|
Recent Entries
Syndicate Monthly Archives Revealing My Inner Geek
Karen Newton
January 23, 2008 11:53 AM
Okay, so I could bore you with how good the Band of Horses show at the Norva was Monday night. But, this is MashUp, and we’re trying to be rva-centric here so instead, I’ll tell you about my Tuesday night. The Fountain Book Store (in the Slip) and River City Cellars (in the Fan) hosted an Author Reading/Wine Tasting event last night. Now, here comes the geek part: I am one of those people who actually goes to hear writers talk about their books and read from them. Of course, this author reading had the additional bonus of being a book about buying and starting a winery in Tuscany AND a chance to taste the wines. The writer, Ferenc Mate, was a charming man full of great anecdotes of the trials and tribulations of buying a 13th century friary and planting 15 acres of grapes. You know, that following your dream thing that brave people do. Within just a few years, his wines were winning awards, so he had to be feeling pretty smug (or maybe that’s just how SOME people would be). His wines were rebels…actually the official term is Super-Tuscans, which means the winemakers don’t adhere to traditional blending laws for the region…what grapes can be mixed with what grapes and still be given authorized status (are we surprised that Italy is dead serious about its wines?). The Mate we tasted last night was a blend of sangiovese and merlot and the consensus was that it was pretty yummy (note; this is not an official wine term). Most author readings don’t include booze (which begs the question, why not?), but geeks like me still get a charge out of hearing writers read and talk. In my experience, people who can put interesting words on paper are generally pretty interesting people in person. Yea, I know, I’m just defending my geekiness. Did I mention how much I love that churning guitar sound that is Band of Horses? Dodge this
Andrew Cothern
January 23, 2008 10:09 AM
Remember when you were a kid and hated playing dodgeball? What started as a fun time at recess turned into a war zone when the bigger kids ganged up on the little guy. They made him feel like an idiot when he couldn’t dodge 12 rubber dodgeballs flying right at him from every direction. Sorry, reliving childhood trauma. You’d think that now that we’ve grown up and matured, we’d could play the game and just have fun. Not so much. Co-ed dodgeball games, put together by the River City Sports & Social Club offer a fun way to play games were too embarrassed to admit we still want to play. It’s called a “super social” team for a reason. Mostly, it inolves teams getting together, playing a fun, friendly game and then going out to the bars and drink lots of beer. A lot of the time it is. However, there are some people who still haven’t moved on from those school days and make it their mission to win (i.e. are overly competitive). Surprising it’s actually the petite girls on the opposing teams who talk the most trash. I got hit in the leg and proceeded to move off the court when a girl from the opposing team gets within an inch of my face and tells me how much better her team is. She then gets nailed in the head by a stray ball. I couldn’t think of anything more perfect. Corey’s Tips on seeing Cloverfield
Corey Amado
January 22, 2008 9:39 AM
So like many this weekend…...I went and saw Cloverfield…here are the conclusions I’ve come up with to make your viewing experience more pleasureable. 1. Seating area. 2. Stick out the motion sickness 3. Expectations 4. Subtle details. 5. Have fun. sidenote: Satisfying my inner comic book nerd
Andrew Cothern
January 21, 2008 9:05 AM
Going to Velocity Comics was probably one of the most fun assignments I’ve had. I talked with these guys on a variety of different topics - including why New York Times bestselling authors are clamoring to write comics and how female superheroes are able to fight crime in skimpy outfits. Comic books aren’t just hugely muscular guys in tights beating the crap out of each other—well, some still are. But many comics today are written by people who a) care about the characters they’re writing and b) do everything they can to make the story important. I challenged the guys to some comic book trivia. From simple stuff (Superman’s first appearance) to the tricky (What law school did Matt Murdock/Daredevil attend?). They got every question right. Yeah, every one. That’s some hardcore knowledge. I figured out what a social oasis is…
Brigitte Petrine
January 16, 2008 10:22 AM
Yet, if you take a look at the calendar you will soon realize there is more to The Camel. These are not events you would find together in most places. (Monthly drum day, a poker championship, Sufi dancing, and open mic night just to name a few…) The thing that stands out most from our visit with Alan Schintzius at The Camel is Alan’s open-mindedness towards hosting a wide range of events, groups, and social gatherings. Alan seemed completely open to hosting pretty much any kind of group and or event. Alan offered insight about how far the Broad Street area has come in past years with renovations, gallery openings, First Fridays Art Walk, and WRIR. It’s always inspiring to meet people like Alan with a passion for progressing Richmond. So, here’s to The Camel for helping to broaden Richmond’s scene. Must Hear Band!
Karen Newton
January 15, 2008 2:47 PM
Sundays can be dull nights, but sometimes you just get lucky. Last Sunday I headed out to Poe’s Pub and its smokey environs to hear local band Marionette. They originally caught my eye because they have such great flyers all over town (we’re talking art here, not just words, dates and times) done by the obviously talented Austin McAdams. But it only took one listen to be completely sucked in by their sound. Marionette is six musicians (Adam, George, Kerri, Marshall, Kevin and Chris) and a whole lot of instruments (and there’s not a lot of space at Poe’s) that produce layers and layers of sound that leave you wanting for more.The vocal harmonies and hand clapping are as integral to their complex sound as the instruments…and there’s some trading off of those, too. For those of you with a limited attention span, there are always flickering video images on the wall behind the band. But it’s their sound that should hold you enthralled; I know it did me. Darkness and light both come through in their music and I was actually sorry when their set was over. Marionette is the kind of band you know will eventually be discovered by a larger audience, so get out out there and see them now while the crowds are still manageable. Not that I’m telling anyone what to do, but IMHO… Four Stories plays final show
Andrew Cothern
January 13, 2008 9:57 AM
But the guys put on a rock-your-face off final show that included every song from their debut release “Finding the Key” as well as numerous brand new songs that were just recently recorded. The only reason we got for the breakup was explained in a long letter on the band’s myspace page:
I interviewed these guys about a year ago and they were some of the coolest, down-to-earth musicians I have ever met. You could tell that they truly cared about the music they made and the fans they had. It’s a shame they decided to split. I would have like to see how they would have evolved musically. So long, Four Stories. You will surely be missed. Listen to “Mistakes“ from their album Finding the Key Nothing’s gonna change my world
Andrew Cothern
January 10, 2008 12:01 PM
I’m seeing Across the Universe tonight at the Byrd Theatre. Again. This will be the fourth time I’ve seen it. Yes, it’s that good. I’m a bit biased since I’m a huge Beatles fan and absolutely love Beatles covers (even the bad ones for some reason). Don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re on drugs through part of the film—especially the Mr. Kite sequence with Eddie Izzard. It’s only $2, so do yourself a favor and go. |
RSS 2.0
