The Avenue - The Independent Florida Alligator

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Album review: The Streets – "Everything Is Borrowed"

By ROBERT HILSON | Oct. 15, 2008

Intellectualism isn't completely dead in America, but it's plugged to a ventilator. If The Streets are any indication, the academic inquisition hasn't yet crossed the pond. "Everything Is Borrowed," everything except the ideas, sounds like a particularly intelligent Black Eyed Peas spin-off, genre-hopping from English R&B to pop-laden beat poetry. Be this as it may, "Heaven for the Weather" jumps and jives on a piano-tambourine combo dolled up for mass consumption. No elitist claims here: this is freaking catchy, mate. "The Way of the Dodo," though, is problematic Al Gore hip-hop - smart, smug, warning human extinction. And it's kind of hard to dance to music about the end of the world.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Q&A with David Banner

By ZACH SEYMOUR | Oct. 15, 2008

As he hung out on his tour bus with rapper Talib Kweli, David Banner talked to the Avenue about his Friday show at The Venue, hip-hop, politics and life in general. Since the success of his song "Play," Banner said he has been "working hard on the music, enjoying life - trying to get through."

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Q&A with Brett Dennen

By ROBERT HILSON | Oct. 15, 2008

Brett Dennen said his desert island food of choice is sushi. After all, raw fish is already on the menu. This clever California folkie, who releases his third album "Hope for the Hopeless" on Oct. 21, is a man of sound judgment. Supports Barack Obama? Check. Keeps his childhood friends? Check. Huge Ween fan? Obviously.

THE AVENUE | NIGHTLIFE

So you think you can pass for 21?

By GABRIELLE FALCONEIRI | Oct. 15, 2008

Much to Bernie Machen's dismay, Gainesville is a town that loves to party. Most people who grew up here or go to UF get into the party atmosphere early and try to figure out ways to get around that pesky drinking age.

THE AVENUE | ART AND THEATER

Beauty is in the eye of the artist

By MEGAN HERON | Oct. 15, 2008

"Beauty" is a word that often refers to something that gives pleasure to the senses, mind and spirit. But not according to local artist Erik Jones.

THE AVENUE | FASHION

Fake fashion faux pas

By REGINA STUZIN | Oct. 15, 2008

Last week I wrote about the fashion rules that you can (and probably should) break, especially in Florida. This week, I'm writing about the rules that you can bend. I emphasize the word bend because if you break them, you could end up looking like a hot fashion mess, but if you bend them the right way, you could break new fashion ground.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Imitation not really the sincerest form of flattery

By ERIK VOSS | Oct. 15, 2008

I never realized how generic my taste in fashion is until I spent more time on campus. It seems like every other day that I spot some dope in Turlington wearing a shirt I have somewhere in my closet, or worse, one I'm currently wearing.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Heavy metal bands team up to raise money for breast cancer

By CASEY BROOKE LAWSON | Oct. 15, 2008

With a microphone in his hand, Validus vocalist Justin Kalvin will sing Friday for Save Second Base - a breast cancer benefit concert at Gainesville's Backstage Lounge, 1315 S. Main St.

THE AVENUE | MOVIES AND TV

'How to Lose Friends and Alienate People' wins audience

By DAVID STUZIN | Oct. 15, 2008

"How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" is a strikingly clever movie title; not only because of its length but also because it manages to be somewhat ironic. The funny and friendly movie certainly doesn't alienate the audience but draws them into a big, warm bear hug of romantic humor.

THE AVENUE | NIGHTLIFE

Who's 'that guy' in the bar?

By GABRIELLE FALCONEIRI | Oct. 8, 2008

Just as the 21st birthday girl has become a fixture in Gainesville nightlife, so has "that guy," the one who ends up getting kicked out of the bar every time he goes out.

THE AVENUE | SEX

Put taboo sex talk behind us

By STEPHANIE DUNN | Oct. 8, 2008

Anal sex. There, I said it. If the notion makes you clench up, I suggest you stop reading. Like, now.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Album review: Jack's Mannequin - "The Glass Passenger"

By ROBERT HILSON Avenue Writer | Oct. 8, 2008

There are a lot of ridiculous band names out there, but every once in a while, these guys will hit the nail right on the head. Jack's Mannequin: genius. It's got a ring that conveys all of this band's qualities - androgynously nice-looking, probably could be found in an Abercrombie & Fitch store, personality of a stiff piece of plastic. "The Glass Passenger" is the vehicle by which frontman Andrew McMahon pans off his stepford-wife rock 'n' roll on, well, whoever's into this kind of stuff. "The Resolution" and "American Love" will be hits on a spunk-rock station that plays your favorite mix of "80s, 90s and today!" But the kicker is a line from "Annie Use Your Telescope" that yearns, "Is there anybody out there?" It recalls the Pink Floyd song: "Comfortably Numb."

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Album review: Pussycat Dolls - "Doll Domination"

By ROBERT HILSON Avenue Writer | Oct. 8, 2008

Catwoman, Hello Kitty, Yusuf Islam - whether through black spandex, lunch boxes or folk music, each of these feline enthusiasts have made meaningful contributions to the rich landscape of American pop culture. But not the Pussycat Dolls, who, with "Doll Domination," continue to claw their way through the ranks of tightly clothed MTV inventions with high-cut skirts and lowbrow R&B. "Bottle Pop" features some typically smooth lines from Snoop Dogg, and there's also a song called "I Hate This Part" - the girls showcase their command of irony. A little piece of my soul withered away when I heard this album. Still, this kind of music can't kill the Pussycats - they have nine lives.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Album review: Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"

By ROBERT HILSON Avenue Writer | Oct. 8, 2008

Innocence is like a dollar bill in a busted vending machine: Once it's gone, you aren't getting it back. So Jenny Lewis, whose up-until-now enduring image was that of a blue polka-dotted Southern belle, might as well kiss her Dorothy-esque appeal goodbye. "Acid Tongue" gets its title from the line, "I've been down to Dixie and dropped acid on my tongue." A thousand clean-cut boys in Middle America have just lost their princess. Freed from the burden of virtue, the prodigal daughter blossoms in this den of foot-tapping hell-fire. In "The Next Messiah," her sultry voice slithers atop bluesy guitars when a male voice chimes in: "I'm gonna give my love to you on a day you gotta bring it back." Our little girl is a full-grown tramp.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Album review: Ben Folds - "Way To Normal"

By ROBERT HILSON Avenue Writer | Oct. 8, 2008

"Oh, that stupid bitch is mine." Now before you make any snap judgments, know that this line comes from a song called "Errant Dog." Get it? It's funny - or at least Ben Folds thinks so. On "Way To Normal," Nashville's longest-running jokester walks the fine line between kitschy fun and tasteless humor with twelve politically incorrect songs designed to challenge the gag reflex. "The Frown Song" and "Dr. Yang" play like dumbed-down, cheesed-up New Pornographers outtakes - frenetic, hyper-pop of the most hummable order. "Bitch Went Nuts" uses the phrase in a more conventional sense and adds a shot of gratuitous profanity for good measure. Call it a guilty pleasure if you'd like - the track has more hooks than a fishing charter. Get it? Hooks? Fishing charter? Ben would think it's funny.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

MTV teams voter registration groups and bands to encourage voting

By CARLY FAIN Avenue Writer | Oct. 8, 2008

College students' participation is crucial in deciding which way the presidential elections will swing in November, according to voter registration groups such as Why Tuesday? and indie-rock band Death Cab for Cutie. To encourage students to vote, the band partnered with voter registration groups to organize the Ultimate College Bowl.

THE AVENUE | MUSIC

Liquid Limbs goes for solid sound at upcoming concert

By JESSICA METZGER | Oct. 8, 2008

Kevin Nowak, Liquid Limbs guitarist and vocalist, gave an unusual forecast for the band's Saturday performance at The Atlantic. He promised a "razor sharp set of mind-blowing volcanic riff tornadoes."

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Why you should love the '90s

By DEVIN CULCLASURE | Oct. 8, 2008

Whether it's another commercial-free '70s rock block on the radio or '80s night at XS, people love to celebrate decades past, and I can dig that.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Sarah Silverman Q&A

By CARLY FAIN | Oct. 8, 2008

In a national phone conference, comedian Sarah Silverman schleped over to a phone to discuss the season two premiere of "The Sarah Silverman Program" on Comedy Central and her voting campaign called "The Great Schlep," which favors Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. For more information, check out sarahsilverman.comedycentral.com and thegreatschlep.com.

THE AVENUE | LIFESTYLE

Airing out smelly, dirty habits not easy

By ERIK VOSS | Oct. 8, 2008

I'm a clean guy with dirty habits.