Merry Christmas

A wonderful reminder of the meaning of Christmas.

- Joel

Maps

© Joel Thomason

I'm a sucker for maps. I took this in a gas station on the drive from Austin to Kansas City. Speaking of maps, I should have asked for the map below, from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., for Christmas.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Akos Major

Akos Major.

© Akos Major

Yukon Blonde

I'm digging this song from Canadian trio Yukon Blonde.

- Joel

Yukon Blonde - "Choices"

Goldmund

Last year I stumbled upon composer Keith Kenniff, aka Goldmund. His album Famous Places, an instrumental piano album, became a fixture in my headphones. Goldmund released a new album this year, All Will Prosper, a collection of Civil-war era folk songs. After a few listens, it sounds pretty good. Check out a few tracks below.

- Joel

Goldmund - "Amazing Grace"

Goldmund - "Shenandoah"

Balmorhea

My sister and I were talking about Balmorhea tonight, so I decided to check out their website. Little did I know they had recently recorded a performance for SerialBox. Check it out a video or download the audio below.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

I watched a documentary about Mike Tyson over the weekend and found myself struck by something his long-time trainer, Cus D'Amato, said. D'Amato was speaking about his passion for identifying the strengths of young boxers. Yet his approach seems like a good disposition of the heart towards people in everyday life.

- Joel

"What I do is discover and uncover."

- Cus D'Amato

The Beatles on iTunes

What an incredible advertisement. Whoever did the animation deserves a lot of money.

- Joel

JT

Remember when Justin Timberlake was the coolest guy on the planet? This song is providing the soundtrack for my last day of studying this semester. Hopefully the people around me at Austin Java don't mind my feet tapping to the beat.

- Joel

Young Whale Design

© Young Whale Design

I saw this print yesterday from Craig Moan, aka Young Whale Design, of Nashville. It made me think of the protection I need during law school finals.

- Joel

© Young Whale Design

Andrew Ripp

Another performance from Andrew Ripp. The guy can sing.

- Joel

Klosterman on Tebow

As usual, Chuck Klosterman brings intellect and nuance to a popular culture phenomenon. Tim Tebow is 6-1 as a starting quarterback this season and has led the Denver Broncos to five straight wins. He is also the most polarizing figure in professional sports, even more polarizing than LeBron James. The issue here, and the subject of Klosterman's most recent piece, is why Tebow is so polarizing. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy who rubs a lot of people the wrong way. If I'm honest, it's only been in the last month that I've given up my skepticism of Tebow and taken him at face value. On what grounds do I have to question him? I know nothing about him. What I appreciate about Klosterman's article is his ability to decipher the root of the issue. Klosterman writes:

The crux here, the issue driving this whole "Tebow Thing," is the matter of faith. It's the ongoing choice between embracing a warm feeling that makes no sense or a cold pragmatism that's probably true. And with Tebow, that illogical warm feeling keeps working out. It pays off. The upside to secular thinking is that — in theory — your skepticism will prove correct. Your rightness might be emotionally unsatisfying, but it confirms a stable understanding of the universe.

Though I sincerely disagree with his ultimate conclusion about secularism, I sincerely agree that Tebow is the personification of the battle between faith and reason. (I'd still argue that faith and reason are not antonyms) Check out the article at the link below.

- Joel

Chuck Klosterman - "The People Who Hate Tim Tebow"

Marcel the Shell

Here's some comic relief in honor of completing my very first law school exam.

- Joel

Sufjan Stevens - "Sister Winter"

Here's one of my favorite Sufjan Christmas originals from his collection of Christmas albums. It starts out low-key but builds up to full holiday cheer. Christmas has me thinking about Kansas City and The Plaza lights. I'm not sure who painted the picture above, but it looks similar to a picture I have hanging on my wall here in Austin.

- Joel

Sufjan Stevens - "Sister Winter"

Andrew Ripp - "Joy to the World"

It's pretty bad that I've let law school get in the way of blogging. I need to get my priorities straight. But now that it's finals season, I'll let blogging be my study break. I saw this guy - Andrew Ripp - in Austin a month ago. He's got legit vocal ability. I'm normally not a fan of non-traditional takes on Christmas carols, but I'll give Andrew Ripp a pass because of his mad pipes.

Enjoy.

- Joel

Look Up, Get Lost

© Petter Almgren

I appreciate the sentiment of this picture. I've found myself staring at the sky a lot lately on my daily walk to class. We live in a beautiful world.

- Joel

A Year In New York

Here's a fun video shot by a guy documenting a year of his life in New York. It captures the mystique of the most intriguing place in the world while giving the city a human element as well. The James Vincent McMorrow song which accompanies the video is a great choice as well.

- Joel

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

© Anna Aden

I want your life filling and stirring me. I want your happiness beneath my heart and your sorrows in my eyes and your peace in the fingers of my hand.

- Malcolm Lowry - Under the Volcano

I look at this photograph every once in awhile for motivation. At one point I knew the details behind the cyclist's ride up the mountain but have since forgotten. I'm sure he's famous. And there's no doubt he's one bad man.

- Joel

Jon Contino

© Jon Contino

I ran across the illustrations of Jon Contino as I was detoxing from a long day of class today. You can see more of his work here.

- Joel

The Black Keys

Here's a new track from The Black Keys from their upcoming album, El Camino. Check out the dance moves in the promotional video for the song below. I'm taking notes from that guy.

- Joel

The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"

Road Not Taken

I proudly own three books of poetry, one being the complete collection of Robert Frost. I've thought a lot lately about the events that led to my move to Austin. At the time, choosing Austin in light of other options was a bit counterintuitive. After three months here, I couldn't imagine any other road to take. That just so happens to remind me of my second favorite Frost poem...

- Joel

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Quote of the Day

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
- Albert Einstein

Youth Lagoon

Thanks to a friend's recommendation I've been listening through the recently released Youth Lagoon album. If you can acclimate your ears to the guy's voice, I think it's a pretty incredible listen. Check out one of the tracks below and a music video for another below that.

- Joel

Youth Lagoon - "Afternoon"

Batcow

Photograph by Jay B. Sauceda

Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Between 750,000 and 1.5 million bats, depending on who you ask, live beneath the Congress Avenue bridge spanning Town Lake. A few weeks ago, accompanied by two of my siblings and my cousin, I had the opportunity to watch this colony make their nightly emergence at dusk in search of food. It's quite a sight to see.

Austin is also the current home of the CowParade, an art exhibit of nearly 100 uniquely decorated cows spread throughout the city. One such cow is decorated as a bat and hangs beneath the Congress Avenue bridge. You can read more about this particular cow here. As you can see above, the Batcow has gained enough attention to warrant its own poster. If you look closely you can see the bats flying out from beneath the bridge.

Long live Batcow.

- Joel

Failure

For most of my life, I've been driven by the fear of failure. I created unrealistic expectations for myself and was terrified at the idea of falling short. I most motivated not by the opportunity to succeed but from the terror of failure. What a terrible thing, I used to think, for everyone to realize I was anything less than perfect? How ridiculous that sounds now. Failure is such a fundamental part of the human experience.

I read an op-ed in the Washington Post today that discussed the benefits of failure. The author pointed to Steve Jobs as a prime example. Before the MacBook and the iPhone became worldwide successes, Jobs bounced from couch to couch in an effort to make ends meet financially. At one point he was even fired from Apple, the company he co-founded. How humiliating.

It got me thinking about how many other influential figures have failed miserably. Abraham Lincoln's run to public offic began with a nervous breakdown and one election defeat after another. Reigning Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers began his college football career in junior college. He was invited to the NFL Draft festivities in Madison Square Garden only to sit alone in the waiting room hours after every other player had been drafted. Walt Disney had difficulty finding work as a newspaper artist and was even fired once because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

The article (link below) I read discusses how the American obsession with success, and fear of failure, has trickled down to affect people of all ages. Yet, in reality, so much of the world's greatest successes were products of profound failure. Failure isn't something to be afraid of but to embrace. It's a lesson I'm learning ever so slowly.

- Joel

Kathleen Parker - "How We Succeed By Failing"

Allah-Las

Here's another modern band with a retro sound, Allah-Las. Check out a song below and watch the vintage music video below that if you'd like.

- Joel

Allah-Las - "Catamarans"

Nick Waterhouse

I snagged an EP this evening from Nick Waterhouse. If I didn't know better, I would think I was listening to something straight out of the 1950's. Check out the opening track below. I'm a sucker for the old school sound.

- Joel

Is That Clear by Nick Waterhouse.

Tennis - "Tell Her No"

I'm a sucker for oldies tunes. I'm also a sucker for modern covers of oldies songs...unless it's a Beatles song. Those are off limits in my opinion. They are perfect as originally written. Check out Tennis covering a track from The Zombies below. You can also hear the original below that.

- Joel

Tennis - "Tell Her No (The Zombies cover)"

Death Cab For Cutie Remix

I really like Cut Copy's remix of the Death Cab song "Doors Unlocked and Open." The song, for me at least, seems to pick up steam as it progresses.

- Joel

Death Cab For Cutie - "Doors Unlocked and Open (Cut Copy Remix)"

Photographer of the Day

© Troy Moth

Troy Moth. These photographs make me miss the mountains (except for the one of the ocean).

- Joel

© Troy Moth

© Troy Moth

Cameras - "Defeatist"

I heard this song today and enjoyed the band's sound. Cameras' debut album drops later this month.

Also, shout out to my blogger friend Brittany Price, who introduced herself on Friday evening in Waco. Thanks for making my night.

- Joel

Cameras - "Defeatist"

The Visible Man

I've never pre-ordered a book...until now. Today I'll receive my copy of Chuck Klosterman's The Visible Man. Apparently the novel is set in Austin, Texas, which is a fun coincidence. Klosterman will be in Austin for a book discussion in two weeks. I'm going to do my best to finish the book and attend the discussion. This will be the first book I've read since starting law school - other than my case books - which is a sad fact.

If you're interested in a preview of the book, go here to read one of the chapters. Also, making book trailers is apparently the new thing to do. You can check out the trailer for the book below. Watching it actually makes the book seem a little creepy. But Klosterman always makes me think, so I'm betting there's more to the book than the trailer lets on.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

– Steve Jobs

Feist - Metals

This week Feist released the follow up to her blockbuster album The Reminder. The new album, Metals, reminds me a lot of some of the more raw cuts from her previous effort - "Intuition" and "The Water" most especially. It has a choral element reminiscent of Ryan Gosling's band Dead Man's Bones. Yet Feist puts her own unique fingerprints on the dusky folk/rock sound. These songs may not wind up on an iPod commercial, but they are great to study to. Check out the album's opener below.

- Joel

Feist - "The Bad In Each Other"

Jerry West

Yesterday my co-ed flag football team lost 6-0. We had the ball on the 2 yard line with one play remaining and couldn't score. I hate losing. I have the annoying tendency to wrap my identity into the task presently at hand - even if that task is co-ed flag football. Thus losing is more than losing; it is a mini-identity crisis. It took some some heartbreak a few years ago to realize just how crippling this tendency can be. Slowly I'm learning a better way to live, and I think I'm finally becoming an enjoyable person to be around.

Yet it's good to know that I'm not alone. I just read this article on Jerry West, and we seem to have a lot in common. I wish we shared the same athletic prowess, but alas we share the same dysfunction - perfectionism. In spite of unparalleled respect in NBA circles, West says, "Self-esteem is something I still battle. People look at me and say you've got fame, you've got admiration, you've done this, you've done that. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't done anything." In spite of 14 All-Star appearances, 7 appearances in the NBA Finals, and 1 NBA Championship, West says, "All I did was learn how to lose... Go in that other locker room and see what it's like. It's the worst feeling in the world. You feel like you're lost. You hate yourself. You can't stand yourself, and we praise the winners."

The article is a fascinating, surprisingly honest take on one of the NBA's greatest stars. It reminded me of the pitfalls of defining myself by my performance. But beyond the psychology, it's a great read.

- Joel

Jonathan Abrams - "The Winter of Jerry West"

Mute Math - "Odd Soul"

My favorite album so far this year is Mute Math's Odd Soul, which officially drops today. My brother gave me a leaked copy last week and it's been on repeat since then. To me, the album's sound bears fingerprints of 70's funk and classic rock. It's certainly a different sound than Mute Math has produced in the past, and I am enjoying their evolution. Check out the title track below. Surprisingly and much to my chagrin, the band doesn't have a show scheduled in Austin.

- Joel

Mute Math - "Odd Soul"

Mina Tindle

French songstress Mina Tindle released a self-titled EP yesterday. This song is the highlight from what I can tell. If she was shooting jumpers rather than dancing around the basketball court in her video, then she'd be the perfect girl...other than the fact that she's French.

- Joel

Dustin Farrell - Landscapes

This is a pretty incredible video. I'm sure there is some metaphor to be made about how life mimics nature - things are happening all around us but we rarely have the patience to be still and recognize what is happening. Anyway, I think you'll like the video.

- Joel

Florence and The Machine

Check out the anthemic new track from Florence and The Machine. Can you imagine a stadium of people singing "Shake it out, shake it out!" I can.

- Joel

Florence and The Machine - "Shake It Out"

Photographer of the Day

© Justin Fantl

Justin Fantl. I had to throw in the mini-golf photo in honor of my family's undying love for the "sport."

- Joel

© Justin Fantl

© Justin Fantl

Gladwell on the Nets

I'm always excited to read new articles by Malcolm Gladwell. He's written two articles for Grantland.com, the second of which landed yesterday. I must say that I completely disagree with his assertion that NBA franchises are not businesses but works of art. I also generally disagree with his take on NBA owners. Still, Gladwell always makes me think, and that's one of my favorite things to do, nerd that I am. Check out the article on the Brooklyn Nets at the link below.

- Joel

Malcolm Gladwell - "The Nets and NBA Economics"

Gauntlet Hair

© Joel Thomason

Gauntlet Hair has a strange band name. Their music isn't necessarily that accessible. But there's something about the way they groove that I really like. Here's a new one from them, and in addition a track I've posted in the past. The picture above of the Texas state capital is unrelated to the music, in case you were wondering.

- Joel

Gauntlet Hair - "Keep Time"
Gauntlet Hair - "Top Bunk"

Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"

I heard this song by Robyn for the first time last night at a friend's birthday part. I'll be jamming to it for the rest of the weekend.

- Joel

Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"

Ready, Steady, Bang!

I just read about a new Western-style shootout game for the iPhone called Ready Steady Bang. After watching this humorously morbid video to introduce to game, I think I'll be spending $0.99 to try it out for myself.

- Joel

Happy Birthday UT

© Casey Dunn

Yesterday the University of Texas at Austin turned 128 years old. That's pretty old. Austin photographer Casey Dunn took the photograph above as part of a book on the history of the university. The building in the photograph is called the Main Building - clever name.

UT turned 128 which means it was founded in 1883. I wondered how that compared to the universities where I grew up (Kansas and Missouri), so to Wikipedia I went. I was surprised to learn that the University of Missouri was founded in 1839 and was the very first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River. The University of Kansas is pretty old too - founded in 1865, four years after the state was admitted to the Union.

Happy Birthday UT. And congratulations for being older and wiser KU and MU.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© William Rugen

William Rugen. One day I'm going to take a few months off and do nothing but travel the American West. States I still need to see: Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington...

- Joel

© William Rugen

© William Rugen

Elliot Brood

I watched a short film called "No Deal" tonight. This song from Elliot Brood, a Canadian folk/rock trio, ran during the credits and caught me by surprise. I really like it.

- Joel

Elliot Brood - "Write It All Down For You"

9/11

I was a freshman in college when 9/11 happened. I can remember getting dressed in my dorm room and hearing my neighbors through the walls talking about a plane hitting a building in New York City. I can vividly remember thinking, "What kind of idiot pilot would run into a building like that?" It wasn't until after I returned from my 8am Psychology class that I realized what was happening. I had no cell phone back then, and I can remember calling my dad with a calling card from my dorm room phone.

The video below reminds me of what it was like to be 18 and to attempt to comprehend the seismic shift that occurred in our world that day. However, I'm also a Christian, so the video below resonates me in a unique way. Nevertheless, regardless of your disposition toward faith, I think you'll resonate in some way with Sujo's experience at Ground Zero on 9/11. It's 9 minutes long, but I found it worth every minute.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Jay Janner

I had the foresight to move to Texas in the midst of one of the longest droughts and hottest summers in the state's history. I've lived here for more than six weeks and Austin has yet to have any measurable rainfall. Jay Janner, of the Austin American-Statesman, has documented the drought with her camera. You can see more here.

- Joel

© Jay Janner

© Jay Janner

Boy & Bear

My roommate introduced me to the band Boy & Bear this evening. He explained their sound as, "It's like Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons had a really cool kid..." I find that to be pretty accurate. Take a listen.

- Joel

Boy & Bear - "Feeding Line"

Boy & Bear - "Lordy May"

Franklin Barbecue

I spent two and half hours waiting in line for Austin's Franklin Barbecue yesterday. After debating with classmates over the past few days about who possesses the superior barbeque (Texas or Kansas City), I was persuaded to give Franklin a try. Bon Appetit magazine ran this article making the claim, "Today, his bricks-and-mortar restaurant serves what we're calling the best BBQ in Texas, if not America. Let the debates begin." My Texas friends quickly jumped on the bandwagon saying, "Bon Appetit called Franklin the best barbeque in America!" Unfortunately, that statement is false. Bon Appetit wrote, "the best BBQ in Texas, if not America." The phrase "if not America" means that they claim it might be the best barbeque in America. They were not confident enough to claim that it is actually the best barbeque in America.

With all that being said, here are some thoughts about Franklin Barbeque.

1. It was good barbeque.

2. It's not worth waiting over two hours to eat it.

3. I spoke with the owner, Aaron Franklin, and he claimed, "Kansas City overcooks it's barbeque." I sincerely disagree.

4. Franklin spells barbeque wrong. It's not spelled with a "c", it's spelled with a "q". Since when did you ever see barbeque abbreviated "BBC"? It's abbreviated "BBQ" because it's spelled with a "q".

5. Texas barbeque is very different from Kansas City barbeque. They hardly use seasoning on the meat which makes it taste more like what you'd find at a church potluck. They do an excellent job cooking the meat to the right tenderness, but it lacks the flavor that you'd find in Kansas City.

I honestly don't believe any Texas restaurant can beat the Z-Man Sandwich or the burnt ends at LC's, but I'm willing to try out the best restaurants in Texas. My next stop on the Tour de Texas BBQ will take me to Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Hopefully it will live up to the hype.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

My birthday. July 2011. Vinalhaven, Maine © Allison V. Smith

Allison V. Smith. I love this photo that Allison took while "summering" in Maine. It reminded me so much of this photo by Robert Frank.

- Joel

James Vincent McMorrow

I really like this laid-back cover of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" as performed by James Vincent McMorrow. He sounds a lot like Bon Iver to me.

- Joel

James Vincent McMorrow - "Higher Love (Steve Winwood cover)"

Bon Iver

Here's a stripped-down piano version of Bon Iver's "Beth/Rest" as performed for NPR's "New World Cafe".

- Joel

Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest (Piano Version)

Youth Lagoon

Here's a new band called Youth Lagoon. You can download a few of their tracks for free from Bandcamp (use the widget below). The second of the two tracks available, "Cannons", is my favorite, especially when the lead guitar kicks in 50 seconds in the song.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

© Charles Bergquist

Charles Bergquist. These images come from his "Everyday" project, a new photograph added everyday for a year.

- Joel

© Charles Bergquist