Important blog information

For those of you actually silly enough to read this thing, I should let you know that I'm switching over to Wordpress. I like Blogger a lot, but...well, let's just say I've got my reasons for switching.

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If you come here by going to www.andygapin.com, www.ihatefun.net, or through Facebook, you don't have to do anything differently. They will all go to Wordpress instead now.

The Playlist 1/21

Last night's show was probably one of the least memorable ones I've ever done. It wasn't even bad, I just had very little interest in it last night. And that's all I have to say about that.

Here are the jamz...

Anathallo Cafetorium Canopy Glow Grey Anne Riddle Facts N Figurines Now Now Every Children Headlights Cars Matt And Kim Lessons Learned Grand Gemma Hayes Don't Forget The Hollow Of Morning Drew Danburry Residents In Orange County This Could Mean Trouble, You Don't Speak For The Club Sleepwall Sleepwalkers Come In From The Cold 7" Kyle Andrews A Constant Wavering Between The Real And The Abstract Real Blasty Toy Killers Where Do We Get The $ To Save Our Children? The Unlistenable Years Cotton Jones Little Ashtray In The Sun Paranoid Cocoon Benyaro Long Shot Benyaro Glasvegas Geraldine Glasvegas Animal Collective Guys Eyes Merriweather Post Pavilion

Source: 90.3 The Core

My Bloody Valentine

I can't think of the last movie that I was this skeptical about before seeing. The original My Bloody Valentine, while not particularly being a great movie, is one of my favorites and since horror remakes can be so hit or miss, I really had no idea what to expect.

I ended up going to see it in 2D instead of 3D because the 3D show was sold out and we had nothing better to do. That being said, it was very obvious what parts were intended to be 3D and, despite the fact that I had read that Patrick Lussier had wanted to do something more with the third dimension to actually give the movie some depth, those parts seemed pretty cheesy. A mine shaft produces a great environment for use of the third dimension without needing to resort to predictable eye-popping style theatrics...which they did anyway. I'll have to go see it in 3D sometime to see if there was some better use of the third dimension despite the obvious.

The entire vibe of the movie got that modern Hollywood horror movie touch added to it and the story got reworked a bit, losing a little something in the process. They completely lost the meaning on the Valentine's Day aspect of the movie. Sure they movie took place on Valentine's Day and there were chocolate heart boxes with human hearts in them, but there was supposed to be more to it. Valentine's Day was supposed to be played off as the reason for the killings, not just a coincidence.

In terms of being an entertaining slasher, it got there right off the bat with plenty of gore and it wasn't too far into the movie before we got a nice full-frontal scene. They played down the jumpiness factor that Hollywood loves to go for which I definitely appreciate. I just find the attempts to scare people by having things and characters jumping out to be completely overused and rarely effective.

I think I prefer the low-budget cult aspect and storyline of the original much more than the Hollywood style of this one, but overall, I still liked it a lot. I'm going to put it alongside The Amityville Horror as another remake that I love for a completely different reason than I love the original.

Rating: B

Update: A friend of mine saw this in 3D and said that there was a lot of depth used throughout the movie to show distances and it wasn't just used for the stuff flying at your face thing. I'm going to check this out in 3D soon. Look for an update. 

The Playlist 1/14

Last night's radio show was definitely much better than last week's was. There was actually some new stuff to play, but overall, it was a much more low-key vibe than most of the shows I've done over the last few months. Still good though.

I ended a bit differently than normal. I usually like to sign off with one last song, but this week I decided to get Analog and Rich from Up Da Punx on the mic with me and handed things right over to them. We'll see if this becomes common or if it was just a one-off, but I kind of liked it.

In other news, I haven't really blogged anything in the last week. I had that little spurt around the beginning of the month with a bunch of posts, but I haven't really had the time to write up anything since. I've got plenty to write about though, don't you worry. If I can find some time this weekend, I've got a couple movie reviews and a few other things that I'm going to try to type up.

But until then, he's the playlist for last night...

Cotton Jones		Gone The Bells		Paranoid Cocoon
Gringo Star		Transmission		All Y'all
Glasvegas		Geraldine		Glasvegas
Jessie Kilguss		A Little Place Behind My Eyes		Nocturnal Drifter
Now Now Every Children		In The City		Cars
Sirs, The		Social Divorce		The Sirs 7"
Howlies		Smoke		Trippin' With Howlies
Matt And Kim		Don't Slow Down		Grand
Loney Dear		Everything Turns To You		Dear John
A.C. Newman		Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer		Get Guilty
Kyle Andrews		Polar Bear		Real Blasty
Anathallo		The River		Canopy Glow

Source: 90.3 The Core

First edition of The Playlist for 2k9

Last night was an interesting show. It was my first show in three weeks and there wasn't really a whole lot of new music to work with given that this is a musically dead time of the year. Hopefully, things should start to pick up for next week, but I had to make do with very little. I think I put together a half decent show though. I ended with some stuff from my top 10 list for 2008.

Tom Gabel		Random Hearts		Heart Burns
Liz Larsons, The		Petty Clovers		Talk Like A Male Artist
Drew Danburry		Accident		This Could Mean Trouble, You Don't Speak For The Club
Future Clouds And Radar		Old Edmund Ruffin		Peoria
Grey Anne		Riddle		Facts N Figurines
That Handsome Devil		Squares		A City Dressed In Dynamite
Whales And Cops		Bent Cop		Great Bouncing Icebergs
Titles		Who's Disguise		Up With The Sun
Measure [SA], The		The Moment That You Said Yes		One Chapter In The Book (A Collection Of Standard Waits And Measurements)
Sirs, The		Social Divorce		The Sirs 7"
Moon And Moon		We Are The Lights		VII Acts Of An Iron King
She And Him		This Is Not A Test		Volume One
Gaslight Anthem, The		High Lonesome		The '59 Sound
Gaslight Anthem, The		The '59 Sound		The '59 Sound

Source: 90.3 The Core

21

I can't say that I had a strong interest in this movie, but I figured I'd Netflix and give it a shot. I'll say right away that it was pretty meh. It's hard to trash the story of a movie that is "based" on a true story, especially when the person it was based on is at least somewhat involved, but it all felt very Hollywood and predictable. I think it would have been a much better movie if they cut all of the Hollywood crap out and focused on the connections between the characters a little more.

I think the idea of counting cards and taking Vegas the way that the MIT team did is really interesting, but I couldn't help but feeling like they were really dumb about it the whole time. If you are that good and taking the casinos for that much at a time, why would you go so often? Just because you have a good plan doesn't mean you're not going to get caught. These casinos are big organizations in the business of taking your money, of course they are going to find a way to catch you if you are walking out with hundreds of thousands of dollars every weekend.

The movie wasn't a complete waste of time, I didn't really feel bored at all, but I can't recommend it either.

Rating: C

Milk

Wow. This was an amazing film. Sean Penn's performance was insanely good and made it impossible not to connect with his character. I mean, just wow.

I haven't read much about Harvey Milk's real life, but from what I have read, it seems like the story of this movie was relatively accurate. But they made it really interesting and kept it from getting too dry as well.

I really only have two complaints. The first is that it felt a little long at times. I think there were a couple of scenes that could have been shortened or removed, especially from the first half of the movie. The second is that there was not enough explained about Jack, Milk's second boyfriend during the movie. There wasn't much about his past life or where he came from, but the part that really got me was that there was nothing about him given to make us like him. Most of the characters in the movie couldn't stand him and they only showed us his negative qualities. There wasn't much given for us to understand why Harvey was so into him.

Other than those two like quips, I thought this was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. I would really recommend seeing this as soon as possible, but if you are the kind of person that easily gets angry at intolerance, be prepared to get a bit angry with the world.

Rating: A

Yes Man

This was one of those movies that I expected to be a bit cheesy, but I figured that it would at least be fun and entertaining. I didn't find it imperative that I see it ASAP or in theaters, but it was the kind of movie that I definitely would have at least added to my Netflix queue when it came to DVD.

At any rate, I ended up seeing it last night and I was pretty much exactly right about it. It was fun and entertaining, but not amazing or fall out of your seat funny. There were a few laugh out loud parts, but it was mostly just the kind of movie that makes you smile. I really liked it though. Jim Carrey was about what I would expect from him these days. He can be kind of hit or miss and sometimes his flicks don't withstand the test of time (e.g. Ace Ventura), but he was good this time around. Not Liar Liar or Cable Guy funny, but comical.

Now of course, I'll need to rave about Zooey Deschanel even though she completely disappointed me by getting engaged to Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie. It may very well be that I am blinded by the fact that I have such a big thing for her, but I really liked her in this movie. I think it is the type of role that is perfect for her. She really knows how to nail the role of that really quirky, but super cute girl that has a charm you just can't resist. It's definitely a role that is well-suited to her, unlike her role in the atrocity that was The Happening. Oh, and getting to hear her sing a little was awesome...as always.

It is really cheesy to say and makes me feel like a total sentimental goober to say this, but it was kind of an uplifting movie. It makes you feel kind of warm and smiley throughout the movie and almost inspires you to be more adventurous in your life. I'm generally the kind of person that rarely says no to doing stuff because I don't want to miss out, but it kind of made me want to be even more like that. I feel goofy even saying all of this, but it's still true. I have friends that never do anything and I just can't imagine living life where I was constantly missing out on stuff like that.

If you're the type of person that is into doing New Year's resolutions--I am not--then this could be a good movie for you to see right now. Or if you just like movies that are oddly fun.

Rating: B

2008 - Year In Review

What a crazy year this has been! I started off with incredibly high hopes and expectations for 2008 and, to be honest, I'd say that it hit almost every one of them. It was easily one of the best years of my life...despite taking a very unexpected turn in the homestretch.

I took trips to San Francisco, Toronto, Chicago, and Florida (I was sick with food poisoning the whole time), as well as a short little weekend trip to Vermont. I tried all kinds of new things and could barely keep up with how busy I was with stuff. I started playing soccer and got active again. I'm in the best shape that I've been in in years. It's great.

I started a new job early in the year doing software development. Something that I didn't go to school for and had no formal experience doing. My only experience was as a hobbyist. I was insanely scared of taking this job--I wanted to turn it down, actually--and stressed like I can't even describe when I first started. I stuck with it though, despite putting myself in very uneasy situations--I don't do well in situations where I feel like I could look like an idiot and I have no idea what I'm doing. But I made it. I've been there for almost a year now and while I'm not super crazy about the company, I love what I do and I'm really excited that I have a career path to look forward to. Something that I like doing and that I'm proud of doing. I couldn't say this a year ago. I was happy at my last job, but it wasn't going anywhere.

I scaled my role at the radio station back almost entirely to nothing. All I do now is my radio show and I'm happy about that. I'm finally ready to completely leave. I think that by May 2009, I'll be able to walk away happy.

The biggest thing in 2008 for me, I think, was a relationship that started towards the end of 2007 with an absolutely wonderful girl who was also my best friend. We had a lot of fun together and connected in a crazy way, I won't go into details. The relationship is over now, but with no hard feelings, just a lot of great memories and the knowledge that it really changed me as a person in a very positive way.

And on top of all of that, my half siblings got in touch with me and I've started to develop a relationship with my half-sister. We hadn't talked in eighteen years, but now, thanks to Facebook--which I no longer hate because of this--we keep in touch often. And I also got back in touch with an old friend that I hadn't spoken to in years.

Unlike 2008, 2009 is starting off with no plans or expectations. It's a completely clean slate. I think I have two things on my calendar for the year so far. It's the first year that I'm starting off single since 2001, but I don't see that as a bad thing. It'll be an interesting year, I think. I'm looking forward to it. And I think that I'll continue trying many more new things in the year to come.

Alright, I'm slightly lying when I say there are no plans or expectations. I would like to move to Chicago, but that's a bit dependent on the economy. I'm not going to quit a job and move a third of the way across the country when the economy is so crappy. So we'll see about that one. If it doesn't happen, that'll be fine too.

All I have left to say is...BRING ON 2009!!!

Top movies of 2008

I saw a damn lot of movies this year. There were also a ton that I didn't get to see too, but there's only so much time. I promised that I would do a post about my favorite movies of the year, so here it is. Below, in no order, are my favorite flicks of 2008.

• WALL-E
• Zack And Miri Make A Porno
  
• The Dark Knight
• Iron Man
• Hamlet 2

There were a ton more great movies, but I'm limiting myself to a top 5 list here...even though I could easily do a top 10 or a top 15.

The Spirit

I always feel a little weird talking about comic book movies because while I love them, I don't actually read comic books and didn't really when I was a kid either. I do it anyway though so here goes...

Generally, I actually liked The Spirit, despite the horrible reviews. The dialogue and story were pretty bad, but visuals were more than an enough to keep me entertained the entire time, and when it comes down to it, isn't that what's important?

The whole thing was extremely comic-booky, both in the crazy visual aspect of the film and in the dialogue. Essentially, the movie was pretty much just and hour and a half of eye candy. Between Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Stana Katic (the most attractive, I think, followed closely by Ms. Johansson), Jaime King, and Paz Vega, there was barely a minute in the movie without some beautiful woman on the screen. It was practically like watching softcore porn.

A lot of people were expecting Frank Miller to just throw Sin City at us again and he didn't...which I was happy about. Sin City was an amazingly excellent movie and The Spirit was just an acceptable movie, but it being more like Sin City wouldn't have helped it any. I didn't pay to see Sin City 2 (though I will when it happens).

The bottom line is, if you like comic book movies or any of the above listed actresses, this is worth a trip to the theater...or at least as an addition to your Netflix queue in a few months.

Rating: C

The Gaslight Anthem at The Court Tavern 12/23

While the word was going around that this was a secret show, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that it didn't stay very much a secret. As with most shows at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, it was late to start and late to end, but since I only had a half day of work the next day, I won't complain too much. In most ways, this was your typical New Brunswick show. A crowded, sweaty basement with all kinds of assholery and great music. There was a time in my life when I was used to this, but I find that the older I get, the less I feel like dealing with it. Kids crowdsurfing in a bar basement with a ceiling that is about eight feet high--that subsequently was partially pulled down--is not really that amusing to me anymore. Call me a dork, but I really just like to go and enjoy the bands without all the pushing around and roughness.

Still, Gaslight Anthem was amazing...as always. They just aren't a band that is going to let you down. Whether it's recorded or live, this band brings it every time. They play music that is just tons of fun live. There are plenty of singalongs and parts to get your finger pointing in and somehow, they always play all of the songs that you want to hear. In the end, I'd say that this show as a whole was barely worth it because of the New Brunswick factor, but I did kind of expect that, so I shouldn't complain about that.

I guess I should also mention Let Me Run who were, as usual, very excellent.

What a great t-shirt

This one comes from Mitch Clem, the creator of the Nothing Nice To Say and My Stupid Life comic strips. It's the same shirt that one of his characters wears. I really love it. It just works on so many levels for me. For a long time in high school and college, a lot of people used to openly take note of how I was one of those guys who always wore band t-shirts and hardly anything else. I don't have too many band shirts left anymore, but this feels like a throwback to those times. That and anyone who recognizes it from Nothing Nice To Say is definitely going to earn some points in my book.

Anyway, head on over to www.mitchclem.com and check out his comics. I think I've posted before about how sometimes it feels like My Stupid Life is about my own life and Nothing Nice To Say has a few strips about Jawbreaker that are responsible for getting me hooked on both comics.

The Playlist - Top 10 Countdown Edition

This week I counted down my top 10 albums of 2008! If you're a regular reader here, you already know the list, but here are the songs that I played. As you can see, when I got to the number one and two albums, I played a little extra.

This was easily one of the best shows I've ever done. Everything was there and right on. But it's always easier when your show is more planned out instead of just flying by the seat of your pants like I normally do.

Amanda Palmer		Oasis		Who Killed Amanda Palmer
Conor Oberst		Danny Callahan		Conor Oberst
Tom Gabel		Random Hearts		Heart Burns
Mason Proper		Point A To Point B		Olly Oxen Free
Bridges, The		All The Words		Limits Of The Sky
Murder By Death		Rum Brave		Red Of Tooth And Claw
The Steinways		Arena Rock		Gorilla Marketing
Hold Steady, The		Stay Positive		Stay Positive
She And Him		I Was Made For You		Volume One
She And Him		This Is Not A Test		Volume One
Gaslight Anthem, The		Miles Davis & The Cool		The '59 Sound
Gaslight Anthem, The		High Lonesome		The '59 Sound
Gaslight Anthem, The		The '59 Sound		The '59 Sound

Source: 90.3 The Core

Top 10 Records Of 2008!

Here it is, I finally made it! Unlike the past few years, I'm only doing ten records instead of twenty-five and this Wednesday, December 17, I'll do a countdown of them on 90.3 The Core at 10pm!

I should say that this isn't necessarily a list of what I think the best records were, but these are the records I listened to the most and that stuck with me throughout the year. I mistakenly named Murder By Death's record as an early pick for album of the year way back in February, but it ended up dropping down to fifth.

At any rate, check back soon as I'll be doing other top 10 lists for 2008!

1. Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
2. She And Him - Volume One
3. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
4. The Steinways - Gorilla Marketing
5. Murder By Death - Red Of Tooth And Claw
6. The Bridges - Limits Of The Sky
7. Mason Proper - Olly Oxen Free
8. Tom Gabel - Heart Burns
9. Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
10. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer

The Playlist 12/10

Awesome show last night. Some of this stuff really segued together great.

David Byrne / Brian Eno		Everything That Happens		Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Organ, The		Oh What A Feeling		Thieves
Gringo Star		Eve Of Your Expression		All Y'all
Rollo Treadway, The		Kidnapped		The Rollo Treadway
Sheepdogs, The		In My Sights		Big Stand
Red Eyed Legends		Don't Make It Go Too Fast		Wake Up, Legend
Los Campesinos!		Heart Swells-Pacific Daylight Time		We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Hush Now, The		Sadie Hawkins Dance		The Hush Now
French Miami		Goddamn Best		French Miami
Mascott		Nite Owl		Art Project
Meaghan Smith		Little Love		The Cricket's Quartet [EP]
Wintersleep		Archaeologists		Welcome To The Night Sky
Titles		Who's Disguise		Up With The Sun
Bob Dylan		Everything Broken		Tell Tale Signs
Frontier Ruckus		The Deep-Yard Dream		The Orion Songbook
That Handsome Devil		Squares		A City Dressed In Dynamite
Death Cab For Cutie		Champagne From A Paper Cup		Something About Airplanes (Deluxe Edition)

Source: 90.3 The Core

T-shrit and some stuff

Here is probably one of my favorite shirts to date. Just came in the mail the other day.

In other news, sorry I haven't been updating much lately. It's been quite busy...and unexpected over the past few weeks. I did go to see Twilight and I wanted to post something about how it was so bad that I literally threw up during it, but I don't think it really deserved a whole post.

Anyway, I need to start thinking about my top stuff of 2008 list. Since it's going to be a shorter list of albums this year, I think I'm going to also do movies and random other stuff as well. Look for that soon.

Two Playlists!

It's been a little while since I've posted anything here. I didn't even get a chance to post last week's playlist from The Playlist. With Thanksgiving and going away, I just didn't really make it to a computer to get it posted.

Last week's show was another really good show. Better than tonight's show, but things did pick up a bit tonight. I had a real slow section of the show that I had trouble getting out of, but I think I pulled it off. I was a little out of it still from getting food poisoning over the weekend (more on that tomorrow).

We're approaching the end of the year now which means that the amount of new music coming out is going to slow down to almost nil for the next month or so. I think there's enough good stuff that came out in the past few weeks to hold the fort down with, but we'll see. It also means that it's time to start working on my top albums of the year list. I don't know if I'll be able to do 25 this year like I have for the past few years, but we'll see. I think I might just keep it to 10 or 15 like most normal people.

Anyway, here are the playlists for this week and last week (in that order)...

Tom Gabel		Random Hearts		Heart Burns
That Handsome Devil		Rob The Prez-O-Dent		A City Dressed In Dynamite
Rollo Treadway, The		Run Gararu 188		The Rollo Treadway
Annuals		Always Do		Such Fun
Anathallo		Noni's Field		Canopy Glow
Frontier Ruckus		Mount Marcy		The Orion Songbook
Titles		We Have No Hands		Up With The Sun
Dillinger Four		A Pyre Laid For Image And Frame		Civil War
Red Eyed Legends		Don't Make It Go Too Fast		Wake Up, Legend
Meaghan Smith		If You Asked Me		The Cricket's Quartet [EP]
Organ, The		Let The Bells Ring		Thieves
Bob Dylan		Most Of The Time		Tell Tale Signs
Cure, The		The Perfect Boy		4:13 Dream
Her Space Holiday		Sleepy Tigers		XOXO Panda And The New Kid Revival
Johnny Cash		25 Minutes To Go		At Folsom Prison

---

Bob Dylan		Everything Broken		Tell Tale Signs
Chop Chop		Play		Screens
I'm From Barcelona		Mingus		Who Killed Harry Houdini?
Her Space Holiday		The Heartbreak Moment		XOXO Panda And The New Kid Revival
Titles		Coal Mine		Up With The Sun
Tom Gabel		Amputations		Heart Burns
Rollo Treadway, The		Kidnapped		The Rollo Treadway
Layaways, The		All Around The World		The Space Between
Ryan Adams And The Cardinals		Natural Ghost		Cardinology
Meaghan Smith		Little Love		The Cricket's Quartet [EP]
David Byrne / Brian Eno		Everything That Happens		Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Boo And Boo Too		Black Buggy		No Tempo
Dillinger Four		Ode To The North American Snake Oil Distributor		Civil War
Takeover UK, The		Sick Of Love		It's All Happening
Nikka Costa		Keep Pushin'		Pebble To A Pearl
Johnny Cash		Folsom Prison Blues		At Folsom Prison

Source: 90.3 The Core

Beards up!

Well, they haven't posted any of my graphs yet, but I'm hopeful that GraphJam will like this guy.

I got the idea to make it last night when I was trying to convince my friend to grow a full beard despite the fact that as beard awesomeness rises, the amount of girls that will have sex with you decreases.

The Playlist 11/20

Yet another great show last night. I'd say that I'm officially on a role. The new The Cure stuff seems a little boring though. I mean, I love The Cure and all, but I think it's time.

Dillinger Four		Gainesville		Civil War
I'm From Barcelona		Mingus		Who Killed Harry Houdini?
Frontier Ruckus		What You Are		The Orion Songbook
Frances		Telephone		All The While
Army Navy		Dark As Days		Army Navy
Little Ones, The		Tangerine Visions		Morning Tide
Her Space Holiday		The Heartbreak Moment		XOXO Panda And The New Kid Revival
Annuals		Always Do		Such Fun
Frank Palmeri		Truth Be Told		Leaving The Light On
David Byrne / Brian Eno		Life Is Long		Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Tom Gabel		Amputations		Heart Burns
Organ, The		Fire In The Ocean		Thieves
Titles		Coal Mine		Up With The Sun
Red Eyed Legends		Expectations Vs. Reality		Wake Up, Legend
Cure, The		The Hungry Ghost		4:13 Dream

Source: 90.3 The Core