ACL 2008, Redux

Alright, alright. Another successful Austin City Limits Music Festival. Great tunes were heard, yummy food was consumed, an overabundance of queso was ingested, and the dust made a bit of a reappearance.

Here's a recap of the highlights and the lowlights:

Yeasayer - caught the tail end of these boys from Brooklyn. Having seen them twice now, I think they're more of an indoor venue band, but they can still bring it.

Vampire Weekend - the prepsters know how to put on a good show. A hot, sticky afternoon, a cold, sweaty beer, and some "Cape Cod, Kwaasa, Kwassa" - ain't nothing wrong with that. Plus, discovered that "Blake's got a new face".

M. Ward - maybe I was offput by the dust storm off to the side of the WaMu (yes, that WaMu) tent, but couldn't get too much into him. The boys went "in" and enjoyed the show more thoroughly, but I was digging the folding chairs at that point.

Hot Chip - I was all about the Hot Chip, but here's where the sound bleed was a bit of an issue. They just didn't seem loud enough.

Jenny Lewis - We headed over to catch the tail-end of Ms. Jenny "Short Skirt" Lewis. Not too bad, but not too memorable either.

Swell Season - While mellow, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening performance of the new band, formed by Glenn Hansard and Markéta Irglová of "Once" fame. Glenn is such a charming Irish bloke, and Marketa is just plain adorable. Would definitely see them again live.

Manu Chao - A great cap-off to Friday evening. Manu Chao brought a frenetic energy to the festival. We danced through to the end.

Old 97s - Saturday's start to the day with a little hottie Rhett Miller and the Old 97s. Enjoyable, but I actually prefer Mr. Miller's solo acoustic performances of many of the songs. Much more original sounding.

Frattelli's - We checked out the tail end of the Frattelli's - the cute bro trio from Scotland, and of iPod commercial fame. Their songs are uplifting, but best suited to running mixes.

CSS - We skipped off to dip in Barton Springs pool, which was much needed and completely restorative, but I was kicking myself for missing to much of CSS. They kick ass and I'm going to have to find a solo show when they're back state side. Bonus: CSS, which stands for CanseiDeSer Sexy, means "I'm tired of being sexy". Amen.

MGMT - These guys are definitely the band of 2008, but deservedely so. They kick ass, and take names. A racous - if young - crowd, helped the show along and the sound was just right.

Conor Oberst - He's not for everyone, but I really like Conor Oberst (also, performs as Bright Eyes). The kids got heart, and lyric-writing charts. He definitely doesn't break out of genre, but he's got stuff to say, so I'll keep listening.

Iron & Wine - These guys won points for being best show of ACL 2006, but this year they sounded a bit too spacey. I'll just keep my memories of yesteryear in tact and continue to listen to them in a dark room with my ear phones in.

New Movie Preview: "Mrs. Ice President"

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Parker Posey's Dog Just Jumped On Me

Hopped into the Mac repair store to pick up my defunct Time Machine and pick up a spare power adapter ($85 freaking dollars!), when this vicious dog jumped on me, and I turned around to see Parker Posey picking up the hairball, and gently admonishing her. Then she told me she loved my boots. Okay, not really. But despite the fact the little furry loot is a she-devil with a tail, apparently Parker's ex, Ryan Adams, penned a tune for wee Gracie.

Miss South Carolina vs. Ms Heartbeat Away from the Presidency

And I'm not posting this to cast any aspersions on Palin's beauty queen credentials. But c'mon... even Miss South Carolina answered her questions with crib notes.

We Didn't Suspend Our Democracy for Pearl Harbor!

It's About Time to Visit Grandma

... or so says Sarah Silverman.


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Dude, When did CB Get So Feisty?

Foreign Policy By Cheat Sheet. Really?

Katie Couric talks about her interview with VP candidate, Sarah Palin. Throughout the excerpts of the interview shown, Palin repeatedly looks down at her crib sheet of talking points. Katie looks... unimpressed.

Someone's Putting Something Into His Metamucil

Someone wasn't so impressed that John McCain cancelled his Letterman appearance last night.


Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

See more below.

She Ain't No Delicate Flower

And While You're At It, Why Not Tell the Gov't to Lay Off

President Bush's proposed regulatory changes will block women's access to care and critical information. The new proposed Department of Health & Human Services regulations will let health care providers define abortion, which could threaten access to birth control and broader reproductive health care, and allow federal funding for so-called "crisis pregnancy centers" that refuse to inform patients of or provide patients with a full range of reproductive health care options.

Join together to defeat this new rule in order to ensure access to accurate, comprehensive health care, including birth control and abortion services, for every person who needs it.

Think About Exxon's Feelings For Once In Your Life

It's a Race Against Time, We've Lost Ours, But Can Stop Others

Stop Referring to My Cankles!

We're Gonna Govern Like It's 1982

This Would Have Been Way More Entertaining

If She Shoots You in the Face, It's Because She Was Aiming At You

See more Gina Gershon videos at Funny or Die

More Like a Really Bad Disney Horror Movie, Really

Bill Gates Shakes His Moneymaker

Oh Hypocrisy, Sweet, Sweet Hypocrisy

And This Is Why I Love My New Job...

For those of you following closely, I've been spending a good deal more time these days down southways, by way of Atlanta, for my job. Last week, I got to experience the grandest of Atlanta institutions, lunch at the Waffle House. If you've never experienced the Waffle House, all you really need to know about this dining establishment is that they're ubiquitous throughout the southeast, they're famous for calling out orders, short-cook-style, they serve hashbrowns about 5,000 different ways, and they only have one kind of cheese, American. But the joy I received from my plate of Turkey Melt and hashbrowns (smothered, covered and peppered, thank you), was multiplied after I got to watch this little gem --> Enjoy.

Just a Heartbeat Away... Very Reassuring.

There is such a rich treasure trove of evidential support for her candidacy, but I just thought I'd offer up a little sampler from the words of her own adviser...