Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Freddie Hubbard RIP


Peace and respect to Freddie Hubbard who passed away on the 29th of this month.

A fellow Hoosier (born in Indy) Hubbard was first brought to my attention (courtesy of my man Lee Trembly) my freshman year of college...Red Clay was one of the first jazz albums I ever purchased...I recently found this on wax a few years ago. I think I paid $14 for it on vinyl which is to say that I UNDERPAID. Check the Wiki link above for his credentials...here's a small selection of some of the major albums in the 60's that he appeared on:

The Blues and the Abstract Truth - Oliver Nelson
Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock
Speak No Evil - Wayne Shorter
Free Jazz - Ornette Coleman
Out to Lunch - Eric Dolphy
Ascension - John Coltrane

Check it below...you may recognize the drums from the Tribe Called Quest track "Sucka Nigga".


Must owns for any APT member?

Red Clay, 1970, Hard bop, Fusion CTI


Straight Life, 1970, Hard bop, Fusion CTI

(the artwork for this record inspired the 2008 yearbook cover for Manchester Memorial High School in Manchester, NH)

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Nothing Says German Like...

Lederhausen and Beer...

A Volkswagon Bus...


An Eye Patch?

Tom's new joint is on shakey ground. Word is that MGM had to pour an additional 70 million into marketing just to make sure this German Nazi flick, minus German accents, would see the light of day.

I never imagined a world where Tom Cruise would become more unlikable than the King of Creep, Micheal Jackson. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Where have you gone Pete "Maverick" Mitchell?

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Favorite xmas clips

Here is one of my faves, definitely my sons favorite by far. From "A Year Without Santa Claus"





Does Wonder Boys count?...

Season's Eatings

Happy holidays to all my friends at Live From APT! This is an SNL classic on par with any of that Andy Samberg shit...

Be well and I hope to see you all next Wednesday night at the New Year's mashdown.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Wassail, Wassail!


Upon Ward's request, I ventured to post a clip from one of my favorite Christmas movies, A Child's Christmas In Wales, a 1987 PBS/BBC adaptation of Dylan Thomas' classic story. The Hilliards will be watching it this evening (off of the VHS we taped it onto), and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. It is the story of a traditional Welsh Christmas told by a grandfather to his son. My favorite reminisces are the opening scene, where, when the firemen come to put out a fire in her home, the crazy grandmother asks rather calmly,"does anyone care for something to READ", children furtively'smoking' candy cigarettes behind the neighbor's house, and when the grandfather(in his youth) receives a red knitted nose-warmer (attached by strings around the ears) from his aunt for Christmas.

Alas, since I can't post any moving pictures from that, here are some other favorites.

A Jethro Tull seasonal selection, Solstice Bells, with some killer 70s Hobbit-style animation:

And a total 'Ren-Faire Rock' version by the Albion Dance Band (featuring Shirley Collins!) of one of my favorite carols, The Wassail Song. I like it because it's about celebrating the new year by trekking through the snow to carol your neighbors, eat cakes, and drink ale!


Jolly Wassail, Solstice, and Christmas to all, and special love to Miles and Omari who are celebrating their first holidays ever!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Lady...Amen, Brother


China Moses


Amen, Brother

Don't forget to go to school today...

You may be interested in this as well...watch who comes out around the :55 mark...

Still got clout...

This also looks good...a holiday must...


Oh yeah...a hype post from the crew over at Turntable Lab. Watch out for that Royce Da 5'9" cut...Gang Starr "You Know My Steez" as well...Primo on the MPC can't be beat...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Take Flight

Check this early Christmas gift from the fools over at Funny or Die. The online preview of Flight of the Concord Season 2.



PS APT gives all love and hugs to K+S who welcomed their first child, Omari Hutch into the world! At 7lbs 8 oz."Hutch" will be diesel on the M-I-C! Welcome to Maine little one. Peace.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Ain't nothin' like a brooklyn girl...

Speak the the truth...


Charlie is also rocking these in the vid...a must on the APT Holiday List...

Speaking of NY, they are relevant for a change...

When the Lake-show pushes, you push right back...

...almost decapatating the Lake last night AT HOME, the Bricks are rolling...there might be room for them in the number 8 spot if this guy's team keeps losing...

Nasty, but if you can win in NC with a arena half empty, well...

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Slopeside Shaolin

What do you get when you mix 300+ wasted college students, fresh off a day on the slopes, with hip-hop's dirtiest and rawest rap collective? I'm not sure. But I'm psyched to find out. Believe it folks: Wu-Tang Clan will be making their way to Bethel, Maine during the mountain's annual College Week for a night of beats, blunts, and black diamond antics. W2 and I will be there with all the usual bling, sporting oversized Burton coats and Sessions caps on sideways. Beards will be trimmed into the proper chin strap. Word.

Show is on Saturday, January 3rd at White Cap Lodge. $40 tix in advance, $45 day of show.

For those who can't make it, or who prefer to not spoil their impression of the group's earlier era glory, enjoy the following clip from the crew's debut joint:

Monday, December 15, 2008

J*** in My Pants

At W2's recommendation, this clip's frickin' hilarious...



Enjoy!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

A timeless take on the Gift. Muppets and Bluegrass set in a poor small river town. This flick totally nails that quiet lonely struggle that winter brings.

I fully expect Emily, Driz, and El Man to post their favorites.

The Snowman

Speaking of favorite holiday films, Dr. D's got a favorite of his own. It may come as no surprise that it involves a male protagonist embarking on a journey of epic proportions. Although instead of carrying the burden of a powerful ring, and having to destroy it in the belly of Mt. Doom, this classic involves building a snowman... AND having it come to life... AND having that very snowman hook you up with a magical ride to the North Pole to visit the notorious mastermind behind Christmas himself. Note that there are NO words in the film. It's deep, intense, emotional. I always cry at the end when the snowman melts. And the "Walking in the Air" theme is unforgettable.



Last time I checked they were selling all 28 minutes of the film on DVD for only $5.00 at Hannaford! Check it out this holiday season!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

It's A Wonderful Life



Unfairly remembered for it's sentimentality, the dark side of "It's A Wonderful Life" is always what hit me upside the head and this video from the NY Times and this review bring it to you live.

I recently discovered that two of my best friends (W2 and Big Brother) have never seen this film in its entirety and I was not so much shocked as I was excited for them to uncover it and hopefully fall in love with the cast and stoy the way I did when I was in the 7th grade.

Fav secene? Come on...



Lady of the hour? Check this.

Also...Fields...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Ghost of Karen Dalton

Who is Karen Dalton? If you don't know, don't fret, for she was an elusive figure, for even those who knew her it seems. Count her in among the likes of Nick Drake and Bridgett St. John--the much forgotten but most deserving underground of the 60s-70s folk scene. Bob Dylan referred to her as his favorite voice from that time. Her career never really took off, and she struggled with drugs and alcohol through most of it, dying a virtual unknown in 1993.

Please enjoy this video, one of my favorites, both for her distinctive voice and the images that seem to be of a haunting wraith, captured.


If you like what you see, I highly recommend her 2 solo albums "In My Own Time" and "It's So Hard To Know Who's Going To Love You The Best", both of which were re-released in November 2006 and feature some of her really superb banjo playing.

Friday, December 5, 2008

"Oh Kermie"

Tonight marks another APT excursion down to the Fleet Center to catch the boys in green. Roomie is out tending to family business so the event will have a different flavor for sure. Stand ins B-Nice and T-Bird will no doubt pull their weight.

I wanted to drop some music for the King. Take in this lovely cover of LCD Soundsystem's "New York, I love you but you are Bringing me down," performed by APT all-star Kermit the Frog.



I liberated this post from Youaintnopicasso. The site frequently unearths delicious indie-oriented cover tunes. Stop by and check the coolest thing from Kentucky since Rajon laced em up for the 'Cats.


Boys got a ring, NBA All-Star game is next!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Riot

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die


"See you later, sinners..."

And from Big Brother...

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"Learning about Cuba, havin' some food."

Sean Penn has recently authored THIS informative and insightful essay for Huffington Post chronicling his struggles with our democracy and detailing his meetings with Cuban leaders Raul and Fidel Castro.



In recent years he has been an outspoken advocate for peace, justice, and social reform. This has resulted in Penn being much maligned by both the conservative right and the outrageous left.

Hannity calls Penn out on Fox News.


You may recall Penn cast as a member of F.A.G. (The Film Actors Guild) inTrey Stone and Matt Parker's hilarious Team America: World Police.


Our boy has been in the game for awhile now. Long enough to hit a camera man, date Madonna, marry Princess Buttercup, win an oscar, and direct one of APT's favorite films.

He has had his ups and downs, but for my money, when Spicoli speaks, APT listens.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Creativity is creativity

I am definitely not a fan of commercials and rampant capitalism but I still appreciate a good commercial. Here is the first Ipod commercial. I love how it seems to have a much more developed narrative, maybe because it is introducing the soon to be iconic Ipod. And I think that the song it features is a Propelerhead song, adding to the creativity quotient. Whatever, the main thing is that it is cool.




and online... (cool in geeky tech world sense)



Enjoy!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Birthday Roomie

The King celebrated 33 in style yesterday. Jerk chicken wings, grilled shrimp, ice cream, obscure additions to his record collections, and most importantly his pals acting like fools to impress the B-Boy.

But truthfully folks, no present or party can compare to what Ryan received by association on June 28th, 2008. That glorious day marked the return to relevance of his Chicago Bulls. They drafted one Derek Rose, and the highlight reels have been rolling ever since!



Last night, in honor of Roomie, the man went off. 18pts, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 incredible block in a win over the 76ers. Watch this!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

APT Gives Thanks...

...to the misfits and athletic freaks that make up the Golden State Warriors. Not because they win. In fact they are 5-9 on the season. But this crew has STYLE. And while we at APT may have limited STYLE, we know that shit when we see it. Gentlemen, we salute you.

Dolph Lundgren look-a-like, Latvia's favorite son, Andris Biedrins

The Mayor, Stephen Jackson

The Rookie, Anthony Randolph

and Coach Don Nelson

When these dudes ball the rules of traditional hoops are thrown out the window. Every guy is a power forward and a point guard. They are all like 6-6 with mad hops, sick handles, and the green light to shoot it from anywhere in the gym. Tom Cruise reckless!

They bring the Oak-Town izzle to the fleet tonight. So if you are an addict and wish to ruin a family gathering or a classy cocktail party, flip on the TV around 730 and watch the NBA's answer to the Globetrotters.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Colbert Christmas Special featuring Feist!

God this man is funny....(Feist pipes in as well)




peace

Neil Young. Age 22. Canterbury House. Ann Arbor, MI



I've been wanting to hear this ever since I heard the 'Sugar Mountain' B-side from this show. You can hear the whole album through NPR's sneak preview here. What a sweet treat. Almost as sweet as seeing the Live From APT crew in PORTLAND tomorrow!!!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Live...


APT can't get enough.

And this...is too good...

Friday, November 21, 2008

Represent that


A nice article about the number 1 city in the world...pic by my man Phil Velasquez

In other news...


Bring it.

Detroit Got Rondo'd

APT team members Big Brother (Detroit fan) and LivefromAPT (fan of Eddie House) rolled down to the Fleet last night to catch some hoops. I (Celtics fan) was resting at home spending some time with my family, whom I love.

The Celtics have Detroit's number. 98-80 was the final. Roll tape.

Enjoy the weekend. Pics of the Children of Winter pre party and the first turns of the year forthcoming.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

2008 GetBack Rock 'Stache Awards FlipBook


Great photo-article...check it here.

Note: John Oates and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan) both happen to in bands that are favorites of APT memeber T-Krovel.

It most certainly bears mentioning...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Tyrone Green & His Reggae Band

Although Bob Marley and the Wailers top the list of reggae artists most likely to be found in the average white music fan's CD collection, let's not forget one of the 1980's most prolific underground reggae sensations... Tyrone Green & His Reggae Band!

Not to be confused with this Tyrone Green from the Southern Illinois Salukis basketball squad.

Eat this Ras Trent!



Turns out Eddie Murphy was a Rastafarian disciple long before Andy Samberg was even potty trained...

Monday, November 17, 2008

Interpretive Dance... NPR Style

APT tour-de-force Jay-Mee - also resident top chef at the Kellogg Street Cafe - insisted that I share this with y'all. Being a radio buff herself, quite in-the-know, apparently this is the future of public radio. May also be the future of W2's yoga class, at least if I have any say in the matter. Enjoy!

Put a ring on it...

A follow up to this previous post:

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Canadian Hip-Hop

Canadians are nice. Polite. They have a quiet form of patriotism. They like to help those less fortunate than them. These qualities are admirable, but don't exactly fit with the in your face aestetics of the rap game here in the states.

But don't be fooled, our brothers and sisters to the north are not all aboot Avril Lavigne and Wayne Gretzky, eh. Today APT celebrates the contributions of some left of center hip hoppers who are pushing the medium...forward.

Halifax BBoy, Buck 65!

Chemical Brothers ft. Toronto's K-OS

Ontario's Tom Green. Dude brings it!

Friday, November 14, 2008

The True Shepard

I hereby nominate Shep Smith of Fox News for Honorary Membership with the APT. He is consistantly keeping it on the level. Earlier he stuck it to Joe the Plumber, and here he is setting the record straight on "The Media's" involvement with Barry's victory.



Power to the people, Shep!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Fuel up the Saturn...

Sorry Roomie and Big Brother, I am asleep at the wheel.

This morning I was checking the interwebs and realized that the Celts play the Hawks tonight...and we have tickets. A quick call home and some detective work by my better half confirmed this. Shine up the white wall tires...Road Trip.

When last we saw these two teams, the Celts were on the brink of elimination. A 99-65 beatdown ensued as the team in green moved on the face the Cavs in the EC-Semis.

Tonight the Hawks are without high flyer Josh Smith but bring an undefeated record to the Fleet. It should be nice.

Al Horford throwing down on KG's head!

Rajon Rondo out-played Mike Bibby...Roomie was the only one surprised!

Pics on Thursday.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

X-Men origins and Cool Watchmen Posters


Production Weekly hooks us up with a new plot synopsis for X-Men Origins, which is about Magneto's back story...

"The original X-Men film began with a prologue that showed the character as a child being led to a concentration camp by Nazis and that is the period in which the Magneto film will take place. This setup will allow a future villain to at least flirt with the designation of protagonist since the character will be seen almost exclusively in his formative years."

This essentially means that the young Magneto is a hero who battles the Nazis.

The synopsis continues: "The storyline will heavily involve Professor X, the wheelchair-using X-Men leader. That character was a soldier in the allied force that liberated the concentration camps. The professor meets Magneto after the war and while they bond over the realisation that they are alike in their special powers, their differences soon turn them into enemies."


Fox studios seems totally focused right now on X-Men origins: Wolverine(due out in May)

Exciting...In Watchmen news check these posters out (trailer after the posters)







high quality trailer here



W2 tell B to hurry up and hook a brother up!

Peace!

Shaving Ryan's Privates

Seriously. Today is Veteran's Day. I caught up with a couple of Vets at Town Hall today on a slick walk-about to poach some new tunes from El Man and do some Cap n' Trade data analysis with Kevin Love.



I tipped my cap to the fellas and ladies in honor of their service and the 1.5 million US soldiers who have fallen over the course of history. APT is anti-war but most definately pro-vet! Peace.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Barack Obama: The 50 facts you might not know

Fifty things you might not know about Barack Obama (W2, this will put it beyond Mancrush for you, peep 1 and 2 especially).


He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed "Bear" by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government


From the Telegraph.co

Enjoy!!!

Brandon Marshall...All APT

If you have not been following this story, then check this video to get the details. It pops around 00.30.

The Commish puts the squeeze on BM.

I don't want to hate, but the Neo-Con vibe in the NFL makes it ALMOST unwatchable. Seriously minus Adrian Peterson and Troy Palamalu, what does the No Fun League have going for it.

Now, run your ass over to Democracy Now and read the transcripts from an interview with A People's History of Sports author David Zirin.

APT, where sports and politics get together and watch Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

For Emma, Forever Ago

On the subject of man crushes, I'm definitely feelin' Obama as well, just not in a wallpaper or tattooing on body sort of way. Feeling you on Andy Samberg W2, he's hilarious. I think I was Ras Trent's roommate my sophomore year. I'll tell you my biggest man crush of the year though: Bon Iver. Check this sultry, intimate version of Bon Iver's title track on one of 2008's finest records:

Bon Iver - "For Emma" from MySpace Transmissions


For those feeling adventurous, there is an APT field trip in the making for December 14th down to Boston, to check out Bon Iver with Sweedish songwriter The Tallest Man on Earth at The Wilbur Theatre. I know, Sunday's are tough, but good music is few and far between up here in Portland...

Speaking of The Tallest Man on Earth, I think he's worth a listen. Check this video:



Not to be confused with this tallest man on earth, Mongolia's own Bao Xishun. At 7 feet, 8 inches (2.36 meters) tall, I think the NBA needs to be giving him a call:

Friday, November 7, 2008

Man Crush

APT, 53% of America, Australia, Europe, even India and the Bhutan are all goo-goo for Barack. In fact, I think my wife just scored some Obama wallpaper for her office.

But my effections don't run as deep. At night when I lay down there is only one fella on my mind...Berkeley California native David Andrew Samberg. Andy to his fans.

From his junk in a box, to Narnia, to Ras Trent, and a parody of Marky Mark, this fella has earned his place on APT's A-list. Check the videos and if Samberg doesn't visit you in your dreams then I'll be a bitch houndog suckin pups.

Stork Patrol

The Chip

And if you do nothing else today, groove to our boys smoothed out love song dedicated to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...Iran so Far Away.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Perfect


"The world got so messed up nobody else really wanted to tackle it so they turned it over to us. That's what happened with the cities." -Abassador Andrew Young


Happy New York...from last night's show...


2 a.m., NYC yesterday

This is also worth checking out...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Obama forever

A Message for the Undecided

For those of you on the fence this year with the election - if that's at all possible - here are some words of wisdom to the Earth people. Get out and vote!


Click here for more videos from Vote For Change

If that's not convincing enough, I'm not sure what else to tell you. Bless up!

Monday, November 3, 2008

RIP Studs Turkel, election mumbo-jumbo, NBA update, P-Town West Rides, light reading


A wonderful Chicago legend will be missed...Studs Turkel...if you've never heard of him, please take the time...APT Hall of Famer mos def.


The New York Times kills it once again with this.


See you in the D.


See you at Rucker Park.


See you in the playoffs.

Roomie was just out in P-Town West (Oregon for the layman) for the 3191 West Coast opening and the rides were BANGIN'. Check em...

First, we have the Mercedes 200, circa 1960's. Peep APT member CDR in the background.










Axel Foley's Chevy Nova...ice metallic money green...








Datsun 1300...physical plant special...not a sedan but dope...





And then there was the rental...Chysler Sebringin-it, Michael Scott style in Kennebunk royal blue...see me coming from a mile away...





But the preferred mode of transport in Portland, OR has only two wheels...here's one to covet...the Flying Pegion, the most popular bike in China, pushing billions to work everyday...


Oh, and finally don't forget to pick up your copy of APT's book of the month...

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