Culture Greyhound

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Star Slinger – Chain Dumbin’ (feat. Juicy J, Project Pat, and Reggie B)
Ceremony – Hysteria
Candy Claws – Do You Ever Feel That Way (Starflyer 59 cover)
Kool A.D. – Girls and Women
Arrange – Streams/At Night

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots

So I’m 2-2 so far in the postseason picks, but I have a feeling after this weekend I’ll be in the win column, especially if Tebow plays like Tebow and not like the superhuman, make-me-look-like-an-idiot passing machine that he was last week against the Steelers. There’s no way a guy who has completed for less than half during the regular season has any chance of keeping up with Tom Brady and the best offense in the AFC. No matter what the TeBros tell you this week, New England will win this one handily.

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers

This one’s another slam-dunk offensive show; Drew Brees is unstoppable right now, even though the 49ers defense is well rested. Brees threw for 466 yards last week against the Lions, and San Fran has done pretty average against the passing game. Stopping Frank Gore and the rushing offense will be a challenge, but nothing the Saints aren’t capable of handling. This one goes to New Orleans in a game that should be pretty much done by the time the fourth quarter comes around.

Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens

Yates and Flacco aren’t the story here. This one’s all about running backs; whichever defense stops the leading rusher is the winner. So whether the Texans can kill Ray Rice, or the Ravens can crush Arian Foster, that’s what the scoreboard will show. So it should be a pretty close game, but I think Baltimore has the edge on this one – home-field advantage, more experience in the quarterback position, and a well-rested D-line.

New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

This one’s the nail biter, and speaking as a Packers fan, I’m pretty damn scared of Eli Manning and the Giants defense. Green Bay’s well rested and playing in cold-as-hell Wisconsin, but New York is pretty hot right now. This one will be a blow-for-blow offensive shootout, and it will be incredibly fun to watch. In the end, my money’s on Green Bay, but expect a last minute finish similar to when these two teams met in Week 13.

As a longtime fan of the Lubbock music scene, I was devastated to hear the news today of the sudden loss of one of the movement’s most important individuals in recent memory. Marcus Chapa was a pioneer, and now he’s a legend. He was an all-in-one, DIY, completely-outside-the-box kind of guy. Promoter, marketer, designer, musician, entrepreneur, Marcus did it all, and he did it for the love of those around him and the art they made. Though I’ve never personally attended any shows at his venue Grandma’s House, I’ve heard of the intimate setting Chapa provided for locals and touring up-and-comers making their way through the 806. I’ve sat and marveled at the ambition of an always-unpredictable Kitten Glitter show. I’ve witnessed the painstaking effort and time-consuming work Marcus brought to his homegrown label Middle Child Recordings. Marcus was quiet, reserved, but always planning for the next big thing – his Facebook page promoted a new fashion project for 2012 called Natural Reflex.

More than a visionary, Marcus was passionate. He loved music, especially the creations of his friends. He was caring, friendly, an undeniable joy to be around. His insight was unique and always fascinating. I encourage you to check out the Middle Child website; his latest Christmas compilation features music from Lubbock musicians past and present. Though the music is mostly from others, the project, the medium, has Marcus Chapa written all over it. It is a testament to his hard work and undying love for the Lubbock underground.

I can’t honestly say I knew Marcus as well as others, and, unfortunately, that is a mistake of mine I’ll never get the chance to correct. I wish I would’ve spent more time with the guy while he was with us. What I do know is, with what little time we spent together, especially those weekends crashing on my floor here in Austin for SXSW and Fun Fun Fun, he was fun, laid-back, and a genuinely happy dude, and it was always a pleasure to have him around. What I also know is, at a time when they shut down KTXT and it felt like the whole Lubbock scene was imploding, Marcus was one of the leaders striving to keep it alive. From what I can tell, he made some serious headway doing so.

My thoughts are with the Chapa family, Rachel Stone, and the friends of Marcus and the Lubbock music community, local and abroad. Death always gives us a glimpse of how many people one person can affect and influence, and you can bet, for Marcus Chapa, that’s a pretty big number.

Watch the trailer below for Shut Up and Play the Hits, a documentary chronicling LCD Soundsystem’s final days. The film follows James Murphy and crew around before their last show at Madison Square Garden. The film will premiere at Sundance later this month.

It’s not groundbreaking or anything, but this year’s lineup for Coachella is certainly better than last year’s, and this year the event goes down on two weekends in April. The headliners are legit, and the reunions are pretty solid too (Mazzy Star, Pulp, Refused, At the Drive In.) If C3 and ACL know what’s good for them, some of these artists, including the headliners, Araabmuzik, the Weeknd, The Shins, EMA, Kendrick Lamar, Azealia Banks, and several others, will make the journey south in October. I wouldn’t hold my breath, though.

The day has finally come, or as the band put it on their Twitter feed: “This station is now operational.” El Paso’s finest At the Drive In have announced they are getting back together for…something. Some shows/festivals/a tour, maybe? At this point, nothing has been determined, though I’m not holding my breath for a new album, as Jim Ward is pretty knee-deep in his solo material and the Mars Volta are currently working on their own new release. Still, this small tidbit of news from a band that hasn’t played together in eleven years is certainly exciting. It’s likely they’ll play a date in Austin, so I may actually get to hear “Pattern Against User” live! That’s one to check off the bucket list.

Youth Lagoon – July from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Buraka Som Sistema – We Stay Up All Night (Star Slinger Remix)
Azealia Banks – Liquorice
Django Django – Default
Big K.R.I.T. – Moon and Stars (Clams Casino Remix)
Rihanna – We Found Love (Star Slinger Refix)

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans

This one should be sloppy. Frankly, the Bengals lucked their way into the postseason, and the Texans haven’t looked like a playoff team in a while, thanks to a slew of key injuries. So it’s the battle of the rookie quarterbacks, and someone’s gotta win, so my money’s on the Bengals, if only because Dalton has played more consistently overall than Yates, who, along with his team, lost three straight heading into this game, including one to the abysmal Colts.

Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints

This one’s going to be a shootout for sure. The NFC games are just going to be more exciting, period. Great offenses will battle. But ultimately New Orleans will win, thanks to MVP contender Drew Brees and Detroit’s lack of discipline when things get heated. Expect Stafford to throw more than Brees, but penalties will hurt the Lions overall.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos

The Steelers are banged up bad. Big Ben will struggle. But he won’t struggle as bad as the overrated Tim Tebow, who hasn’t decidedly won against a challenging team all season. And, dare I say, he hasn’t experienced a defense like Pittsburgh. Expect a low-scoring game that Tebow won’t be able to fourth-quarter-miracle his way out of. Pardon the irony, but the Broncos haven’t got a prayer.

Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants

The Falcons’ defense is sharp, and the Giants’ is not. Having said that, New York has the momentum after embarrassing Romo in Jerryville, and they have Eli Manning, who is throwing like a veteran. This will be another red zone game, but ultimately I expect the boys in blue to wrap this one up early in the fourth quarter.