Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Person's History of a Dismemberment Plan Reunion Show

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So, as hip as I sometimes claim to be, I was not entirely familiar with much of the Dismemberment Plan's music before I bought tickets to their reunion show at the 9:30 Club.  The D-Plan were a notable DC indie band who broke up in 2003.  The announcement of a reunion tour incited a lot of hype - their first two scheduled DC shows (one at the Black Cat and one at the 9:30 Club) sold out insanely quickly.  When I found out a third date was added, I snatched up tickets right away.  I only knew a few songs from the band, but figured that it's best to seize on hyped up DC band reunions.

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I got very stoked for the show last Sunday.  DCist had been blogging about the impending concerts all week.  I'd been listening to their album Change on my iPod (where it had been sadly sitting, largely un-listened to, since college) to prepare and had gotten Emergency & I.

I think I had weird expectations for this show.  Since these DC reunion shows had been so hyped up on DCist and such places, I thought that this was going to be a Big Deal.  On par with inauguration.  Or the Prince William/Kate Middleton wedding.  I thought every famous DC musician ever would be in attendance.  Like Ted Leo.  Or Henry Rollins.  Or all of Fugazi.  

Sadly, none of the aforementioned people were in attendance, as far as I could tell.  That didn't take away from this being one of the more memorable live music experiences I've had in recent memory.

The crowd was awesome and sang along to every song in an enthusiastic, appreciative way.  Everyone was genuinely stoked to be there.  Especially the band.

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Lead singer Travis Morrison danced and flailed around.  Guitarist Jason Caddell took a flying leap at one point.  It was so refreshing to see everyone so thoroughly enjoying themselves.

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A fact I didn't know about Dismemberment Plan shows is that the crowd is supposed to rush the stage during "The Ice of Boston".

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A gajillionty people joined the band on stage to rock out and dance around.  It was something to see.




Even though going to concerts is one of my favorite hobbies, it's been awhile since one has filled me with the same sort of giddiness and excitement I felt when I first started going to shows back in high school.

Thanks, Dismemberment Plan.  It truly was an awesome night.  You should reunite more often.

Monday, January 10, 2011

My Year In Lists: 5 Favorite Films of 2010

In the tradition of my usual top 5 lists, I've decided to give you all my Top 5 Favorite Films of 2010!  I was going to make a more traditional Top 10 list, but I didn't get around to seeing most of the really hyped movies this year, like 'The Social Network' and 'True Grit'.  Oh well.  Plus I'm all about the Top 5 lists, really.  I still saw a crap ton of movies this year, so without further ado, here's my Top 5!

5: A Single Man

I reviewed this movie earlier this year, but I assure you it's still fantastic.  I didn't get to see The King's Speech before the year was out, so this movie is still my top choice for best Colin Firth performance of the year.

4. How To Train Your Dragon
Who ever thought a movie about a viking boy and his dragon friends could be so adorable and heartwarming?  Also, did not have the overall soul crushing-ness that was Toy Story 3.  To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement.  This movie was fantastic.  And it makes me just a little sad that I do not have a pet dragon.  Or multiple dragon friends to chillax with.

3. Scott Pilgrim vs The World
This has pretty much everything I could ever want in a movie.  Comic book-ness, video game-ness, an awesome soundtrack, lesbian ninjas, Aubrey Plaza, vegans with superpowers...seriously, what's not to love?  This was the most stylistically fun and enjoyable movie I saw all year.

2. Animal Kingdom
This movie came out of nowhere and really blew me away.  Truly outstanding.  The story revolves around a criminal family in Melbourne, Australia.  A teenage boy, after the death of his mother, is welcomed into the fold by his uncles and grandmother and has to deal with what he discovers in their world.  Jacki Weaver, who plays Smurf, the matriach, deserves major props for her performance.  Every time she so much as smiled I got the chills.

1. A Prophet
This stunning crime drama by Jacque Audiard is about the steady rise of a young criminal, Malik, in a French prison.  The film masterfully follows his journey from scared new prisoner to a person to be reckoned with.  DCist wrote a much better review than I ever could.

Honorable mentions: Black Swan, Somewhere, Ondine, Inception, Waiting For Superman, Tangled

Sunday, January 2, 2011

A New Addition To The Family

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Right before Thanksgiving, my mother decided to get a new dog.  A friend of one of her co-workers was trying to find a home for their dachshund puppy.  I guess my mom decided that having one short dog wasn't good enough - she wanted another, even shorter one.  So she decided to take in the weiner puppy.  His name is Ryder.  Him and Shorty have become fast friends.

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Shorty even puts up with Ryder's constant attempts to bite his face.
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But they bond over epic wrestling matches.
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Shorty makes a good older brother-figure for the puppy.  They make a good pair.
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