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By Kyle, May 29, 2008 10:14 am

In its entire conciseness, this week has nonetheless turned out to be fairly full with activity and drama, two things that I’d much rather not deal with as I finish off the year. First things first, though,…the iTunes shuffle, (which will be interesting since right now I’m actually proctoring a test and thus, won’t actually be able to hear the song while it’s playing….)

Don’t Want To Say Goodbye by the Raspberries. “The who???” Yes, the Raspberries….one of those late 60s/early 70s pop groups that you never hear on the radio because they never quite made it through the test of time. The song clearly fits within the context of other music at the time, but it is somewhat interesting to consider why on earth this band’s legacy does not live on, while other similar groups (the Byrds, the Kinks, and even the Association) clearly do. One potential guess ($$$).

The highlight of the week thus far has been my final L.A. Phil concert of the season, a Tuesday night performance in which Thomas Ádes led the L.A. Phil in performances of three of his works, including the North American premiere of his new work, In Seven Days, a stunning pseudo-piano concerto which is accompanied as well by a six-screened abstract video montage (created by video artist Tal Rosner, whose work is seen above). As some of you may know, I try to attend concerts in which the L.A. Phil is playing newer, more modern composers and pieces, many of which are conducted by the composer himself. Unlike Bach, Beethoven, or Brahms (composers in which you know exactly what you are getting yourself into) there’s little to no guarantee whether or not I will truly “enjoy” the piece being played. In other words, strike outs and home runs occur with about equal frequency. However, this past concert Tuesday night might just have been the best I’ve been to. I don’t know how to describe it without simply “gushing”. Luckily, the L.A. Times gives a much more articulate review than I could ever give.

Anyway, aside from that, I’m finding my job as department chair finally start to get interesting as I essentially have to work with teachers and administrators who may have competing and conflicting priorities and politics, with a less-than-clear indication of which set of values and norms is actual policy. Fun, fun, fun. Luckily, we’ve only got 3 more weeks of this to go, and then graduation. Then summer break. Yay!

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By Kyle, April 8, 2008 7:23 pm

Wow. Life is full.
Just today:

• Two of my 8th grade girls served the first day of their suspension for throwing some punches at each other (with mild success) just 10 minutes before school ended yesterday. I feel like I need one of those signs you see at industrial plants, only with this one reading “Days Since a Fight:”, which, while previously staggering in the hundreds, yesterday dropped back down to zero.
• I had three, yes three separate people remark to me how pathetic my NY Mets are starting the year. A record of 2-4 with their Home Opener loss to the Phillies (c’mon! The Phillies !?!?!) today has put me in a quite dire mood when it comes to the joyfulness that typically accompanies the wonders of baseball in the springtime.
• My childhood hatred of NPR is demonstrating to me the irony of life. Listening to KCRW (a local NPR affiliate) on the way home this evening, they announced that they’d be giving away copies of the newly released DVD of P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. Surprisingly, I was one of the first five callers (yea for speed-dial), and won! Any of my readers who live in Los Angeles (including Whitter, La Mirada, La Habra, or any of those other wanna-be L.A. suburbs) are now officially invited over to my place to watch it once it arrives (which I approximate will be sometime early next decade).
• Finally, much to my great dismay, one of my favorite places to hear live music, Largo, will be moving from it’s intimate 50-seat cavern to a monstrous 250-seat theatre, albeit a mere 3 miles away. While initially dismayed, I had hoped that the new venue’s neighborhood would at least permeate with the same authenticity as the current Fairfax location. However, today driving through West Hollywood, I pass a sign that says “Coronet Theatre: Largo Coming Soon.” Sadness. :(  In the meantime, enjoy some of my favorite artists who regularly perform there!

Jon Brion – I Was Happy (be patient, because he’s got to play all the instruments)

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Aimee Mann – Save Me

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Badly Drawn Boy – A Minor Incident

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By Kyle, February 23, 2008 11:32 am

Journal entry #14: Today is day #18 without fast computer…losing motivation…speech is slurred…tyipng is inaccruate…and wosrt of all, when my roommate sees me agonizing with my current replacement machine, he curtly exclaims, “Nice computer!”

Separate from that, living, teaching, in Los Angeles is great! So in lieu of more frequent, shorter posts, you are gonna be stuck with the less frequent longer posts. No whining! So here’s what’s up:

1. Still rockin’ at the Cochran (yes, I know it only “sort-of” rhymes), and my kids are tackling the notorious train problems! They are actually doing pretty well with them, despite being the longest math problems they’ve ever seen in their lives!

2. Los Angeles is getting cooler. Last week, the brand new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) was opened to the public! A friend of mine from Mosaic went down last Saturday to check it out! After spending close to two hours perusing the 3 floors of modern art and architecture, I’ve decided to pretty much stick with music as my artistic medium of choice!

3. “Will a tooth left in soda overnight dissolve?”. For those of us who’ve been fans of Mythbusters, on the Discovery Channel, we’ve actually seen these myths tried and tested in real life scenarios (with sometimes with explosive results)! Last weekend I got to see hosts Adam and Jaime talk about the show at an event in Long Beach. And although there weren’t any explosions, they did share some previously unreleased myths banned by Discovery! :)

Anyway, that’s all for now…

Hopefully, my next post will be on my fast laptop, which I find myself missing dearly!!!

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By Kyle, January 23, 2008 7:41 pm

“No one wins. One side just loses more slowly.” — Prez

I’ve got to admit, I don’t watch much television. In fact, other than the occasional sporting event, newscast, or Simpsons episode, only one show has been able to capture my interest in all of the past four years. That show is NBC’s The Office. “Heard of it?” Anyway, now that all of television has officially run out of episodes, I haven’t been too terribly frustrated. Besides, there are plenty of other things that I can waste my time on (like writing blog posts).

Anyway, in the past two weeks, I think I’ve found a new addiction. HBO has just released on DVD the 4th season of The Wire, a police drama set in Baltimore. Now, I honestly don’t care much for scripted dramas, especially police dramas, but when I first heard NPR’s story that this series (which I had previously never even heard of) would be focusing on education, specifically the Baltimore public schools, my ears pricked up and I waited patiently for the DVD to be released just to check it out.

So far, I’ve been amazed! While carrying along the plotlines of other characters, the season’s episodes have focused around the characters of four 8th grade boys at Tillman Middle School, their parents, their teachers (particularly a brand new math teacher clearly in over his head), and the circumstances and situations they must deal with in and out of school.

While still definitely scripted, and definitely made-for-TV entertainment, this is one of the first media attempts to portray life in urban middle schools. Yes, they’re actually talking about social promotion, truancy, district bureaucracy, and the quiet desperation that not only afflicts students, but can afflict teachers as well. Again, while still fairly removed from my situation here in Los Angeles, it is by-far, the closest I’ve seen!

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By Kyle, December 31, 2007 11:15 am

OK, this list was hard. Very hard. Oh well….here goes:

#5. Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood [Soundtrack]

Usually it’s only after I see a film that I become interested in its soundtrack. However in this case, the soundtrack was one of the first things that interested me in this film (which I still haven’t seen). One of the things I’ve been finding myself more and more intrigued by is the so-called modern (or post-modern) leanings of contemporary classical composers of the last, say, 75 years or so. Mozart and Bach would probably be rolling over in their graves if they were to hear the dissonant and atonal aspects of this composition, but I find it strangely beautiful in its austerity.

#4. Field Music – Tones of Town

I first heard this band while driving and listening to KCRW right here in Los Angeles. It was one of those moments where I made an instant mental note of what time it was so when I got home, I could look up the band’s information. I love the pop melodies, the vocal harmonies that characterize this album. The word “fun” only begins to describe this album.

#3. Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I’ve never been a fan of instrumental rock (especially when it one could describe it as experimental). Either intrinsically dull or else impossibly hard to follow, listening to guitars, drums, and synths has never really appealed to me. However, listening to the strangely atmospheric and at times even haunting solos made me fall in love with this album. It’s simultaneously an album that you can both sit and listen intently to or just play in the background as you study for upcoming exams (or create lesson plans).

#2. Elliot Smith – New Moon

What does indie/folk singer-songwriter Elliot Smith have to do with several rap stars of the late 90s? Not much except an uncanny ability to release albums posthumously. In this case, the album release comes from a period of time when Smith was writing and recording some magnificent work. Why most of these tracks were never released, I’ll never know, but I’m certainly grateful that someone finally got around to it.

#1. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

I’d been hearing about this album for weeks. I’d heard the hype, which honestly, kind of turned me off. And on first listen, I wasn’t that impressed. Yet, as I listened time and time again, I found myself drawn more and more into the floating chord progressions, the dynamic motif changes, and the simultaneously intricate and immense instrumentation. This is an album that I hope to find myself listening to much past 2007!

And there you have it, the five best albums of 2007! And you can listen to tracks from them right here!!!

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By Kyle, August 27, 2007 12:17 am

I came across this video several months ago and only just recently remembered it. This has to be one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen. It’s even more amazing if you happen to be familiar at all with the accompanying music (the Abbey Road medley), a knowledge of which allows you to fully appreciate how subtle and intricate his performance actually is! With only 1.5 more weeks to go until school begins (and my summer ends), I need something to smile about! :)