Top Albums of 2009!

Since I recently have been reading several articles that compile the year's best music, I decided that I would take a crack at some of my favorite albums for this past year. Looking back on my playlist and the songs that I have compiled onto my itunes, I can see that it was a good year with good music. Some of my favorite bands also released new albums this year, which have definitely made my top list, while others came really out of nowhere to claim their place. I must warn everyone, however, that this is really my own list and in no way is supposed to compile an actual list of the best. Because, let's be honest... I really do not have the time or money to go through every single album that was made this past year! I am also keeping this to one genre as well, which will evidently be alternative/rock since that is what I usually listen to. With that being said; it was a very difficult task to look up my favorite/best albums for the year. Doing some research I actually found out that some awesome albums that would have definitely been on the list were not released this year but in fact last year or even later! So I tried my best to look for albums from this year only. I've included one EP on the list as well, simply because... well, it's good.

And now to not stall any further, here are my top albums for 2009:

(In no particular order)

Brand New - Daisy

Death Cab for Cutie - The Open Door EP

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing

The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and Death

Thrice - Beggars

Russian Circles - Geneva 

Silversun Pickups - Swoon




There you have them! Some honorable mentions that should also be looked into though are as follows:

Mutemath - Armistice

Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood

As Tall As Lions - You Can't Take It With You


Mat Kearney - City of Black & White 

Those are definitely some bands to know for next year as well, so keep them on your radar because they are good up and coming artists. Hope everyone enjoys my top albums, I'm sure I left plenty out there for debate but as I stated earlier, I don't have time to listen to everything!

 Signed Beggars vinyl by Thrice

THRICE!

This past week I had the opportunity to attend two Thrice concerts here in southern California, one at the Avalon in Hollywood, CA. and the next night at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Both shows were sold out, and I would not expect anything less from a band that hails from Orange County.

The Avalon show in Hollywood was particularly special as we witnessed the return of Teppei, after he had to leave the tour early for a bit to deal with some family matters. The return made the set list a bit longer as in some of the previous shows it had to be slightly shortened due to Teppei's absence. Thrice started the show with the amazing song "Of Dust and Nations" that quickly had the crowd going wild from the beginning. The concert featured many of their new songs from the band's sixth studio album "Beggars". Rarely played songs such as "Like Moths to Flame" and "The Arsonist" were also on the set list which helped satisfy the sold out audience in Hollywood.

Here are a few pictures from the Hollywood show at the Avalon:

The House of Blues in Anaheim show was a homecoming show for Thrice as the Orange County band lived up to their name as they played in front of many family and friends. The set list featured a couple of new songs that had never been performed live previously from their new album. "Talking Through Glass" and "Circles" were played for the first time ever in the Anaheim show which got the crowd to go home happy, but not before lead singer Dustin Kensure came back on stage for an encore which featured fan favorite, "Stare at the Sun" acoustic. After which they finished the night with the title track to their album, "Beggars".

Here are a few pictures from the House of Blues Anaheim concert:

Awesome show and awesome bands make for an awesome night! The bands the Polar Bear Club and The Dear Hunter were also on the bill for the tour and I have to say people need to go check them out because they were amazing, particularly The Dear Hunter!

Playlist:

CONQUEST!

CONQUEST! The Ultimate Trojan Experience... The 6th Annual bonfire/rally at USC took place this weekend which is a prelude to the crosstown rivalry game between the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins football teams. This year's installment takes place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home to the USC Trojans. Both teams will battle for the Victory Bell and bragging rights in the city of Los Angeles November 28th 2009 at 7pm.

The bonfire/rally featured several dance performances from the USC Trojan Dance Force and the  USC Song Girls as well as introductions to several of the seniors on the various athletic teams on campus this year. The event was hosted this year by Jamie Kennedy, who I believe really hurt the event. How bad of an MC are you when you are yelling into the microphone while the Greatest Marching Band in the Universe plays the fight song? Apparently he does, and his comedic relief was nothing short of failure.

Other than that, the event really went off well with the USC Trojan Marching Band performing as Joe Bruin burned in the distance, which was followed by a nice fireworks show. Once the band left, the finale was a concert from the band Ok Go. It was a nice event overall with a carnival type of atmosphere with music, food, and a huge ferris wheel. It was a good time... now let's go beat ucla!

Here are some photos from the event...

Beat the Bruins!

Playlist:

The Takers by Barcelona

Where Have You Been? by Manchester Orchestra

Lump Sum by Bon Iver

Staples Center

The Staples Center is a sports-arena that holds many different events every year including basketball, ice hockey, arena football, and many other events. The Staples Center has been regarded by many as one of the premier venues across the country for any indoor event, and has been named New Major Concert Venue (2000) and Arena of the Year (2000 and 2001) by Pollstar Magazine.

Some of the arena's history include hosting the NBA Finals, NHL All-Star Game, NBA All-Star Game, WNBA Finals, PAC-10 Basketball Finals, The Democratic National Convention in 2000 and recently hosting Michael Jackson's public funeral service to name a few.

The Staples Center has a capacity of 18,118 for ice hockey, 18,997 for basketball, and up 20,000 for concert and boxing events. Located in the heart of Los Angles it is a hard place to miss when driving down the I-10 or I-110 freeways.

The Staples Center is a magnificent arena that I have had the pleasure of going to for many years now and it still continues to be a venue that I love going to. On top of housing some of my favorite professional teams, the concerts that take place inside are also a site to see. The venue has a very good setting for music/audio and this is a big reason why the Grammy Awards have taken place at Staples Center since 2000.

Newly added to the Staples Center is a plaza located directly across the street called L.A. Live which holds a plethora of restaurants, a movie theatre, and even a smaller venue for music/concerts called Nokia Theatre. With these additions the Staples Center location has become a very hip and fun place to be during any event.

If going to the Staples Center I would suggest to get there early, as traffic in Los Angeles is always a sure bet, and to enjoy the atmosphere at LA Live before the event at Staples Center. Afterward, one can enjoy a very tasty ice cream from New Zealand Natural before or after the game at LA Live. If you cannot seem to find a ticket, the great thing about this place is that there are so many restaurants and places for you to be right in the thick of things and enjoy a great meal at the same time with other fans.

The Staples Center in Los Angles,CA. a definite place to visit if you are in LA!

Playlist:

Crown by Mason Jennings

We Used to Vacation by Cold War Kids

If Not For My Glasses by Dear and the Headlights

The Rivalry - Bell vs. Huntington Park

This weekend featured this years traditional high school rivalry football game between the Bell High Eagles and the Huntington Park High Spartans. The big rivalry in high school football is said to be the East Los Angles Classic which features the Garfield High Bulldogs and the Roosevelt Rough Riders, however the Bell and Huntington Park rivalry sits right up there with anyone else. In fact, they are even in the same league as Garfield and Roosevelt and every time these two schools meet there is always a hard fought game for both sides. 

The rivalry game has been played between the two schools since 1936 with the winner taking home the rivalry trophy. The longest streak within the rivalry belongs to Bell High which won the rivalry and the trophy ten years in a row from 1992 though 2001. That streak only recently ended in 2002, after trading wins Huntington Park started their own streak from 2004 to present.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend this years rivalry game which took place at Huntington Park High School, as they showed off their new artificial turf, rubber track, new bleachers, and even a new scoreboard for their homecoming game.

With a very big first half, Bell took the advantage at halftime with a 21-7 lead. In the second half a big stalemate ensued with Bell holding on for the victory with a 24-15 win. The score shows a pretty close game however it was all Bell this year as they clearly were the better team and did just enough to win the game at Huntington Park.

Bell High hoisting the rivalry trophy at midfield during post-game celebrations

Bell High Eagles take home the trophy and bragging rights until next year when they host the rivalry game.

The Bell Eagles now hold an overall series lead on their counterparts with a record of 39 wins, 32 losses, and 2 ties.

LA Kings vs. Penguins

LA Kings vs. Penguins
Originally uploaded by mighty2886

So I went to a Kings hockey game last night. It was pretty awesome to say the least. Having the defending Stanley Cup champions in your home building and being able to see some great hockey to go along with that is always awesome.

The Kings pulled out a victory to send the sellout crowd going home happy. Well, a good part of the crowd were Penguins fans so some of them got a hard time at the game and I'm sure it was not what they wanted to see. The Pens did not have a very strong game really. Sidney Crosby had about one strong open shot, but other than that he really did not have a big impact on the scoring. He even took a penalty in the 3rd period when the momentum completely shifted towards the Kings as Staples Center was rocking after a pair of goals which came seconds apart from each other to put them up 4-2. The Kings added a late goal in the final period to win the game 5-2 over the defending champs.

This was a great game to watch if you are a Kings fan like myself! To be able to see the Kings show some grit and character and come out in the 3rd period after being down 2-1 and score 4 unanswered goals is a huge step in the right direction for the team. I expect big things not only this year but in the future for the team that hails from my hometown.

This is only the first of more posts on my blog, as I chronicle more happenings in Los Angeles.

Be Well...


Playlist:

What Sarah Said by Death Cab for Cutie

Sympathique by Pink Martini

Gobbledigook by Sigur Ros

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

So I'm back! I have more things to do and say on here and I hope it turns out well. I've been doing good stuff back in Los Angeles,CA. and I'm hopeful I can share some insights on the city, as I have become a big connoisseur on different restaurants in the area, music, and photography. I'll also be sharing some nice pictures from some of my adventures! I look forward to traveling a bit soon so I'll keep things updated with that.

I have begun a photo album called 365, capturing the things I do during a whole year so I'll post up some pictures or perhaps the whole album once I'm finished with that. Although I have only begun that adventure.

I suppose this first post is pretty tame, but I'm sure it will pick up once I get some photos on here and let everyone know of the good food and music in town. =)

Be Well.

Playlist:

Body in a Box by City and Colour

Faust Arp by Radiohead

Shake it Out by Manchester Orchestra