I got the chance to talk with Nils, Amy and Paul from The RAA on top of the noisy MJQ in downtown Atlanta. Apologies for audio quality. Topics covered are the origin of “Frank, AB”, signing to Saddle Creek, what’s next for them and a little more. Hilarity ensues.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on October 29, 2009 at 3:40 pm, filed under Music.
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Back in early October I got the chance to see Rural Alberta Advantage live twice. Both in Athens and Atlanta, and both shows were great. It was great to see songs from my favorite album of the year live again and watch Nils, Amy and Paul perform some new stuff.

You’ll see an update shortly on the latest Bear Talk in which I got to talk with the cool kids from the band. Check out some live video from their show at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta below. I was more than excited to get a version of Nils singing “Eye of the Tiger” on camera, and a few other favorites from Hometowns.

Live: Rural Alberta Advantage- Don’t Haunt This Place
Live: Rural Alberta Advantage- Eye of the Tiger
Live: Rural Alberta Advantage- Edmonton
Live: Rural Alberta Advantage- Dethbridge in Lethbridge

Photos: Rural Alberta Advantage at Tasty World in Athens, GA

This entry was written by Tim, posted on at 3:34 pm, filed under Music and tagged live music atlanta, rural alberta advantage, rural alberta advantage atlanta, The RAA.
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Here is a multi-instrumentalist named Ernest Greene. He makes really dreamy songs that remind me of The Radio Dept. He is raining from South Carolina but from what I’ve heard he resides in Georgia now. The hazy sounds that he provides are from his debut EP called “Life of Leisure” are summed up by this video. I suggest picking up this 80’s influenced EP which is out now. He’s not touring much but there’s a local date at the 40Watt in Athens, GA on November 20.

Download: Washed Out- Feel It All Around

This entry was written by Tim, posted on at 3:18 pm, filed under Music and tagged feel it all around, washed out.
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Here’s what’s happening today in pop culture.

A Big Sigh of Relief for This: Hulu Won’t Start Charging You Soon
I was scared when hearing that Hulu was going to start charging in 2010 and also that Comcast bought NBC. But EW is explaining why they won’t start charging users soon. It’s a good day.

Google Launches Music Search So You Can Listen to Full Songs from Legal Sources
I’m unsure of how this is working but Google is trying to steer users into more legal ways of downloading music with its new music search feature.

NBC Orders More Episodes of Chuck, to Return in January
This is really great news and possible only because the rest of NBC’s fall lineup (such as Trauma) has sucked so much, but NBC ordered 6 more episodes of Chuck to put it up to 19 episodes for the season and will likely to be paired with Heroes in January. Geeks rejoice!

The Disgraceful DirecTV ad with David Spade and Chris Farley and Why David Spade is Defending It
When I first saw this ad I couldn’t believe they superimposed David Spade in there to sell DirecTV. I know they think it’s a great homage to him, but it’s still distasteful.

U2’s “U2-ube” Webcast Received Over 10 Million Hits
I was pretty sure that webcast was going to crash the internet, but it didn’t. It was also the biggest streaming event online, ever. If you missed it, you can catch highlights and the whole thing on Youtube. I thought the concert was only so-so.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on at 2:12 pm, filed under Etc and tagged chris farley, google music, nbc chuck, U2.
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I was pretty excited when I heard that one of my favorite dream-pop bands signed to Sub Pop. Recently I got to experience the Baltimore duo open up for Grizzly Bear, and they played a slew of new songs from their sub pop debut. Now we now from Pitchfork that the Sub Pop debut will be released on CD/LP on January 26, 2010. Now that 2009 is almost over, it’s weird to be looking upon what could be a great start to 2010 with Vampire Weekend’s Contra due the same month and a slew of other releases for next year.

On The Web: Beach House

This entry was written by Tim, posted on October 20, 2009 at 2:50 pm, filed under Music and tagged beach house, beach house music, beach house teen dream, teen dream.
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This band hailing from Montreal I caught twice opening up for The Rural Alberta Advantage a few weeks ago. They were a real treat to see live, and they had a good amount of dedicated fans which is always good. I picked up their record Fantasy of the Lot after the show and it’s a great indie pop record. Below you can check out a sweet track from the album and if you like them look them up on iTunes.

Download: Lovely Feathers- Lowiza

This entry was written by Tim, posted on October 15, 2009 at 5:13 pm, filed under Music and tagged lovely feathers.
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I love how gorgeous this video is. This video is done by Salazar Film and if you haven’t checked out their beautiful videos, you should do so now. This song is for The Brasstronauts most recent single “Old World Lies” from the EP of that same name. It’ll make you wish you were on a boat too.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on September 14, 2009 at 10:12 pm, filed under Music and tagged brasstronauts, hot video, salazar film.
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The Ongoing Saga of Kurt Cobain’s Avatar in Guitar Hero 5 and the Blamefest That Ensues
So like many other music fans, I’m appalled that Activision would allow a avatar of Kurt Cobain to roam free in Guitar Hero 5 and wreak havoc on mediocre rock songs. So who’s to blame? We’ll find out.

SNL Season 35 Premieres with Megan Fox, U2. Also lined up are Ryan Reynolds, Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler
We’ll see if they give Megan Fox any good material besides making fun of Jennifer’s Body. Also, we’ll see if Bono can hold it to less than 4 songs this time. Also lined up to host after is Ryan Reynolds, Drew Barrymore and Gerard Butler over the following 4 weeks.

Cinematical Finds Out More About Toy Story 3 and Cars 2
So more about the plots of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 has come out. Besides the knowledge that Andy is going off to college and leaving Woody behind in the sequel and that Lassiter is looking to go more grown up on this film gets me more excited because I’ve grown up with this franchise. In other news, the sequel-that-shouldn’t, Cars 2, shouldn’t be discussed because there is no Paul Newman in it and not relevant at all.

New Black Dynamite Trailer Shows More Badass Blaxsploitation, More Hope We’ll See It Someday
If you haven’t been following the press surrounding the indie film Black Dynamite, then you should take a look at this trailer. Hopefully someday it’ll get a wide release or come out on DVD.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on September 10, 2009 at 7:55 pm, filed under Etc and tagged black dynamite 3, guitar hero 5, SNL, toy story.
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Here comes another mystery band riding the indie synth-pop train. This time it’s a duo known as Neon Indian. They have a EP coming out next month entited Psychic Chasms, and after hearing a few tracks from it, it should be a rousing success when it debuts. Enjoy the track and it’s warped synth goodness below.

Download: Neon Indian- Deadbeat Summer

This entry was written by Tim, posted on at 7:36 pm, filed under Music and tagged neon indian, neon indian deadbeat summer, Psychic Chasms.
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So as we get closer to the September 22nd release date of the supergroup folk collaboration of Monsters of Folk, here is another treat from their new record to salivate over. I would describe it as dreamy-disco-folk, but I’m sure you’ll listen to this gem of a song and think up your own genre for yourself. The song features vocal contributions from James, Oberst and Ward with a chorus of angels.*

Download: Monsters of Folk: Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)

* Not actual angels. But close enough.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on August 16, 2009 at 4:35 pm, filed under Music and tagged conor oberst, jim james, m ward, monsters of folk, monsters of folk dear god mp3.
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Everything is looking pretty optimistic for Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are. Besides the thrill-inducing first teaser soundtracked by Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” and cute little title cards, the studio has just released an extended trailer with a bigger look at the wild things. I won’t say much to ruin the trailer, but it’s pretty epic. It’s about time that someone took this children’s book classic and made it into a cinematic classic, and from all the footage and pictures so far, I don’t think it’s going to dissapoint. Link Below.

Watch: Where the Wild Things Are Extended Trailer

This entry was written by Tim, posted on August 8, 2009 at 8:59 pm, filed under Movies and tagged spike jonze, Where The Wild Things Are.
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I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated, but here’s what is new:

Peter Jackson’s Lovely Bones Trailer Premieres, Rivals ‘What Dreams May Come’
For some reason I kept feeling like this was just like the movie ‘What Dreams May Come’. I haven’t read the book, but I hear this trailer is exciting for those who have. Not so much for me.

Jason Segal, Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill Set to Star in The Adventurers Handbook
Also, it’s Akiva from The Lonely Island’s directorial debut! That’s exciting right there. Oh and those other actors are pretty cool too.

Fuck Yeah! Final Machete Casting News! Featuring More Robert De Niro Confirmation! Sadly, It Also Features Lindsay Lohan
So the cast list so far on the spinoff movie from Grindhouse features Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Cheech Marin and Don Johnson and Lindsay Lohan. It’ll be interesting. Next up, Thanksgiving.

Jarvis Cocker Writes Songs for Russell Brand’s Character in Get Him to the Greek
So in more amazing music news, the one and only Jarvis is writing 3 songs for the spinoff of Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Russell Brand again as Aldous Snow.

This entry was written by Tim, posted on August 6, 2009 at 12:52 pm, filed under Etc.
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