beauty in a wicked world.

Although there is certain light-hearted, humorous air surrounding this new film, 50/50 portrays a scarily realistic account of what cancer patients of all ages have to deal with everyday. You can't help but follow in love with Joseph Gordon Levett's character "Adam". A young, successful radio journalist of only 27 years-old feels on the top of the world with his best friend and girlfriend by his side. What seemed to be just a simple backache turned out to be a very rare malignant tumor of the spine, and the trials and tribulations begin almost immediately. Like most Generation X and Y'ers, we take great pride in our independence. Adam is no different. Despite his initial plea for minimal help from his mother (who is also taking care of a husband suffering from Alzheimer's Disease), through many therapy sessions with an inexperienced Ph.d student, he realizes that he was kind of being an asshole. As the layers of denial and anger start to peel, your genuine hope for this character grows exponentially larger.

For anyone that has dealt with cancer, whether personally or through a family member, 50/50 hits almost too close to home (think Terms of Endearment). Having recently witnessed the detrimental effects of this awful disease on a close family member myself, it was almost as if I was reliving the entire process again. The chemotherapy and the subsequent sickness, sitting in hospital waiting rooms for hours, the physical and mental deterioration....I could go on, trust me. If it weren't for the consistent humor thanks to Gordon-Levett and Seth Rogen, this movie would have probably been too much for me to handle. At the same time, it's refreshing and almost therapeutic to see that no one is ever alone when dealing with this illness. 

Besides the most obvious theme of the movie, others include betrayal, family, courage, friendships, loyalty, and in general, optimism. No matter who you are, there is something you can relate to in 50/50. It definitely gives you plenty to ponder and makes you want to hug a loved one.

On a side note, the soundtrack is quite spot on, featuring a number of singles that the indie community is sure to appreciate.

South by Southwest: the land of blaring live music, open bars, hipsters screaming for attention, cigarette butts, and waiting in line. 2011 marked the 25th anniversary of the internationally known music, film, and interactive festival and "conference". Compared to the magnitude of the event now, I cannot even imagine what it was like during the inaugural year. I'm guessing the conference aspect of it actually meant something. I read somewhere that SXSW was "40% larger" than it was last year. I'm not sure what parameters they used to make such an estimate, but it is undeniable that the festival has grown immensely in size. My hypothesis for this growth is simple: accessibility. Five years ago, the general music audience would never have even heard of half these music groups, but times are a-changin'. With the use of the plethora of social media outlets available to everyone, it is much easier for people to make themselves believe they are "indie". In effect, more people are likely to be turned into concert goers, whether they truly appreciate the music or not. There has been a quite a surge of, excuse my French,  douchebags attending concerts that would never have seen their faces five or more years ago. Can you tell that I'm not pleased with this evolution? This has also made me deal with more waiting for shit, but I digress....

SXSW is known for it's surprise guests and secret performances as well. This year, Kanye West performed on the last night at an abandoned power plant with array of special guests. Did I even attempt to make my way into that event? Hell no. Apparently, he didn't take the stage until 4:00 am, and let's be real; I'm getting too old for that shit, and I don't do drugs to stay awake that long for five nights in a row. Besides, I saw Kanye perform at SXSW two years. 

This was my fourth time braving the streets of Austin, TX for this magical week, and I was not disappointed by any means (and this was my first year without a music badge). I witnessed some great shows, ate from a variety of food trucks, raged with a gang of great people, drank enough booze to kill a good amount of liver cells, and was more often than not covered in body glitter. 

One of the most memorable moments...scratch that, THE most memorable moment was conversing with Justin Vernon (lead singer of Bon Iver, but you should know that by now). I walked into Side Bar to meet up with a few friends, when someone nonchalantly informed me, "Hey, Justin Vernon is sitting right over there." That statement literally stopped me in my Am Appy tracks. I've been in love with this man's music for years now. The two times I've had the pleasure of seeing him in concert (including my first year at SXSW), I shed several tears. Anyways....as he stood up to make his way to the bar and/or bathroom, our group might have had the balls to accost him. Luckily, he is sweetheart and chatted with us for about thirty minutes. He took the time to listen to us, learn our names, etc. It's special when people you idolize are as genuine in person as the appear in the media. PS: I knew he was coming out with a new Bon Iver album before Pitchfork posted it. Suck it P4K.

This year, I kept note of every band I stumbled upon because I maintained a steady buzz my entire stay in Austin. Some of the highlights were:

Twin Tigers, Ponderosa, Violens, Jonquil, The Generationals, Theophilus London (If you think you're special, you probably aren't), Solid Gold, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., The Dodos, Baths, !!!, James Blake (Yes, I'm on Team Blake), Har Mar Superstar (fat man in a thong...mmmm), Chikita Violenta, Nervo, Surfer Blood, Big Freedia, The Oh Sees, La Sera, Das Racist, The Authors, Mr. Heavenly, and Esben and the Witch.

Sadly, I did not make it on stage this time for Big Freedia. As consolation, my friend frightened the shit out of straight boy with his dance moves. Along with everyone around us, I was dying with laugher. I was also double fisting a beer and a Red Bull/vodka.

Luckily, I only vomited one night out of the five. Those are good odds, right? [nod your head]. Also, it was St. Patrick's Day, which made for a double whammy. South by Southwest AND St. Patty's Day? Of course I puked. I can't say no to Irish Car Bombs and unlimited drinks/tequila shots. I ended the week on Sunday afternoon with Gay by Gay Gay. Yes, you read that correctly. It turned out to be a gay hippie fest out in the middle of nowhere. The music was subpar, but we enjoyed ourselves.

"SXSW Karma" reared it's ugly head the following week though. The pollen and dust was terrible throughout the week which led to allergy issues, which in turn led to a sinus infection, which also ended with a case of pink eye. Despite my "disco sickness", it was all worth it. 

The lead singer from The Dodos 

Can I express to you how long I have been patiently waiting for this night to arrive? Several months too long. The moment I found out she was performing in Houston (well, Texas in general), my heart was all aflutter. Robyn has made quite the comeback over the past year with her triple-installation album Body Talk. It has received many accolades and praises for its showcase of what true, quality pop music should sound like. After somewhat of a hiatus during the 2000s, Robyn took the music scene by storm with the promise of new music, and loads of it. I think most fans can agree that she did not disappoint. Most look back on her 1997 hit-song "Show Me Love", and some remember her self-titled album featuring tracks such as "Konichiwa Bitches" and "With Every Heartbeat", but if you aren't a fan now, you need to get your ears checked. Even though she is competing with pop divas such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue, she stands her own ground with a unique image and sound.

Over the past couple weeks, Robyn had cancelled a handful of shows due to illness. Of course, I wanted her to get healthy, but I would be so disappointed if the Houston date was cancelled. Miraculously, the music gods were watching over us, and we were graced with her presence. 

Warehouse Live was in full gay force that night. The venue staff should have hung a rainbow flag in the front entrance. Everyone was dressed to impress being that 75% or more of the audience was of the homosexual persuasion (so obviously, I felt right at home). Robyn wholeheartedly respects and appreciates her gay American following. Although straight, Robyn feels very connected to gay culture. Like I've said before, if you have the gays on your side, you will always have success.

There were two openers for the show: Natalia Kills and Diamond Rings. The show either started earlier than schedule, or Natalia Kills' set was just extremely short. We caught a couple of her tunes, including one of her more popular ones, "Mirrors". She was decent, but nothing to necessarily write home about....just filler. Next was Diamond Rings, who I was actually looking forward to seeing. First off, he is adorable with his David Bowie-esque appearance Secondly, he put on a great show, especially for being a solo-act. His music is very Soft Cell/Depeche Mode sounding. He is performing this coming Monday at Fitzgerald's in Houston with PS I Love you, so you have another chance to check him out. Also, his "Stay Fierce" t-shirts are fucking awesome.

Now, on to the queen herself. I know she was ill in previous weeks, but she showed no signs of sickness during her impressive 1.5 hour+ set at Warehouse. Her energy level never seemed to take a break. She constantly danced around the entire stage, exclaiming her love for the Houston crowd. I wish I had a dollar for every time she actually said "Houston". The amount of vitality and genuine love she showcased was nothing by infectious. When you caught a glimpse of her smiling at the end of a song, you knew she meant it. Can I also add in that I loved her outfit? I give her props for pulling off her dance moves in those platform shoes. The audience was in an uproar as her set shot off with "Time Machine" and didn't slow down from there. She sung almost every track from Body Talk, which led to quite a number of sing-a-longs. I will admit that I am quite guilty of wailing with the rest of them. I was disappointed that "The Girl and the Robot" did not receive the attention that it deserved. I was very much looking forward to it, and I might have gone a tad crazy when I heard the opening beats. The crowd went wild during "Dancing On My Own", "Indestructible", and "Stars 4-Ever". How could you not? My attempts at filming during the show failed at certain points because I, myself, became too enveloped in the music. Naturally, she ended her third and final encore with "Show Me Love" which turned into a venue-wide sing-along.

This was also the last stop on Robyn's Body Talk Tour....Houston got lucky :)

Robyn is a true artist in every sense of the word. Her music, charisma, style, and personality are all absolutely amazing. She literally melted my heart. I woke up the next morning with "Stars 4-Ever" buzzing in my head, in addition to the alcohol I consumed the night before.

Check out "Indestructible" below:

It's impossible for me to pinpoint my "favorite" performed tracks, so here is the full setlist:

Time Machine

Fembot

Cobrastyle

Dancing On My Own

We Dance to the Beat

Love Kills

The Girl and the Robot

Indestructible

Call Your Girlfriend

Stars 4-Ever

Get Myself Together

Dancehall Queen

Hang With Me

With Every Heartbeat

U Should Know Better

Konichiwa Bitches

Dancing Queen (ABBA cover)

Show Me Love

Gregg Gillis, better known as mashup-king Girl Talk, made an appearance in Houston promoting his latest party starter, All Day (which you can still download for free on the official website). It's almost unreal how much the popularity for this man has grown since his solo project was birthed into the world. The show was originally scheduled to take place at the House of Blues, but because it sold out so quickly, Livenation decided to move the event to a more appropriate venue. Either way, I knew I was going to be forced to shell out $8 - 10 per beer/cocktail. To compensate for this, I fulfilled my quota of Red Bull and vodka drinks beforehand at a friend's apartment *Kids, don't drink and drive*. 

If you haven't seen Girl Talk in person, you are missing out on something....ridiculous. Hundreds (often thousands) of partygoers + alcohol + eardrum blowing music + flashing lights + confetti + balloons + a stage full of dancing hipsters = a good time for all. This was my fourth go around. His show's are more of a production than a actual "concert" per se. We missed the opening DJ, but I'm not losing sleep over it. Occasionally, I was able to recognize specific tracks from All Day, but when you see a Girl Talk show, it doesn't really matter. You're there to drink and dance. It's as simple as that. Gillis spun for about an hour and half, which is what I expected, and didn't disappoint the 3000+ concertgoers. Girl Talk attracts a very intriguing combination of people. You've got your hipsters, underage kids, fraternity/sorority douchebags, and  preps. I went to Nocturnal Music Fest last year (Girl Talk also performed there) and experienced the same type of clusterfuck audience. One of the more surprising crowd pleasers was an extended version of Otis Day's "Shout". There is a small blip on All Day, but Gillis was smart to create a sing-a-long towards the end of the show. I can't lie, I was blowing out my vocal chords with the rest of them. Gillis truly knows how to maintain a high energy level throughout a performance.

As mentioned before, a stage full of dancing hipsters always makes for a more entertaining, and often humorous, show. I've graced a few concert stages with my drunken presence, but I decided to sit this one out. That, and they had preselected a large number of underagers. Funny story of the night: a 16 year old kid not only brought a flask on stage but also felt comfortable enough to let the entire audience know he had it. Oh, it doesn't end there. Apparently, he felt the need to accost his lady friend's vagina....on stage. C'mon guys....discretion. Do you know the definition of that word? Needless to say, he didn't make it to the end.

Whenever Girl Talk pops on my iTunes/iPod, I have think to myself...how did this music style become so sought-after? In no way do I intend to downplay how much work it takes Gillis to create an album, but when you logically think about....an hour of mashups consists purely of an ungodly number of songs that have been already created by someone else. My opinion:  Girl Talk is society's answer to MADD (Music Attention Deficit Disorder). I include myself in that population.

Despite the excessive cost of alcoholic beverages at the venue, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was even complimented on my dance skills. Check out the picture of me that made it onto the Houston Press website here.

PEE.ESS. I took several videos from the concert, so be on the look out for those soon!