Lately my favorite blog, This Recording, has been running a series in which their contributers list off things they find hilarious. I had so much fun reading through their lists that I decided to compile my own. So la tee da, and here we go . . .


Michael Ian Black vs. David Sedaris, Canadians, mustaches, baby animals, Wesley Willis, the Elaine dance, My Cousin Vinny, hungry hippos, RZA, monkeys, horoscopes, Tim McNamara, The Jerky Boys, zoomba pants, that's what she said, Jerry Stiller, comb overs, Pootie Tang, Mad Libs, Charlie's America Song:



The Muppets in Space, miniature golf, Florida, urban cowboys, Jens Lekman, Keith Richards, the Jimmy's down Seinfeld episode, the old men in the Muppets, Wanda Sykes, Dr. Katz, Elmer Fudd, Michael Cera, roller disco, Snoop Dogg, Joey Buttafucco, sarahspy, this AFSME parody:



Aziz Ansari's Shittiest Mixtape, Vik Prjonsdottir's Beard Cap design, 80's night, kitchen banter, Kevin Smith, Home Movies, Kevin James, The King of Queens, Jim Gaffigan, synchronized swimming, the monster mash, That 70's Show, hula hoops, drunk boxing on Tricor, Home Movies' Guitarmageddon episode, Ken Marino casting himself as the asshole in Diggers, $240 dollars worth of pudding, Bill Murray, the Beastie Boys' video for Futterman's Rule:



Real talk, Bel Biv DeVoe, David Arquette and Luke Perry in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, dogs in sweaters, Napoleon Dynamite, celebrities, Wet Hot American Summer, The Flight of the Conchords, Redman, Arrested Development, Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, when Kate and I go too far with a joke, Grand Royal Magazine, bro-downs, pinatas, the bible belt, politics, Mahna Mahna, Steve Martin, toupees, fat guy in a little coat, Kramer, shoulder pads, 30 Rock:



Snicker doodles, Greg King, Bob Dylan, James Franco, Michael Showalter, Demetri Martin's Trendspotting segments on the Daily Show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The New Kids on the Block, when Jon Stewart bros down and has giggle fits with his guest, how Jacob loves Ludacris, Arnold Schwartzenagger's resume, George Bush senior skydiving on his 80th birthday, Seinfeld, Fuzz the Musical on Mr. Show, my google search for "inappropriate dinosaur", David Letterman prime-time specials:



And of course, Legends of Springsteen:



Related Posts:
My Top 5 Pics from the "50 Greatest Comedy Sketches of All Time"
Top Ten: Most Ridiculous Road-Trip Events

When my infatuation with The Felice Brothers peaked a few months back, I came across a precious little project called Black Cab Sessions, for which the brothers performed a haunting true story of a Ruby Mae, a murdered cabaret singer. The song is beautifully heartbreaking to begin with, and the intimacy provided by the close corners of a cab turned makeshift venue, somehow seems strangely appropriate.

The concept of the Black Cab Sessions is the most simplified of formats, "One song. One take. One cab." The project is a Just So Films creation in collaboration with Hidden Fruit, and the goal is to provide a vehicle to promote newly discovered acts. What's neat is that each performance is marked as a chapter, chronologically, and you can literally watch the sessions evolve from a humble and uncertain start in chapter one, to a somewhat established organization at chapter forty-six, which is the present span of their work.

The unique nature of this experiment makes for consistent spontaneity, given the setting. The format itself lacks certainty in it's fundamental elements. For one, the cab drivers don't always seem thrilled by the activities taking place within their ride. Also, in many cases the band has to select which members perform, due to limited space. All sets are acoustic, thus the musicians have to be resourceful and improvise when necessary. Still each performance feels full of energy and possibility. I'm consistently impressed by the wide array of instruments that make their way into the cabs, including fiddles, accordions, casio keyboards, etc.

In addition to the Felice Brothers set, a few other performances really stand out in my opinion. So of course I will share my favorites with you. Here are the Black Cab Sessions of Lykke Li (which Sarah left uncovered in her review of "I'm Good, I'm Gone" acoustic sets), My Morning Jacket, Spoon, and Sunset Rubdown.

Last night Stephen Colbert confronted the Cookie Monster in defense of the "pro-cookie agenda."



Hard hitting news with a sugary coating.

On Wednesday night I was fortunate enough to plant myself front and center for the RZA show at Emo's. If you know me, that does paint a somewhat conspicuous picture, but you know I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Austin was the second U.S. stop on the promo tour for the new Bobby Digital album, Digi Snacks, which will be released on June 24th. The cover art alone (above) demands some attention.

I personally love the RZA (to the point of a mini-crush). I mean, he is the goofy, endearing, organizational mastermind behind the Wu Collaboration, but I was a little nervous the show might turn out to be a rocky showcase. Thankfully, it was definitely a positive experience. There were some slight technical difficulties on stage, but I had the benefit of proximity, which granted us some ridiculous allowances that ultimately compensated for any rough spots. Yes, Margaret and I did gank a bottle of champagne from stage after RZA sprayed the crowd and dropped it right in front of our faces. We were passed herbal refreshments from stage, and the RZA himself held onto both of our hands, which he insisted be in the air at all times throughout his performance.



Stone Mecca, a funky, soul-fueled ensemble, backed the RZA with a smooth energetic, humbling counterbalance to the overwhelming presence of our host and the Wu Affiliates that accompanied him on stage. To my taste, the opening acts of Solomon Childs, Black Knights and DJ Notion weren't consistently entertaining, but when Stone Mecca took over the stage, I was mesmerized. There were at least six members of Stone Mecca for this particular showcase: three songstresses who switch off on lead vocals, two guitarists, a keyboardist or two, a drummer, I lost count. I was too busy dancing. At one point their keyboardist nudged me with a copy of their new self-titled debut album, and I almost didn't avert my attention. Luckily I did and promptly packed it back in my bag at the first ease of the crowd. Seriously, I saw Rock The Bells, I know what can happen when people get excited. And there was definitely reason to get excited. RZA catered to the crowd with old Wu-Tang and Gravediggaz favorites, then peppered the mix with some new Digi Snacks. Tasty, indeed.

See Also:
In which the RZA is one with his top tracks
RZA, hit me with that shit one time

A couple weeks ago, Sarahspy blogged about her favorite albums of 2008, and promptly challenged me to do the same. Sadly, it's taken me forever to find the time to meet her request, and I simply haven't had enough listening time to match her list of twenty. But at long last the time has come to reveal my list. Here are the top ten albums that have ruled my rotation so far this year, in order from most awesome, to slightly less awesome, and so forth.

The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (official release on June 16th)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

She & Him - Volume One
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Ratatat - LP3 (official release on July 8)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Man Man - Rabbit Habbits
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (official release on July 15)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon