Our Thoughts and Prayers to Alabama

Everyone associated with Fistful of Words has some connection to Alabama -- we live here, work here, go to school here, have family here. We mock it from time to time because we can, but when it comes down to the wire, we love our home. Please keep us in your thoughts as we deal with the aftermath of one of the worst weather days the Southeast has seen in decades.

In case you haven't heard, this is what's going on here in the south.

So, if you don't hear from us for the next few days it's because we don't have power in the Birmingham-metro area. (Elaine just happens to be near the beach right now.) We hope to be back to a normal posting schedule next week.

Today's 1000

Apparently spelling is not their forte.

Fistful of Reviews: Ghost Town Directory by Ari Shine

Ari Shine writes and performs his own songs, but
TS says he's not in the singer/songwriter genre.
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by T.S. Oldman

If only music writers took Socrates to heart when he said, "The beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms." To put the saying of the brilliant toga-ed Athenian into my own words, "It's really hard to understand anything, much less have a conversation when terms can have wildly different connotations." Anyone who took a music appreciation class and understands the difference between the broad term Classical music (the work of all composers from essentially the 11th century onward) and the Classical music period (the work of composers from roughly 1750 to 1830) is shaking their head right now.

For me, singer/songwriter has now taken the torch from classical music as the most musically loaded term. Singer/songwriter has been used to describe a specific genre of music populated by artists like James Taylor and Carole King or more current artists like John Mayer, Ingrid Michaelson, and Jason Mraz. Typically, the songs in this genre contain playful or vulnerable lyrics with musical arrangements that remain on the blues, jazz, and folk side of pop music. However, singer/songwriter can also mean any artist who sings, and writes their own songs. For anyone that took logic class: all artists in the singer/songwriter genre write and perform their own songs but not everyone who writes and performs their own songs falls into the singer/songwriter genre.

When FoW recieved Los Angeles based artist Ari Shine's Ghost Town Directory, he was billed as a singer/songwriter. I'll spare you anymore references to my nerdy high school classes and say that Ari Shine falls into the latter category. Writing and performing his own music, Shine's latest full length album features power pop rock that blends the anthemic sound of an STP single like "Days of the Week" with clear hooks like Rhett Miller's "Come Around."

Click through to read my full review of Shine's new full length record.

Today's 1000

The self titled debut EP from Bide My Time (available on iTunes April 30th).
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Yes, we ran a Today's 1000 earlier today, but we couldn't wait until Thursday to share something positive from the state of Alabama. Bide My Time, profiled last week, has shared their album art from their self titled debut EP. Also, the band is streaming Elaine's favorite track "Outrun" as a prelude to their album release show in Birmingham at The Red Cat this Saturday.

Listen to "Outrun" here.

Read Elaine's full album review here.

Today's 1000

If pregnant redneck housewives could read, I bet they'd be mad.

Fistful of Reviews: Bide My Time



Elaine reviews the self titled debut album (available April 30th) from Birmingham based Bide My Time.
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 by Elaine Dunaway

Last week, T.S. Oldman interviewed Justin Arrington, Ande Fanning, Chris Spiker, and Keith Davis about their Birmingham-based band, Bide My Time. Their first album, Bide My Time is due to be released on iTunes April 30th. Happily, Fistful of Words received an advance copy of their debut collection and I was the lucky writer here at FoW who had the privilege of listening in on their slightly folksy, delightfully harmonized work. Click through to read my review.

Fistful of Links

Fistful of Links is a weekly catch-all of stories or videos we at FoW think are important, hilariously inane, or wildly entertaining. From news outlets to personal blogs, our weekly list of links is as varied as our authors. Check in every Saturday to catch up with what we're reading and what you shouldn't miss. Enjoy!

"Even on Religious Campuses, Students Fight for Gay Identity" by Erik Eckholm / The New York Times
-A very interesting article about the state of gay rights on conservative religious campuses (with an emphasis on the largest Baptist college in the U.S., Baylor University). Elaine's glad she went to a Methodist-affiliated school where gay rights were openely advocated and celebrated.

"The GQ Guide to Dressing for Less" GQ.com
-In the spirit of fashion inspired earlier this week by Lauren Friedman, let's give the boys some fashion pointers!

"7 Horrible Ways the Universe Can Destroy Us Without Warning" by Pauli Poisuo / cracked.com
- Jeepers. As if there aren't enough things to worry about.

"Tracking File Found in iPhones" by Nick Bolton / The New York Times
-So the iPhone tracks and stores your location over time? TS sees why some people would get worked up about this. On the other hand a lawyer asks if this was spelled out in the terms of use. Who reads that thing anyway? It's longer and more boring than an Ayn Rand novel.

"'The Economist' to Halt Production for Month to Let Readers Catch Up" The Onion
-We love The Economist here at FoW. We also completely agree with The Onion in that they publish so much no working human being could ever find time to read all of their coverage.

When Things Go Too Long: Why The Office Should End

By Thomas Hokum

We’ve all heard the joke that goes too long, seen the couple past its prime, or stretched a winning streak until it breaks.  We know the idiom, “Quit while you’re ahead,” but there is some deep human instinct to go a little bit further; to stretch our luck a bit too thin as we stare out over the precipice of imminent failure. It can apply to anything, but everywhere you look people are opting out of dignified endings and “letting it ride” until the wheels fall off of whatever project is being strangled for that last drop of juice.

Now, that was a lot of metaphors so I’ll bring it back down to earth for you. The Office should end when Michael Scott leaves.

Today's 1000

Here's hoping this family crest was never used on a rallying flag on the field of battle.

If so, unparalleled slaughter certainly ensued  for the  House of Three Books.

Fistful of Bide My Time

Bide My Time: (From Left to Right) Justin Arrington, Ande Fanning, Chris Spiker, & Keith Davis.

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by T.S. Oldman

The members of the soulful singer-songwriter ensemble Bide My Time would have you believe that being a close knit group of friends with a shared passion for music is natural for most bands. Yet anyone who has ever read about music, knows musicians, or has watched at least an hour of the rock documentary series Behind the Music, knows this is not the case. The majority of music groups characterize themselves as a family, which to me, has always seemed to mean that they bicker constantly and stay together out of some sense of obligation or necessity. However, Justin Arrington (vocals, guitar); Ande Fanning (vocals); Chris Spiker (percussion, upright bass); and Keith Davis (upright bass, mandolin) are honest to goodness friends.

Like most southern bands, Bide My Time has it's roots firmly planted in church music. Justin and Ande met through church just over a year ago, connecting over a conversation about The Avett Brothers. The duo began periodically leading worship and writing music, eventually settling on the stage name Scarlett & Rogue. However, when the pair sold out a show at The Red Cat Coffee House, they decided they needed a fuller sound, adding Keith Davis and Chris Spiker, both of whom led worship with Ande years earlier. After the success of the show, the group has continued to play a handful of venues throughout Alabama and Atlanta over the couse of the last eight months.

That aforementioned friendship translates to a mature sound and an apparent joyfulness that can be heard in their music. Thematically, the group explores the highs of new love and the lows of heartbreak with lyrics that are personal and authentic but still accessible. Citing musical influences that range from Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, and Stevie Ray Vaughan to current artists like the Black Keys, The Decemberists, and Mumford and Sons, Bide My Time has a acoustic sound with a southern flair, clear rhythms, and moving harmonies.

In early April, Bide My Time recorded their self titled debut EP (which FoW will review in depth next week). Over the course of two days at Synchromesh Studios in Birmingham, the group worked with well known local producer Jason Elgin (Act of Congress, Lynam, Wayne). I was fortunate enough to catch up with the band to discuss recording their first album (due out on iTunes April 30th). Click through to read my interview with Ande, Justin, Keith, and Chris about the challenges of being in studio, their immediate plans, and singing in the shower.

Fistful of My Closet in Sketches

My Closet in Sketches fashion illustrator, Lauren Friedman provides an answer
(in sketch form!) to a question from her interview with FoW. 

by TS Oldman

I'm willing to concede that Lauren Friedman may not be a happy person. As I have not spoken with her or met her face to face, it's entirely possible that the sole artistic force behind the fashion blog My Closet in Sketches is dour and bland, slaving away in the competitive milieu of our nation's capital. But there's also a chance the sun won't rise tomorrow. And it's entirely possible that Tupac and Elvis are alive and well, hiding from the world together.

In short, Lauren Friedman could be a boring human being, but I certainly don't believe so. And neither would any of her regular readers.

With a joyful splash of color and sharp wit, My Closet in Sketches features Friedman's artistic renderings of outfits from her own wardrobe. Each sketch is hilariously (and appropriately) named and accompanied by a hand written description that often includes a personal anecdote about some piece of the ensemble. Beginning as a game between herself and her roommate, Ms. Friedman has been sketching, naming, and writing about her outfits for over a year now. A professed natural bargain shopper and blessed with a fashionable grandmother, Lauren describes her style as "a ballerina/heiress married to a rapper and living in the English countryside."

While FoW was fortunate enough to feature some of Ms. Friedman's work last fall, we are excited that she recently agreed to an email interview (complete with one question answered in sketch form). Click through to read Lauren's thoughts about her love of men's fashion, her Michael Michael Kors bean boot heels, summer fashion tips, and of course, bad reality television.

Today's 1000

Do I click it? If so, how?

This past weekend I attended a local music and art festival in Birmingham. In an inspired bit of idiocy, one of the venues hired the above DJ to spin some techno tracks while bands were going setting up. Techno during sound check? Great idea!

While I could write an entire column on why playing techno music in between singer-songwriters, rock, and folk music acts is annoying, the DJ's card is a special kind of dumb. Three days later and I still can't figure out how to get that Facebook hotlink to work.

Fistful of Reviews - The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

by Elaine Dunaway

Image from http://bit.ly/i4evDB

Twilight. Its mere mention can send quivers into a young girl’s heart (not to mention mine). Thus, you can probably imagine my excitement when, earlier this year, I discovered that Stephenie Meyer was publishing an official companion to the series. In case you can’t picture my state of being, it involved serious amounts of squealing, cheering, and calling my sister to let her know, too. Then came several months of anticipation as I waited for it to actually be released.

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide became available to the public on Tuesday, April 12^th. On that day, I was waiting at the doors of Books-A-Million at 9:00 AM when they opened and was the very very very first person to request the book. Yeah, those are my nerd creds. So, you might ask, what do I find myself thinking after such cheerful anticipation and willful nerdiness? I’m sad to report that, on the whole, The Official Illustrated Guide is rather bland and lacking in original information. For a fan girl like me, the lure of unknown back stories, relationships, and histories was the big draw of this book. Instead of providing whole new worlds for her readers, though, Meyer recycled many of the factoids previously told to her fans through interviews and the outtakes section of her website.

Fistful of Links

Fistful of Links is a weekly catch-all of stories or videos we at FoW think are important or inane and wildly entertaining. From news outlets to personal blogs, our weekly list of links is as varied as our authors. Check in every Saturday to catch up with what we're reading and what you shouldn't miss. Enjoy!

"Words for Things You Didn't Know had Names" Merriam-Webster.com
-Did you know that the vertical groove on your top lip is called a philtrum? Yeah, I didn't either. Click on this list for similar fascinating revelations.

"This Tech Bubble is Different" by Ashley Vance / BusinessWeek.com
-The race to get online ad clicks could eventually pop. This is a fascinating look at what the world of start ups would look like if that happened.

"The Latest Bubble?" by Schumpeter / The Economist
- Shhh! Don't tell Elaine but this article discusses the inevitable crash of American universities due to rising tuition costs, hefty debt loads, and the growing database of mediocre research. The article also summarizes the initiative of PayPal founder Peter Thiel giving 20 $100,000 scholarships for kids to drop out of college and start a business.

"Girls of Glee for Marie Claire" by Tom and Lorenzo / projectrungay.com
-Lea Michele, Dianna Agron, and Amber Riley get their glam on for Marie Claire. The interviews seem pretty peachy, too.

I Spy

By: Erica Thomas

Confession: I love Nancy Drew. She's my hero. As a child I collected the original series, and I totally wanted to be an amateur girl detective when I grew up. The problem with Nancy Drew is that she unleashed a rather, shall we say, resourceful and sleuthful nature in me. Knowing something I'm not supposed to has always been my secret delight. It started out innocently enough. Desperate searches for Christmas presents, the jackpot of toys behind the boat in the basement, and then the joy, oh the joy, of knowing what I was getting and pretending not to. Then one day things took a dangerous turn. See, Nancy never used her amateur detective powers for romantic purposes. There's a reason for that. No matter how much you try, you can't sleuth your way into the mysteries of someone's heart.

Today's 1000 Guest Contributor

Lakeca Fashion Illustrations

Find more Lakeca: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

On Tuesday, we featured the work of fashion British fashion illustrator Lakeca. Today we are featuring a few snapshots of her book. The compilation of mixed media creations that explore fashion through textures, layers, and color is available through Etsy here. Click through to see more pictures from the book.

The Lincoln Lawyer & Movie Trailers

Matthew McConaghey as a lawyer?
But I've already seen A Time to Kill.
Image by Keith Hinkle
via WikiMedia Commons

by T.S. Oldman

I have always enjoyed movie previews. I annoy my friends by demanding that we not miss the trailers separated by the green 'all audiences' screen. I have even spent hours sifting through IMDB looking at all of the available trailers for eight months worth of coming attraction. Typically, I like to watch the trailer of a movie before deciding if I want to see the film in theater or wait for it on Netflix. Other friends enjoy reading reviews or researching the source material to make that decision. I even have one friend who likes to know as little as possible about a film before he sees it (I guess that means he sees movies based on the title?).

All that said, I vaguely remember the trailer for The Lincoln Lawyer. There was country musician Trace Adkins as a biker. Some rock music followed by "THIS IS AN INTENSE MOVIE" music. And Matthew McConaghey playing a lawyer. My excitement for the film could  be described as uninterested bordering on disdain (summed up perfectly by this Kobe Bryant expression).  Even a glowing review from an an acting friend whose taste in movies I respect, couldn't sway me. I refused to believe that such an inane trailer could indicate that the full feature was worth my time.

Yet, through a series of unremarkable, but obviously fated, events I ended up seeing The Lincoln Lawyer this past weekend, and, of course, I liked it. When I got home, I immediately pulled up Roger Ebert's review of the film. The famous critic gave the Brad Furman directed flick a strong 3/4 stars and then I realized: I had avoided watching the movie simply because it had a bad trailer. Had I not owed a friend a favor I would not have seen the film. This realization unnerved me because I consider myself a movie nerd (I once tried to have an in depth conversation about North by Northwest with a girl I was interested in dating. We never dated and "pulling a north by northwest" is now a euphemism amongst my friends for ruining your chances with a female.) After the weekend, I decided I needed to revisit my policy how to choose films to see in theaters.

Today's 1000: Guest Contributor

Lakeca Fashion Illustrations

Find more Lakeca: Website | Twitter | YouTube | Facebook

This week in Today's 1000, we're once again featuring the work of British fashion illustrator, Lakeca. Since FoW last featured her work, Lakeca's has appeared in Vogue Italia (yes, that Vogue). The freelance fashion illustrator and designer, known for her colorful designs with multiple layers and textures that hint at darker inner emotions has graciously shared eight images that she created to connect with her growing fan base. To generate interest in her YouTube Channel, Lakeca offered personalized illustrations signed by her to the first people to subscribe to her channel. Each illustration incorporates a picture of the winner into the work.

Laceka proves how adept she is at using mixed media in that these illustrations are beautiful in their own right. The inclusion of the contest winners feels neither forced nor kitchy in any way. Click through to view the rest of the illustrations and find details about how you could win one of her illustrations.

Scarborough Fair? Who needs it – Rosemary and Thyme Belong in the Kitchen



Ahh, fresh produce! (Elaine is a total Michael Pollan-ite.) Photo from http://bit.ly/iggdaQ

 by Elaine Dunaway

Contrary to what this title might imply, I actually really do love and need the occasional dose of Simon and Garfunkel. That aside, though, let’s delve into the realm of culinary arts – a magical place where one can create the perfect dish to quell the rumblings of a hungry stomach. Somehow the absolute beauty that comes with controlling exactly how one’s food is prepared escaped me for several years; however, I find that I am quickly gaining the ground I lost with my forays into slicing and dicing.

Today, I am going to share with you a more detailed version of the recipe I hinted at in my New Year’s Resolution post as well as suggest a few recipes in which a similar approach leads to some great results. Without further build-up, let’s get cooking!

Fistful of Links

Fistful of Links is a weekly catch-all of stories or videos we at FoW think are important or inane and wildly entertaining. From news outlets to personal blogs, our weekly list of links is as varied as our authors. Check in every Saturday to catch up with what we're reading and what you shouldn't miss. Enjoy!

"7 Basic Things You Won't Believe You're Doing All Wrong" by C. Coville and Crystal Beran / Cracked.com
-From sleeping and pooping to giving birth and brushing your teeth, learn the everyday activities that you're doing less than perfectly.

"5 Other Best Picture Winners Downgraded to PG-13" by NextMovie.com
-With The King's Speech being re released as a PG-13 film to take advantage of it's Oscar win, the Next Movie Staff imagines the movie posters of other Oscar winners if they were edited to be PG-13. The posters are funny an edited King's Speech is not.

"Save NPR! But please, put PBS out of its misery" by Mark Oppenheimer / Slate.com
-Mark Oppenheimer just wishes his name was Elaine Dunaway. Because then he would have written this article on March 28th instead of April 5th. Clearly, he got his idea from Elaine.

"Confronting an Enduring Taboo" by John Branch / The New York Times
-Outsports.com is a website covering homosexual athletics. This is a fascinating read about the struggle to come out as a major sports player as well as the lack of attention that the gay rights movement seems to give to gay athletes.

Facebook Foibles

By Thomas Hokum

Whenever I start trying to write a post, I inevitably end up on Facebook. College wasn’t much different, except I was writing papers and someone was actually paid to read them and tell me how bad they were. I tried to put my finger on what sick appeal the obsession offers and came up short. The messenger is obviously useful in an age where younger kids don’t even remember AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), and I still prefer typing with all five fingers instead of just my thumbs. However, the messenger is a side point to the greater entity of the Facebook black hole.

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that Facebook has replaced television as the predominant mindless time suck. The similarities are aplenty. Like television, Facebook provides a comforting white noise that keeps people feeling connected and vaguely informed. On the other hand, constantly being “caught up” in other people’s lives can produce some interesting side effects as well as create some pretty imaginative personality disorders and awkward phenomena I’ve affectionately come call “Facebook Foibles.” Click through to see which one you are.

Today's 1000

This cup represents a segment of the population I didn't know existed:
Men who express their hypermasculinity through feline ownership.

What's in a Label? Classifying Girl Talk Correctly

Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) performs a crazed live show at UCSB.
Image from BeachBoy90 via Wiki Media Commons.

By T.S. Oldman

Nearly two months after the fact, I can still remember standing in line with a group of friends at 2:00 AM for a goldfish burger (a late night institution of the Buckhead bar scene in Atlanta), reeking of second hand smoke and hoarse from shouting conversation all night, when a friend, let's call him Andy the Mets Fan, said the following: "I can do what that Girl Talk guy does. It's easy. Give me two laptops and y'all can pay me to ruin two songs at a time."

For those uninitiated, Girl Talk (real name Gregg Gillis) is a mash up artist that combines rap acapella with a wide range of pop music from the last four decades such as Ludacris rapping over Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," or Biggie rapping over Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." Gillis burst onto the national music scene in 2006 when the indie music site Pitchfork gave a surprise, glowing review of his third album, Night Ripper. His live house-party style shows as well as his albums are dedicated to the singular goal of having fun. His fifth album, All Day, released in November of 2010 is 71 minutes with 373 unique samples (hear/see the annotated album here).

While Andy's negative comments adhere to the universal truth, "Opinions can't be wrong but they can be stupid," (Gillis told New York Magazine that creating one minute of a mix takes twelve hours of work), they do mirror the sentiment of idiots who stare at a Mark Rothko or Jackson Pollock painting and utter, "I could do that." Although critics have given the pop/rap revelry artist high mark reviews, run profile pieces, and conducted fawning interviews, their description of the artist has been all over the map. Gillis's work has been categorized as Andy Warhol pop art; post modern; the Baroque period to the Renaissance of mash up music in 2005; MTV nostalgia; and I just referenced Abstract Expressionist painters.

So, is there one label that aptly captures Girl Talk's expertly crafted, frenetic, dance worthy, mash up music? Yes, I think so. Is this exercise a bit like English majors stretching the limits objective reasoning and inventing meanings for novels that were never intended? Probably. Is clicking through worth your time? You're here already... how bad could it be?

Today's 1000

California dreamin'.....

A Post to Say "No Post Today"

What Elaine really did rather than write a column today... We think.

If you think it's odd that we're posting to say that Elaine won't be posting her column today, we'd have to agree with you. However, we wanted to be honest and give you the reasons Elaine offered us for why she "needed a a day off." Click through to see the short list of Elaine's excuses. (We promise we only made up one of them.)

Fistful of Links

Fistful of Links is a weekly catch-all of stories or videos we at FoW think are important or inane and wildly entertaining. From news outlets to personal blogs, our weekly list of links is as varied as our authors. Check in every Saturday to catch up with what we're reading and what you shouldn't miss. Enjoy!

"The 10 Coolest Sounds on Britney Spears' Femme Fatale" by Andrew Unterberger / Popdust
-Apparently, the latest Britney album sounds awesome. These short bursts of sound that appear through the album make that happen. This is 24 seconds well spent.

"3eanuts" by 3eanuts.tumblr.com
- Removing the last panel from Charles Shculz's classic cartoon reveals the existential despair that exists in this the lives of Charlie Brown and company.

"Balancing Debt Against College Choice" by Ron Lieber / The New York Times
-Mr. Lieber examines the cost to benefit ratio of amassing a significant student loan burden to attend a private school over a local community college. With the job market making getting a good-paying job next to impossible straight out of college, he definitely raises some good concerns.

"Kate Winslet Jumps on the Pixie Train" by Dhani Mau / Elle
-Kate Winslet recently saw her HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce air and got divorced. Also, she cut her hair short and died it platinum blond. This is an article about her hair.

"Monty the Dog Hits the Stacks at Yale Law" by Mark Herz / NPR
- How adorable is this? Yale law students can "check out" a Jack-Russell terrier named Monty in thirty-minute intervals as a form of stress relief. Elaine wants a turn!