It seems like the National has been touring for over three years without many breaks. While I’m loving it because it’s given me the opportunity to see them three times, it has to take its toll on the band. They were initially scheduled at the 9:30 for two shows over as many nights, but after both shows sold out in no time, they added a late show to the first night. I had a ticket to see them on the second night… would they have anything left in the tank by the time they got to their third show in two days?
Silly me for questioning these guys. Accompanied by a three-piece horns section and keyboardist, they ripped through all parts of their catalog for over an hour and a half. Lead singer, Matt Berninger was even more engaging with the crowd than I remembered. They even broke out a few new songs - "Vanderlylle," "Blood Buzz" and kicked the night off with "Runaway" (see below - thanks to I am Fuel). It's hard to describe the intensity and sincerity they bring to their shows... it's just something you have to experience.
This company was profiled on an AT&T commercial I saw this morning...
One for One is the mantra of TOMS Shoes. From their website:
TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: For every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.
I have no idea how these shoes hold up, but they sure do look comfortable. And the fact that you're helping to put shoes on a kid's feet is pretty damn cool too.
I decided while walking to work this morning that new music was going to be the theme for the day. Okay, some of my selections were not-so-new but they were new to me. Problem was that they were terrible... all of them. I can't remember where I read/heard about any of these but I wrote them down for a reason. Maybe I made a list of albums to stay away from? I don't know what the hell I was reading or thinking, but I do know that there's now some extra space on my iPod (about five albums worth). These bad boys don't even get a second listen:
It's nice to see Arcade Fire hooking their fans up during these tough economic times. Until next Friday (April 10th), you can head over to Pfork and check out MiriorNoir, their 70 minute documentary on the making/touring of Neon Bible, for FREE! After that, you'll have to lay some greenbacks down to see it. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.
From Playboy.com (I don't think they are in any particular order):
James Ellroy: American Tabloid
Cormac McCarthy: Blood Meridian
Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories
Michael Herr: Dispatched
George Orwell: Down and Out in Paris and London
Junot Díaz: Drown
Frederick Exley: A Fan's Notes
Nicholson Baker: The Fermata
Norman Mailer: The Fight
David Mamet: Glengarry Glen Ross
William Shakespeare: Hamlet
Hunter S. Thompson: Hell's Angels
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
Denis Johnson: Jesus' Son
Raymond Chandler: The Long Goodbye
Miles Davis: Miles: The Autobiography
George Saunders: Pastoralia
Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth
Philip Roth: Sabbath's Theater
Ernest Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises
"there is solid underlying rationale at work here: In each of these writings something wonderful was created from a subject that could have come off as downright bleak. There are plenty of guy reads about war, sex and sports, but only a handful that transcend those topics. These are books that help a man discover and define his own masculinity. "
I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I haven't even heard of many of these... even more so that I've read exactly zero. The closest I've come was Blood Meridian... unfortunately, I just wasn't in the mood to concentrate so I never got into it. I'll give it another go this summer.