base will be as dedicated to me as to sports teams like The Red Sox and Yankees. … [A]ll I could imagine is being at The Staples Center sitting next to Leo, Tobey, and maybe even Jack, and having a hand-picked 10 rubbing my leg, and then Brit [Spears] would come over during the concert to give me a shout out, and then they would flash my face on the screen to get an applause. … Sometimes I feel like my ideas and visions are so visionary that if I applied it to politics, I could make an excellent President, and correct many of the problems that our country has, but I don’t feel the rush of passion like I do acting… so I will stick to becoming and acting legend and biggest star in the world.

And that is nothing compared to some of the nonsense Mr. Kade spews. Hilarious nonsense though nonetheless. While I truly, deep down believe that this is all an elaborate, carefully planned hoax (although the man honestly did sell his financial planning franchise to pursue this stuff), after following the blog since its creation, sometimes I am close to being convinced that this guy really is legit and he really is as delusional as he blog makes him out to be.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with a snippet of his August 27th post and hopefully it will be enough to convince you to check out this nutjob’s blog.

Being an amazing man comprised of integrity, pride, and honor (I think I could have made an amazing Marine because of my supreme leadership skills, good looks, and the bond that I create where people who meet me become followers), I have to be able to admit when an idea that either me or The Entourage comes up with ends up being a bad one. My friends and I had discussed all week about going up to NYC to go the Britney Spears Concert because we thought “There would be a ton of hot, young ass there”, and we could meet some “Un-Jaded” 21-24 year olds who looked at us like gods (The demographic that I am finding my celebrity really appeals to is young girls (18-23) because they see me as “The Handsome Man”, and probably see a very fatherly quality in me that makes them feel safe), and we could take them out and show them exclusive entrance and treatment at the hottest clubs in The City, and then back to the room for some Good Old Fashion “Kadeing” (My new term for seducing and sleeping with a Smokin’ Hot girl).

Check out his blog right here and leave your thoughts below.

I read this book once in which an invention was made where a person could see anywhere into the past at any time. This means you could look into the past and watch the Kennedy assassination from any angle at any moment. But, you could also look into the house down the street where the hot chick who lives there is taking a shower. The way the book describes this and the way it is explained is actually theoretically possible. Which means that although the invention hasn’t been made yet, someone from the future could be watching you right now. Maybe your grandkids are watching you as you stalk that dude on Facebook or as you rub one out at SpankWire. Scary right? In the story, privacy went completely out the window for everyone. Hence, society changed drastically. Kids walked around naked and everyone pretty much told the truth about everything. You had to. Anyone could see you doing anything at anytime anyway, so you might as well just be the best you you can be right?

This really is neither here nor there, but it sort of relates or reminds me as to how the internet culture, specifically online social networks, is changing so quickly and so dramatically and what it may be doing to our society as a whole.

This is not necessarily good or bad, but rather a simple observation. I was browsing through some friends picture albums this evening and looking at all the cute shots of them going swimming with their kids or going to the amusement park for the first time with their kid or Christmas ’08 when Little Sara opened her first Christmas present or Little Johnny does his first dance recital in the family living room – complete with pink tutu and “magic wand” with streamers. Cute right? But these kids have absolutely no say in the matter; their entire lives are being broadcast to complete strangers all over the internet. As somewhat of an old-fashioned guy, this both intrigues me and frightens me just a little bit.

Parents are proud of their kids, as they should be. And most of the photos I see of friends’ families are harmless and the kids are usually cute as buttons. But what is the long term impact of posting every waking moment of your kid’s life for the whole world to see on the internet? Maybe drastic, irreparable, psychological change; maybe nothing. Again, I’m not necessarily saying it is good or bad, I’m simply posing the question – especially for those of you who are parents and even more especially those of you whose profiles are not completely private, have you thought about when your child reaches junior high and all of his/her classmates can access pretty much any embarrassing story/photo/image that they choose, whenever they choose? Maybe society will change so that this is simply the norm (as the first paragraph hypothesizes – in an extreme example) and just another thing everyone has to deal with. But maybe this is sort of a strange invasion of privacy on one level and maybe on even another level a complete abuse of your child?

I’m sure I’m not the first to think about this and maybe I’m being cynical, but I know for me, at least specifically 7th grade, that would have been a nightmare. Last time; I’m not saying this is the case, I just want people to think about it. Thoughts?

Jack White is playing the drums? Yeah and it fucking awesome. The new record from The Dead Weather seems to be really shaking up the music world and I can see why. One, because as mentioned White isn’t playing guitar and two, this album just might be better than anything The White Stripes have put out… though the jury is still out on that one. I know I’ve been listening to the album pretty much non-stop since I acquired it last week after seeing a pretty great performance on the Jimmy Fallon show (see that clip under the seats).

The album itself is just as raw as their live sound and I particularly enjoy the b-sides of the album. Perhaps it is fortuitous that I happen to be in the midst of a “chick as the lead vocalist” kick at the moment and The Dead Weather have an angry yet beautiful female voice at the helm in Alison Mosshart. The beats are solid and there is some really interesting mix of sounds coming from the two stringed instruments and the keyboard. For an example of this unique sound check out track number eight, “Bone House.” Having just said I dig the singer, I actually really like the instrumental track as well: “3 Birds”; which is maybe my favorite on the album.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this album which is sure to be on many many top tens come December 31.
Band Home page.

Read More

While we aim to be a bit better around here and Rowthree.com with the ads and all the social media and other clutter. The below graphic pretty much says it all – most particularly in regards to the gigantic movie and pop culture blogs (McSweenies and Boing Boing excepted).

An interesting quirk about Google’s minimalist search engine page is how they often use their iconic logo as an informational nod to a famous painter, author, world event when an major anniversary arrives, or to simply make a cute riff on a holiday.

I am not one to tell Google how to run their business or their politics, however their unofficial corporate policy of ‘Don’t Be Evil’ had its first public ethics crisis a couple of years ago when Google sanctioned their search engine to the Chinese government and allowed them to drop in all sorts of censorship algorithms. Clearly not a good way to do business for one of the 21st century leading companies. China may just be Google’s Kryptonite.

It would have earned them a little kudos to drop a variation of the above with a link to the Tiananmen Square Massacre today on its 20th Anniversary.

Talking to a co-worker today, he opined that you bet your ass there will be a modified logo celebrating the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Just Sayin’

It’s a topic that can’t be ignored by the music lovers out there especially us in the younger generation growing up in the digital age: illegal downloading and file sharing. It’s so much easier and cheaper; but it is right? Everyone can ponder that question on their own, but I found a fabulous article/rant written by a guy named Rob at his blog, Demonbaby and decided to reprint it here so that we can have our own conversation on the topic (there are already a TON of comments over there and I don’t have time to dig into them all).

A little over two years ago I was invited to join an online file sharing community known at the time as OiNK. It was an incredible community of people all sharing only top quality music .torrents and lots of them. If ever an album was needed, you could be sure to find it on OiNK (likely weeks before its actual release). They had everything… EVERYTHING. Their community was by invitation only and their rules for uploading and sharing were extremely strict. Hence, you knew everything you were getting was top quality and safe. Then last year the “headquarters” was raided and OiNK was no more. My record “collection”, but more importantly an outlet for gaining musical knowledge and discovery, suffered tremendously.

In its stead was this terrific article that I read all the way through and learned a lot about the world of illegal downloading and the stupid stupid world of the record execs and studios – complete with a nice little history lesson. It is a ridiculously long article, but fascinating, entertaining and fairly well written by a guy who seems to actually know what the hell he’s talking about. It completely changed how I look at file sharing and my guilt (or lack thereof) for participating in it.

Some of the info in here isn’t really new and some of it might be a bit outdated by now, but check it out anyway. It’s a fabulous read (if you have time).

see the full article under the cut…
Read More