Well, fans of Writtalin, I’m back. I know you’ve all missed me terribly over these past several months, but I assure you, there is an excellent reason for my absence. I could blame work or my incessant travels, but there’s really only one acceptable response: I’ve been jamming out 24/7 to the amazing slew of new music 2014 has hurled my way. But Anthony, you ask. Isn’t there new music all the time? First of all, don’t interrupt me. And second of all, yes, but 2014 still puts its older
Read MoreAs we move further into the 2010s, many bands seem to be dropping the “indie” from their indie pop moniker in favor of the straight-forward melodies and smooth production that dominate the Top 40 airwaves. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. For every Imagine Dragons that trades in their quality for popularity, there is a group that effortlessly thrives on sweet, melodic pop music. Take DC threesome Jukebox the Ghost for instance. Buoyed by frontman Ben Thornewill’s powerful, crooning voice and melodious piano hooks, they prove that pop music
Read MoreIf you use the internet, this should matter to you. Last Sunday, former Daily Show correspondent John Oliver leapt into a 13-minute tirade on his new HBO show Last Week Tonight, introducing millions of viewers to the very important, yet often misunderstood concept of net neutrality. The video has since gone viral and – thanks both to Oliver’s pleas and the Reddit community – tens of thousands of internet commenters took to the FCC’s website and crashed the system with their complaints. See the video for yourself here: It seems
Read MorePosted On June 4, 2014By Anthony KozlowskiIn Music, Shows
Nowadays, it’s not a matter of whether or not you’ll pony up $400 to attend your local 3-day music festival, but rather which one you’ll go to. We’ve all heard of Coachella and Lollapalooza, but those behemoths have birthed a whole sea of imitators across the nation. From Firefly and Governor’s Ball on the East Coast to Outside Lands, Bottle Rock and Sasquatch on the Pacific and all the Bonnaroos, EDCs and Austin City Limits in between, it now seems impossible to drive a hundred miles without an expensive, overstuffed showcase
Read MoreBy now we’ve seen the headlines. We’ve scrambled to make sense of a horrific act of violence that brought a quiet college town to its knees. We’ve cursed, we’ve mourned and in the case of us Gauchos, we’ve stood together – wounded but unified – in the wake of unspeakable tragedy. Last Friday, a gunman drove through the UCSB beachside town of Isla Vista slaughtering six and wounding thirteen more before turning the gun on himself. Hours before the event, he uploaded a video explaining the reasons for his attack.
Read MoreLast week, indie rock superstars Arcade Fire unveiled the music video for their song “We Exist.” Released May 16th, it is described by the band as “the story of a young person’s struggle with gender identity” and stars Andrew Garfield of Amazing Spider-Man and Social Network fame. Garfield is shown shaving his head, donning a wig and going out to a bar where he is victimized and beaten by the patrons before being resurrected at the band’s Coachella set. While intended as a shot of support for the trans community, the band
Read MoreDoes it seem like there’s been more and more commercial encroachment on your life? It should. The average American consumes about 11 hours and 52 minutes of media every day – a number that includes digital formats, radio, and print, as well as TV – up a staggering 66 minutes since 2010. All that time gives advertisers more opportunities to take a stab at you, whether you’re relaxing in front of the boob tube, catching up on Hulu or reading articles on your favorite site (see: Writtalin). We live under
Read MoreNo working musician today seems less concerned about the changing landscape of rock and roll than Jack White. On June 10th the eclectic singer-songwriter will drop his sophomore solo album Lazaretto, yet another collection of fuck-you rock and Southern sensibility that we’ve come to expect since he and Meg burst onto the scene thirteen years ago with White Blood Cells. We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come with the ferociously gritty title track and the Icky Thump-esque instrumental “High Ball Stepper.” Bent on teasing us further, White just
Read MoreIf you would have asked me ten years ago if I would have done most of my socializing online, I would have given you an emphatic no (and probably would have thrown the nearest drink in your face). While everyone was busy glitzing up their MySpace profiles, I wagged my finger in the background swearing that social media would never take off. Well, you can’t be right about everything. There’s no getting around it, our lives today are inexorably tied to a little social network that you may have heard of.
Read MoreWhat’s in a name? For a band like Metallica or Five Finger Death Punch the answer may be obvious. Others are a little harder to peg. Take Australia’s Birds of Tokyo for instance. For a first time listener, it isn’t instantly clear what to expect when you hit the play button on Spotify. “I’m not sure we really know either,” admits BoT guitarist Adam Spark. Sound check is in full swing at Los Angeles’ Bootleg HiFi, so he and lead singer Ian Kenny are tucked in a back room with
Read MoreAs a member of the millennial generation, I was raised with a certain unhindered access to the Internet. Along with the cat videos, dancing babies and as one of the few people who remember what a dial-up tone sounds like, I’ve also strayed into the NSFW depths of the web more than once. Yes, I’ve consumed my fair share of hardcore pornography. Ever since I was 12-years-old and knew how to use Google, my search history may have turned a few sniggering heads at the NSA. You’d think that once
Read MorePosted On April 23, 2014By Anthony KozlowskiIn Movies
The trailer for The Final Member begins benignly enough. The scene is set at the world’s only Phallological Museum, where curator Sigurður “Siggi” Hjartarson fauns over his extensive collection of – well, I probably don’t have to spell it out for you. The Reykjavik Museum is home to the peckers of all Icelandic mammals with the exception of one – our own. “Why is it so difficult do you think to get a human penis for your museum?” asks an interviewer. I think the answer should be fairly obvious. We
Read MorePosted On April 20, 2014By Anthony KozlowskiIn Television
While everyone is rehashing the latest episodes of Mad Men and Game of Thrones next Monday, I’ll be embarking on quite a different adventure. April 21st marks the return of Cartoon Network’s cult animated series Adventure Time, which will be entering its sixth season. Full of frenetic characters and colorful fantasy locales, it’s easy to see why the show has been such a phenomenal success with the network’s preteen demo, but that’s not all this wacky cartoon brings to the table. In fact, it’s difficult to describe its appeal without
Read MoreSince embarking on my career, I’ve gained somewhat of a reputation for myself as “that guy who’s reading instead of doing his job.” It’s true. While the grips are rigging and the director is doing a walkthrough with the actors, I often tuck myself into a corner somewhere and pop open a book. None of that Kindle nonsense either – I flip through page after page of properly bound, warm-scented paper, fresh from my latest Barnes & Noble excursion or pilfered from my friends’ bookcases. I’ll find myself so deep
Read MoreCollege life has always carried a certain image. Sure, there’s the prestige, honor and the promise of higher learning, but deep down we all think of one thing whenever our alma mater is brought up. Blame National Lampoon, Revenge of the Nerds or any movie ever made about college, but overall, the media presents the best four years of our lives as the most wasted years of our lives. Depending on who you are, where you are, or what frat you’re in, that may or may not be the truth
Read More
Subscribe. Follow. Like.
To RSS Feed
Followers
Fans