Rediscovering the magic of Low

When I was out in L.A. earlier this year, I picked up Low's "Things We Lost in the Fire" on vinyl.

It had been a while since I listened to Low. I quickly rediscovered the band's awesome vocal harmonies, gentle songs and overall brilliance.

I got a box of records in the mail from Sub Pop today, including Low's "The Great Destroyer."

Here's the video for the song, "Monkey," from that 2005 album.



I know I'm not saying anything that everyone doesn't already know, but I felt compelled to give Low a shout out. What a special band, what special music.

This is the kind of stuff that makes you think, "Yeah, you know what? Life IS good."

McG's movie pick: Things We Lost in the Fire

Really thought this movie was special.

It's a bit melodramatic at times (I think that was the point), but the acting is top notch - especially Benecio Del Toro's performance.

Here's the trailer:

Emma Pollock interview on phillyBurbs.com

Here's my interview with Emma Pollock!

Emma plays tonight in Philly at the Trocadero, opening for The New Pornographers.

“You know, after all these years,” says Pollock, “I’m really enjoying playing live at the moment. It’s a wonderful time."

"It’s just such an exciting thing to be playing with The New Pornographers. They’re a band that I’m very fond of. Neko Case is one of my favorite female vocalists."

phillyBurbs.com: Emma Pollock: (Just Like) Starting Over

High Karate to reunite for Delaware gig at Mojo 13, December 22, 2007

Legendary punk-pranksters High Karate will once again get together - this time for a one-off gig at Wilmington, Delaware's Mojo 13.

The reuinted group features original members, the brothers Duvall (Al and Andy), along with longtime pal Rick Hodgson (Tube Dutch) filling in on bass.

High Karate at Mojo 13

VIDEOS: Stupid QVC guy / Bad ladder sales guy

Who is the bigger idiot? The guy in this video ...



Or the guy in this video ...



My money is on the guy in the second video.

Ticket giveaway: The Police at the Wachovia Center, Nov. 14 in Philadelphia, PA

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da...

The place where I work, phillyBurbs.com is giving away two tickets to see The Police at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Entry form here:
phillyBurbs.com: THE POLICE TICKET GIVEAWAY

Greyhound Reach the Beach 2007 photos

Here are my pics from the recent Greyhounds Reach the Beach gathering in Dewey Beach, Delaware.

McG's 2007 GRTB pics

Kelly and I spent a few days on holiday in Rehoboth Beach and got to see and pet plenty of greys!

It turned out to be a nice time, even if we did miss a day because I had an allergic reaction to some antiobiotics.

McG's 2007 GRTB pics on flickr
Greyhounds Reach the Beach official site

Nice Emma Pollock review, Philly show preview soon

Here's a nice review of Emma Pollock's "Watch the Fireworks."

indie-mp3.co.uk: Emma Pollock - Watch The Fireworks

I intervied Emma the other day ... I'll have a show preview on pBurbs next week.

Will definitely post a link!

Van Halen: What a mess (with video goodness)

Apparently I didn't miss much by skipping Van Halen's recent show in Philly.

Check out Diamond Dave as he jumps up and down on an enormous microphone and waves to the audience like a beauty pageant contestant.



And if you needed proof that Diamond Dave and the boys should have never made up, here's Van Halen on the opening night of their 2007 comeback tour.

Something really ain't right with that pre-recorded keyboard part.

Watch this and tell me this isn't awful.

London pics online, tagged with descriptions

I finally went through all of my London photos on flickr.

They are now tagged and have witty commentary from yours truly.

flickr: McG & Kelly's London Sept. 07 photo set

Review: The Fab Faux at Keswick Theatre, October 13, 2007

Here is my recap of The Fab Faux' recent Philly shows during which they performed "Revolver" and "Abbey Road."

phillyBurbs.com: Fab Faux gets standing O at Keswick Theatre

Uncle George Brennan

Here's the obituary for my uncle, George Brennan.

George's viewing, Funeral Mass and burial were today.

It was a tough day, especially for my aunt and cousin.

Like myself, George was an animal lover.

George was a life member the Darby Fire Patrol #2.

He was a member of the Colwyn Fire Company where he served as President for the last five years.

George earned the Purple Heart for his service as a veteran of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

George's hospice care was provided by VITAS.

As you may know, VITAS is one of the organizations that I am volunteer for as a pet therapy provider.

This is what I want my house to be like

I really love greyhounds. When they get together, they will roo together, which is a combination of whining, crying and barking. Believe it or not, this would be heaven to my ears.


A smaller group will do the roo as well:

Up for grabs: Aretha Franklin rarities CD

My work is giving away five copies of the newly released Aretha Franklin CD.

It's called "Rare and Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul."

There are two CDs worth of tracks spanning from 1966 through 1973.

Entry form is here.

Fab Faux at Keswick Theatre show preview

I'm going to check out The Fab Faux tomorrow at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA.

Here's a show preview that I wrote for work.

The Fab Faux keeps Beatles' 'Inner Light' alive

Here's the Fab Faux performing John Lennon's "I Don't Want to Face It."



While that's pretty cool, I don't think that video/song even touches their live stuff, such as "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

Awesome: 'Kurt Cobain About a Son' trailer

Really looking forward to checking this film out.

Video: Sal goofing on Gary

Quick clip from Howard TV of Sal Governale messing with Gary.

Love Gary's expression just before Sal comes into office.

Cleveland's Screaming: Punk documentary clips

The documentary film Cleveland's Screaming had its debut screening this weekend ... where else, in Cleveland!

The trailers are pretty good: Some vintage VHS show footage and interviews. I kind of think the first one is better than the second one.

Trailer #1
Trailer #2

But this clip really gave me a good idea of how the film really focuses in on the Cleveland scene and some of the earliest punk bands to come out that scene such as The Electric Eels.

McG's yard sale: Dell PA 12 AC adapter for UK

Today I am selling a gently used Dell PA-12 AC adapter. This is the 65 volt edition for use in the United Kingdom, NOT in the USA.

I went over to London, forgot my power cord for my Latitude, so I picked this one up over there. Used it for a week, it worked flawlessly, now I'm done with it.

Here's the listing on eBay:
eBay.com: DELL PA 12 AC ADAPTER UK 65 VOLT

This item features two pieces:

1. The original Dell power source and cord.
2. A Volex (Non-Dell) cord that actually plugs into the outlet.

This is everything you need to power up your laptop! Like I said, it worked like a charm for me.

This power cord is compatible with most Dell Inspiron and Dell Latitude laptops including:

DELL INSPIRON
300m, 500m, 505m, 600m, 630m, 640m, 700m, 710m, 6000, 6400, XPS M140, M1210, E1405, 1501, E1505

DELL LATITUDE
D400, D410, D420, D430, D500, D505, D510, D520, D531, D600, D610, D620, D630, D631, D800, D810, D830, X300, 131L

DELL PRECISION
M20, M65

Please take a second to check compatibility list before purchasing.

The AC adapter model # is: PA-1650-05D2.

Shipping:

United States:
Priority Mail (with delivery confirmation, tracking number): $9.90

Canada and Mexico:
First Class Mail International: $7.50

All other countries:
First Class Mail International: $14.90

Any questions, drop me an e-mail.

Agent Orange at Mojo 13, Wilmington, DE, 10/28/07

I think I'm going to check this show out.

Props to Mojo 13 for getting some out of town bands / big name bands / old school punk bands into Wilmington.

Mojo 13 on MySpace
Agent Orange on MySpace
last.fm: Agent Orange at Mojo 13