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July 4,
2006
MUSIC
 Dashboard
Confessional
Chris Carabba certainly understands his audience. Not only is he
selling his new record Dusk and Summer for just $10 bucks but if
you show your student ID when you buy it at lousy Best Buy, you get it for
$7 (you will have to convince the cashier of this, though). Dashboard
isn’t something I would normally run out and buy from a store, but I
thought it was a cool idea. Note to the record industry: people will
buy CDs if you offer them at a reasonable price.
 The Cardinal
Sin
Also hailing from the Windy City, The Cardinal Sin share the same raw
sound and intensity as early Alkaline Trio. I was so immediately drawn to
their music when I heard them on purevolume that I work tirelessly to
track down their first full-length Hurry Up and Wait. I couldn’t
find it at any of my usual locations so I ended up buying it off of
half.com. Other than the outstanding Eye Opener, there aren’t
really a lot of standout tracks, but it’s a really solid album.
SPORTS
 World Cup
Soccer
Though I suffered some mild depression when Holland lost to Portugal
(once again), the World Cup is still exciting – and I’m not even a soccer
guy. Who says you can’t be thoroughly entertained by 120 minutes of
scoreless action? I’ve got tickets for the Real Madrid vs. Real Salt Lake
exhibition in August, but it looks like the great David Beckham may not
even be making the trip thanks to his injury against Portugal.
BOOKS
 An Ordinary
Man
If you haven’t seen Hotel Rwanda, you should. If you have seen
it, you should read An Ordinary Man, the autobiography of Paul
Rusesabagina, the man on whom the movie was based. Rusesabagina explains
how and why the Rwandan genocide went down, including sectarian violence,
corrupt politicians and outsiders who were unwilling to stop it from
happening. Though it the book was based on the 1994 events it couldn’t be
more applicable to current conflicts.
TELEVISION
 VH1’s
Supergroup
Without going into an entire dissertation, here’s why only has-been
celebrities should be on reality TV shows. Though you get the
mega-exposure that you had (or always wanted to have) when you were in
your prime, you also always kind of end up looking like an idiot.
Sebastian
Bach was so incredibly cool when he was in Skid Row. Now he may be the
whiniest, most annoying TV personality on the planet. Even my sister, a
die-hard Bach supporter, has given up on the show because he is so
annoying. “He has officially ruined the ‘rock on’ devil horns," she says.
But it does make for great television.
If you can
get over the embarrassingly awkward moments of Bach telling the PR team
that he has a top 20 hit (“I Remember You” on the newest Monster
Ballads CD), him crying about his dad or drunkenly telling Anthrax’s
Scott Ian that he loves him and that he'll never play with another guitar
player (um, they are going to be in a band together for 12 days), you'll
be glued.
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