Recent Contributions from Sammy Perlmutter

The Bestest Beatles Covers

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Whether you know it as the theme song to The Wonder Years, or as an iconic performance at Woodstock, Joe Cocker’s rendition of “With A Little Help From Friends,” a song originally by the Beatles, gleams as one of the greatest covers of all time.

Footage of Cocker singing at Woodstock shows a man completely possessed — a man channeling a swarm of unknowable rock-and-roll deities through that magical scepter known as the electric guitar. Or, loads of LSD. Nonetheless, what makes Cocker’s rendition of this song superb is the artist’s ability to channel the excellence — and somehow transcend the status — of the original. In a weird way, Cocker understands that song better than any Beatle does. Or so it would seem by his inspired performance.

Ryan Adams: Cardinology

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s totally unsurprising that Ryan Adams crescendos into a chorus, singing, “I’d always win / I’d always win / I always win in the end.” With his latest record, Cardinology, Adams reaches the peak of typically introspective, singer/songwriter glory. And, at times, he even raises this self-obsession to new heights.

Adams constantly swims in self-reflection, rejoices about solitude, and otherwise reflects a solipsistic vision of a world where images of Manhattan drenched “in patches of pink clouds” meld together with those from the “basement of a church.”

... And Ryan Adams Is Tattooed on My Chest

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Dear Ryan Adams,

I’m writing you, sir, to request that you send me a signed headshot, preferably from 2005 when your hair was grown out and you wore little black glasses. I have an appointment to be tattooed and am going to get my tattoo of the materials you send me — most likely on my right breast. I hope that’s alright with you.

You see, my enduring love peaked this week after you released Cardinology, which I consider to be not only the best record of the year, but perhaps the crowning musical achievement of the past century.

Thank you,

Sammy

* * *

Dear Reader,

Let me explain my praise and accolades.

Dolphins Are not Art, Dolphins are Creepy

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

With the impending itch of a sun rash upon me, I retreated from lying on the sandy beach in the heavy rays of the Florida sun to the upscale town circle of Sarasota, where I was staying for Fall Break with my three roommates.

There, in this humdrum little town circle — a development lined with beige stucco walls and Mediterranean roof tiles — the weather suddenly flipped from sunshine to rain. Hurriedly, I sought refuge behind a neon sign, and found myself in a place with marble floors and cluttered with high-gloss pictures, paintings and sculptures, mostly of frolicking dolphins and Herculean whales and the like.

Don't hurt Baby Mac's feelings, now.

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:49:14 -0400

Don't hurt Baby Mac's feelings, now.

The Will Ferrell/Ryan Adams Effect

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On Friday night at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals ripped through a slew of musical styles, from rock to folk to ballads to country swing. Adams and his band roared through genres as quickly as Will Ferrell rips through mostly-shoddy Hollywood comedies (Step Brothers, Semi-Pro, Blades of Glory, Stranger Than Fiction, Talladega Nights — all of these post-Wedding Crashers, just to name a few).

Test Spin: Kings of Leon

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Caleb Followill begins Only by the Night, Kings of Leon’s haunting and expansive new record, by singing, “Stranded in this spooky town. / Stoplights are swaying and the phone lines are down. / Snow is crackling cold.” More confident and relaxed than ever, Kings evoke the shadows of this ghost town with a drum pattern that can only be described as a slow, southern drawl. This, matched with Caleb’s crackling voice and thick atmospheric guitars, makes “Closer” a dynamic, contrasty song and also a perfect pick to summarize the record. In total, the band manages to slice craggy chunks of noise from a moody and generally subdued palette. For Kings, this is a good thing. The grooves are comfortable but never sleepy, and Caleb’s howling feels authentic.

Mr. Gorilla Man and Senor Banana

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:55:43 -0400

Kidnapped Cornellia trying to escape!!! No!!!!!!!!

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:52:44 -0400

Gorilla and Banana

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:49:40 -0400

Clocktower

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:47:12 -0400

Ashton Kutcher and the 15 Minutes of Fame

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

It’s totally old news by now that Ashton Kutcher began coaching high school football. It’s such old news by now that it’s not even really funny anymore. Shock value made it amusing and, of course, Kutcher’s past as MTV’s original prankster made it semi-unbelievable. But now, a week later, nobody cares.

Actually, it’s not exactly that nobody seems to care, but more that the joke has sizzled out and died. Even the poor guy who just learned today about Ashton’s amazing career move will not laugh, and the corners of his lips will only tease upwards for a split second before he realizes he kinda-sorta missed the bus.

Kings of Leon: Only By The Night

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

The thumping bass, pulsating guitar and quickly clicking hi-hats move Kings of Leon’s newest single “Sex on Fire” determinedly, forcefully along. The song drives like an angry steam train. No matter how horribly corny that simile may be.

Caleb Followill sings with a relaxed anxiety or a tense detachment — that is to say, his voice strains in the upper bit of his register while he flutters just behind the beat. The performance imbues the track with urgency but also with a steady pulse.

Then comes the audacity of Followill’s lyrics. Think simply of the nerve in naming a track — and shouting the words repeatedly — “Sex on Fire.” It’s ridiculous. But it’s also entirely awesome.

Into Television Shows: The Problem With Olympic Pump-Up Jams

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0400

For me, “Sex on Fire” is the best single of this summer. I listen to it while I drive my car; while I tie my shoes; while I’m at the beach; while I’m at the gym. It amps me up and gets me in the zone.

If the song affects me so much and — for the purpose of this transition — is universally amazing and inspiring (that is, it affects others similarly), why didn’t every Olympian listen to it before competing?

Why didn’t Michael Phelps listen to the song before he swam?

My point: Kings of Leon wrote an amazing pump-up jam, and Michael Phelps was basically the most pumped-up dude this summer, so why didn’t Phelps rock out to Kings of Leon?

Slope Day Preview: Cranking Up the Hot Hot Heat

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I fear the lyrics to Hot Hot Heat’s 2002 hit single will morph into reality following the drunken debauchery that will surely ensue on tomorrow on Slope Day. People will be singing, “Bandages, bandages, bandages / Up and down on my legs my arms from you!” But whether or not these words will simply be the result of a catchy, stick-in-your-head chorus or of a horrible drunken accident … I guess time will only tell.

Perhaps best known for “Bandages,” Hot Hot Heat has authored four best selling albums, which together include four top 50 hits. The band’s most recent album, Happiness Ltd., was released last year. Hot Hot Heat will perform second and directly before Gym Class Heroes tomorrow afternoon.

PostSecret Creator Frank Warren Spills His Own

Sammy Perlmutter — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Eyebrows were raised and tears were dropped equally this past Thursday when Frank Warren, the creator of PostSecret.com, shared a selection of secrets during his visit to Bailey Hall.

PostSecret began in 2004. Since then, Warren has received over 200,000 post cards from anonymous contributors. He recently published his fourth book of secrets and his website has raised over $200,000 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-SUICIDE). Before the show, The Sun chatted with Warren about the secrets behind PostSecret.

The Sun: So why speak at colleges?

Frank Warren: I think that young people have the most amazing secrets. I think they’re at a point in their lives when they’re the most vital and exploring and searching for authenticity.

Student Compser Showcase: Contrapunkt! Take Two

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400

On stage, brows were furrowed in concentration as student-musicians sawed back and forth on cellos. The music performed also jumped back and forth between styles, sounds and influences. But the applause from the audience was consistent — and unanimous.

The first-ever Contrapunkt! concert last November successfully premiered new pieces from six undergraduate composers. Jaws dropped at the skill of the amateur composers, and the diversity of pieces held the audience at the edges of their seats. On April 14, Contrapunkt! will return to Barnes Hall at 8 p.m. for its second group performance.

Test Spin: Thao Nguyen

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Every detail composing We Brave Bee Stings and All, situates the singer Thao Nguyen as the perfect Juno MacGuff doppelganger. Thao’s androgynous voice stands in for Juno’s ballsy but completely female attitude.

Also shared is that pithy and kinda witty language: Juno said, “Hi, I’m calling to procure a hasty abortion ...” and “They call me the cautionary whale.” Thao sings, “As sharp as I sting / It still soothes you, doesn’t it?” And then, “We don’t dive / We cannonball.” In the end, Thao relishes in the same aesthetic as the hit movie Juno: Animated and spunky and a little bit predictable. But there’s undeniable appeal in magically recognizing a tune at first listen.

Quirky Aussie Not Short on Soul

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Dap, duh-doom, dapping drums; tap, tip, tapping tambourine; and then, “Pick me up in your arms / Carry me away from harm,” sings the Australian vocalist Sia on “Day Too Soon,” the first single from her recently released solo-album Some People Have Real Problems, which is now shrink-wrapped and available for your convenience at Starbucks.

She continues, “You’re never gonna put me down / I know you’re just one good man / You’ll tire before we see land.” The band mimics the cadence of this imagined boat swaying at sea. Chip, chuck, chipping cymbals and slowly slithering synth simmer and, finally, voices ascend in a chorus of “oohs” and “ahhs.”

Beat of the Week (2-19-08)

Sammy Perlmutter — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

It’s slightly heartbreaking that drama-geek heroes Panic! At The Disco have morphed into a carbon copy of those band-geek heroes Polyphonic Spree with their glorious new single “Nine in the Afternoon.” I long for the good old days when boys could be girls: wear pasty white mascara, black-eye liner and a corset, and prance around a music video fashioned like some Victorian nightmare-cum-Carnivale masquerade. This is, if not a sin, then certainly a tragedy.

Test Spins: Draw the Curtain

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Will Hoge begins Draw the Curtains with the lyrics, “Two years, three months and five days.” But Hoge begins the album by singing, “Two years, three months and five day-ay-zzzz-ahh-ha!” It’s that annoying affect of affliction that too many “soulful” singers suffer from: the heightened breathy type of whiny-whimpery-crying groan thing. It’s supposed to be a little flare, like frosting on a cake, stressing the artist’s emotion. Michelle Branch suffers from the same disease when she sings, “Turn it inside out so I can see-ee-eugh-ya-ah.”

Off the Beaten Path

Sammy Perlmutter — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? Sponge Bob Square Pants, of course — and his pet snail Gary, who oddly purrs like a cat. Other eccentrics living down there include a squid in a collared shirt, a crab that sells hamburgers and a Texan squirrel in a scuba diving suit. Although this motley mix of characters is unequivocally charming, even the most peculiar aspects of this famed cartoon have become commonplace, thanks in large part to the commercialization of the show and the fortification of the Sponge Bob Empire (shadowed only by the Nickelodeon Universe).

27 Blehs

Sammy Perlmutter — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

For better or for worse, 27 Dresses struts down the narrow aisle between romantic comedy cliché and romantic comedy, well, romance and comedy. At its best, the film is genuinely sweet, somewhat subtle and kind of funny. At worst, it feels not dissimilar from the 27 other films — like the 27 other weddings — in this generally archetypal genre.

Record Review: Jason Isbell

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Jason Isbell’s songs are straightforward and simple. He’s a country-rocker-cum-singer/songwriter whose lyrics paint clear images. But we all know that in order to be taken seriously, your metaphors need to be oblique and your emotions need to be obscured. Take Wilco: loved by critics, yet their lyrics make no sense: “I am an American aquarium drinker/ I assassin down the avenue.” Unfortunately, a clear alternative is equally as grim. Take, say, Tim McGraw: “I had a barbeque stain on my white t-shirt/ She was killing me in that mini-skirt” — Yikes!

Legends, Zombies and No One Around

Sammy Perlmutter — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

In the first episode of the Twilight Zone, “Where Is Everybody?” (1959), a lost man finds himself in a town completely without humans. The mundane objects and places that compose the town — an ice cream parlor, a police station, a phone booth and a mannequin — become weird, creepy and even frightening in this environment without people. The man eventually loses his mind from the solitude.

Legends, Zombies and No One Around

Sammy Perlmutter — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:00:55 -0500

In the first episode of the Twilight Zone, “Where Is Everybody?” (1959), a lost man finds himself in a town completely without humans. The mundane objects and places that compose the town — an ice cream parlor, a police station, a phone booth and a mannequin — become weird, creepy and even frightening in this environment without people. The man eventually loses his mind from the solitude.

Party Like a Rock Star

Sammy Perlmutter — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

If I were to have a party, I would hire Joppa to perform. Its influences are clear: Dave Matthews and Red Hot Chili Peppers come straight to mind. Certainly “Chill Out Gorilla” references these groups — Ramzy Suleiman rap-sings in the style Anthony Kiedis made famous and G. Love does best. Think Jack Johnson hyped-up on some ketamine, the drug said to increase energy, better known as Special K. In fact, Su-leiman rap-sings, “That Special K makes things so clear / And in the jungle they’re always near,” in “Chill Out Gorilla,” and uses bananas and potassium — whose periodic table symbol is K — as a euphemism.

Old New England and the Big Hint

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

A mussel reef hangs above big, black block letters to the right on the wall just inside the doorway of the main gallery in Tjaden Hall. You could say the reef crowns the title of Ben Shattuck’s ’08 new art show, New England: Fantasy, Love, which will hold a reception tonight at 5:00 p.m.

“The mussel reef is an old New England tradition,” Shattuck said. “Taught to me by my mother.”

Shattuck grew up in New Bedford, Mass. — known as the “Whaling City” — on a New England farm. He calls his mother a birder — someone who watches, identifies and studies birds — and his father a landscape painter. This past summer, Shattuck spent time in the Isles of Shoals, Maine helping endangered bird species. There, he took many photographs, which helped inspire one group of paintings in his current exhibit: the section entitled “Birds.”

Record Review: Magnet

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Sure, Paul Simon had to make Graceland, Nick Drake had to sing breathy, Andrew Bird had to whistle and Rufus Wainwright had to croon in vibrato for this record to be made. But Magnet is not so simply an equal division of these parts. Magnet — really just Even Johansen — loves exotic rhythm (Simon), hyper-mellow singing (Drake), whistling and crooning. He also digs spacey sounds and slithering melodies. What results is The Simple Life. No, actually, just a simple life: a sugary and dreamy reverie. Yet because of all the goodness, Johansen makes even Conor Oberst seem like a badass. Luckily, the heavy rhythm — often synthesized and pulsing — gives the album an edge. The Simple Life is Magnet more revved up, leaving less empty space than before.

Roll Over, Beethoven; Student Composers Rock Out

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Never mind the Beethoven, here’s the Contrapunkt!.

Tuesday night at Barnes Hall, six undergraduate composers premiered brand new compositions at the first ever Contrapunkt! concert.

“Contrapunkt! is an alliance between people who love writing music and those who love playing music,” Co-President Julia Adolphe ’10 said.

On Tuesday night, the blend of styles, sounds and influences meshed together like the colors of a Pollock: diverse and complimentary. In fact, the word contrapunkt means counter-point in German — indeed, the wide spectrum of talents and songs that were showcased formed an assorted and exciting program.

Still, Adoplhe said that she liked the name because it could be “a punk rock band or something.”

Record Review: Jesca Hoop

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Although at times intimate, Jesca Hoop is never alone. Her voice is constantly doubled. Despite honest lyrics (“beautiful/ alone with my enemy/ and share a bitter cup of poisoning/ beautiful to see his face in mine/ and follow every line back to my enemy”), the production is an unnatural and annoying barrier. Hoop’s voice is lush and should do fine on its own.

Shhh ... Whatever You Do, Don’t Tell!

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Since 2004, Frank Warren has been violating the fundamental law of secrets: whatever you do, don’t tell!

By scanning anonymous secrets written on postcards onto his community art project/blog, PostSecret.com, Warren has shouted out over 150,000 secrets to the world.

A Lifetime of Secrets is his newest compilation of over 100 never-before-seen postcards, with secrets ranging from charming to frightening, from depressing to deeply moving.

The overarching theme of time unites this collection — topics explored include: growth, age, maturity, youth, adolescence and adulthood. Ultimately, the anonymous secret-tellers expose a complex relationship with change, an issue that affects us all — illustrated (literally) by the hundreds of cards in the book.

Record Review: Ryan Adams

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Whether it is restless, weathered, gloomy or trendy, Ryan Adams has perpetuated a wide array of personas throughout his career. He has also whipped out a large catalogue of records to match. His inconsistencies, a result of his uninhibited passion, have always made him shine. Conversely, Follow the Lights is a surprisingly tidy collection, featuring only three new songs. By re-recording old material, Adams has finally settled down with the Cardinals as his glue and filter — allowing time with the band to reflect and polish. “If I Am A Stranger” proves this process worthwhile, as the new version is better than the original, while “Follow the Lights” nears disaster — but not the wild kind. The song is neat, clean, packaged and dull.

Chasing Dreams: From Court Jester to The Crowned Prince

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:01 -0400

Alex Kresovich ’08 smiles like a Cheshire cat. But after spending his summer dancing with Rihanna, chilling in the studio with Jay-Z, meeting twice with artist relations magnate Lenny S. and executive producing a full-length hip-hop album, it is no wonder why Kresovich’s grin is so wide.

Kresovich, a lanky, blue-eyed, Ithaca native, started rapping when he was in high school. As a rapper, Kresovich was a self-proclaimed “court jester.” “I used to be more self-deprecating in my music to protect myself from the criticism of my peers,” he said.

But now, as a senior in college, Kresovich has developed into a respectable — and self-respecting — artist, confirmed not only by the fact that he has spent time in the studio with hip- hop legends and has had his favorite underground rappers “gush” over his beats, but by his stellar new album, The Crowned Prince.

Record Review: Foo Fighters (1/3)

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” are three words in a campaign — and chorus — that helped Jack Johnson propel his music career forward. But, unfortunately, the Foo Fighters have misinterpreted this slogan, and have churned out an entire album’s worth of trash — and no, not the type that could be mistaken by another man as treasure.

1996’s “My Hero” worked well because it subverted the conventions of arena rock — with a tremendous drum introduction sounding like Animal soloing on The Muppet Show, and a wall of guitars larger than that of China’s greatest, the song not only rocked, but also had lyrical depth. Here, however, the Foo Fighters have lost this humbling — and necessary — sense of scope.

Fled From Home; Now Going Back

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Writer, director and Cornell physics professor Robert Lieberman has spent much of his career thinking about the places he has lived.

“You’re supposed to write about what you know,” he said. Indeed, Lieberman has pondered his home through fiction: He has written over a dozen books, many of which are based in Ithaca, where his feature film Green Lights is also based.

But with his most recent film, a documentary, Lieberman decided to kink with the old adage and venture back to a place he left behind over 55 years ago: Kew Gardens, New York.

The result is a feature-length film, Last Stop Kew Gardens, which chronicles Lieberman’s journey back home and the rediscovery of the Holocaust survivors’ children he grew up with.

Nestled within the bustling Queens metropolis during the 1940s and ’50s, Kew Gardens was a neighborhood composed almost entirely of German and Austrian Holocaust refugees.

“Our parents recreated a Europe that had disappeared,” Lieberman said.

Record Review: Kate Nash

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Kate Nash sings in hip-hopping hiccups. This (heavily London accented) Brit is definitely a flirt. Although she is anything but a sweetheart. In fact, she’s so critical of her ex-boyfriends that she quite honestly scares me. But only just a little.

On the first track, “Foundations,” Nash traces her failed relationship with a continuous first-person narrative — a style similar to some rappers, such as Mike Skinner aka The Streets. But maybe with her cute, almost campy style she’s a bit more like old-school goofballs DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.

Mysteries of an Ancient Game

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Chess is a game with a serious public relations problem. Too often mystified, the game’s image has been blurred by historic wunderkinds, peculiar Russian Grandmasters, hustlers in Washington Square Park and, well, how can I put this … math majors. But I for one am intrigued by the elusive art, and decided to play a few games with the Cornell Chess Club this past Monday.

“He’s pretty, umm,” started Chris Beyers ’10, chess club president.

“Bad,” I finished, as I completed what Beyers meant to say about me. Beyers chuckled as he described my abilities to club member Sierra Hooshiari ’11.

Beyers had just beaten me in about 10 minutes. I was a little anxious and sacrificed my queen too early; and then went my rook, both bishops, a knight and sooner than I expected it was Checkmate.

Buyers’ Guitar Guide

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Buying a guitar in this digital day and age can be tricky. Although there exists an abundance of online stores where customers can browse everything from neon-yellow Daisy Rocks to electric-blue Danelectros, the options at times can be overwhelming.

While the knowledgeable collector can sometimes discover hidden gems on sites such as Ebay and Craigslist, most often the beautifully pictured “vintage collector’s item” is actually a well-disguised “second-hand piece of crap.”

And for the beginner, the endless bombardment of (so-called) deals on sites such as MusiciansFriend.com, GuitarTrader.com and SamAsh.com can be confusing, and, not to mention, misleading.

Yung Joc Coming to Cornell

Sammy Perlmutter — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The Zeta Beta Tau fraternity announced yesterday that in honor of their house's 100th anniversary, they will host southern-rapper Yung Joc in a benefit concert to be held on Oct. 12th at their fraternity house.

“Not everyday does a frat have an opportunity to bring in one of top hip-hop artists in the world,” said Kevin Mendel ‘10, social chair nd concert chair of ZBT. “We had an opportunity and decided to run with it.”

Grammy-nominated Yung Joc has three top five songs to his credit, and his 2006 single, “It’s Going Down” peaked at number one on both Billboard's Rap and Hip-Hop/R&B charts. Yung Joc’s debut album, New Joc City, reached platinum sales and “It’s Goin’ Down” has sold over five million copies as a ring tone.

Diversity Forum

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:45:47 -0400

Diversity Forum by Rebecca

Record Review: Los Campesinos!

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

During every moment on the five-song Sticking Fingers Into Sockets, the band either explodes with 1,000-Watts of adolescent adrenaline or coos softly with beckoning foxiness. That is, the two — three? four? — well, the entire gang of singers do.

Fungi: The Final Frontier

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

In 1966 director Bruce Brown traveled the globe with surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August to document their search for “the perfect wave,” and the result was the film The Endless Summer, which exposed surfing to the rest of the world. Almost 20 years later, in 1984, photographer Taylor Lockwood set off with a similar journey at bay: to travel the world in search of the most perfect mushroom, and to photograph his finds.

By now, Lockwood has traveled to over 30 countries and all 50 states, started three fungi websites, produced two DVDs and educational videos and written two books. His second book, Chasing the Rain: My Treasure Hunt for the World’s Most Beautiful Mushrooms, chronicles his adventures around the globe.

The Ultimate Sing Along

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The first time Ryan Clifford heard The Dave Matthews Band, “It was like an awakening.” Although Clifford had never picked up a guitar before, what better way to connect with the music he loved than to start a band and play their songs?

“The first time I had ever heard it I can remember how it felt,” he said. “I remember the smell of the room.”

And so, the next day Clifford bought a guitar and began learning how to play. Now, Clifford spends his days as Dave — he is the lead singer and guitarist in The Dave Matthews Tribute Band.

“I couldn’t picture myself with a better day job,” he said. Clifford gets to tour the country, “performing and playing music I love.”

Dirt, Dust, Danger: Flames, Metal and Mud at the Trumansburg Demo Derby

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Smoke billowed from demolished cars and blanketed the air, covering my view and choking my lungs, while mud splashed against my face; shards of metal ricocheted into the bandstand and cars exploded in flames — a man even got hit by a raging car! — all at the Trumansburg County Fair Demolition Derby this past Sunday.

McLovin’ It

Sammy Perlmutter — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Yay or Nay?

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 03 May 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Deckhead:

Arctic Monkeys: Daze takes sides

Body:

After releasing the fastest selling debut album in British history just last year, the Arctic Monkeys must have felt an unprecedented amount of pressure while completing their newest record. But the Monkeys don’t really care at all. Instead of having their guard up, the band forcefully attacks.

Delphia Style

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 03 May 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Deckhead:

Custom hoodies from PhillY

Body:

Philadelphia has long been a mecca for people dictating what is cool, hip, in style and most importantly, fresh. Throughout the ’90s, the words of one such Philadelphia native became the new Bible for a generation: “In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground was where I spent most of my days. Chillin’ out, maxin’, relaxin’ all cool. And all shootin’ some b-ball outside of the school.” While the neon tracksuits and Reeboks which Will Smith sported on the Fresh Prince are no longer in style, another source for fashion has emerged from the same immortalized city: meet Delph.

New, Bold Score to Potemkin

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Deckhead:

Austin musician Graham Reynolds speaks with Daze

Body:

If Austin-based musician Graham Reynolds were an animal, he would be an octopus. Best known as the mastermind behind the Golden Arm Trio and for scoring Richard Linklater’s 2006 film A Scanner Darkly, the composer adroitly juggles between musical projects as if he had eight arms.

Review: Kings of Leon

Sammy Perlmutter — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Deckhead:

Because of the Times

Body:

1 out of 5 Stars

OK. I get it. The Kings of Leon are really cool. And I am pretty sure they always have been. That’s their thing, right? But on Because of the Times, the Kings seem less collected and more confused.