Features
Keeping Up (Vol. 30)
by Darren Paltrowitz
Here are another 5 quick picks for you, the loyal reader:
MUSIC: Visqueen – Straddling the line between power-pop and punk-pop, Visqueen is a Seattle group that is heavy on hooks. Earning rave reviews from NPR, The Village Voice, and GNR bassist Duff McKagan alike, new album Message To Garcia has been making waves in spite of it being self-released on frontwoman Rachel Flotard’s Local 638 Records label. Fans of The Muffs, The Fastbacks and The Ramones ought to take notice. (visqueenonline.com)
BOOK: Paul Shaffer with David Ritz / We’ll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives – Paul Shaffer is best known as David Letterman’s long-time late night bandleader, yet his career has had so many other interesting gigs. As some examples, Shaffer was a band member and cast member on Saturday Night Live, the music director of The Blues Brothers, the star of sit-com A Year At The Top, and a notable actor in This Is Spinal Tap. His first memoir, We’ll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives, recaps all of that and more, starting with his Canadian childhood. Never a dull moment with that guy –- or so it seems. (paulshaffersdayinrock.com)
SERIES: Party Down – Starz has created a number of great shows in the recent past, and I am admittedly late to the game in discovering Party Down. A series about a group of aspiring actors and entertainment professionals stuck working at an L.A. catering company, Party Down is at all times a comedy. However, the humor generally comes at the expense of the characters’ struggles. Also of note is the largely-recognizable cast, which includes Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, Adam Scott, and Martin Starr. Season 1 can be watched online and via Roku. (starz.com/originals/PartyDown)
TOOL: Warranty Elephant – With the 2009 holiday season rapidly approaching, a lot of gifts are likely to be bought and received. To make your new items last as long as possible, look up Warranty Elephant. This site helps remind consumers when their product warranties are soon approaching, only requiring a few minutes of time for registration and data entry. Having all of this information in one place, as also backed up in your e-mail archive, ought to help consumers get organized. And if that is interest, why not look into the aforementioned site Thrive, which can keep track of all your non-cash purchases. (warrantyelephant.com)
As always, if I’m missing something that’s worthwhile and deserving of column space, please reach out with an e-mail: darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.
In the meantime, stay tuned for another 5 picks...