Oklahoma Joe's

I'm not sure if I've ever posted this article before, but it's one that I will cite for the rest of my life. As a native of Kansas City, I take pride in a few specific things about my corner of the world - Kansas Jayhawk basketball, fountains (Kansas City has more fountains than any city in the world besides Rome), and barbeque. There are those in other parts of the country (Texas, Memphis, the Carolinas) that accurately claim to have good barbeque. However, Kansas City is widely regarded as the barbeque capital of the world. Anthony Bourdain, world-renowned food critic, released his list of "13 Places To Eat Before You Die" a few years ago. The only barbeque place to make the list was my favorite joint in Kansas City - Oklahoma Joe's. Bourdain says of Oklahoma Joe's, "It's the best BBQ in Kansas City, which makes it the best BBQ in the world." I couldn't agree more.

- Joel

Anthony Bourdain - "13 Places To Eat Before You Die"

Frederic Remington

Moonlight Wolf

I watched the John Ford film "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" a few days ago. When I watch movies, I enjoy reading through the trivia portion of the film's IMDB page. As if I wasn't nerdy enough already. I found out that the cinematography for "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon" was inspired by Frederic Remington's paintings of the Old West. I've always had a fondness for Remington's work, especially these two paintings.

- Joel

The Stampede

David Ramirez

Enjoy some free music from David Ramirez here. You can download his take on Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees" and Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" for free. You can't actually click on the picture above to download the music, but you can click here.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

"I think you can say that the real star of my Westerns has always been the land."
- John Ford, Director

Dustin O'Halloran

Here is a soothing piano tune by Dustin O'Halloran to kick off the week.

- Joel

Dustin O'Halloran - "We Move Lightly"

Photographer of the Day

© Chris Sisarich

Chris Sisarich. I don't have the international travel bug. I'm perfectly happy to confine my excursions within the United States. However, these photos of New Zealand give me reason to reevaluate.

- Joel

© Chris Sisarich

Happy Easter!

And He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."
Luke 24:46-47

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time.

- Martin Luther

May you have a wonderful Easter Sunday.

- Joel

Black Light Dinner Party

Check out this song from new band Black Light Dinner Party. You could say it's a love song for hipsters.

- Joel

Black Light Dinner Party - "Older Together"

Fleet Foxes

In anticipation of their upcoming album Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes played today for BBC Radio 1. Go here if you'd like to download the entire performance. You can also check out a few tracks below. I'm excited by what I hear in these live tracks (I'm intentionally avoiding all leaks for this album).

- Joel

Fleet Foxes - "Montezuma (Maida Vale Session)"

Fleet Foxes - "Battery Kinzie (Maida Vale Session)"

Symmetry

I'm a big fan of the the work of Everynone. Their "Moments" video is still one of a kind in my book. Check out their latest production below. Just a tip - if you put on headphones, the audio is split just like the screen. There's something about the ending of this one that I'm still wrestling with. "From dust to dust..."

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Sleeping Boy, Soldier Summit, Utah, 1987 © Peter Brown

Peter Brown. I've posted about him before. I first discovered his work in a gallery in Marfa, TX. His concentration is on the plains and the west, two of my favorite things.

- Joel

Car Dump, Colby, Kansas, 2005 © Peter Brown

Red Cloud Kix Ass, Kyle, South Dakota, 1993 © Peter Brown

Three Cups of Tea

Stories like this one make me sad. I had never heard of Greg Mortensen or his book "Three Cups of Tea" until just last week. My company held its annual conference in Las Vegas last week and Mortenson gave the keynote speech. From what I understand, Mortenson builds schools and supports education in Central Asia, primarily in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The author and his books have become a worldwide sensation. However, it appears that Mortenson is pulling a Peterman (Seinfeld reference) and that the stories of his life, not to mention his philanthropic efforts, are primarily fabricated. The story below ran on 60 Minutes last Sunday. Though Mortenson refutes the claims, it appears that he has used the facade of philanthropy to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle. "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil..."

- Joel

Radiohead

A pair of new tracks from Radiohead released as part of this past weekend's Record Store Day.

- Joel

Radiohead - "Supercollider"

Radiohead - "Butcher"

Explosions In the Sky

My brother Cory shared in advance copy of the new Explosions In the Sky album yesterday. (They hail from Austin by the way.) I had the opportunity to listen to the album in its entirety on the drive from my parents' house last night - great music for an evening drive with the windows down. The album, entitled Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, doesn't drop until April 26th, but you can check out a track below. It's not my favorite track on the album but still a good listen.

- Joel

Explosions In the Sky - "Trembling Hands"

McCartney

I've been a huge fan of The Beatles since middle school and the release of The Beatles Anthology. I never found the solo careers of John, Paul, George, and Ringo to measure up in any way to the quality of music produced as a foursome. Still, I've always had a soft spot for these four English lads. Here's a mix of bootlegs recorded by Paul McCartney in the years immediately following "the breakup". Darn you Yoko Ono for ruining the greatest rock band of all time!

- Joel

Soily - The Other Side of Paul McCartney (1970-1972)

Song of the Day

Johan Agebjorn is Swedish. I had never heard of him until today. Check out Johan and some of his friends jamming out with synthesizers. If you like it, you can find an album's worth of songs dropping on May 10.

- Joel

Johan Agebjorn & Friends - "Watch The World Go By"

Touch Wood

I've seen this video posted a few places, so I figured it was worth sharing. I'm still amazed this is real.

- Joel

Panda Bear

In honor of Panda Bear's album that drops tomorrow, here's my favorite track from his last album.

- Joel

Panda Bear - "Comfy In Nautica"

Hanna

I had the pleasure of accompanying so Austin friends (one old friend and two new ones) to see Hanna on Saturday night. I'll be honest. The trailer led me to believe this film would be a ridiculous farse. I was wrong. This will probably be the best action film of 2011. It's also incredibly funny, which you may not glean from the trailer below. The one-take scene of Eric Bana walking from the bus station to the subway is worth the price of admission by itself. The Chemical Brothers' soundtrack adds a sharp finishing touch.

- Joel

America

America In My Book © Haley Nahman

Haley Nahman created this little snapshot of America. I'm a little disappointed that Kansas City falls somewhere in "Dive Bars & Serial Killers." Is that all we're known for? Looks like I'll be moving to the land of "Yes sir & yes ma'am".

- Joel

March Madness & Distraction

With so many distractions lurking mere keystrokes away on the Internet, companies are now forced to decide whether or not to filter the web content flowing to employee computers. Every year figures are tossed around reflecting the total cost to companies from lost productivity during Fantasy Football season and March Madness. Well-meaning employees can't help but alter their roster or check in on the first round upset during work hours. However, studies are now showing that giving employees "wiggle room" in regards to Internet activity can actually boost productivity. This article in the New Yorker explores that idea.

- Joel

James Surowiecki - "In Praise of Distraction"

Photographer of the Day

© Stephan Zirwes

Stephan Zirwes. There's something about the perspective of aerial photography that I find very cool.

- Joel

© Stephan Zirwes

Panda Bear

If you like Panda Bear and want to take a listen to his album Tomboy before next Tuesday's release (that's my birthday by the way), it's streaming on NPR. Check it out here. So far it's not measuring up to Person Pitch from a few years ago.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

Drive-in theater, San Fernando Valley, California, 1973 © Steve Fitch

Steve Fitch. Check out his series Diesels and Dinosaurs. He's got some great photographs of old drive-in theaters.

- Joel

Snakepit operator, Highway 66, Sayre, Oklahoma, 1972 © Steve Fitch

Photographer of the Day

© Kevin Trageser

Kevin Trageser. His work makes me itch for another road trip.

- Joel

© Kevin Trageser

Phoenix/Lil Wayne

A friend, Jonathan O'Reilly, gave me the heads up on this Phoenix/Lil Wayne mashup. Check it out below. Download the EP for $1 on Bandcamp or for free here.

- Joel