There are a handful, maybe twenty, of heroes of mine in media, arts, and sports who have had such an impact on me personally (and/or my writing and the way I think) that I would feel absolutely compelled to write a piece honoring them and their impact on my life if they suddenly died.
Bruce Springsteen’s two biggest and best-known albums are his Borns. Born to Run came out in 1975 as Bruce’s third album and catapulted him to superstardom. Born in the USA came out nine years later as Bruce’s seventh album. Both were massive successes critically and commercially. The themes of the albums tie together quite well. Born in the USA…
I’ve been recruited to write episode recaps for the third season of Game of Thrones over at CharacterGrades.com! Character Grades uses the format of a report card for characters from the series with a tongue-in-cheek tone. I started with a round-up of the second season and then wrote a recap of “Valar Dohaeris,” the first episode of…
I’ve made it through six albums in my ongoing Billy Joel retrospective, which means it’s time to write a review for his seventh: Glass Houses. It’s certainly one of Joel’s best albums, and I’ve been listening to it again recently in preparation for writing the review. There’s one thing I noticed that I wanted to comment…
Album rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) 52nd Street is The Stranger‘s jazzy little cousin, not quite so sophisticated or psychologically complex but a gem in its own right.
Dan: So, Colton, let’s talk about Eve 6. Their reunion album has come and gone. In a few months, we’ll hit the fifteenth anniversary of their debut album. Though they might tour some more and, who knows, release another album, now seems as good a time as any to reflect on their career, discography, and…
Q: Why didn’t [your favorite artist] get nominated for Song, Album, or Record of the Year? A: Nominations in the Big Three categories are designed to recognize achievements beyond those of the artist. That’s why none of these awards have the word “artist” in them. Song of the Year, then, is given for the best…
Hey folks — I wrote a post about the show Community for my friends over at Character Grades in preparation for the debut of the fourth season. It’s a countdown of the ten best episodes of the Dan Harmon era of Community. You can read the post over at CharacterGrades.com. Here’s an excerpt from the top ten: 9. “Introduction…
In the summer of 2011, I was privileged enough to see Green Day play an impromptu, intimate concert at an Orange County, California venue normally reserved for bands who have sold about 1/100th as many records as they have. I had just moved out to southern California, and the area greeted me by placing me within…
All-American Rejects (2002) – 4 stars (out of 5) Move Along (2005) – 4.5 stars When the World Comes Down (2008) – 3.5 stars Kids in the Street (2012) – 4 stars Blessed with a great name, underrated talent, and the good fortune to enter the musical world at the height of the teen emo-pop surge, The…