MONTHLY REVIEW: July

With all the summer has to offer, it only got better with all we found here at ZONINO! in July!

MUSIC

80's pop-maker Cyndi Lauper released her surprise blues album, Memphis Blues, with guests like Jonny Lang and Allen Toussaint.

Check out New Zealand's Gin Wigmore and discover what fusion-pop music done right sounds like.

Country new-comer Jaron and the Long Road to Love (of the early 2000's pop duo Evan & Jaron) have commendable debut with Getting Dressed In The Dark.

Rediscover an old rock favorite with Blue Öyster Cult's "Astronomy" from 1974.

Gnarls Barkley's video for their single "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" is worth a second look as well.

VV Brown is likely to be an awards season name if her catchy debut pop album Traveling Like The Light is any indication.

An outstanding song by an outstanding vocalist, "Black Sheep" by Maureen Murphy should be on your playlist if it isn't already.

If you like your country music with a little soul and a lot of blues, check out Keith Gattis and his album Big City Blues immediately!

"The House Rules" single is definitely not a bad way to introduce yourself to the country music lovin' people, if your Christian Kane.

If you buy one album this summer, make it folk-pop duo Sam & Ruby's "The Here and the Now".

BOOK

Tana French turns the mystery novel into a brilliant work of fiction in Faithful Place.

And for those who love a good bite of logic, there are the accumulated essays of Malcolm Gladwell's What The Dog Saw to keep you turning pages.

MOVIE

The French animated short film Get Out is genius and available for complimentary viewing online.

Believe the hype. Inception is one of the best movies out right now. Unless you're impatient or have ADD; then just stay home.

WEBSITE

Wonder what the message those home and garden magazines are really sending? Check out Catalog Living for a humorous take on the matter.

Like irony? So do the people at Friends of Irony.

Think your handwriting deserves its own font? Try it out with Pilot Handwriting for free!

YOUTUBE

Get your dose of topical humor with the sketch BP Spills Coffee.

Nokia released some pretty amazing footage of kung-fu master Bruce Lee playing ping pong in his own unique way for a series of ads.

Apparently there is no such thing as over-exposure since the creative "Single Ladies" spoofs keep coming with "Pregnant Ladies".

Also impressive is the time, effort, and creativity of the PEN story, another camera advertisement.

Have you purchased your $500 giant iPhone, er...iPad yet? Check out Bleep Bloop's spoofy review of the device before you do.

EAT OUT

If you're in New York City, don't leave before visiting a local landmark - McSorley's Old Ale House has seen a lot in its storied history.

Or head over the Chicago and stuff yourself with creative Tex-Mex style tacos and tequila at Big Star.

EAT OUT: Big Star

Located in the Bucktown/Wicker Park neighborhoods at 1531 N. Damen in Chicago, Big Star may look like a really clean auto repair garage from the outside (with umbrella-ed tables and chairs in front), but it is an in demand hot spot in the Windy City. Serving a small but satifying and delicious Tex-Mex menu, coupled with a friendly service and reasonable prices, the only downside is the potential wait one might have to endure for a table.

Big Star makes four diverse and tasty tacos. At $2-3 each, it is easy to sample all during one visit. I recommend the Taco Al Pastor with marinated pork, pineapple, onion, and cilantro. For those wanting more of a kick, the Taco de Rajas de Poblano is at your service with a generous helping of roasted poblano peppers, a few spices, and queso de freir. (This is also a great vergetarian option.) If you are really hungry or have a large group, order the chips with guacamole and you will not be sorry. Also, if you are thinking of "ordering something light," don't order the Big Star Salad (Ensalada de Big Star); you'll be fed for a week's time!

The establishment also has an ample supply of tequila, whiskey, and beer to suit any pre-partying ideas you may have, also reasonably priced for the city by the lake. The bartenders have also created some tasty cocktails. You can never go wrong with the Big Star Margarita though!

Sergio del Limonar

YOUTUBE: iPad Games

Need more proof that Apple's newest product, the iPad is possibly more ridiculous than you already thought? Check out this segment of Bleep Bloop, a College Humor web-series, specializing in testing out new technologies. This is sarcasm at it's best, folks!

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: Pilot Handwriting

Have you ever been told that your handwriting would make a great font in a word processing program? Well, wonder no more! At Pilot Handwriting you can do just that. Simply print out the template from the website, fill in the needed numeric and alphabetic characters, hold it in front of your webcam, send it to the website, clean up and edit things via the computer (if need be), and then you're done! You can access your font for emails to friends and family for those extra special messages you want to add a personal touch to. (Just go to the website and watch the brief tutorial; its less complicated than it sounds!)

Sergio del Limónar

MUSIC: Sam & Ruby

She is from Ghana. He hails from Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are based in Nashville. Together they make the folk-pop duo Sam & Ruby.

Released almost a year ago in 2009, their debut album The Here and the Now is perfect blend of folk harmonies, pop hooks, and R&B soulfulness. "More" is a beautiful coming-to-terms break-up song with both parts of the duo singing "Don't be mad about it, just be sad about it. I need more than you have to give." Literally every track on this album contains carefully crafted lyrics and gorgeous vocal arrangements. The horn-infused "Sarah" is the story of telling a friend that the man she is dating is actually married and her reaction while the title track begins with the line "come sit with me on the porch where we last had a fight, tell me its going to be alright" and continues by expressing the fact that relationships are hard but are worth the work.

The stand-out track, however, is "The Suitcase Song" which could be open to interpretation but on a very surface level is the personified story of the way we treat our luggage. In it Ruby sings:

"Remember when I fell down the stairs when you were rushing down that long flight of concrete squares.
You brushed my dirt off and checked to see if you had hurt me more than you thought but how hurt could I be?"

This is the perfect album for anyone who has ever tapped their toe to the stylings of Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Colbie Caillat, Matt Nathanson, Ben Harper, Sara Bareilles, or Jason Mraz. It sounds nothing like any of them but if you like one you will love the other!

Sergio del Limónar

MOVIE: Inception

Your friends are probably already singing it's praises, (most of) the critics love it, and judging by the box office numbers you have most likely seen it too. Nevertheless, Inception is a must-see this summer on the big screen. Written and directed by the über-talented Christopher Nolan, who creative genius never ceases to amaze (see Momento, Batman Begins, The Dark Night, etc.), the complex story unfolds like an M C Escher piece, with twisting layers that both reveal and hide secrets about the story and the characters within it.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb, the troubled head of a team of "dream thieves," people who break into others' subconscious and discover their secrets while they sleep, the film starts strong and never lets up. Ken Watanabe plays a business mogul who wants an idea planted, not stolen, from a competitor, played by Cilian Murphy; in exchange he will give Cobb his life and freedom back, allowing him to return to his children in the United States. The team, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, and the scene-stealing Tom Hardy, venture deep into the dream of Murphy's character, in the process discovering far more than they had intended.

Marion Cotillard shines as Cobb's deceased wife, who shows up in flash-backs and occasionally in his dreams, and the dreams of others, causing added issues for the team. I expect to see her name on some lists come awards season, along with Nolan's. Also popping up in smaller yet important roles are the always welcome Michael Caine and severely underrated Tom Berenger.

One aspect of the film that I loved, other than the special effects which were incredible (Paris folds in on itself!), is the timing aspect of the dream sequences. Most of us have heard that although a dream or nightmare may feel as though it went on all night, in reality, it was only a matter of seconds. Nolan has used this notion to the film's benefit, bending time in the different dream states. Therefore a few seconds in real life might give someone several hour's time in a dream. Now what happens if the person dreaming then dreams that they are dreaming? The possibilities are endless and mind-boggling and Nolan knows this and clearly loves it.

See this movie and you will too.

Sergio del Limónar

MUSIC: "The House Rules"

Just in time for the rowdy weekend ahead, do yourself a favor and download country new-comer Christian Kane's "The House Rules". Off his self-titled EP, the barn-raising party anthem is just what you need to have playing on repeat before going out or blasting through the speakers at the bar at closing time. Above a screaming guitar and rocking harmonica, Kane implores the crowd to just come in have a good time, checking their attitudes and problems at the door. Sounds like a plan to me!

Sergio del Limónar

BOOK: What The Dog Saw

The author of a couple non-fiction books that I'm sure you have at least seen sitting on end tables and book shelves at various friends' houses, including Tipping Point and Blink, Malcolm Gladwell has released a new book. Different than his previous two, this one is a collection of essays, all of which appeared in The New Yorker at one point or another.

What The Dog Saw is a hodge-podge, theme-wise, but not a mess. Never losing the insight that made his aforementioned books best-sellers, Gladwell investigates odd facets of life, most of have spent only a passing minute pondering. His chapter on why there are not multiple varieties of ketchup, as opposed to mustard brings about some very creative journalism and interviews, while looking into the social problem of homelessness is just plain inspiring. Combining elements of another essay-based best-seller, Freakonomics, Gladwell's analysis of how people make hiring decisions when they don't know who to hire is fascinating.

The short and mostly unrelated pieces in this book make for an easy and fragmented read. This book and the topics within are great for lively conversation and debate as well as simply a new way to consider the world.

Sergio del Limónar

YOUTUBE: The PEN Story

Anyone who goes on to YouTube and searches for "stop motion" with find a plethora of resulting videos. Many are very well done, even by amateur standards. However, the measure of a great stop motion film in this era a technology, in my opinion, is the depth of the viewer's "how'd they do that?!" statement.

The PEN Story is one such video. Using photographs that creep throughout a house with creative styling, the "story" begins with a black and white class photograph and follows one of the pupils through his life until he is an older man who returns for a class reunion where the first picture is re-shot. Using over 10,000 printing photos, the video is impressive not only visually in its layout, but also in the planning and forethought that were essential for such a project. The added touch of authenticity of having the photo quality improve and evolve with the man's life journey is also a stroke of creative genius.

Accompanied by the song "Down Below" by Johannes Stankowski, and directed by Takeuchi Taijin, the video is a over a year old, but has recently found legs again. If you haven't been one of those who has seen it, take a peek and know what everyone is talking about!

Sergio del Limónar

MOVIE: Get Out

An animated short film from France, created by Charlotte Boisson, Julien Fouvrel, Pascal Han-Kwan, Tristan Reinarz, and Fanny Roche, Get Out, is a visually-stunning master-work of story-telling and animation. Sub-titled in English, the seven-minute piece tells the story of Gary, a "mental patient" who is seemingly terrified of doors and going through them. He refuses to leave the padded cell to which he feels safe, despite the persistent efforts of a psychiatrist. Everything is not as it seems, however, and the film needs to be seen all the way to the end to appreciate its true genius.

Sergio del Limónar

MUSIC: Big City Blues

Keith Gattis has been in the country music business for awhile now. His first self-titled album debuted in 1996 and scored the bluesy singer-songwriter a spot on the country music charts. His second album, Big City Blues, released in 2005, is a inspiring second effort overflowing with toe-tapping, gritty, soulful country music at its best. Perfectly fusing Nashville's Broadway with its Printer's Alley a couple of blocks away, his sophomore effort will not disappoint.

Some of the standout tracks include the titular track, "Big City Blues", and smooth as whisky ballad "The Bottom". My personal favorite, however, is the instrumentally sparse and haunting "Somebody Told Me" in which Gattis speaks to a soon-to-be ex-lover, imploring her with "somebody told me you're sick of your man."

Fellow Nashville artist Miranda Lambert has said she used Gattis as inspiration while recording her hit album, Revolution. It's obviously paying off for Lambert, so why not check out an under-appreciated talent for yourself!

Sergio del Limónar

YOUTUBE: Pregnant Ladies

I don't think anyone will disagree that Beyoncé's chart-dominating single "Single Ladies" has been over-played and parodied enough since it debuted over a year and a half ago. However, this reworking of the hit is great. It's called Pregnant Ladies and, believe it or not, features the dancing and singing of a very pregnant lady. The sight of her in a black leotard recreating Beyoncé's famous choreography is totally amusing, but the real creativity comes from the lyrics, which are all about the perils of having a bun in the oven. I'm not pregnant (knock on wood) but have plenty of preggo friends who can barely touch their toes and have to pee every ten minutes, so I can kind of sympathize; I also love how the lady in this video totally owns what she's doing (especially at around 2:00 when a couple teenage boys are lingering in the background wondering how crazy she might actually be).

Buzzy

WEBSITE: Friends of Irony

Friends of Irony is another of the ever-popular reader-submitted photo websites in the Cheez Burger network. The difference here is that this theme fills a much needed categorial void in cyber space. Irony is all around and, whether on purpose or accidentally, in the age of iPhones and wireless internet people seem to be able to find and spread the ironic joy of our very ironic world. Whether its a grocery store package claiming "All American European-style" lettuce, or a computer error message claiming that "no errors occured," you will be contentedly amused with each and every image found on this site.


Sergio del Limónar

MUSIC: "Black Sheep"

I know absolutely nothing of Maureen Murphy except that she has a stunning voice and her song "Black Sheep" off the three-song EP, Won't Wait Around, is bordering on an obsessive amount of repeat plays. The soulful and honest nature of the lyrics in the story-teller-like song is as uplifting and exciting as it is heartbreaking. The single is on iTunes but you can see a live performance Murphy did at Nashville's Lightning 100 radio station.

Sergio del Limónar

YOUTUBE: Bruce Lee Ping Pong

In some foreign markets, cell phone maker, Nokia, is using old footage of martial arts master Bruce Lee to sell their new product. This video edits two such ads together. In the first, Lee is playing ping pong against several different challengers. The extraordinary thing is that Lee is using nunchucks while his opponents use the traditional paddles. Also, Lee kicks their butts.

In the second ad, Lee attaches a strip of some material that serves as a flint to the end of his nunchuck and then proceeds to light several things on fire. First he kindly lights a cigarette while it sticks out of a guy's mouth. (You can't see it but I'm sure he is wetting himself.) Then a box of matches is emptied out and the thrown, one at a time, for Lee to hit with the end of the nunchuck and the momentarily light. Chuck Norris and Jackie Chan have got nothing on this guy.

Sergio del Limónar

BOOK: Faithful Place

The concept of "home" means different things to different people. Whether one wants to acknowledge it or not, "home" is where you come from, it forms who you are, and can never be taken away from you. For most people visiting home is a rewarding if not nostalgic experience. For Frank Mackey, the main character in Tana French's page-turning new novel, Faithful Place, it is neither of those things.

When Frank was nineteen, he and his girlfriend, Rosie, made plans to leave their poverty-stricken neighborhood in Dublin and run away together in hopes of starting a new, more prosperous life together. The night they were supposed to meet and leave Rosie does not show so Frank leaves without her, thinking she either got cold feet or was breaking up with him in an extremely cold way. The thing Frank does know is that Rosie's family thinks she did leave.

Years later when Frank is in his 40's, he gets word that Rosie's suitcase was discovered in an abandoned house in his parent's old neighborhood, on Faithful Place. This was a mystery story like I have never read before. The way French crafts the novel is inventive and interesting; I couldn't put it down. This is definitely not a "beach-book" but it is one you should stuff into your beach bag and not come back until you are sunburned to a crisp!

Buzzy

MUSIC: Traveling Like the Light

A few months ago, iTunes generously offered up a single called "Shark In The Water" by pop new-comer V.V. Brown. I found myself over-playing it and asking others if they'd heard it. (No one ever had.) Well, V.V.'s album, Traveling Like the Light is now available and it is just as great as the single I so love!

If you're not convinced to just run out and buy this album, then let me try and entice you. First off, she's British, and if there is anything we have learned, music-wise, in the past couple years, its that the Brits know a thing or two about good pop music. (See: Joss Stone, Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, James Morrison, etc.) Second, this song is good pop-dance music, meaning minimal synths and other artificial noise-makers. Thirdly, download the joyous flashback doo-wop inspired "L.O.V.E." and "Crazy Amazing" and tell me you hate it. I dare you.

Can you tell that I love this thing!?! As a bonus, it is on sale on iTunes for $6.99 right now! Even they want you to experience the greatness!

Buzzy

MUSIC: "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" video

Forget about the over-played summer anthem "Crazy" from a few years ago, Gnarls Barkley should be best known for creating ZONINO!-worthy videos as well as great pop music. The pop duo of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo Green did it again with the last single off their sophomore album from 2008. "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" does such an amazing job of conveying what heartbreak feels (and could look) like, I see no reason for anyone else to write a heartbreak song ever again! If more artists put this kind of creativity into the visual representations of their music, perhaps MTV would still be relevant...

Buzzy

YOUTUBE: BP Spills Coffee

Disclaimer: I know this is a little late to be considered cutting-edge topical humour. I also realize that the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico and the way in which it was, and is still, being handled are not laughing matters.

Post: This is video is hilarious. Period.

Buzzy

EAT OUT: McSorley's Old Ale House

McSorley's Old Ale House is something of an oddity. Touted as the oldest Irish pub in New York City, this dark and dingy establishment, located at 15 E. 7th St., has as much history and tradition as it does rules.

The first thing one notices in McSorely's is the lack of drink options. Basically, if you don't like beer, stay out or be thrown out. You either order a "dark" or a "light" or you'll be asked to leave since you're taking up space. The space, by the way, is one you will share with other drinkers as the tables are large and fit anywhere between eight and ten people, so this is not a place to be anti-social.

The pub has a storied history, including the trivial fact that women were not allowed into the place until just 40 years ago, in 1970. This becomes apparent when comparing the bathrooms for the two genders; the men's is as it always has been - in the center of the back room with a normal sized, glass-paned door - while the women's is clearly add on, annexed from the old kitchen and tucked into the corner. Many a woman has attempted to enter the wrong door to be greeting with jeers from the patrons sitting in wait for the frequent mishap to occur.

History too has a place here. Visitors include ex-Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt to singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie and poet e.e. cummings, who used the bar in a one of his works. While at the bar I overheard two gentlemen discussing the chicken wishbones hanging from the dust-covered chandeliers in the front room. According to their story, a bunch of sailors were imbibing themselves during World War II before they were to ship out. The decided to hang the wishbones from the chandeliers and remove them when and if they made it home. The remaining bones, which are numerous, are allegedly those of the fallen troops.

The storied past of McSorley's is enough to draw anyone inside for a visit, but the home brew is worthy all by itself as well. Come for the beer, stay for the company and become a part of history.

Sergio del Limónar


*It has been brought to our attention that the gentlemen I was eavesdropping on were incorrect and that the bones were actually authentic turkey wishbones and they were off to fight in World War I. Never trust a history lesson from a couple old dudes at a bar, I guess...

MUSIC: "Astronomy"

A friend of mine recently was bemoaning the state of pop music today; something I can totally relate to. If it doesn't come from a lady with a lobster on her face or from some Disney-created pop tart with a terrible voice, people won't listen. Its a shame really. So I asked my friend what prompted this specific rant and he ordered me to "listen!" to what was being played on our bar's electronic juke box. He said, "I don't understand why Blue Öyster Cult never achieved the fame of Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd." I didn't want to admit that I wasn't familiar with the band that was allegedly playing, but that would have only made his point, I guess.

Anyways, I checked them out and I do believe he is right; they are a great and under-appreciated band. Check out "Astronomy" from their 1974 album, Secret Treaties.

Buzzy

MUSIC: Getting Dressed in the Dark

In June we ZONINO!ed the country single, "Pray For You" by new-comers Jaron and the Long Road to Love. The catchy and snarky tune is a hit on the country charts and it would not be a surprise to hear about this entire album much more come awards season.

Getting Dressed in the Dark is as solid a debut as any artist could hope for. Featuring amazing melodies and awe-inspiring lyrics, the album delivers superbly on the very first listen. Aside from the aforementioned hit single, some other standout tracks include "Without Her Leaving" , about a repenting lover, and the upbeat "I Hope You Hit Traffic", which begs quaintly for a lover's return.

Get the entire album and you won't be sorry, especially when the rest of this disc slowly gains chart success over the next year. Otherwise, download the recommended songs and fall for is one well-crafted tune at a time.

Sergio del Limónar

MUSIC: Gin Wigmore

I love me some Joss Stone. It could be said that we have a history together. The smokey groove of her voice and its ability to drip off of every single soulful note it touches is masterful. Which is why I was intrigued when an advertisement on the side of my Facebook account invited me to check out New Zealand's own Gin Wigmore, comparing her to my favorite British soul singer.

While the two of them sound nothing alike, they both choose intriguingly pieces of music and bring heartfelt meaning to them. Sounding like a cross between Macy Gray, Bonnie Raitt, MoZella, and Missy Higgins, Wigmore's songs are inventive in the way they combine elements of pop, jazz, soul, and folk music into one beautiful heap. Born Virginia Wigmore, her most recent album, and first full-length, Holy Smoke, includes the infectious single "Oh My" as well as the rousing "Hey Ho" and the jazzy piano bar ballad "Dying Day".

Wigmore's EP, appropriately titled Extended Play contains some of her more tender and emotionally charged material like "These Roses" and "Hallelujah" about her father's death from cancer when she was a teenager. It's not easy, but I'm hoping this Kiwi makes it across the ocean into the earbuds of the American conscience; if Joss can do it, surely Gin can too!

Sergio del Limónar

WEBSITE: Catalog Living

Have you ever been flipping through a Better Homes & Gardens magazine or Pottery Barn catalog and think about how you'd love for your house to look just like the photo spreads inside the pages? Everything is perfectly coordinated and there is never any accidental clutter. There are clearly designed themes and color-wheels are strictly followed to a T. Well, those rooms might not be that good of a fit for anyone's house.

The blog Catalog Living cleverly, well, catalogs, the oddly placed or bizarrely accented rooms and designs in your favorite publications devoted to home furnishings. Take, for example, the starfish scattered around the patio table decked out in seashore decor. What happens when there is a breeze? Or when someone wants to use the table, maybe to eat or something?

Sergio del Limónar

On Holiday

ZONINO! is at the beach for the 4th of July weekend! You should do the same.

MUSIC: Memphis Blues

Children of the 80's remember Cyndi Lauper as the wild child proclaiming that "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", reminded of us of our "True Colors", and infected our eardrums with ballads like "Time After Time." For the current reality-television generation, Lauper is the nut with the funny voice charming Donald Trump on Celebrity Apprentice. And somewhere in between she became the ending to a lot of sentences that began with "say, whatever happened to?"

Apparently, Lauper got the blues. Turns out, though, that it's not a bad thing! Her new album, Memphis Blues, which debuted at the end of June is a slight detour from what she has been known for, yet works well with her mature timbre. Recorded appropriately enough in Memphis and featuring both traditional and contemporary blues songs, the album is a rocking and groove-filled ride from the first guitar chord to the last saxophone wail. Check out her performance on Regis & Kelly singing her single"How Blue Can You Get".

Some stand outs include the Muddy Waters traditional "Rollin' and Tumbin'", featuring here soul singer, Ann Peebles, and the slow but steady heat of "Romancing In The Dark." As bizarre as it may sound, this album works; Lauper voice is strong and believable, which is probably why so many blues artists - including Jonny Lang, B.B. King, and Allen Toussaint - join her in this musical journey. Hop on, you'll enjoy the ride!

Sergio del Limónar