The Old 97s: the best band you're not listening to

So yeah, you say "Alternative Country" people laugh, snicker or give you the "huh" look. Its a genre not a lot of people know about, and many disregard right away. The idea is simple, Old-School style country, but with a more modern message. Think of it like this: yeah, it sounds like country, but nobody sings about their girlfriend dumping them, stealing their truck and running off with the dog. Another way of thinking about it: what if Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard could really rock? Well, then you'd have Alt. Country. And its undisputed monarchs: the Old 97s.

They play fast, fun, cool country sounding music. While not a hugely successful commercial band, they briefly appeared in the 2006 Jennifer Aniston & Vince Vaughn movie "the Breakup" (Actually, the band had broken up until Vaughn asked them to get back together for the film). Front man Rhett Miller sings with a voice cracks and twangs like the country stars of old, but he sings about college students battling depression and hanging out in the boroughs of New York; no horses or cowboys in sight.

Saddly, they closest thing they've had to mainstream fame is a song called "the Question" which is played on medical dramas a lot for some reason (it was used in 'Scrubs', 'House' and 'Grey's Anatomy'). This song, while great, isn't a good example of a typical Old 97s song. My personal favorites are "Victoria", "Barrier Reef" and "Timebomb". I would suggest starting with one of their greatest hits albums, while they do rock, they have put out a lot of albums, not all of them were rock solid. Still, if you're looking for a new sound, and you have an open mind and your parents say its okay, check them out, thank me later.

Home Page for the Old 97s: http://www.old97s.com/

My Five Favorite Comic Book Heroes

Well, I actually get asked this question all the time (when I teach Seniors we do this whole unit on fictional heroes...so it does come up a lot). While most fans to comics go for Wolverine or Batman or the obvious choices, I kinda like the lesser-worshiped heroes.

1. Green Arrow -- Oliver Queen: I like this hero, because he has the whole Batman thing going for him (normal person, no powers) but without all the weird Mommy & Daddy hang ups which always weirded me out. I know its tragic and all, but a healthy person should be able to move on. G.A. is cool because he has this whole liberal, leftist agenda which he doesn't hesitate to share. He is outspoken, rude and happily will yell at heroes and villains who could easily kill him.
2. Nightcrawler -- Kurt Wagner: First off, he's German, which is fun to read (lots of 'V's where you should have 'W's) second of all, he just looks so cool, not human at all, but he isn't all depressed and mopey about it. I'm kind of tired of heroes who whine about how hard it is to be heroes (talking to you Spider-Man).
3. Invincible -- Mark Grayson: Aside from being one of the most beautiful, funny and gory comics out there, he does the whole its-tough-having-a-secret-identity-thing without coming off like a cry-baby (paying attention Spidey?). On top of that, the conversations he has are so well grounded in real sounding dialogue, that its relatable, even if you don't have superpowers.
4. Red Robin -- Tim Drake: The third Robin, all grown up, and ticked off. Yeah, his name sucks (Red Robin is a popular restaurant chain where I grew up), but I've been reading Robin since I was 16, its cool that he's finally grown up, and really angry. For years he's been this icon in the DC Universe for being calm and level headed and handling himself very well for a teen hero. Now that Bruce Wayne is dead, and the new Batman fired him, he's out to kick some major European tail. Awesome.
5. Shadowcat -- Kitty Pryde: Sure, she's probably dead, but when she was still around, she kicked major booty. Aside from the fact that she has probably the coolest and most underutilized powers ever, the fact that she is trained martial artist and a world class computer hacker makes her nerdy enough that teenage comic book reading geeks (like I was in High School) found a heroine that gave us hope for being cool some day. Still waiting...

There you go, judge me if you, but I think this stuff is interesting, and therefore, cool.

What the Geek is Going on?!

Like you, I will weekly publish a 100+ word post.

I am a gigantic nerd. I still read comic books (I read real books too), I watch some really bad TV shows, and I take movies and other forms of Pop Culture way too seriously. I am, by all modern standards of social behavior, a nerd. I don't dress-up or go to conventions or anything, but if you wanna talk nerd-ish, put aside a few hours...I have some stuff to say. I like to think I make it look good, but, the truth is, I probably don't. Whatever. I like what I like, and I love the panicked looks on people's faces when I mention Superman, Romantic British Poetry, Star Wars or Dr. Who.

HA! You're probably making the face right now. And yes, I get to grade your papers. Tune in weekly, and I'll tell you what I'm geeking out about this week.