Edgefest 22 part 2

My friend Andy says that he doesn't' like Cage. I didn't know why until I heard/saw them live. Don't get me wrong I still like to rock out to "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" but the singer is a bit much.

I saw him rolling around on stage and looking rather... out of it during one of their songs. Maybe he was tired from traveling or something but I didn't much care for the performance.

Rating: 4/10 Below average

Evanescence wasn't as cool as she use to be either. Or maybe she is just as cool and I have grown up. She played her hits and did a decent show but she doesn't have anyone do the guy singing parts anymore. So here hit song Bring Me to Life lacked the guy singing about bring her to life... Some audience tried to compensated but it failed.

Rating: 4/10 Below average

Cake was a godsend. They played songs from most of their albums. Also they had the audience singing different parts of their newest song "Sick of You". He split up the audience into about 1/4th and had them sing "I want to fly away" while the rest sang "I'm so sick of you; I'm so sick of me; I don't want to be with you." It was pretty epic. He started to slowly divide us with yells. He didn't tell us to he just started to raise his hands like a conductor and made each half compete. It was very engaging. I wasn't the biggest fan of the song when I first heard it but after seeing them perform it I am impressed.

This is just a small taste.

Rating: 8/10 Great (I would put it higher but they only get about an hour to play)

Garbage. Well I can say that they are not Garbage. Sure they haven't been here in 10 years but they have  a few cool songs. I would have had Garbage go before Cake but that's just me. They entertained me with their few hits that I knew and put on a decent performance.

Rating: 7/10 Good

The Black Keys. Oh man. Talk about a band that rocks. I am so glad that they are getting the respect they deserve after playing for over a decade. To that point though I wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. Maybe I was just tired after 3 days of non stop banquets, social events, and Edgefest but I was expecting a melting of my face. A rocking that would be as epic as My Morning Jacket. The show was good but not that good. Again they only had about an hour or so to rock it but I thought that they would have done better.

Rating: 8/10 Great



So how was the show overall? It was one of my lower ranking Edgefests that I have been to though I have only been to about 5. It was worth the price of entry and accommodation.

 Overall Rating: 8/10 Great

Edgefest 22 Part 1

Edgefest 22 was pretty cool. I went this Sunday it was an adventure. The line up was

The Black Keys, Garbage, Cake, Evanescence, Cage the Elephant, Blue October, Arctic Monkeys, The Ting Tings, Neon Trees, Foxy Shazam, Civil Twilight, Switchfoot

I ended up getting there around when Civil Twilight was starting up. The only bands I really wanted to see were Cake, The Black Keys, Ting Tings and Arctic Monkeys. They did not disappoint though the last two played while I was wondering around the stadium.

I usually like to review one band or one song for the site but I decided to review all of Edgefest. I have been to 4 or 5 Edgefests so I sort of know the drill. You pay about $55 for a ticket through Ticketmaster and you get about 2 really great bands and some bands with their current hits on the radio. Also you have to calculate that Blue October, Evanescence, and a few other stables will probably be there. Last year was epic since Weezer, Jane's Addiction, Airborne Toxic Event, Young the Giant, Panic at The Disco. Flogging Molly, AWOLNATION, and many more were there.

Of course that show sold out within the day. This show did not sell out. Still the price is about right for 2 good bands and a day long event. 

Pizza Hut park does need to fix a few things. They have very few water fountains. I went up to a few stands to just buy a cup of ice but they said they had to charge me $4 for water. I wouldn't mind except this is Texas and people need water to live. I saw very few water stations for people to go to for hydration and trust me I saw plenty of people who needed water. 

I wasn't front and center for the whole concert so I can only review Cage the Elephant and the bands above it. I would like to make a quick note that Foxy Shazam sounded fairly bad and the other bands sounded above average.

The Cabin in the Woods: Guest reviewer Brett Fowler

What. The. Fuck.

I love horror movies. I love Drew Goddard since his days on “Buffy.” I have a secret geek crush on Fran Kranz since his short stint on the underrated “Dollhouse.” So naturally, you’d assume that I’m a shoe-in for liking “The Cabin in the Woods.” But I can’t help but feel like I could have spent those two hours of my life that I spent in this movie doing something productive, like oh say masturbating or pooping.

Not actual picture of Brett masturbating or pooping.

I was psyched for this movie, and perhaps my dismal opinion of the film itself is a product of all the hype surrounding it. I had high expectations and somehow, the film managed to shit on all of them. That mind-blowing twist you’ve heard critics raving about? Yeah… it was as if a third grader wrote it after snorting lines of Pixie Sticks and drinking too many cans of Surge.

We think "The Cabin in the Woods" is a better name than "Poopy Pants House", Tyler.

As an avid lover of all things horror, I can tell you the movie was neither scary nor half as “meta” or clever as an episode of “Community.” I guess I expected a tribute to the “Scream” franchise, but unfortunately the movie didn’t even come close. The movie fails because it’s neither scary nor clever, and what results is a sort of bastard byproduct of a script that doesn’t know exactly what the fuck it is. It wasn’t scary, it wasn’t all that funny, and it wasn’t anything that I haven’t seen done before.

Brett's WTF face during the movie.

What made “Scream” so amazing to the horror genre was it’s ability to both scare and humor it’s audience. It turned film clichés on their heads and surprised the audience with twists that actually made sense within its universe. “The Cabin in the Woods” tries to do the same, but it’s like watching a mentally retarded child try and recite the alphabet backwards. Neither all that hilarious, nor all that exciting. Read the spoilers, skip the movie, and go watch a good horror movie instead.

Rating: Gremlins/IT + The Strangers– The Hills Have Eyes/Chris Hemsworth naked

Check out more of Brett's reviews at http://www.crapthatwillblowyourminds.com

Zach Dead Day April

Again it is a dead day but I have more rad music for you.

As usual props to http://megatokyo.com

White Rabbits "Percussion Gun" Music Video from White Rabbits on Vimeo.

Bonus video? Bonus video.

Zach Dead Day

Hey world. I have gotten behind on school and side projects as well as other things so I have not had time to review any beers these last 2 weeks. I have beers in my fridge that beg to be consumed but that must wait until I have more time.

"Yo, youth-peers! Did you guys see my Tumblr where I podcasted a glitchpop/dubsteb mashup of Skrillex and Dangermou5 over Vimeo clips of Maru and Super Troopers? My Minecraft is XKCD, and Boing Boing Words With Friends Lana Del Rey! " - Colbert super pac

Lol. 11 years later and I am still a procrastinator.

For now I give you what I have been listening to lately.

I'll post more next week.

Rahr & Sons Winter Warmer

Rahr & Sons is a Texas brewery in Fort Worth that makes some very good beers. I think that the Winter Warmer is probably their best. This English dark ale is perfect to drink by the fire on a cold winters day. It has a note of chocolate and is a perfect partner with your holiday foods. The first time I had this beer I didn't care for it that much. It has a strong distinct flavor but after finishing one you are highly inclined to try the 8.5% ABV beverage again.

 I apologies for reviewing this beer so late. It is only available from November to December so make sure you have your eyes out for it next year.

How it was consumed: From a Rahr & Sons Iron Thistle Goblet.

Rating: 9/10 On my list of favorites.

Bridgeport Hop Czar Imperial IPA

I have been a fan of Indian Pale Ales for many years now. I have tried many and have liked or loved most. If you mess up a IPA you are in a world of distaste but I have been fairly lucky.

I picked up Hop Czar at Kroger and tried it out. It's slogan is "A Robust Ruler of IPA is Here, All Hail The King". This is too cocky a statement for the IPA you get but it is still pretty good. I have only had two beers from Portland, Oregon; this beer and Dead Guy Ale which is also a pretty good beer. My good friend Molly L. is studying in Oregon now and if I had some free time I would love to visit her... and some of the brewery's. I had no idea that Portland had so many good beers.

If you are a fan of IPA's then this beer is for you. It is less hoppy than Dogfish head but it is worth a try.

How it was tasted: From a mug.

Rating: 8/10 Great