You may have seen us advertising that we're giving away some tickets to see Journey & Heart in tomorrow's print edition of The Mercury.

So if you're a lonely girl living in a lonely world, or a city boy riding on the midnight train to anywhere, a singer in a smokey room, or just a stranger waiting on the boulevard... this post is for you.

Some of the songs in the following videos will be hidden in tomorrow's paper (a Journey through The Mercury, if you will), and you'll have to find them to win the tickets. More details and more Journey in tomorrow's copy of the paper.

Bands and celebrities often promise tidbits of info for scoring a set amount of Twitter followers or Facebook friends, but I just stumbled across my favorite social networking experiment yet...

I will name my son Batman if this page gets to 500,000.

Holy caped kid crusader! If this group gets more than 500,000 fans on Facebook, the guy will name his son Batman, which will either be really incredibly awesome in grade school or really awfully bad in high school. Or both. Apparently the guy's wife is completely on board with this too. I don't know who these people are, but what an amazing social experiment. Seriously.

He's currently at about 130,000, so the future Batman needs your help! Become a fan and become part of history. Take back Gotham!

The best part? This dad to be is dead serious.

Just think of the one liners that will be obnoxiously over-used in this future kid's life:
"Where does he get those wonderful toys?"
"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?"
and of course...
"I'm Batman!"

It's indescribable! It's indestructible! (It's inevitable!) Nothing can stop it!

No, it's not The Blob; it's a re-make of The Blob!

If you haven't already read in the rags, director/musician Rob Zombie plans to re-make Phoenixville's biggest claim to movie fame, The Blob. Why? Because Hollywood has mostly forgotten how to hatch new, exciting ideas for movies. That's why.

Though this hardened cult classic was already re-made once before (in 1988, by director Chuck Russell), the well, apparently, has a few drops left at the bottom yet. And most people like to pretend that remake never happened. But maybe, just maybe, third time is the charm?

This article from Variety indicates Zombie plans on putting a new twist on the tale, but doesn't offer much in details other than production is chalked to begin next spring.

"My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing -- that's the first thing I want to change," Zombie said. "That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now." - Rob Zombie

I see your point, Rob, but how can you make THE BLOB without A BLOB? Maybe you should try going in a more Ghostbusters type direction with sci-fi comedy, opposed to sci-fi horror blood, guts, and bones. Just a thought. (Not that I want to see a re-make of Flubber of course.)

Of course, if Zombie can give it new life and properly update this story for the 21st century, that is something to get excited about. Isn't it?

But the real question is; what do you think about this, Phoenixville? This is YOUR movie, after all. Much of the magic of the original Blob is the various locations it was filmed in (all around our area, from Phoenixville to Chester Springs and Valley Forge), including your own Colonial Theater, which you triumphantly honor each and every summer with Blobfest, as you dart out of the Colonial's entrance hollering yourself hoarse alongside other Blob fanatics from around the country in glorious re-enactment style. What does this mean to you?? Is this upsetting? Expected? Awesome?!





Would you be more offended if this 're-make' was filmed in the area - including The Colonial - or if Zombie shunned the classic's roots and filmed the whole thing in Nova Scotia, or something? (The 1988 remake was filmed in Louisiana.)

And if it's gotta be re-made, is it at least interesting to you that Rob Zombie is providing the vision for it? He won some acclaim for his own films (House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects), but his remakes of John Carpenter's untouchable Halloween and Halloween II seem to have upset more fans than not. (To be fair, no one could put their own stamp on those movies and do a better, more horrifying job than Carpenter.)

Whaddaya think? Good idea/bad idea? What's next? A re-make of Gone With The Wind, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson? Now THAT would be scary.

Uh, YES! I'd say this wins my "Best Album Cover o' the Summer" award. I'm still deciding on how I feel about this new remix of the best hip-hop song of all time (don't even try to argue with me, it is), but Dan The Automator remains one of the slickest, hippest dj's in hip hop. As far as this indie lovin, gangsta rap-hatin white boy is concerned, at least.

Of course, the one thing that may be better than this cover is the accompanying Evian commercial. What roller-skatin' babies has to do with spring water is still out for jury.



I never learned it in any marketing classes, but I think it's been proven pretty obvious over the years that few things get attention as much as babies.

Whatever, though. Sweet campaign here with some sweet music.

What I find flabbergastingly remarkable, however, is that these babies in 2009 know how to use a tried-and-true old school boombox. No iPods here yo!

The only thing worse than Mondays are Mondays after holiday weekends, so here's a little something for those blues.

Ever wonder what happened to Snow White after she lived happily ever after?


The best part is that Prince Charming is watching horse races.

"Snowy" by Dina Golden
Source: The Fallen Princesses by JPG Magazine (check out for some other fallen princesses)

Rancid! The nineties continue to come back in full force, and the East Bay's party punkers are still the best at what they do.

Although Let The Dominoes Fall - their first effort since 2003's Indestructible - doesn't light the same fireball as the group's match-in-the-gas-can early days did, this is by far the best good times record of the year (I beg of you; get this Flo-Rida junk off the radio). It's not dense, direction changing, or career defining; just 19 roaring party starters to help you forget America is in a not-so-great depression. Or rather, a romping reminder you don't have to be a sucker just because everyone else is.

If summer music is supposed to be about good times with good friends, good family and shooting the crap about the good times, Rancid are swinging - and connecting - with the jaw on this one. "Up To No Good" and the title track are personal favs.

On the other hand, there's that other East Bay group of punk rockers from the 90's - Green Day - who put out a new record this summer.

I have more love in my heart for Green Day than any other, but 21st Century Breakdown is just too jarring and too dense for the summer of 2009.

While Rancid's record is a rejuvinating reminder that you can still have good times during the tough times, Green Day's record dives into the hole the world is in, wallows in it, and never truly gives us the rally cry it promises to explode us out of it. They swung for the stands and wiffed.

Though it's cleverly themed and has an admirable poetry about it, the Day has made the mistake of taking themselves too seriously here. That's what Radiohead is for. You can stick to a theme (Springsteen's Born In The USA, for example), but you don't need to be The Who when you're Green Day. For Townsend's sake!

They even ape Coldplay a little here. Coldplay! Listen to the opening and closing of the record. Sounds like the opening and closing of Viva La Vida to me. Not to mention a song titled "Viva La Gloria!"

Still, 21st Century Breakdown has a handful of outstanding songs. "21 Guns" and "See The Light" are instant classics. But the size of this record's stick isn't as big as it would like to think it is, and Rancid's much simpler outing outshines because of it.

But in terms of artistry, the best all-around rock album so far this summer is Jets Overhead's No Nations which borrows thematically from Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown with much less grandeur.

And it pays off beautifully. It's a day-dreamy, lazy Sunday afternoon listen, ripe with indie rock of the highest order for the pickings. "Weathervanes (In The Way)" says everything Green Day were trying to say on Breakdown in just 4 minutes and 37 seconds.

It has some shining care free moments on "Headed For Nowhere" and "Always A First Time." It's the type of the album to let your hair down to, even if you don't have long hair.

Definitely check this record out. It's a keeper, and I'm sure it will be cropping up on plenty year-end lists.

What about you? What have your summer listenings been like this year? What's hot in your juke box?

A friend of mine recently asked me if my blog had filed for a court injunction against me.

Not the case; just been working in overdrive on other things at The Merc. But don't worry, it's not like me and Scene & Heard are fighting. We're just seeing some other people right now, ya know? We're not getting a divorce, because we love each other, and we don't want you to think that any of this is your fault.

Good? Good. Now that we got the "no, we're not getting divorced" talk out of the way...

Happy Fourth of July! It's one of my favorite times of the year to crank up the speakers and pump the world full of snarling, sparkling rock and roll, in all it's explosive goodness. Speaking of which, if you're in the Pottstown area today, head down to Memorial Park for all the Fourth festivities. It's the place to be. Meaning, you should not be reading this blog today! Get outside and dance and eat hot dogs! But if you must, here's what we're listening to:

Scene & Heard's Star Spangled Mix
1. John Lennon - "Power to the People"
2. Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Star Spangled Banner" (Live at Woodstock)
3. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "American Girl"
4. Foo Fighters - "I Feel Free" (Cream cover)
5. John Fogerty - "Born on the Bayou"
6. Elvis Costello & the Attractions - "(What's so Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?"
7. David Bowie - "Young Americans"
8. Howard Huntsberry - "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher" (Jackie Wilson cover)
9. U2 - "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
10. Elton John - "Philadelphia Freedom"
11. Neil Young - "Rockin' in the Free World"
12. Green Day - "21 Guns"
13. Rancid - "Civilian Ways"
14. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - "Johnny Appleseed"
15. Bob Dylan - "I Shall Be Free"
16. Bright Eyes - "Easy/Lucky/Free"
17. Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band - "American Land"
18. Ray Charles - "America The Beautiful"

Not that I'm in any hurry to grow up (wearing ties to work on a daily basis is enough, thanks), but I kinda can't wait for the day I have a son. Because I want him to ask me things like 'where do stars come from.' And then I can put my imagination to exhilarating use and tell him things like:

"The stars? Don't you know? Oh, c'mon, guy! What kind of sheltered runt are you? Well I guess it's time we filled you in then, innit? You know those little orange sparks that pop and crackle up out of the campfires at night? Well, when someone wishes something good for someone else, one of those sparks floats up to the sky, higher than usual, and it gets stuck up there and turns white because it's so cold up there. And then it hangs there, shining like a diamond, as a vivid reminder that someone, somewhere cares about you. Of course, this trick only works if these are goodwill wishes. When you make them, they can't be mean-spirited or about you at all. And then when you see a shooting star, that means someone somewhere just had a wish come true. It's even possible that that wish could have been made for you. But here's the best part. After you see a shooting star, that means a wish has returned to earth, and now you are the one who gets to re-use it. The next time you're sitting around a fire, you can make a wish of your own for someone you love or care about. So it's the shooting stars that are really important. Keep your eyes open for them so you can help make this world a better place. Pretty nifty, huh?"

And then when he gets older and calls me on it, I'll be like "Don't let them make you grow up! Didn't you learn in school about the water cycle? Well, that's real, right? The wish cycle is the same exact thing. Wishes go up, wishes go down, and we cycle it all around. What's so hard to believe about it? I'm your dad, and I'm telling you that wishing good for others is a very real thing."

None of this post has anything to do with entertainment, really. But I did recently finish reading Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, which comes with my highest recommendation. It's probably one of the most moving father/son stories I've ever encountered, in writing or film. Aside from Return of the Jedi, of course.

Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP

It's not that special, but the sessions which birthed these five, quick songs sure were.

Death Cab For Cutie's Open Door EP is hardly a companion piece to the group's masterwork--Narrow Stairs--released a year ago. These leftovers from that fine album are just a hit and run hiccup.

If you're a Death Cab fanatic, go ahead--dive in. You won't not like it. But your time could be more economically spent chewing on Narrow Stairs than popping this sugar pill down your throat.

But I'm not complaining. "Little Bribes" is the most rollicking Death Cab song ever. Ever! And the demo of "Talking Bird" is even more gorgeously pensive than the cut that ended up on Narrow Stairs. And the tracks in between are top quality too. These are good Death Cab songs.

But after an album as strong as Stairs was, these songs are just a tickle. Hardly enough to tide anyone over until indie pop's prime princes put out their next long player--which I'm feverishly awaiting.

In the mean time, I must say I prefer Plans' companion release--Directions--more. It was a DVD of of art-house music videos for each song off Plans...and each by a different indie director.

For a taste...Here's "Little Brides" live from Philly's World Cafe Live a month ago.