Difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo

G'day mate! How's it going mate? Ive been practicing my local speak lately. And after going out last night with my friend I picked up a bunch of new phrases and terms I want to start using both here and in the states. I'm sure I'll be adding more throughout this trip, but there are so many colloquialisms I don't know if I'll be able to keep track of them all!

That really has nothing to do with today's adventures mates. Today we got to see many different animals. First were the koalas. Not the koala bears as some people call them. They were really good at hiding up in the trees and were pretty hard to spot some of the time. While we were busy looking for them up in the trees we had to keep looking down too because there were wallabies abound. Which brings me to the title of this post, combining my love of the language here and a fact not many Aussies even know. The difference between a wallaby and a kangaroo is mainly the size. There could be another reason or two, but the biggest reason is the size.

Then we saw the coolest part of the day: the little penguins. That's their real, non-scientific name. No pictures were allowed because their eyesight is so important and oftentimes language and technological incompetence (I.e. not knowing how to turn a flash off on a camera) caused them to ban all photography. Anyways, we sat really close to the beach at sunset and waited for the penguins to swim up on shore and head to their burrows. It was fascinating and fun to watch hundreds of little guys waddle their way home.

Not only did we see this amazing feat, but the stars were incredible on Phillip Island. I was surprised at the amount of stars we could see, even though in the airport I learned that you can see the most stars in the outback out of anywhere in the entire world. I got to see constellations I had never seen before (the Southern Cross) and saw the "south star" which always points south. Then the coolest thing I thought was seeing the Milky Way. It wasn't extremely visible, but it was definitely still there.

After our penguin adventure we ate at a small restaurant where I ordered what our guide told us was the stereotypical favorite meal of male Australians: chicken parmigiana. Let me tell you mate, it was delicious! I'm surprised that we haven't seen many fat people here, but the amount of exercising is impressive and explains why most people are skinny here.

I hope we don't have a mess of it while we travel around the country, but from what I've heard it shouldn't be too tough flying here. Until next time, cheers mate!

Melbourne

For a first stop in Australia I think this has been a great city. After landing and leaving luggage at the hotel my parents and I walked around a bit. Found a cool bridge which leads to a train station and Fed Square.

After we walked around awhile we found a restaurant and bar. Since we we had landed at 8:30 in the morning and couldn't go to sleep or else we'd never adapt to the time shift here we sat down and had an Australian beer (or two or three). From there we went to a very cool place: the ACMI.

The ACMI or the Australian Center for Moving Images. Basically it was a movie museum and it was awesome! Instead of having only Australian cinema history it had history of cinema and technology from the world. A lot of the information was stuff I learned in classes, but it was still really cool to see.

There was a huge interactive part of the ACMI too. You could become a shadow monster on a screen, make your own flip book, and even act out a scene similar to Trinity in the opening of The Matrix, all while being filmed by cameras 360 degrees around you. There was a cool spinning contraption that had a bunch of figures on it and when a strobe light was added it all looked animated. And there was a three walled screen which emphasized the importance of the combinations of sound and film. It was all very cool!

Tuesday was a fun day as well! We took a tour of the city first. I was expecting it to be a small group, but it was just us and a guide in a van so it was a lot cooler then I thought it would be. We went to Queen Victoria Market, drove on the annual Grand Prix track, saw the old Olympic Stadium from 1956, which holds the ARL (Australian Rules Football League) championship every year. It used to occur in September, but because of the addition of two more teams, it is pushed back to October now. Then we stopped for coffee and cake and it was delicious!

From there we just walked around to visit the places we had seen on the tour. Walking around cities may not sound too exciting, but it's always fun. We waited for a city circle tram, which we rode around the city until we found places to stop. Simple, but entertaining.

Then we ate dinner. I'm still waiting to eat kangaroo in Sydney, so I haven't been trying much new food. However on our tour I did try Vegemite. As our guide said if you don't try it before a certain age most people hate it. I really didn't think it was terrible and am planning to bring some back to the States.

After dinner I met up with a friend who lives in Melbourne. He and I met in New Orleans last year when he was traveling in a group of 52 Australians all across the country. He was on a Contiki tour with a bunch of Aussies who didn't know each other. It was random how we met, and cool to catch up with him in his home city. This time wasn't as wild as the time we met. Instead we went up to a SkyDeck on the tallest building in Melbourne and he gave me a tour of the lit-up city from up there. It was magnificent. Then we went into Crown Casino and sat for a few hours drinking Australian beer and swapping stories from the last year and our lives. It was a ton of fun and I'm glad he came out and met up with me. He tried to get the others from his trip to come out too, but they all had work or Uni early this morning. And since Sydney is so close (around an hour long flight) he might rustle a group from there to meet up with us because he might take a trip to Sydney to get me out to a few clubs there. If it happens it'd be awesome if it doesn't that's cool too. It was just fun catching up with him.

I learned that a lot of Aussies think that everything is cheap. Just remember that. I found it weird and surprising, but we've got lots of good priced things, from alcohol to cell phone plans. Just an interesting fact.

Today is the day I get to see penguins and koalas in their natural habitat and up close and personal. It's going to be quite an experience! I can't wait!

AirBus

I wasn't planning on writing a post about this, but I felt it was too good not to. I don't know how many of you have flown on an airbus before, if you ever get the chance take it. I've been on flights with movies and personal screens before, but the selection was right up my alley.

Instead of just a handful of movies this has a vast collection. Movies, TV shows, music, and much more. You can pick from premiere movies (aka new ones), Oscar favorites, and then by genre too. As for TV shows, I assumed there would be only old shows. I was wrong. New Girl, Modern Family, and many more shows are available.

This was a little worrisome because I needed to sleep at some point while in flight. Maybe I'll get tired, but I haven't explores everything available on this thing yet. So cool!

I have an addiction and it's to media. It's not the worst thing I could be addicted to, in fact it has given me more things to write about here. Now I can get a few movie reviews up while I'm in Australia too!

And I've landed. Made it safely. Great flight and already great people. Got my first of many G'day mates already too!

Leaving the Country

I love traveling outside of the United States. Being surrounded by a different culture and experiencing as many new things as I can. And so begins my trip down under. I'll be traveling to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Uluru, Auckland, Cairns, and Yungaburra.

I've been excited for this trip since I was accepted to study abroad in the rain forests of New Zealand and Australia. I'll be traveling all over Australia for two weeks with my parents and from there will meet up with my study abroad group where we'll be living in the rainforest for a month.

Today we're flying out of Milwaukee to Chicago, a very short flight, we didn't even reach cruising altitude before we had to descend again. From Chicago to LAX 3.5 hours and from LAX to Melbourne, a whopping 14.5-15 hours. I'll be keeping this as updated as much as I can, but due to possibly lacking the internet at times I might find that hard to do.

I'm starting in the south (Melbourne) where it will be the coldest I'll be experiencing (hopefully). I'll be going to see penguins in their natural habitat on one tour and going on many other tours and awesome experiences that I'll be taking pictures of and sharing here (if possible) and on Facebook.

I started this on the plane to LAX and am finishing it in the airport...on my phone. Waiting for three hours to board a ginormous airbus.

Leaving at 11:30 pm US time I'll be missing out almost entirely on May 27th which is pretty cool I think. It'll be like I'm time traveling (hello LOST) and then gaining that day back by experiencing a day, July 11th, basically twice. I'll be even more confused as to what day it is than I am normally during the summer. I'm excited for that and the only reason I can come up with is the fact that I'll feel like I'm in Back to the Future or something, but instead of traveling back multiple years, I'll be "traveling" one day. Oh well.

As I said before I'll have intermittent Internet access while down under, mostly when we take trips into the nearby town and I'm going to update this as much as possible. I may even be able to Skype for a short time. If you want to you should be able to search for me by name. Otherwise try minicoop1227. Until next time, from Australia, have a good Memorial Day weekend!

Taken from the plane to LAX

Looking Ahead

Well it's time to talk about these new shows NBC thinks will resurrect the once great network. Instead of keeping shows like Community, 30 Rock, and Parks & Recreation, some of television's smartest shows for full seasons, they're going to try and replace them by following other networks instead of pushing the boundaries they already challenge with smart writing.

Let's start with Animal Practice. It's Doogie Howser plus a capuchin. Great. How long can THAT season last NBC? You're trying to combine a hospital drama and a sitcom. Why? As much as I think Justin Kirk (Weeds) is a great actor I don't think he can carry this type of a show. I have a feeling I'll just end up getting more depressed than laughing because of all the mistreatment of animals this "veterinarian who hates pets owners" has to deal with. Maybe I'll be surprised. I doubt it, but I will always give a show a chance.

Then NBC tries to replace Awake and the veteran (years ago cancelled) Heroes with Revolution. "Oh, I know. Let's get J.J. Abrams to write us a show. Everyone will love it!" As of right now I don't think he has a show on NBC so maybe it'll work for both him and the network. And while I love nearly everything J.J. Abrams (sorry Alcatraz) has done I just don't know about this. He's definitely in his element: dire circumstances (i.e. the end of the world), people surviving in it, and how they try to save the world so I think I'll end up falling for this show. I need something to replace House now that it's all done!

So then we get a rip-off of Modern Family with The New Normal, which comes with a tagline of "A Post-Modern Family." NBC you don't have to get dirty to win the ratings war. Just take some risks in your programming, stop copying other networks. They get some credit for showing that they're ready to fight for a better spot this year and I guess I do trust Ryan Murphy somewhat only because he's responsible for my biggest guilty pleasure on network television, Glee and one of my favorite new shows of last year, American Horror Story. So maybe this can give Modern Family audiences (myself included) something to tide them over from week to week. But with NBCs notoriety of picking bad-ratings-receiving shows it doesn't seem like the right formula for this network.

Guys With Kids (now entitled DILFS) is an obvious (near) copy of the new movie What to Expect When You're Expecting. I get taking a movie and expanding on the characters, but come on. The same year a movie comes out you make a similar show? I think it could have promise simply because it can expand on the lives of these guys as opposed to just giving us a snapshot of their lives like in a movie. They are not the same characters obviously, but everything seems similar. I think a shout-out to Full House should be mentioned because a little girl on the show is played by two twins. Could be worth watching actually.

Then there's Chicago Fire and Go On. The first looks like a watered down version of FX's Rescue Me. I guess audiences have to get their firefighter kick somewhere. I know the least about this show, but if it can somehow keep what Rescue Me had it could be really good, but as NBC does so often it will probably be a very diluted soap opera surrounding fires.

As for Go On, I know it has Matthew Perry in it. I think he's a great actor and can be pretty funny...so long as he doesn't play the always on edge, yet somehow charismatic  guy or the overly depressed, yet somehow charismatic guy. Maybe it's this cookie cutter character he's turned into or maybe it's the fact that the two shows he's worked on since his golden age on Friends (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine), but I don't see why networks keep giving him a show. NBCs last attempt with him S60otSS was actually a lot of fun to watch, but really I think it'll be another crash and burn.

So NBC. Keep the shows that are working. I do look forward to your new programming and I hope somehow you can salvage this network. I'll still support you as long as you keep producing smart comedies, endearing characters, and enthralling dramas.

Graduation Part Duex

Some of my fondest memories come from freshman year. All my Frisbee House (Sellery 4A represent!) floor mates and my roommate. We had some great times. The electric hand game, cards in the den, "studying" in the den, and who could forget the April Fool's Day prank the guys pulled. Filling the entire girl's hallway with styrofoam cups filled with water. It was a prank I'd seen done, but never pulled off. I will always hold a special place in my heart for you guys!

And then there were my friends in the band and at Gilman House in the Kronsage dorm. More of my close friends came from there. We used to move road signs and parking cones nearly every weekend and the house fellow always yelled at them the next morning when she found the cones outside her room.

Whether it was studying, partying, or just relaxing my freshman year friends are awesome people and I wouldn't have traded them for anything! Then came my sophomore and junior year friends in the Communication Arts and Psychology departments. Always a fun time with classmates around. When someone struggles we help each other out. It's a great atmosphere and you all know the true nerdiness I invoke.

Who could forget the TWO snow days we had in two years! How incredible! And then back-to-back Rose Bowls! Just a great time to support our Badgers! In all sports. The basketball team made it to the sweet sixteen two years in a row and I got to travel to all the tournament spots. Some of the funniest inside jokes came from these trips and they still hold today. Only a few of us will know where "SQ (Scorpion Queen) truly came from in Boston (from Albuquerque too) and all the time we had in New Orleans. Great memories with great people!

Though I have made friends of all classes during my time here at Madison, I will always hold the seniors (and fifth years) closest to my heart I think. They know the same amount of time that I do. We have similar memories and can always hold those moments of happiness dear to us. You have all done wonders for me over the years and I hope that in some way I have helped you in some way, whether big or small. I feel that I do because whenever I appear to a group of friends they all say (sometimes yell) my name. It always makes me feel loved.

Another thing about my friends as I got older, I met them more and more randomly, whether they be Buckys, cheerleaders, classmates, or just people out on the town. Going out with two of my other friends in one night and chances are one of us will know other people wherever we end up. It makes a huge campus feel a bit smaller and is really cool when it starts happening more and more often!

But either way, whether you went to Mifflin or abided by the "Don't Go" anthem that turned into many songs, I love all of you graduating and can't wait to see what you do in the future! Come back and visit sometime! Anytime! Congratulations seniors! Let's celebrate!

Graduation

176. The number of friends I have graduating this year just from UW-Madison. I have friends all across the country finishing up their time as an undergrad and that number doesn't even include all the grad student graduates I know! This may sound like a boast about all the friends I have, but I love my friends and making new ones. It's sort of a hobby of mine.

Graduation is an exciting, emotional, and bittersweet time. I congratulate those friends walking across the stage this weekend and am extremely proud of all of them (especially those that I went to elementary, middle, and high school with). I had been describing the amount of friends graduating as depressing, when in reality I can't wait to see what my friends do after college. I'm really excited for it! I know some will make some awesome teachers, some engineering friends will probably change the world, and others will make a huge impact on their chosen professions no matter what or where they are. I am confident in saying this because of the great education we have gotten at this university.

The most CEOs leading fortune 500 companies out of any university in the country. More than Ivy league schools, which has the second most with nine I believe. A big part of this is the drive and ambition shared and gained by the students here at UW. We all force each other to be the best we can be. Whether it is done on purpose or inadvertently, it doesn't matter. If you go to this university, you learn how to balance your social life and academics, but also how to push yourself to do and learn things you never thought possible. It's incredible what the students here accomplish.

The biggest reason I'm writing about this is because I could have been graduating this weekend with them. I don't regret that I'm taking another year. In fact, I'm incredibly excited to take a "victory lap." Of the friends graduating who took five years, they all said that they didn't regret a second of it. And in my four years so far I have made some of the best and closest friends I could have ever imagined. To quote Kenneth from 30 Rock "You're my best friend, tied with everyone I've ever met!" This is similar to my feelings on the friends I've made at UW-Madison.

Everyone brings support, stories, humor, love, charisma, etc. They're some of the nicest and greatest people I've ever met and can go nowhere but up from here. I wanted to dedicate at least one post here to my graduating friends. You're all fantastic, smart, and fun to hang out with and talk to. As the commencement speaker just said "hang out with the right people." You are all those people for me and have made me who I am today.

So thanks for all the memories seniors! I can't wait to see what you do post-graduation and am very thankful to those of you sticking around Madison, either for your job or grad school. Though I am also extremely happy to have friends moving all over the country. Some to New York, many to Chicago, at least one to South Dakota, and a couple moving out west (California, Colorado, Arizona). It's been real kids. Remember, once a badger, always a badger and On, Wisconsin!

Marley

Bob Marley. A man and a legend who preached peace, love, and harmony above everything. Quoted as saying that his life isn't important unless he helps other people. An incredible man with a musical talent everyone could see and feel even when he was young.

Marley is a testament to his life. It takes us from his birth, through his life, and finally to his death and legacy. Being a documentary this could have easily fallen into a trap of only having "talking heads" on the screen, never turning to the man this film was about, but thankfully it didn't. Kevin Macdonald made this movie the way I think Bob would have wanted it. Leaving it open to public opinion. Should Bob do this concert? Should he skip it? He didn't care. He just wanted to play his music

Filled with music and incredible archive footage of Bob Marley himself, this movie has everything. A glorious life story to tell, fantastic music, and smart editing make this a documentary you can't miss!

Starting where he was born we get to see how Bob grew up. The groups he was a part of growing up and the music he created with those groups. I didn't know all the music he created when he was younger and that he started with Ska. The group he was a part of started out by copying white groups of similar sounds and then put a Jamaican twist usually with ska in the background. It was just great seeing him grow.

And learning all the influence he had all over the world. His country was in political turmoil so he went to London to keep trying his luck at playing his music all over the world. The people of Jamaica asked him to come back and perform. And he did just that! His style, Reggae, is one genre of music that can unify everyone. It's incredible and it's shown throughout the movie.

One of my favorite parts of this movie was the archive footage. I obviously had never seen Bob Marley live before. I hadn't even seen footage of him live, even though I know now that I could have found it pretty easily. He was a great performer and the spliced in footage is proof of that. A man who died too young due to a lack of medical checkups and staff on tour, his legacy lives on in his music and now in this documentary

If you love his music and what he stood for, even if you just like his music and don't know everything he accomplished see this movie. It's a documentary you must see!

8/10

Cleaning House

Many television networks recently decided to clean house of shows receiving poor ratings, poor reviews, and just not doing well. Unfortunately this fate befell many shows that I personally feel just needed more time to take off. You'd think series would pay more attention to the first season so they get a second season and can dive into a deeper story with more character development and more compelling stories, but these shows just didn't do that.

I didn't watch all 17 of the series that were cancelled religiously, but I did see a few episodes of some of the shows. One of the shows was Best Friends Forever. Yes it was sort of a chick flick show, but I really liked the pilot episode. Mainly because they finally put a guy in a role similar to Liz Lemon on 30 Rock. A guy who was just easy going and did his own thing. Someone I identified with. The pilot had me in stitches because a lot of the things the guy on the show would do I do in real life. It was just funny. Then it kind of petered out. Maybe the writing got stale or maybe the premise just wasn't good enough, but I thought this show had some potential to be great!

Another show cancelled from this season was FOX's Alcatraz a weird and somewhat trippy series about time-traveling prisoners of the historic Alcatraz prison. Sounds like an interesting premise, but it ended up feeling almost like an extension of Lost to me. Mainly because Hurley (Jorge Garcia) was one of the main characters and he had to deal with, yet again, time traveling characters and never really understood what was happening.

Harry's Law was a show I actually could have gotten into. Being a fan of Boston Legal this show was in the same vein as that one. Humor and kick-butt lawyering. It was always a fun show to watch and actually did a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes stretching what should have been one episode into two or more, but it was still a fun show to watch.

Bent was a show unfortunate enough to get a poor time slot. I never got the chance to watch it, but it was pitted against Modern Family and the other shows at the 8:30 timeslot. Almost destined to fail. Which is a little sad because Amanda Peet is a great actress who seems to be trying to break into the television genre, but just hasn't made it through yet.

Among others cancelled (that I didn't watch) were Are You There, Chelsea?, Ringer, Pan Am, Awake, Breaking In, GCB, The Secret Circle, A Gifted Man, Missing, The Finder, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, The Firm, and The River.

Seems that the "The" titles were the big hit (flop) this year. Just an interesting thing to note. With all these cancellations, there is still some great news to report! 30 Rock, Community, and Parks and Recreation are making comebacks in the fall! It may be for shortened seasons (and is 30 Rock's last), but they are bound to be hilarious! If they do well I hope Community and Parks and Rec can get renewed again, but for full seasons!

And while this may be good news, NBC failed. Yet again. Why renew the crap that is Whitney?!?!?! It's AWFUL. No one watches it. No one thinks it's funny. And yet you renew that over Up All Night or even Best Friends Forever. Yeah they both might not be the funniest shows, but I'd watch either one over stupid Whitney and her complaining and annoying voice. Give Community, 30 Rock, and Parks and Recreation (read 'actually hilarious TV shows') full seasons and get rid of that show that no one has heard of and no one watches when both The Middle and Modern Family are on FOX during that time.

Dear NBC. Stop screwing up your great comedy lineup! (You can get rid of The Office now. It's not funny anymore). Listen to the fans and the critics and keep the genuinely funny shows!!

What's in a song?

Music has been ever shifting in this country and across the globe. What makes something popular? Why do songs made for no other reason than to "brainwash" America to bad music become popular? Why do we accept it? Because oftentimes this popular music is "okay" to listen to. It's neutral. It more often than not, does not offend people. And tries to keep popular music focused on superficiality.

Popular music in the 1960s ranged from the Beatles, to Creedence Clearwater Revival, and to Bob Dylan. Three artists, among many others, who wrote great songs that were popular. The songs they wrote focused on events at time. Their music had passion and lyrics that actually meant something. The Beatles wrote about love and peace, CCR wrote many political songs about being anti-war, and Bob Dylan captured the folk heart of America and politicized it. At a time I wish I could have lived, I could have seen these artists in their prime. Been in the front row singing along to all the popular music of the time.

A lot of things have changed since then that change how music becomes popular. The biggest thing now is the internet. There are countless ways to download music, whether legally or illegally. iTunes, BitTorrent, and YouTube have all become ways to download music. Then there's the streaming services like Spotify and Pandora, allowing you to access pretty much any music you want anywhere you go. And of course there's still the simplest form of just sharing your music with your friends. Whether that's through Mojo, external hard drives, or Lion OS' Air Drop feature, getting new music has become extremely easy if you're willing to look for it.

I'm devoting this to a few songs that I don't like for different reasons. Some are just because I hear them to much ("Call Me, Maybe"). Another is because the video is weird and no one wants to see a strange-toothed naked Aussie be painted awkwardly while singing ("Somebody That I Used To Know"). And finally, a song I just don't get how people can like ("Pumped Up Kicks").

"Call Me, Maybe". Yeah it's kind of catchy, but when you hear it at every single bar, party, and place around Madison, every time you go out it gets old. Fast. I was sick of this song within the first week people "discovered" it. I'm by no means saying this is a bad song, but hearing it too often really kills the song for me. I'll give it the fact that it is catchy almost like a Ke$ha song, but has lyrics that actually sort of mean something...

"Somebody That I Used To Know". How? Why? What is the sudden obsession with this song. I litrally (said like Chris from Parks & Rec) enjoy every single other version of this song and cannot listen to the original. The first time a lot of people, myself included, heard this song was this video from January of this year. It was genius! This group has done a few covers and they are all awesome. And for those of you who love to go to shows, they're playing Summerfest this year on June 29th. The other cover that stands out to me is the Pentatonix (of The Sing-Off fame) version. Watch them sing it here. Incredible. From their use of dynamics to the range in singing throughout. A five person group, but they make it sound like a full band singing. Fantastic.

Finally "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. Again, sort of catchy, but overall this could have been written by five-year-olds. And in fact it was written in five hours by the lead singer. How can people listen to a song that's soooooo repetitive? It's a song written about similar tragedies to Columbine in 1999. So yeah the lyrics might mean something, but in the end it's a song that sounds like it will never end and I don't understand how the world has been listening to it over and over again. This band has much better songs on their album and those are the songs people should be listening to.

My professor for one of my classes told us that the best way to be a critic is to talk about the things you like, not the things you don't like. This was one post about things I don't like and I did sort of enjoy it, but I could probably talk about songs that I don't like for awhile. There's just so much crap on the radio nowadays. So go out and discover your own music, don't just let the radio pump you full of these terrible songs.

Protest the Hero

My taste in music is always changing and with the addition of more country to my music library, I think I can finally say that I listen to every genre of music. I say listen because some people have a lot of music, but haven't listened to all of it. I have. I did it last year and will embark on the journey of listening to every song on my iTunes this summer.

Anyways. In contrast to my previous post about a very popular genre in America, the band for today, Protest the Hero, is held in a genre that comes with a stigma of aggression, violence, and screaming (among other things), and with a much smaller fan base than country. I'm talking of course about metal. There are many different kinds of metal just like there are many different genres of rock. They have similarities and differences, but in the end they can all be held under the umbrella of metal.

Protest the Hero, a "progressive metal" band hailing from Canadia (Yes. That is what I call Canada. Deal with it. It's one of my favorite countries). My love for Canadia has something to do with my love of this band and may even be the reason I started listening to them in the first place. I had seen shirts for the band when I was in Canadia when I was 11 and when I started hearing about them in America I had to listen to them.

The one thing I will say about this band that may get them more listeners is that it sounds very similar to dubstep music, except for one HUGE difference. It's made by actual instruments and actual musicians. And yes there is real singing, not just screaming. Not just people who get bored and put some electronic sounds together to make music. I'm not bashing dubstep (because I really like that genre of music too), I'm just saying that a DJ is not the same as a musician in my mind. Yes the bass might not drop as much as it does in a dubstep song, but that's because it's too busy pounding into your brain. It may not sound pleasant, but give it a shot!

This was the first "metal" band that I had really given a chance and I'm glad I did. The intricacies and aggressive guitar playing on their first album Kezia are incredible. As a debut album this was released in America in 2006 and I fell in love with it. It's a concept album about a woman (Kezia) in prison who is sentenced to death. The story is told through three different perspectives, the priest presiding over her execution, a prison guard (who will do the executing), and Kezia. Each character gets three songs on the album and the tenth song ties it all together.

Outstandingly fun to listen and dance to Kezia has some stand out tracks. However, my favorite song on the album is "Turn Soonest To The Sea." (Video with lyrics underneath here) I put the lyrics in with this because until you've heard the song many times you really can't understand a lot of what they say. That's not even what makes this song great. It's the cool, intricate, technically accurate, and at times face-melting guitars throughout the entire song.

The second album they released, Fortress, is more deafening and exciting than the first one! For some that may be a huge turn off from the band immediately. But I assure you the onslaught of drums, guitars, and vocals and the combinations of notes and rhythms they come up with are unbelievable. I don't know how they play them as well as they do.

This album follows the pattern of a three act structure of the first album, this time with piano interludes between the three acts. It's an incredible album as a whole following themes of goddess worship. It "degenders" the lord and savior and follows some Irish myths. Intricate guitars and awesome, albeit strange lyrics lace this album with intensity. The first single and video off this album is "Bloodmeat" (view it here). And the second one is "Sequoia Throne" and is here. The thing that got me the first time I saw a video of them is that most of not all of the band members do not have huge beard. A staple in many metal bands.

I haven't listend to their newest album Scurrilous much yet, but from what I have listened to it is more of what they are known for, but the lyrics became more personal than they were ever before. Still aggressive and fun to listen to. They mess with time signatures way more than on previous albums. And it's fantastic! Listen to "C'est La Vie" the first single and video here! It's a fun one!

A lot of people overlook metal music, but if you give it a chance and really listen to it you may be surprised by what you hear.

The Avengers

Last year was my self-proclaimed year of Ryan Gosling. This year it seems that it is the year of Joss Whedon. So far having two huge movies in the theater: Cabin in the Woods and The Avengers. Both are incredible and worth multiple viewings. The Avengers had an advantage having the full process of prequels before it so it didn't need to be riddled with backstory of the main characters, but could enjoy having the ability to create a memorable story filled with action, comedy, and energy.

Dating back to 2008, with Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk (with Edward Norton), the Avengers series of movies began with a bang. An argument could be made that it dates back to 2003 with the garbage that was Hulk with Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, but it's really not even worth watching. Then came Iron Man 2 and then last year we got Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. Each of the four character's solo films are definitely worth watching, but not needed before seeing The Avengers. It does however add lots of depth to the characters allowing the movie to flow and focus on character development and an enthralling storyline.

It opens with the Tessarect, a mysterious cube of energy, being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D., a dark matter and intelligence division of the government and the re-introduction of our villain: Loki, Thor's brother. This leads into the action throughout, with bouts between Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and Iron Man. The time these four spend fighting each other makes for some of the most entertaining parts of the film and when they begin to work together the combinations we get to see are outstanding!

Replete with mind-blowing action sequences ranging in span and scope, many times leaving me leaning forward in my seat, or sitting with my mouth agape. Every sequence was so well done even though I knew much of it was fake. I didn't care. My palms, which usually only sweat in movies dealing with climbing, were sweaty the whole time. Probably due to my excitement. Seeing it in a nearly full theater helped a lot too. People were cheering and yelling at the screen. It was exactly the way everyone should see it. AND it was in 3D, making it even that much better. I raised my hands in disbelief or excitement far too many times and was probably overly hyped up, but it is a fantastic movie.

Not only were there a lot of action scenes, but the script had many shining moments, from Hulk's one-liners, to Iron Man's clever retorts, and the always enjoyable Thor/Captain America not understanding references. That's one of my favorite things about this movie. The small details in the script make this movie for me. Keeping Thor speaking like he is straight out of a Shakespeare play and keeping Captain America speaking like he's from the 1940's, which he is.

One thing that plagued the Hulk part of the Avengers was the actor. He hasn't been played by the same actor in any of the films of the last 10 years, previously played by Eric Bana and Edward Norton. Now they finally found the right guy for the job: Mark Ruffalo. Things have changed now. He signed on for six movies, playing the role of Bruce Banner/the Hulk. This means that besides the 2013 sequels Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 and 2014's Captain America 2, we can probably count on seeing a(nother) reboot of the Hulk. This would be amazing because I think Ruffalo's Hulk was by far the best Hulk.

The acting by everyone is incredible. Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Black Widow, Agent (Phil) Coulson, and Loki, among a few others all being reprised by the same actors. Loki was especially convincing as the villain and really upped his game this time around. The banter amongst Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and Bruce Banner is hilarious. I was in stitches from many different lines. My absolute favorite line was given by Banner towards the end of the movie, when he finally reveals his secret for not turning into the Hulk.

Samuel L. Jackson is as great as ever playing Nick Fury, bringing honor and heart to this character. He puts his trust in the Avengers and keeps the audience on track when we may take a small dip in the action. And Scarlett Johansson is perfect as Black Widow, a spy with an interesting and entertaining interrogation technique. I can't not talk about Jeremy Renner as Hawk Eye was stellar as well. The acting on all accounts proves that even superhero movies can have some of the best acting even though much is left to special effects in these movies.

The Avengers was completely full of awesome special effects and camera angles. Oftentimes showing us a canted angle of the characters. Just a joy to watch. The special effects for each of the Avengers were perfect. Especially the Hulk. Thanks to motion-capture technology the Hulk seemed more real and lifelike than ever before. I can't go into much more detail without giving things away. And one final camera technique only used towards the end of the film were sporadic zooms similar to mockumentaries. It brought out details that otherwise may have gone unnoticed or forgotten.

I'm not sure if I did this movie justice in writing. Just see it. If you're looking for a standalone movie to see in the theaters see Cabin in the Woods, but if you're looking for the best superhero movie of all time, and maybe one of the coolest action movies of the past ten years go see The Avengers.

Eli Young Band

For a long time I have been firmly anti-country music. I really liked only one country singer: Willie Nelson. The only reason for that was because I was listening to him since I was very young thanks to my mom. I do have to admit to a guilty pleasure of mine, the Dixie Chicks. But aside from those two country artists I hadn't really thought of diving into this genre of music.

Mainly because of the stereotypes: all country songs are about losing either a job, a lover, or a pet (most often a horse or dog). Who wants to listen to songs like that constantly? Apparently a lot of America.

But a friend of mine showed me one song off the Eli Young Band's newest album: Life At Best and I was hooked. Whether it was because of the simple beginning to the song or because of the lyrics the first 30 seconds enthralled me and made me excited to hear the rest of the album.

"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" is the opening track (video here) and the one that started to change my mind about country music. The harmonies they hit at 30 seconds into the song are perfect for this song. The power behind this chorus stays for the rest of the song. But the lyrics were what really drew me in. The opening lyrics remind me of why I love music so much. It was very reminiscent to me because it's a similar feeling I've always had about music.

"Way back on the radio dial

A fire got lit inside a bright eyed child

Every note just wrapped around his soul

From steel guitars to Memphis all the way to rock n roll"

I realize it may not be a typical country song, but something about it just touched me. From the opening lyrics to the chorus, reminding the listener to "keep on dreaming even if it breaks your heart." A great, but very simple, beginning to a fantastic album.

The first single off the album was "Crazy Girl" (video here) and to be honest it took a few listens to actually appreciate this song. I don't listen to the radio so I wasn't aware this was a radio song. Another simple song, this chorus finally worked for me once I noticed that they change the meaning of the phrase: Crazy Girl. It goes from meaning a girl who is crazy to how much the lead singer Mike Eli loves this girl: like crazy, girl.

I have two more favorite songs off of this album. The first one is "Every Other Memory." I would have posted another link, but I couldn't find a link to the actual album version. Every link I found was sped up and messed with my head because I didn't remember it being that fast. Either way it's another great song. This one is about losing someone you love a stereotype the Eli Young Band doesn't fall into as often as other country bands these days.

My last favorite song on this album is "War On A Desperate Man" (best video I could find here). Unfortunately the video I linked to isn't the full Eli Young Band, but is just Mike Eli. Not that it's not good, it's just missing the harmonies present on the album. This song's lyrics are incredible and fitting of anyone who's ever been down or been in tough times. Ending the war on a desperate man by taking a stand and fixing your problems however you see fit. It may be one of the slower songs on the album, but it's an outstanding one!

Overall Life At Best is an album about life. How it can be a struggle, but rewarding at the same time. It reminds the listener to live through the ups and downs and appreciate everything around you. Definitely check it out! And when you're done listening to this check out the rest of Eli Young Band's music because it's all awesome! (Even though it's country)

The Dear Hunter (Acts I, II, & III)

Another band that doesn't get the recognition it should is The Dear Hunter. It's a band that, in my opinion, cannot fit into one genre. Yes it's a rock band, but there are influences of every type of rock you can think of: folk rock, dance rock, pop rock, rock ballads, among others. The Dear Hunter also seems unafraid to delve into other types of music too, shown in The Color Spectrum series of EPs.

What started as a side project for Casey Crescenzo's music that didn't fit with his band at the time The Receiving End of Sirens, ended up becoming a full time duty for him. He had originally planned not to really pursue it until he released his self-recorded demos and people loved it.

When he knew he had fan support he recorded an EP, which turned out to be the first act of his six album story, entitled Act I: The Lake South, The River North. The idea for this story was that it would follow the birth, life, and abrupt death of a boy known only as The Dear Hunter.

In Act I we are presented with the conception and birth of the main character to a prostitute named Ms. Terri. Some notable songs on this first act are "The Inquiry of Ms. Terri," "The Pimp and the Priest," and "His Hands Matched His Tongue." Each one lasts about six minutes and vary in the tempos and themes of the song. The last of the three is probably my favorite because it exemplifies one of my favorite things about this band, Casey's incredible vocals. His voice is smooth, but has a big range. Click here to listen.

In Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading the main character's mother, Ms. Terri, dies and he goes in search of information on his mother. He goes to a bordello and falls in love with a prostitute Ms. Leading, but they fall out of love. Another great part of this story are the names of the characters. Ms. Terri is an obvious mystery to our hero and Ms. Leading is a misleading character for our hero.

This act has an incredible amount of good songs to the point that I couldn't pick out even just three that are my favorite. So for that reason I'll pick the most famous song they have: "Red Hands." It starts off slow, but picks up by the end and is another awesome example of Casey's voice. This time not staying smooth the entire time when he stretches to the outskirts of his range. It's a fun song to listen to and just jam out to. Listen here.

Entitled Act III: Life and Death, the most critically acclaimed and probably most diverse album yet has a very interesting story that can only be pulled out after listening to it many times. Here goes my best interpretation. We find our hero has become a soldier and is fighting in a war. He finds his father while he is telling stories of his time in the bordello to other soldiers. Then he gets saved by an unnamed soldier who turns out to be his step-brother. His step-brother gets killed and his father shows no remorse. So, our hero poisons his father to try and take his step-brother's place with his step-mother. In the end our hero reflects on what has happened in his life and he questions whether or not he'll be able to love again.

Act III, like the second act, is outstanding. I think Act III stands out simply because it is so diverse. Beginning with a purely (for most of it) acapella track leading into a smashing of guitars and strong drumming in the background. It's a great opening to a record. One of my favorite things about this record is the fact that it starts out quiet and slow and ends quiet and slow, but throughout the middle we get piano rock, heavy rock, and awesome harmonies throughout. Two of my favorite songs are "He Said He Had A Story" (here) and "The Beautiful Life" (here). The first of the two is the story of our hero's time in the bordello with Ms. Leading from Act II. It's a funny story and very well thought out. Backing vocals provide the soldiers responses to "The Dear Hunter's" story. "The Beautiful Life" is another fantastic song with great vocals and interesting lyrics and a fantastic tempo change in the middle it's a fun song to sing-along to in the car or wherever really.

This band is very fun to listen to and I try and tell everyone I know about them. I try and get everyone to listen to them and help spread the word. It seems to be working, but who knows, maybe my friends are just appeasing me and agreeing with me so I stop telling them to listen to this band. Since this already is really long. I'm doing another post about them sometime about The Color Spectrum series and about the first time I saw them live.