Software Soapbox

Dean Torrence (from Jan & Dean) & The Surf City All stars

Playing Help Me Rhonda at Super Run 2007

Beck on the future of music delivery

via Wired

Answer the following: You heard Beck's last album, Guero, (a) online as an unfinished mix that was leaked in late 2004; (b) as the official 2005 Interscope CD release, which contained most of the tracks on the leaked version plus a few new songs; (c) as the deluxe CD/DVD edition, complete with seven bonus tracks, a surround sound mix, and interactive video art to accompany every song; (d) in one of the many unauthorized fan mashups floating around the Net; (e) not as Guero at all, but as Guerolito, a commercially released companion piece featuring remixes by Diplo, Adrock, and Boards of Canada.

Movie Review: Leonard Cohen - I'm your Man

I heard and posted about this a few months ago, but last night I found out that  the new movie, Leonard Cohen - I'm your Man, was showing in theaters.  Even better, it was showing in Vegas!  I was waiting for the video, but this was a big surprise. And better yet, it was playing in a casino theater, where under happy and curious arrangements, you can have a drink while watching a movie. 

My thoughts:  Good show, but I found Nick Cave's tribute heartfelt, but still annoying.  Antony was weird, but I liked him.  Rufus Wainwright's interpretations were a great tribute.  And a great surprise backup band on tower of song!

I also couldn't help but notice that the darker songs were referenced briefly but mostly avoided in performance.

The big surprise for me was off-screen - there were 5 people in the theater including me....I was expecting a total of 1, being Vegas and all.  We all introduced ourselves after the credits.

The verdict: Gin and Tonic, a quiet theater, and Leonard's music is a good combination.

One last surprise - Mel Gibson was one of the producers. Maybe he was drinking after getting the box office numbers....;)

Crappy Phone Camera Pictures of the Rolling Stones and U2 in Vegas - Enjoy!

Saw the Rolling Stones on March 4 in Vegas.  The photos have been rattling around in My phone since then, today I had my first chance to download them. 

I had great seats for the Rolling Stones concert.  About 20 feet from the stage, on the right hand side.  The attendees in that section were interesting.....A bunch of guys from Ameritrade (the corporate sponsor) sporting "VIP badges", and in my row, 6 young ladies and an older woman...All hot.  What I refer to as professionally hot....Anyway, they all left about 45 minutes into the concert, so I had the row to myself.  Here are the photos; the camera took some poetic license with the images......They're either crappy or artistically abstract, depending on your point of View.  Also some U2 concert photos from December.

 

Beware when buying tickets from the House of Blues!

Last weekend I went to see Bill Maher at the House of Blues here in Las Vegas.  I was especially looking forward to the show after seeing Bill’s Segment with Bill, Ward Churchill and a World Trade Center victim’s Brother on Real Time.  I don’t usually do a lot of yelling at the TV, but that was one time when I did.

Here in Vegas The House of Blues has a special “Two for tu” offer, every Tuesday.  Tickets are two for the price of one, a pretty good deal – or so it would seem.  I’ve never taken advantage of the offer, but this week Bill Maher’s session on Saturday night was offered, so I clicked though.  The ticket price was $32.00 for “General Admission”. So far so good.  I’ve been there before and knew that they have balcony seats upstairs and a bar-type place downstairs.  The stage is about 8 feet off the ground and is best viewed from the seats in the stands.

Cargo Container Nomadic Museum Set for NY Debut

via Reuters

Perched on a Manhattan pier where the doomed Titanic would have docked now sits the largest temporary exhibit space ever created in New York, fashioned from battered and rusted cargo containers.

The Nomadic Museum -- a 45,000-sq.-foot project that opens on Saturday -- is made of materials most would consider either an eyesore or garbage.

The walls are made of more than a hundred stacked cargo containers assembled in a checkerboard pattern. The interior includes a curtain fashioned from one-million pressed paper tea bags and the floor is made of recycled scaffolding planks.

Ralph Lauren's cars at the the Boston Museum of Fine Arts

via Forbes

For years, a lucky few have been given glimpses of the billionaire designer's famous stable of exotic and extremely rare cars.  Among the highlights are the astonishingly gorgeous 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic Coupe, arguably the most impressive car in the collection, and the Art Nouveau, somewhat predatory, 1930 Mercedes-Benz "Count Trossi" SSK, with its distinctive aerodynamic pontoon fenders, long and low bonnet and tapered tail.       

Marvel Ordered to Pay Spider-Man Creator

via Reuters

A federal judge has ordered Marvel Enterprises Inc. to pay the creator of the comic book character Spider-Man 10 percent of Marvel's profits from the "Spider-Man" movies, Marvel said on Wednesday.

U2 Tour Set to Begin March 28 in San Diego

via Reuters.com

Following two months of U.S. shows, the Vertigo tour will hit some 30 European stadiums, beginning June 10 in Brussels. The band will stay in Europe through mid-August, then return to North America for another run of 30 arena dates.

Jazz History Artifacts Set for New York Auction

via Reuters

Jazz memorabilia ranging from Charlie Parker's saxophone to Ella Fitzgerald's evening gown are headed for the auction block next month in New York, an auction house said on Thursday.

Other items at the Feb. 20 sale will include unreleased tape recordings of music by Parker and handwritten compositions and arrangements by composers John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk, representatives for Guernsey's Auction House said.

Parker's saxophone could fetch as much as $1 million, as could a tenor sax that belonged to Coltrane.