We sure enjoyed our July here at Zonino! Lots of sun, breeze, cook-outs, and letting summer do what summer does best...
MUSIC
Nashville-based family band, The Bridges, bring their own brand of poppy folk music to the stage with their debut album, Limits Of The Sky.
Kristin Andreassen's quirky alt-country charm is a winner with her album, Kiss Me Hello. Check out the single "Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes" to see why!
Who's arguably the most rocking married couple? Why, The Weepies of course! We here at Zonino! have been loving their 2006 album, Say I Am You.
Newcomer Shane Wyatt brings back the old school feel of genuine country music with his debut album, The Last Cowboy.
The always great Michael Franti (with long-time band Spearhead) has been recently discovered by the masses because of a new hit single, "Say Hey (I Love you)," and their album, reggae-tinged All Rebel Rockers.
Brad Paisley had us all reminiscing about a time not too long ago when you somehow found your friends in a crowded room without a cell phone and no one freaked out when you were five minutes late with his newest single "Welcome To The Future."
Not that summer is winding down, but don't let it end without putting "Toes," by the Zac Brown Band, on your playlist for the remainder of your beach-going days!
BOOKS
Jonathan Safran Foer's sophomore novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close about a boy looking for meaning in a mysterious key owned by his recently deceased father, who die in the 9/11 terrorist attacks touched our hearts and awakened our child-like wonder.
The quickly advancing field of genetic science brings with it many moral, ethical, and political questions. Next, by Jurassic Park author, Michael Crichton illustrated them all in this layered novel.
RECIPE
Kick up your next grill-out with some Blue Cheese Burgers! Pour yourself a cup of Beerquila and you've got a party!
Add some Arroz con Coco to your dinner the next time you need a tropical touch!
Rain got you inside? How about some tasty Chicken Pesto Pizza to brighten the mood!?!
EAT OUT
In the Big Apple? Start with a stop at New York City's oldest functioning bar, McSorley's Old Ale House. Then head over to Crif Dogs in the East Village for a prohibition era hot dog and more!
MUSICAL
While you're in Metropolis, swing on by Broadway and check out the award-winning musical, In The Heights.
WEB
Love proving people wrong? Skeptical about an email forward? Take it to Snopes and check it's validity...or lack there of.
Thought your wedding cake tasted bad? That's not the least of it! At least it looked nice and not like some of the travesties at Cakewrecks, one of the funniest food blogs out there!
Speaking of, food wrecks, how about taking something already hideous and making it look better? The people at Fancy Fast Food do just that, and you can too!
YOUTUBE
How did people ever think these music videos were good in the first place?!? At least the creative people who made these Literal Videos had the opportunity to improve them.
In between gigs in the country music capital of the world, Canaan Smith apparently dabbles in street interviews for his "show" Donkey In A Box.
Who doesn;t love a good parody? You'll think of this video the next time your friend changes their relationship status on Facebook.
And who doesn't love the newest Foot-By-The-Foot television spot? (Who new they even made this stuff still???)
WORD
It would not be pernicious to this autonomous blog that we did not include any movies this month for lack of lassitude.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
YOUTUBE: Urban Legend ER
You can murder someone by dropping a coin off the Empire State building. People have been drugged to wake up an find their kidneys missing. Urinating in a chlorinated pool turns the water black. Eating pop-rocks and Coke will cause your stomach to explode.
You know all those urban legends you heard as a kid and believed and still hear now and don't believe (hopefully) but don't necessarily know why they aren't true? The good people at College Humor have put together a webisode dramedy about a hospital ER inundated with emergencies all related to various urban legends. They come at you pretty fast so fee free to watch it a couple time to appreciate them all.
Say, do you know what sneezing seven times in a row might do?
Sergio del Limónar
You know all those urban legends you heard as a kid and believed and still hear now and don't believe (hopefully) but don't necessarily know why they aren't true? The good people at College Humor have put together a webisode dramedy about a hospital ER inundated with emergencies all related to various urban legends. They come at you pretty fast so fee free to watch it a couple time to appreciate them all.
Say, do you know what sneezing seven times in a row might do?
Sergio del Limónar
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
WORD: Lassitude
A perfect word for a hot summer day, this noun, related to "lethargy" and "indifference," can be used to express the absolute extreme of both these conditions.
The lassitude of the setting July sun made it difficult to imagine a cooler temperature.
With great lassitude the cat rose to its feet, slowly wandered a few paces to the other side of the hallway, and flopped back down again.
Sergio del Limónar
The lassitude of the setting July sun made it difficult to imagine a cooler temperature.
With great lassitude the cat rose to its feet, slowly wandered a few paces to the other side of the hallway, and flopped back down again.
Sergio del Limónar
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
YOUTUBE: "Facebook Match"
A couple of years ago I was forwarded this parody and then recently I randomly received it again. Although the good people at Facebook have no doubt changed the formatting of their site numerous times since this was made, it's still pretty relevant.
This video parodies the relationship status feature of the social networking site under the guise of one of those Match.com television ads. It also pokes fun at the "groups" one can join and the ridiculous idea of "poking." Of course I'm guilty of all these, including the fake marriage, it's still good for a laugh. Even if it is at yourself.
Sergio del Limónar
This video parodies the relationship status feature of the social networking site under the guise of one of those Match.com television ads. It also pokes fun at the "groups" one can join and the ridiculous idea of "poking." Of course I'm guilty of all these, including the fake marriage, it's still good for a laugh. Even if it is at yourself.
Sergio del Limónar
Monday, July 27, 2009
MUSICAL: In The Heights
After sweeping the 2008 Tony Awards, the musical, In The Heights, has been playing on Broadway to sold out crowds and redefining the modern musical. A touring production hits the road at the end of October.
The show, set in the north of Manhattan in a neighborhood known as Washington Heights, tells the stories of the people of the community. Predominately made up of people from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, the characters represent several generations all struggling to attain the American dream and, while each defines "success" a little differently, the desire and hope felt by each is the same. Written in a mixing of Spanish and English, the show captures the immigrant experience with heart, humor, and reality. Many of the songs, "Inutil," "No Me Diga," "Sunrise," and "Paciencia y Fé," among others, use both languages heavily.
Another underlying theme is the fact that a winning lottery ticket was sold by lead character, Usnavi (named after the ship that saved his parents while immigrating - US Navy), at his corner bodega. The whole cast fantasizes about what they would do with the winnings, while the barrio's resident grandmother, Abuela Claudia, wonders what she can do with it, as she has the coveted ticket. At the same time a power outage resulting in Usnavi's store being looted, the local salon moving downtown, and the owner of the car service business selling it so his daughter can go back to school all add to the drama.
The story and music, written by the original Usnavi, Lin Manuel Miranda, in his dorm room at Wesleyan University infuses a mix of merengue, hip-hop, rap, salsa, and a few good ole broadway ballads for good measure. One of my favorite scenes was set in a salsa club where the dancing was music made me feel as if I had been transported to Havana! (A subsequent blackout utilizes cell phones in a neat piece of choreography.)
Check out this performance from the 2008 Tony Awards while you're waiting for the tour to come to your city! It's a combination of two songs from the show, the leadoff anthem, "In The Heights," and the rousing "96,000."
Sergio del Limónar
The show, set in the north of Manhattan in a neighborhood known as Washington Heights, tells the stories of the people of the community. Predominately made up of people from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic, the characters represent several generations all struggling to attain the American dream and, while each defines "success" a little differently, the desire and hope felt by each is the same. Written in a mixing of Spanish and English, the show captures the immigrant experience with heart, humor, and reality. Many of the songs, "Inutil," "No Me Diga," "Sunrise," and "Paciencia y Fé," among others, use both languages heavily.
Another underlying theme is the fact that a winning lottery ticket was sold by lead character, Usnavi (named after the ship that saved his parents while immigrating - US Navy), at his corner bodega. The whole cast fantasizes about what they would do with the winnings, while the barrio's resident grandmother, Abuela Claudia, wonders what she can do with it, as she has the coveted ticket. At the same time a power outage resulting in Usnavi's store being looted, the local salon moving downtown, and the owner of the car service business selling it so his daughter can go back to school all add to the drama.
The story and music, written by the original Usnavi, Lin Manuel Miranda, in his dorm room at Wesleyan University infuses a mix of merengue, hip-hop, rap, salsa, and a few good ole broadway ballads for good measure. One of my favorite scenes was set in a salsa club where the dancing was music made me feel as if I had been transported to Havana! (A subsequent blackout utilizes cell phones in a neat piece of choreography.)
Check out this performance from the 2008 Tony Awards while you're waiting for the tour to come to your city! It's a combination of two songs from the show, the leadoff anthem, "In The Heights," and the rousing "96,000."
Sergio del Limónar
Sunday, July 26, 2009
MUSIC: "Toes"
Put this on your next beach playlist!
Country newcomers, The Zac Brown Band, have been quietly gaining popularity with their laid-back front porch rocking songs. Their newest, called Toes, should be the song of the summer. It's got it all: "bikinis and palm trees," "toes in the water, ass in the sand," "beer in my hand" and some tropical island Spanglish thrown in for good measure. Too bad it didn't come out until the end of July!
The video (linked above) is pretty bizarre. Maybe the thugs are after him because he's wear shorty short cut-off jean shorts, not because of his new-found wealth...
Sergio del Limónar
Country newcomers, The Zac Brown Band, have been quietly gaining popularity with their laid-back front porch rocking songs. Their newest, called Toes, should be the song of the summer. It's got it all: "bikinis and palm trees," "toes in the water, ass in the sand," "beer in my hand" and some tropical island Spanglish thrown in for good measure. Too bad it didn't come out until the end of July!
The video (linked above) is pretty bizarre. Maybe the thugs are after him because he's wear shorty short cut-off jean shorts, not because of his new-found wealth...
Sergio del Limónar
Saturday, July 25, 2009
MUSIC: "Welcome To The Future"
Brad Paisley is definitely one of the most talented people churning out country music these days. While some of his stuff is a little too mushy or topical for me, he is, without a doubt, an incredibly creative and insightful song writer. Although my favorite Paisley tunes are "Letter To Me" and the Alison Krauss duet, "Whiskey Lullaby," his latest single is worthy of a Zonino! if not for its poignancy than for it's near-universal relatability.
When I was in 1st grade, a man from NASA came to talk to our school. I remember he took out his wallet and said that "in the future" everyone would be walking around with phones the size of his wallet. I also remember distinctly thinking that the guy was nuts and that all astronauts must think we're going to become the Jetson's. (I mean, even the Jetson's had normal phones!)
"Welcome To The Future," off Paisley's recent album, American Saturday Night, talks about how things have changed in a relatively short period of time. From having television in cars and video conferencing to Tokyo, to electing Obama as President, Paisley covers all that we've accomplished to bring us to the future.
Sergio del Limónar
When I was in 1st grade, a man from NASA came to talk to our school. I remember he took out his wallet and said that "in the future" everyone would be walking around with phones the size of his wallet. I also remember distinctly thinking that the guy was nuts and that all astronauts must think we're going to become the Jetson's. (I mean, even the Jetson's had normal phones!)
"Welcome To The Future," off Paisley's recent album, American Saturday Night, talks about how things have changed in a relatively short period of time. From having television in cars and video conferencing to Tokyo, to electing Obama as President, Paisley covers all that we've accomplished to bring us to the future.
Sergio del Limónar
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)