Conan and Carrey discuss quantum mechanics

I saw The Apples in Stereo for the first time on Thursday at Little Brother's. I won tickets from WCBE, a local NPR station. Some of you may recall that I used to be a huge fan of winning things from the radio while I was in high school, so I guess that spirit never dies. You might have heard the Apples last year if you watch The Colbert Report; they were the opening band singing "Stephen, Stephen" during the 'Countdown to Guitarmageddon' episode. They really seemed to enjoy performing - very high energy throughout. I appreciate well-crafted pop music - The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Fountains of Wayne, Jon Brion - and they are in the same vein.

David Bazan concert 2-9-07

Laura and I went to a free David Bazan concert at Kenyon College last Friday night! My favorite performer only an hour away. Well, not quite. First we had to get lost a few times on country backroads (why did they put Kenyon in the middle of nowhere?) and freeze our butts off in single-degree temps traipsing through snow to find the venue when we got there. We were sure we'd be late and miss him - we were an hour and a half behind schedule - but we got there and the first opener was just warming up. Then Pattern is Movement played, then Dave. The hall was pretty small; it was like a large living room.

We ended up about six feet away when he started. I asked about him touring with Headphones (I saw them in Cleveland in 2005, right before I ran the half-marathon) and he said that only about 6,000 albums were sold because "all you motherfuckers keep downloading it." Which is true and also why I immediately bought it and more when I got home. But Headphones is under contract to release another album so I have that to look forward to.

The clip above is from the next night on his tour, not the one we were at. But he played "Shit Talker" at both: one of my favorites.

Some Alternative Titles I Found

Harry Potter and The Progressively Less Fun Fantasy
Harry Potter and His Various Problems Which Are Worse Than Yours
Harry Potter and The Revolving Door Of Father Figures
Harry Potter and The Death of One Or Two People He Really Cares About
Harry Potter and The Many Obvious Clues Which Are Very Specific To What's Going On But Which He Doesn't Understand Until Hermione Gives Him The Answers
Harry Potter and the Very Long Quidditch Scene