WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WEEKEND

Saturday, Nov. 7Lots of great stuff tonight. Biggest thing in my book, though, is this:

• Rich Evans – of Florida's Dying and Vinyl Richie's Wiggly World of Records – has been busting his ass to get new records by the Jacuzzi Boys and Electric Bunnies ready for the world, and now they're done. Celebrations will commence at Crooked Bayou tonight, with performances from Jacuzzi Boys, Slippery Slopes and Yussuf Jerusalem.

But kids, THAT'S NOT ALL!!

• Park Ave CDs is hosting a listening party for the deluxe reissue of Nirvana's Bleach this afternoon. (Because, you know, nobody's heard it before.) They're giving away tons of cool swag.

• And then, right afterwards, your local record store is gonna be having an autograph session/photo-op with Peaches.

Oh yeah, Peaches ... also doing a show at Firestone Live later tonight!

• Speaking of cartoons - Dethklok, Mastodon, High on Fire, Converge at Hard Rock Live. Does anyone else think it's weird that two of the best metal bands on the planet are having to open for a cartoon?

• Wanna hear a joke about "I'm on a boat?" Wanna hear it eleventy billion times? Go to the T-Pain show at UCF Arena tonight.

• Elvis Perkins in Dearland and A.A. Bondy are at the Social, but you and your beard and specatacles probably knew that already.

• My Man Mohammed CD release party, with the Takers, Brown Note [Will's Pub]

Sunday, Nov. 8

• The weather this weekend could not be more perfect for an 80s Dance Party Under the Stars ... oh, look, there's gonna be one at Stardust tonight.

• All That Remains, Lacuna Coil, Maylene & the Sons of Disaster [HOB]

• Elvis Perkins is doing an in-store at Park Ave CDs.

• Radiators [Plaza Theatre]

• I'm totally stoked for the Municipal Waste show tonight. I seem to keep finding myself connected to these guys in weirder and weirder ways. Without going into any detail on the most recent way, I will say that I was recently tipped off to the existence of the above (completely awesome) video, which turned out to be a weird connection. Whatever, you don't care.

Monday, Nov. 9

• Chicago's Pseudo Slang will kill it. I have this on good authority. [Will's Pub]

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/7/2009

I REALLY WANTED TO HATE THIS.

But being a hater is easy. Admitting that you own, and have used MORE THAN THREE TIMES, a Rachael Ray Make Your Own Take Out Recipe Deck is so much harder.It was sent to me by the publisher, so no, I didn't go out and buy it. And I wish I could sneer at ol' Jokerface, but … I've cooked four recipes from it so far, two of them a couple of times, and they worked pretty well, were easy and fast, and it was really convenient to just magnet the card onto the fridge instead of consulting an open book on the counter.What can I say? She wins this round. But I will never say yumm-o.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 11/6/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING TONIGHT

Sigh. What a day.Here's what you can do to try and forget about it all.Also:

• Stradivari Quartet [Knowles Memorial Chapel – Rollins]

• Knock Down Drag Out, the Oak Hill Drifters [Peacock Room]

• Watching the Magic beat the curse out of the Pistons.

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/6/2009

LUNCHLESS AND TRAPPED.

So much for our plans for Friday lunch out — we were stuck in our downtown office building because of THIS. (Traffic was locked down for the whole downtown area, with helicopters overhead and cop cars on corners.) Ordering in turned out to be complicated too; no one wanted to send their delivery guys into the Wild West hail of bullets presumed to be blanketing downtown.Jimmy John's to the rescue! Not only did they deliver, they did it with their usual hang-up-and-they're-in-the-lobby speed. JJ, we hail thee (and PS, your tuna rocks)!

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 11/6/2009

FIRST SHOT: LOST, FOUND AND BUSTED!

That Elizabeth Mitchell sure is sitting in the catbird seat these days. First, she gets to lob the latest game-changing, season-ending curveball on Lost. Then she scores the lead in one of the most successful new TV series of the fall season, V. And now comes word that she’s been cast in an indie ensemble film produced by the same company that brought us The Squid and the Whale.   But did you know that, in addition to all of these prodigious accomplishments, Mitchell is also a proud supporter of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival?   OK, that’s only true if you believe in J.J. Abrams-style paradoxes that allow folks to commune with their best buds at all points along the space-time continuum. But if you do, you’ll find it easy to swallow the idea that Mitchell, back when she was still just a sprout of an undergrad, was able to see into the future and know that the Orlando Fringe would one day be run by her BFF, Beth Marshall. And that she would approve.   You see, Marshall and Mitchell were once mutual drama queens at Stephens College in Columbia, MO, all the way back in the tender year of nineteen-coughs-and-changes-the-subject. And we’ve got the yellowing, furtively scanned pics to prove it!   Here we see a carefree, barely-legal Mitchell limbo-ing to her heart’s content at a summer-stock luau, subconsciously and eerily anticipating Lost’s Hawaii shoot a few decades in advance.We also glimpse her backstage at a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, waiting to take the stage alongside castmate Marshall (the one blowing the raspberry, to absolutely no one’s surprise).And we’ve even thrown in a shot of Mitchell with two other friends (who are unimportant to our purposes and thus shall remain nameless), just because it’s a nice portrait that proves her identity beyond a shadow of a doubt --  in case some Cynical Sam thinks we’re faking this whole thing for some bizarre reason that only Benjamin Linus could comprehend.   And how does Marshall recall the young Mitchell?   “Giving, adorable, caring, talented, thoughtful. NOT at all a wild girl; not at all ego-driven. We must have acted in about seven shows together, ranging from ... Read Moremusicals to children's theatre and dramas, and I directed her in two. My best memory of her is when we would be out in public and do this thing we called ‘Freaky Friday’ and decide to act like each other in public. It was hilarious.”   Awww, isn’t that cute? Now, excuse me … where’s the dirt??!! Where’s the, “She was a bitch who stole the only boy I ever loved, and her continued success is clear-cut proof that fate is a cruel and arbitrary whoremistress?” HEY, DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF A WEBSITE THIS IS?   Coming next week: Brian Feldman’s bitter childhood rivalry with Hugh Laurie, just to right the balance.    

by: Steve Schneider on 11/6/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING TONIGHT

• Well, you're not going to see Joe Bonamassa at the Plaza Theatre, because that's sold out.

• You may be thinking about going to see MuteMath at House of Blues, but ... well, that's probably gonna sell out too. It might not, though; if you are going, please get there early enough to see As Tall As Lions. They're much better.

• I'm pretty sure the Saul Williams show at the Social won't sell out, but that's really a shame. 1) It's his only Florida appearance on this tour. 2) The man has to make his living on the road since, you know, he gives away his records now. 3) The mighty Earl Greyhound is opening.

• Definitely not selling out – because the show is free – the Jazz Revolvers at Redlight Redlight.

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/5/2009

NEKO CASE NABS TOP OF FIRST BIG MUSIC-YEAR LISTICLE

Getting a slight jump on most of the end-of-year album lists, Amazon's going ahead and calling it for 2009 with the selection of Neko Case's great one, Middle Cyclone, as the best.And then they nullify the whole thing by throwing The Blueprint 3 in there. Nice. Anyway, Neko will coincidentally (or not) be right here in a couple weeks. She plays the Plaza Theatre Nov. 19. Here she is covering Harry Nilsson:

by: Justin Strout on 11/5/2009

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: FATTEN YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Holiday food gifts are great, but for most non-professional cooks there's a bit of a gap between aspiration and achievement. And the gourmet stuff is usually really expensive — but you can cut out the middleman with Etsy's Holiday Food Gift Guide, a bonanza of homemade goodies at mostly very reasonable prices: pumpkin toffee cheesecake, fall-spiced macarons (pictured at right), vegan gingerbread and plenty more. Fire up that Paypal account and start shopping.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 11/4/2009

HARDLY ART LABEL SAMPLER...FREE!

Hoo, boy, have I got some shit to share with you... Besides being the little sister to cornerstone Seattle record label Sub Pop, HARDLY ART is also just about the hottest young indie label going right now with a stocked stable of ahead-of-the-curve bands. THE GOOD NEWS: They just released a 15-song sampler to catch you up with all the sweet stuff they got cooking over there. Some seriously dope stuff. THE BETTER NEWS: It's FREE!!! Cop it HERE. See? I no lie. Dig it... Track Listing:

Hands – The Dutchess & the Duke

Forgive Me – Le Loup

Changing – The Moondoggies

There Are Too Many Birds – Arthur & Yu

Reservoir Park – The Dutchess & the Duke

Tora Tora Tora – Pretty & Nice

Ichthus Hop – Talbot Tagora

We Are Gods! We Are Wolves! – Le Loup

Summer Cutting Kale – The Pica Beats

Hideaway Tokyo – Pretty & Nice

Perception Stick – Talbot Tagora

Back To Me (previously unreleased demo) – The Dutchess & the Duke

Keep Her On The Line – The Moondoggies

Poor Old Ra (previously unreleased acoustic version) – The Pica Beats

Magic Mtn (previously unreleased live version) – Arthur & Yu w/ the Moondoggies

OTHER PRESS RELEASE JIBBER-JABBER In addition to selections from all of our releases thus far there are a few unreleased highlights – an early demo of the Dutchess & the Duke’s “Back to Me”, a stripped down / acoustic version of the Pica Beats’ “Poor Old Ra” and a live version of Arthur & Yu’s “Magic Mtn” (taken from a show at Seattle’s Triple Door at which the Moondoggies served as Arthur & Yu’s backing band).  This digital sampler is the only place to get these unreleased tracks.  Also included is the early Moondoggies song “Keep Her On the Line”, previously available only on their limited edition Record Store Day 2009 EP.

by: Bao Le-Huu on 11/4/2009

LOS LOBOS GOES, URMM, DISNEY

If long-respected Tex-Mex roots rockers LOS LOBOS and Orlando's own BIG MOUSEY BROTHER sound like weird-ass bedmates, that's because they are. Nevertheless, they've decided to keep the baby and released Los Lobos Goes Disney on Oct. 26. If there's anyone who can bring some coolness and humanity to Disney songs, you'd think it'd be them. And they do their damnedest by painting the numbers with their gorgeously colorful Southwest palette, even daring to sully the wholesome establishment with their brown tongues on the Spanish version of "Heigh-Ho" (take that, Snow Whitey).  But complete transformation doesn't quite happen because, well, we're still dealing with STUPID KID'S SONGS here. Still, the border-town take on "Not in Nottingham (Robin Hood)," the scrappy rock & roll of "The Ugly Bug Ball (Summer Magic)," the Mexican swoon of "Bella Notte (Lady & the Tramp)" and the countrified "Oo-De-Lally (Robin Hood)" are all pretty digable. LOCAL BONUS!!! Los Lobos will be performing November 6, 7 and 8 at Epcot's American Gardens Theatre, near the American Adventure Pavilion. Show times are 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:45 pm (three 30-minute sets per day). It's not a ticketed event, all guests with tickets to Epcot are welcome to attend. A fifth of tequila fits in a standard baby bag, dudn't it?

by: Bao Le-Huu on 11/4/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING TONIGHT

• White Tie Affair may not be the worst band in the world, but they sure are funny. Opening: Every Avenue, Stereo Skyline, Runner Runner [The Social]

• Brand New, Thrice, Crime In Stereo [HOB]

• I'm almost afraid to write anything about local synth duo Arrythmia, for fear it might be taken the wrong way. All I can say is that you really – really – should check out their Myspace page. [Back Booth]

• Secret Invasion, Midas In Reverse, Before Dawn [Will's Pub]

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/4/2009

THEATRE REVIEW: THE COLOR PURPLE

Think you’ve got it rough?  Consider Celie (Kenita R. Miller), the put-upon protagonist of The Color Purple: The Musical.  Born into poverty in turn-of-the-century rural Georgia, she’s impregnated twice by her father by age 14, separated from her babies and beloved sister, and sold into marriage with the abusive Mister (Rufus Bonds Jr) for the price of a cow.  Somehow she survives four decades of suffering with the strength she learns from unlikely sources: Sofia (Felicia P. Fields), wife of her stepson Harpo (Stu James), a proud mountain of a woman whose proto-feminist anthem “Hell No!” brings down the house; and her husband’s paramour Shug Avery (Angela Robinson), a famously fallen chanteuse with whom Celie falls in love.  Celie may be “black, poor, and ugly” but through sheer willpower she works to “wear the pants” in her world and declare “I’m here”.   I’m not a fan of Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” (though I liked Beloved). I’m not a fan of Steven Spielberg’s film version of the story (though I liked E.T.).  I’m not a fan of the show’s producer Oprah Winfrey (though I liked… um… Brewster Place?).  So I had no expectation that I would become so swept up in the Broadway musical currently on tour at the Bob Carr (through Sun 11/8).  Director Gary Griffin, author Marsha Norman, and composers Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, Stephen Bray succeeded in turning the sprawling episodic story into an emotionally involving experience that feels more handcrafted than manufactured -- a real rarity with page-to-stage adaptations.  Designers John Lee Beatty’s and Brian MacDevitt’s simple scenery and luminous lighting vibrantly evoke folk art traditions without falling into visual clichés, and the score (performed with a gratifyingly good-sized pit orchestra) embraces gospel, blues, and jazz flavors with a minimum soul-sapping pop sheen.   This story is stronger stuff than the trifles most musicals are made from, stuffed with violence, tragedy, and even a little lightly-referenced lesbianism (which still provoked startled gasps from some in the audience).  Amazingly, the darkness isn’t overly downplayed; the horror of Celie’s travails is stylized, but never trivialized, while still leaving room for some leavening laughter.  My inner theatre cynic saw plenty of nits to pick at: the awfully orchestrated overture; Mister’s credibility-straining conversion from monster to mench in the span of a single song; more than a couple unmemorable songs; a dismaying dramatic disconnect in the time-skipping second act.    But I’d rather simply admit that I shed a tear or three for Celie and her “peoples”, thanks largely to the talent of this exceptional all-African-American cast.  Many of them came directly from the New York production, including leads Miller, Robinson, and Fields (who received a well-deserved Tony nomination for originating on stage Oprah’s Oscar-nominated film role).  Miller in particular, with her unconventional beauty and heartbreakingly powerful voice, commands absolute attention as few performers can.  While it may prove unsatifying for diehard fans of the dense source material, this show is a far cry from the usual tired touring warhorses (Cats, cough cough) and -- along with next year’s In the Heights and Spring Awakening -- represents the vanguard of fresh new productions coming to town.  If the Fairwinds “Broadway Across America Series” keeps this up, they may succeed in doing the inconceivable: demonstrating that theatre isn’t just for old white folks anymore.

by: skubersky on 11/4/2009

BOINGBOING AND RICK ROSS TAKE ON SUPREME MASTER TV.

We've made plenty of passing references to Supreme Master Ching Hai before, but frankly, we're all just a little too scared of her to poke serious fun. (Plus, we're afraid we'll get 86'ed from the Loving Hut, and then where will we score delicious Sea Wonders?) No such qualms for BoingBoing, who called out the Tammy Faye Bakker of Veganland on their site last night: "She sells hair extensions and stuff … She sings spiritual lounge music. She designs 'celestial clothes and sleeping mattresses' for dogs."  There's even a link to the Rick Ross website, which has a bazillion articles on Miss Ching, including "Immaterial Girl" and "Clinton's Buddhist Martha Stewart" and "Sect Leader's Island Is Awash in Mystery."Good for y'all. We'll just be over here with our Heavenly Salads, agreeing with you vigorously but silently.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 11/4/2009

FIRST SHOT: WE ARE OF PEACE, ALSO

This week’s big out-of-the-blue controversy: Is ABC’s marginally watchable remake of the 1980s alien-invasion miniseries V really a withering anti-Obama allegory?   The Chicago Tribune certainly seems to think so. And it’s not hard to see why, given the show’s basic framework: Mankind gets suckered into accepting a message of hope, peace and personal security proffered by an alien ruler whose attractive exterior obscures a scheming reptilian heart. She and her young, attractive minions ingratiate themselves into our democratic society by promising a multitude of instant advancements, including sweeping improvements in the treatment of injury and disease. “Universal healthcare,” another character summarizes, lest we miss the point.   This wolf-in-savior’s-clothing business is hardly a new concept in sci-fi: Not only is the program, as already noted, a remake, but both it and its predecessor owe a debt to “To Serve Man,” The Twilight Zone’s classic paean to xenophobia. Yet the only counterargument The Huffington Post’s usually excellent Jason Linkins can mount to the Tribune’s interpretation is that V is just a space opera, and nobody on its creative team has a political agenda that’s discernible via a quick scan of his or her resume on imdb.com. So move along; there’s nothing to see here.   It’s a shame, because that sort of lazy pooh-poohing cedes the ground of analysis to the chortling teabaggers. As I mentioned, a low-functioning idiot could spot the similarities between V’s prostrate human populace and the experiencers of Obamamania. (Which is why I’m fully expecting Rush Limbaugh to eat up a couple of on-air hours doing the exact same thing tomorrow.) But what somebody needs to point out is just how effectively the program’s literal dragon lady, Anna, also stands in for a certain other real-world political figure.   You know, the one who has a book coming out. Oh, you betcha.   Here’s just a cursory list of reasons the program’s visitors are equally interpretable as metaphoric Palinistas:   1. Near the beginning of the first episode, a TV broadcast makes reference to a nationwide housing crisis and an economic stimulus plan that’s already underway. The show’s milieu is thus clearly established as our current one, in which the government is attempting to manage a crisis that, on our plane of reality, Palin and her running mate could barely acknowledge. In other words, don’t look to the skies for Barack; he’s already here. The enemy is the other side.   2. The arrival of the aliens in their massive spacecraft provokes all manner of physical aftershocks, including sending a crucifix hurtling toward the floor of a church. The easy interpretation is that the visitors are being submitted as godless threats to our traditional values. Yet the dominant image is of a huge wooden Jesus narrowly avoiding crushing a fleeing priest and a parishioner in a wheelchair. The message: Something is coming that’s akin to blind fundamentalism in its ability to squash us all.   2. The alien leader, Anna, is a dark-haired woman whose first televised appearance earns the ultimate plaudit from some horny kids on the street: “She’s hot.” ’Nuff said.   3. The press is depicted as initially being too suspicious of Anna and the other visitors – too hard on them, too cynical. To turn the tide in her favor, she intimidates a potentially pliable reporter, telling him point-blank that she won’t respond to any queries that’ll place her people in a bad light -- a demand as brazen as (and baldly reminiscent of) Palin’s avowed intention to answer questions her way or not at all.   4. Far from fostering a renaissance of secular humanism (or reptile-ism, as the case may be), the aliens’ landing is depicted as providing a boon to traditional worship, sending people flocking to church for guidance and communion. The Vatican even embraces the newcomers as “God’s children.”    5. Late in Episode 1, it’s revealed that advance scouts for the aliens have been on our planet for some time, infiltrating our institutions and setting the stage for their takeover by fomenting “unnecessary wars” and guiding religion toward fanaticism. As transformative agendas go, it’s a far cry from volunteering for ACORN.   And even the soon-to-be-notorious “universal healthcare” gag is worthy of exploring in a deeper context. The only reason the aliens can insinuate themselves with such a promise is, obviously, that we’ve failed to bring it about ourselves. Arguably, it isn’t the ideal of healthcare that’s being challenged, but the cost of dithering about it and then accepting it uncritically from the wrong source. (The first episode of V just happened to air on the same day the Republican counterproposal for health “reform” was announced.)   Still, I dearly wish the show’s producers had left the metaphor implied, and not literalized it in a manner that seems destined to appeal to the surface prejudices of a certain type of viewer – or radio host. (One wonders if the “universal healthcare” line was part of the weeks of tweaking that were recently undertaken to make the series suitable for airing.) The atmosphere these days is so noxious – so polluted by the conflation of anti-big-government sentiment with racism, jingoism and barely coded calls for political assassination – that we can’t risk misrepresenting an otherwise bipartisan satire for the sake of a cheap joke. (Likewise troubling: scenes from upcoming episodes that seem to show the alien invaders benefiting from loosened “immigration” regulations.) I’m all for sci-fi that keeps its jabs fair and balanced, but any network exec worth his salt has long since figured out that nuance just doesn’t play in promos.

by: Steve Schneider on 11/3/2009

WHAT YOU'RE BUYING THIS WEEK

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/3/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING TONIGHT

• Go see the Low Anthem. They're opening for Blind Pilot and they're very, very good. [The Social]

• Alternately, you could go see guitar legend Ritchie Blackmore – and his wife – dress up like Renaissance Faire characters and play music that sounds like a cross between Rainbow and ... Renaissance Faire music. (Seriously, I'm a huge Ritchie Blackmore fan, but this is sort of insane.) [The Plaza Theatre]

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/3/2009

J.J. "PUT ME IN, COACH!" REDICK RECORDING A RAP SONG. NO, REALLY.

Before Sunday's game against Toronto, if you would have told me that Orlando Magic shooting guard J.J. Redick was working on a rap album, I probably would have said something like "Well, that's fine; he's got plenty of spare time" or "Will it be 50 minutes of him rapping 'I could be gangsta if someone would just give me a chance'?" But then J.J. pulled up his babypants and put in a ferocious game on Sunday that was the very definition of a "pleasant surprise."The opposite of a "pleasant surprise?" News from allhiphop.com that Redick is, indeed, working on a rap album ... well, technically, he's just working on a song. He hasn't gotten very far, though: "The chorus has been written and the first verse and the direction we're heading on the song has to deal with waste management."Waste management, huh? Sounds like a winner. All we have to wait for now is for Vince Carter to get better so J.J. can finish up those lyrics during his 47 minutes of per-game bench-time.

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/3/2009

LAKELAND BAND COPELAND CALLS IT QUITS

Although I could've sworn they've danced this dance before, Lakeland "Don't call us Christian" band Copeland are kaputz. They're still playing Anti-Pop next week so see them while you can. Here's the MySpace announcement and, below that, my favorite track of theirs, "No One Really Wins." Dear friends,We have come to an extremely difficult decision. It has come time for us to move on from Copeland and follow other paths in our lives. We are absolutely grateful to have been able to make music for as long as we have. In the last 9 years we've been able to see parts of the world that we never dreamt we would see. We have shared the stage and built friendships with immensely talented artists. We've been afforded the opportunity to make 4 records that we're extremely proud of. Most of all, we feel honored that people have cared so much for our band and for our art. We appreciate every listener who has allowed our music to be a part of their lives. We want to offer our deepest thanks to every individual who has supported us on this ride. It has profoundly impacted our lives.To put your minds at ease, we assure you this is not a bitter break up. We all individually feel Copeland has run its course in our lives and it’s time for us to pursue what is next. We couldn’t end things without a proper goodbye, so we are planning a final farewell tour in the US this coming Spring, as well as one final jaunt around the world to some of our favorite countries. We are really excited about seeing you all one more time, and we hope it turns out to be the best Copeland tour ever.It has been discussed and we are not ruling out the possibility of recording one more album sometime in the future. However, this spring tour will be our last.From the bottom of hearts, thank you for all of your love and support.Aaron, Bryan, Jon & Stephen

by: Justin Strout on 11/3/2009

VIDEO: PROTEST AT PUBLIX

If you shop at Publix, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers would like you to know that you are supporting a store that exploits immigrant workers by refusing to increase the price it pays for tomatoes by one penny per pound. According to the CIW, workers are paid the same rate today they were in 1978, between 40 cents and 50 cents per 32-pound bucket. At that rate, a worker has to pick 2.5 tons of tomatoes per 10-hour day to earn minimum wage. Think about that the next time you cruise the produce aisle.CIW says the Nov. 1 protest in front of the Publix on East Colonial was just the start of a statewide tour. Check out the video shot by roving reporter Lindy Shepherd.

by: Bob Whitby on 11/3/2009

JACKSONVIILLE'S JJ GREY SCORES PBS WAR DOC

Airing this Friday on WMFE's Bill Moyers' Journal is a documentary film that captures the journeys of five generations of soldiers, from enlistment to the aftermath, from WWII to Gulf War 2. The Howard Zinn-endorsed film is called The Good Soldier, and the music underneath it was provided solely by Jacksonville Mofro frontman JJ Grey. Some tracks, like the one I've provided below (the "Gimme Shelter"-as-sung-by-CCR track "War," which I have to assume will underscore the Vietnam section) are album selections from Mofro, and others are brand-new songs by Grey. It's Grey's first foray into film scoring. The Good Soldier is making a limited theatrical run this month as well, but the closest it comes to our town is the Lake Worth Playhouse on Nov. 15. So set your DVR for Friday at 9 p.m. on PBS.

by: Justin Strout on 11/3/2009

QUEEN-OUT

Queen Latifah's Nov. 18 concert at Hard Rock Live has been canceled. Refunds are available at point of purchase. (Oh sure, this she'll give refunds for, but not Taxi? Keep ignoring my letters, girl, I'ma keep sending em til I get my money.)

by: Justin Strout on 11/2/2009

WENDY? YES, LISA.

Purple Rain is playing at the Enzian next Tuesday.

by: Jason Ferguson on 11/2/2009

IMAGES FROM O-TOWN: PRETTY IN PINK (VAGINA)

Liz Langley always gets her friends in on the fun, which this Halloween was a pink and fuzzy set of soft lips from Fairvilla.Pictured at left is Doug Rhodehamel pushing a little Dracula into his vagina.See the rest of the crew in action:http://liz-langley.blogspot.com/

by: Lindy on 11/2/2009

TURKEY TIME.

Halloween's over; time to start planning  Thanksgiving dinner. Here are some websites to visit if you're trying to break out of the same old green bean casserole, marshmallow sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie mold — these are all good places to start, but I'll post more as I run across them and the day approaches. Feel free to comment or e-mail me with your own resources.Martha Stewart is the first, the best and the reigning champ in the turkey category, and on her website, there's a special Thanksgiving section. Her recipes can be complicated, but they mostly give stellar results that make hand-tying a rosemary-needle butter brush worthwhile. Also good for obsessive-compulsives and those with too much time on their hands.Serious Eats offers a mix of articles and recipes: Classic, Healthy or Easy Thanksgiving menus; a boxed stuffing taste-off; a wine guide; "Thanksgiving Foods We Love to Hate"; celeb cookbook reviews and more. This group of turkey alternatives (heretical!) ranges from Ham in Coca-Cola to Festive Chickpea Tart.If you have vegetarians in the mix — and what family group doesn't  at this point? — 101 Cookbooks is an amazing source for thoughtful, delicious, creative dishes: mostly vegetarian, though not all. This is food no one will feel deprived eating, veg or not, and it's always nice when no one is singled out in a "this is YOUR food, weirdo" way on holidays. (This recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Salad looks delicious and festive.)Another common food restriction is gluten intolerance, and Thanksgiving pies can be hellishly tempting to sufferers. If you or someone you love is new to the disorder, a trip to the delightful and inspiring Gluten-Free Girl blog is the first order of business. This entry on "Your First Gluten-Free Thanksgiving" will steady the nerves and stop you from feeling cheated, and it also contains a recipe for some killer chocolate cupcakes. This one and this one are also full of helpful advice and wise words.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 11/2/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS WEEKEND (TRUNCATED HALLOWEEN EDITION)

So, I had this great blog post all written up about all the awesome things going on this weekend, and then ... well, let's just say that open-source software can kiss my ass, and I've got nothing for you but a listing now. Complain to the management if you're not getting your RDA of pithy descriptions.Saturday, Oct. 31

• Attack Attack, I Set My Friends On Fire, Miss May I, Our Last Night, The Color Morale [The Social]
• Halloween of Hope: Jarritt Sheel Blu Trio, Peter Baldwin, Rubox, Sterling Schroeder & The Chosen Ones, Alias Punch [Natura Coffee & Tea]
• The Lee Boys, Shak Nasti [Will's Pub]
• Russian Circles, Young Widows, Coliseum [Back Booth]
• The Used, Drive A, The Almost [HOB]

Sunday, Nov. 1

• Brother Ali, Evidence, Toki Wright, BK One [The Social]
• Little Debbies' final show, with Red Elvises [Will's]

Monday, Nov. 2

• An Albatross, Dark Meat, Strangers Family Band [Will's]
• Why?, James Husband, Au [The Social]

by: Jason Ferguson on 10/31/2009

TERRIFYING TACOS: FREE ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT.

I'm still not sure why it's black. Much less HOW it's black … but whatevs. Free food, right?"Creep in" to Taco Bell between 6pm and midnight on Halloween (Saturday night!) to get ONE FREE BLACK JACK TACO zOMG. (not 89 cents!!!)Gastroenterologists: You're welcome.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 10/30/2009

FIRST SHOT: CORRECTION: THIS NOT IT

Looks like the murmurmings of rival studio heads were not mere wishful thinking. The international opening-day take of Michael Jackson’s This Is It was indeed “solid but not spectacular” – or even “weaker than expected,” depending on how gingerly you like to phrase your eulogies.    That’s quite a comeuppance indeed, given all the pre-release flummery we had to endure about Germans queuing up overnight outside theaters (in neat and orderly lines, one presumes), and the Chinese government momentarily suspending tank maneuvers so young people could get to screenings. Remember, the international arena has long been the ace in the hole of American acts like Jackson – an entertainment-starved, eternally forgiving marketplace that’ll still embrace them long after they’ve fucked up their lives by doing something outrageously stupid, like fondling youngsters or persisting in being Jerry Lewis.   So if Belgium isn’t declaring a national viewing holiday, what does that leave for the hometown crowd? Not much. The picture’s domestic take is now on track to come in at only slightly more than half of what was predicted. The only hope is that one of Nikki Finke’s innumerable sources is wrong about Halloween “killing Saturday,” and that hipsters will instead pass up Paranormal Activity, Saw VI and at-home games of Ouija Beer Pong to take in what is clearly the year’s best-reviewed zombie movie.   At least Sony gets to take the high road: In two weeks, it can pull this “limited release” from theaters as announced, with all the moral rectitude of Pee-Wee Herman declaring, “I meant to do that.” After that, I think we all know what the score is: This guy’s career is dead.

by: Steve Schneider on 10/30/2009

WHAT YOU'RE DOING TONIGHT

Looks like everyone's a bit wiped out from all the action last night ... either that, or all the bands on the planet are playing in Gainesville for the Fest.Fear not, brave souls. There is still plenty of goodness going on around our fair city tonight.

• Acoustic music for people who hate acoustic music: Christina Wagner, Dave Dondero, Damion Suomi [Redlight Redlight]

• A festival! That's not the Fest! The Forward Motion Fest – " a fundraiser for the BIKES TO AFRICA Project. We're sending 300 bikes to the Gambia in April for $100 a bike. HopeFirst Foundation and Kona Bicycles are the sponsors of the project. For more information about that you can go to  and " – features Fin Fang Foom (!), Maximino, Boats Against the Current and DJ Uber. [Will's Pub]

• Some pre-Halloween metal: Empyrean, Green Hell (a Misfits cover band), Idols End, Cryptidz, the Bloody Jug Band [57 West]

Also:

• The Downgetters [Tanqueray's]
• Electric Six [The Social]

by: Jason Ferguson on 10/30/2009

CATTLE CALL: IT WOULDN'T BE FUN IF WE TOLD YOU

What's Halloween without a little mystery? From the "Boy, Do We Wonder How This Is Gonna Turn Out" desk comes this intriguing release:

Greater Orlando Actors Theatre Announces Auditions For A Tony Award & Pulitzer Prize-Winning Rock Musical By Jonathan Larson Winter Park, Florida, October 19, 2009 - Greater Orlando Actors Theatre announces auditions for it's next full-length musical production, a recent Tony Award-winning rock musical by Jonathan Larson.Due to contractual obligations, we cannot yet publicly announce the name of the production. Those auditioning will be told the name of the project at the audition. The show will run January 1 - February 27, 2010 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Due to the length of the project there may be a small stipend involved.The production will be directed by Leesa Halstead with musical direction by Don Hopkinson.Audition dates are as follows by appointment only: Saturday, October 31st, 10:00AM - 4:00PM Sunday, November 1st, 12:30PM - 5:30 PM Monday, November 2nd, 6:00PM - 10:00PM Please prepare two musical selections, 16 bars each, and bring the appropriate sheet music, in your key. CDs are permitted, but we prefer live accompaniment. Please also prepare a 1-minute, dramatic monologue.Please call 407-872-8451 to schedule an appointment. Due to the anticipated response expected for this project, we will not be able to accommodate walk-ins.

I can't imagine what show they're doing, but it sounds very Bohème-ian. Okay, that was bad.

by: tifraser on 10/30/2009

RED RIGHT HAND.

Anyone can hand out miniature Snickers bars for Halloween. Wouldn't you rather give away slices of a DELICIOUS MEAT HAND?Meat Hand recipe, via Not Martha — "gruesome and delicious"You're welcome, trick-or-treaters.

by: Jessica Bryce Young on 10/30/2009