National Geographic’s Jason Silva knows the mere existence of this baby is an unbelievable, ridiculous miracle. Watch him explain this one-in-a-billion happening to the newborn. Hell, if Jason told me that personally now, I might have the same expression.
Watch Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke Discuss God, The Universe and Everything Else
Stephen Hawking, Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan (via satellite) discuss the Big Bang theory, God, our existence as well as the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Mild High Club Streams Debut Album Now, Out Friday on Stones Throw Imprint
Mild High Club is the home for the musical output of Alexander Brettin, a jazz-schooled musician transplanted from the Midwest to Los Angeles. This Friday, The Club’s debut album Timeline comes out on Circle Star Records, a new imprint of Stones Throw Records, and fans can now hear the album in full ahead of its release here.
With influences ranging from the pure-pop of Todd Rundgren to the sixties psych scene, Mild High Club’s music favors phased melodies and heartfelt lyrics. SPIN call it “head-swayingly hypnotic” whileImpose Magazine proclaim his track “Undeniable” to be “one of your new favorite songs . . . here is the most chill and mild sounds imaginable.” Brettin began recording Timeline in 2012 with everything from a Fostex 4-track cassette recorder to a MacBook, 12-string electric guitar, PortaSound keyboard, bass drum machine and software, resulting in what Stereogum refer to as “a lost ‘60s tune, each note sustained with a twirl of vibrato creating an elongated nonchalant West Coast vibe . . . it’s sweet, in all senses of the word.”
For live performances, Brettin draws other members of the loose Mild High Club collective from all over the United States, for what Brettin calls “a vessel for our musical and comical curiosities.” Collaborators and loose Club members Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood feature on Mild High Club’s “The Chat,” while he has toured with compatriots like Mac DeMarco, Mikal Cronin, Ariel Pink, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, post punk pioneers Wire and more. Currently on a massive North American tour, Mild High Club will head to Europe next month as well as New York’s CMJ, with all dates below.
Timeline arrives September 18th on Circle Star Records, with pre-orders available via iTunes.
Timeline Tracklisting
(September 18th, 2015 | Circle Star Records)
1. Club Intro
2. Windowpane
3. Note To Self
4. You and Me
5. Undeniable
6. Timeline
7. Rollercoaster Baby
8. Elegy
9. Weeping Willow
10. The Chat (feat. Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood)
“Mild High’s melodies are refreshing in their simplicity, harkening back to the days when the studio was an instrument and songs topped out at three minutes. MHC’s chill, cerebral, and spaced out: the stoner-philosopher of 2015.” SPIN
“Lucid, lovely and weird . . . ‘Undeniable’ is built and on a warped and withered groove that ascends like ‘Come On Eileen’ then descends like a bad trip, but all with the an airy and effected vox hovering over the revery akin to Fab Four stylings, making for a very enjoyable (and fitting) score to your next hallucination.” Okayplayer
“Dilapidated retro sound brought to mind the eccentric breeziness of Mac DeMarco cut with the researched baroque-pop of Jacco Gardner.” Exclaim
“Like Ariel Pink, Brettin exists within a realm of hazy analog hiss where the melodies are strong and catchy, but the performances and arrangements remain unpredictable and otherworldly . . . an infectious slice of home-recorded charm and strangeness.” FLOOD Magazine
Mild High Club Tour Dates
Sep 14 – Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA *
Sep 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Silent Barn *
Sep 16 – Boston, MA – Out of the Blue *
Sep 17 – Portland, ME – Empire *
Sep 18 – Burlington, VT – Monkey House
Sep 19 – Montreal, QC – Pop Montreal
Sep 20 – Guelph, ON – Army Navy Verterans Hall 344
Sep 21 – Hamilton, ON – Fort Elgin
Sep 22 – Toronto, ON – Smiling Buddha
Sep 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Lodge
Sep 24 – Cleveland, OH – 17th Street Warehouse
Sep 25 – Detroit, MI – Elijah’s
Sep 26 – Bloomington, IN – Blockhouse
Sep 27 – Cincinnati, OH – Midpoint Music Fest
Sep 28 – Chicago, IL – The Owl
Sep 29 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
Sep 30 – Sioux Falls, SD – Total Drag
Oct 1 – Omaha, NE – Lokoout Lounge
Oct 2 – Denver, CO – Rhinoceropolis
Oct 3 – Colorado Springs, CO – Flux Capacitor
Oct 9 – Los Angeles, CA – HM157
Oct 21 – Birmingham, UK – Hare and Hounds
Oct 22 – Glasgow, UK – The Hug and Pint
Oct 23 – Manchester, UK – Gullivers
Oct 24 – Bristol, UK – Simple Things Festival
Oct 26 – London, UK – Old Blue Last
Oct 27 – Pitchfork Paris Opening Night – Paris, FR
Oct 28 – Antwerp, BE – Trix
Oct 29 – Amsterdam, NL – OT301 (Subbacultcha Night)
Oct 30 – Berlin, DE – ACUD
Oct 31 – Bandittown, CA – Vertigofest
* with Laser Background
The Last Surviving 9/11 Rescue Dog Has Best Day Ever In Honor Of Her 16th Birthday
Giving deserving pups the best day of their lives, one incredible story at a time.
Meet Bretagne: the last known living search and rescue dog who worked at Ground Zero.
As members of Texas Task Force 1, Bretagne and her mom/handler Denise Corliss had an intense first deployment They joined nearly 100 other search and rescue dogs to find and save people trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center after 9/11. They’ve had an unshakable bond ever since.
After hearing Bretagne’s story and learning that her 16th birthday was coming up, there was no question in our minds that she deserved a Dog’s Best Day for the ages.
To celebrate her birthday and thank her for her incredible service, we were honored to team up with the dog-lovers at 1 Hotels to bring this New York City hero and her mom back to the city for the ultimate Dog’s Best Day.
controller.controller bassist Ronnie Morris’ stroke recovery benefit confirmed in Toronto
Ronnie Morris, best known in the Canadian music scene as the bass player for controller.controller and Lioness, is the focus of fundraising efforts from friends and family over the next two months. There are two benefits planned to help raise money for the Ronnie Morris Recovery Fund.
The Ronnie Morris Recovery Fund was set up by friends in May 2015 after Morris suffered a massive stroke from a double-arterial dissection. After complications during emergency neural surgery, Morris underwent a life saving surgery at the Trillium Health Centre in Etobicoke, Canada.
On Thursday, October 8 at Lee’s Palace, Ronnie’s friends in the music community are coming together for a benefit concert. “Do It For Ronnie” will feature performances from Ronnie’s former roommate Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club who will play a solo set, Toronto noise-punks METZ and krautrock masters Fresh Snow collaborate as “FrETZ”, V ∆ N E S S ∆ of Lioness will treat us to her new dance/pop solo project, The Flowers of Hell will perform excerpts from their latest space symphony and members ofcontroller.controller, Uncut and the Two Koreas are planning an all-star jam.
“Ronnie’s much more than a bassist; he brings a creative force to things and gels musicians together socially,” said Greg Jarvis from The Flowers of Hell. “He’s the sort of precariously employed creative type that makes Toronto’s culture what it is – but sadly he and too many like him slip through the cracks of the system and need help from friends in such times of need.”
Nirmala Basnayake, controller.controller bandmate, adds, “Raising awareness about the risk of stroke to people in the underfunded 20-64 age bracket is important to all of us, and we are working to bring more attention to that issue, but the heart of this fundraiser is Ronnie. He’s our brother and our friend and a talented musician who is missed in the Toronto scene. We love him and want him to return to making music. This fundraiser will help him get there.”
Tickets are $25 and are available online viahttp://www.leespalace.com/event/959795 and at Rotate This & Soundscapes.
In addition to the October 8 benefit, friends from the Scottish and Irish communities in Brampton have planned a fundraiser this Saturday, September 19, at the South Fletcher Sportplex in Brampton. The event gets underway at 7 p.m and features CHIN radio host and Irish singer/comedian Hugo Straney, various DJs and music by The Worts (featuring Colwyn Llewellyn-Thomas of controller.controller).
Ronnie returned to his family home in July and continues to improve daily, however, Ontario’s health care system (OHIP) limits post-stroke care for victims between the age of 20-64. At 37 years old, Ronnie is left to cover months and potentially years of rehabilitation costs, including equipment, physiotherapy and medication. To date, the Ronnie Morris Recovery Fund has raised over $45,000, which will help to cover rehabilitation costs, estimated at $200,000.
“We, Ronnie’s family, are so thankful for the support given to Ronnie by his friends, family and rehabilitation specialists and thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts,” says Ronnie’s mother, Rosemary. “We are most grateful that our son, our miracle, is here to witness for himself just how much he is loved and how many people’s lives he has touched.”
For more information on how to donate and for updates on Ronnie’s recovery, please visit: www.ronniemorrisrecovery.com.
Please visit www.heartandstroke.ca to learn how to recognize the signs of a stroke.
TIFF: ‘Equals’ Star Kristen Stewart Says “I Just Get to Do Art and That’s My Job”
“I would want to play Bob DeNiro’s character in Taxi Driver,” Kristen Stewart tells THR at the TIFF lounge. “A female version of Taxi Driver would be incredible because it’s always the guy who loses his mind, and I’m like, we’re way more complicated than that.”
Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 3 Gets October Airing Date
Adult Swim has announced the Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 3: Magical Friendship will air on Oct. 18 at Midnight E.T.
The Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 3: Magical Friendship surrenders DC Comics’ multitude of Super Heroes and Super-Villains to the demented whims of the award-winning Robot Chicken for a triumphant third time. This time around, Batman and Superman’s bromance takes a competitive turn and the fate of the universe somehow hangs in the balance! The all-star cast includes Seth Green, Matt Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Alfred Molina, Nathan Fillion, Weird Al Yankovic, Alex Borstein, Giovanni Ribisi, Jonathan Banks, Mae Whitman, Hugh Davidson, Dee Bradley Baker, Zeb Wells, Kevin Shinick, plus Adam West and Burt Ward.
The New Free Clapping App Will Help Your Repetition And Groove Unless You’re Elaine From Seinfeld
Here’s a brilliant – and infuriatingly addictive – way to lose a few hours in the app-osphere: the new (and free!) iPhone and iPad app from London Sinfonietta and Touchpress dedicated to Steve Reich’s Clapping Music. OK, so it’s not based on a behemoth of classical music like the Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony app, one of Touchpress’s previous iOS blockbusters, but Clapping Music is arguably an even better fit for interactive technology.
Reich’s original 1972 piece embodies a dazzlingly simple idea, one of the purest distillations of his minimalist musical principles: have two musicians clap a single, simple rhythm over a span of 12 quavers, and then have one of the players move the pattern one quaver ahead after each set of repetitions until the patterns coincide again a few minutes later. Easy? Well, in theory.
Via The Guardian
This Guy’s Email Exchange With A Scammer Turned Into An Awesome Story
London-based comedian James Veitch has done something we’ve all thought about, but never followed through on – he spent the last two years replying to spam emails and compiling the amazing conversations that ensued. “Dot Con,” a book of these interactions, was published this year and is available on Amazon.
“I set up multiple pseudonymous email accounts and began replying to spam,” Veitch told Mashable. “This must have put me on some sort of list because the spam came in a torrent and I replied to as much as I could.”
That time Sassy Magazine had their own boardgame
The game is all about you … and your friends! You’ll get to say what you think! Are you SASSY enough to share your secrets?
Sassy was a teen girls magazine that folded in 1994, never quite able to summon the advertising strength of other teen mags. Maybe that’s because it was different. Sassy assumed that the girls reading it were smart and worldly; articles about alternative music trends and edgy fashion were set among pieces about alcoholic parents and dealing with STDs. Sassy, according to Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer, the authors of How Sassy Changed My Life, had a smart, strong feminist message, giving them more than advice on how to land the boy of your dreams or how to starve yourself until you are loveable. How that great magazine translated to this hard-to-find boardgame (in which there is no board) is a little more complicated. The rules are hard to discern (though the drunken, foul-mouthed team from Beer and Board Games make an effort at it), but the goal seems to have been to be the first player to collect awards in the categories of Awareness, Brains, Confidence, Love, Sensitivity, and Talent. The other players vote on whether or not each girl’s answer to questions on those topics is deserving of a Sassy or Non-Sassy point. There is no telling the amount of women, many who’ve grown from Sassy girls to women with the brains, power, and ferocity to shape culture and society, would delight in the re-issue of this game.
