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December 24, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 12:40 AM | Comments (1)

December 23, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

How could I have put T.I. above Coldplay? Help it. I apologize...I wasn't thinking that one through...even everyone at Sweet Chicken can get one wrong from time to time.

Anyway, HONORABLE MENTIONS are necessary...congratulations to all the winners!

Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Tings Tings

Heers - Someone Still Loves Your Boris Yeltsin

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#1 Flume - Bon Iver

The first time I had even heard of this band, (or should I say singer?), was when I saw them in a FREE show at the Billiken Club. Back in April I went to see Bon Iver with some friends who said they were really great. They were. They've since been seen on Grey's Anatomy, which is an unfortunate set of events, but you gotta do whatchya gotta do to make it in the music business I guess. TV appearances and all, they have a sound that resembles no one else. It's like a very angry man who's doing a good job at keeping himself calm and collected, it leads to an album with lyrics that ask "Why?," with the most chilling harmonies ever heard since Simon and Garfunkel.
After the breakup of a band, relationship, and bout with sickness, Justin Vernon, lead singer and founder of the band, left Raleigh, North Carolina and moved back to Wisconsin spending three months in his father's cabin in the woods of northern Wisconsin. He did not intend to write or record any music during the time but rather to recuperate from the events of the previous year. Eventually a record began to evolve during this cathartic time of isolation. Although the album was never meant to be released, he was encouraged by friends to put it out there, after it hit the blogosphere positively he was eventually signed to a label and For Emma, Forever Ago was properly released. Flume is one of many great songs on the cd, hope you enjoy!

Bon Iver~Flume (Live in-studio at MOKB/WEEM) from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:38 PM | Comments (0)

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#2 15 Step - Radiohead

Radiohead has a good way of bringing things together...In Rainbows was easily, or at least close to being easily the best cd of the past year. This song opens the compilation of what some say is their best album yet. 15 Step hits you with a jolt of electronic beats and then brings the lyrical jumping jacks sung from a perplexed and frustrated Thom Yorke. Hope you enjoy...I know I do!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:25 PM | Comments (0)

Merry Haikus!

Glory to the Lord
The curtain's been ripped into
He sits at the throne

Christmas Traditions
Orange slice cake, fudge, and wine
The kitchen smells good

Snowflakes floating down
The branches will soon be white
Peaceful, soft and light

Jesus has arrived
Hope and peace and life anew
Redemption arrives

Santa leads the elves
Rudolph charges his bright nose
Jack Frost brings the cold

Virginia questioned
The New York Times answered her
Believe in Santa!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 6:49 PM | Comments (1)

December 19, 2008

Stuff Christians Like!

OK, so most people that go to my blog know that I'm a Christian and that Christian subculture-y things, such as bumper stickers with themes such as "the rapture," really bad Christian music such as post-post Grunge, and saying "I'll pray for you," when they don't drives me crazy. Welp, I found a site for those of you who can identify with me. Two words: SIDE HUGS!

Check it out: stuffchristianslike.net

His latest addition is all about donating your junk to the church, such as: snow suits for an orphanage in Mexico, a 10-year-old can of SpagettiOs, a box of VHS tapes, and finally, a shoe.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 1:23 AM | Comments (0)

December 18, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#3 A-Punk - Vampire Weekend

My good friend, Neil, introduced me to Vampire Weekend and we've had a good relationship ever since...the band, not Neil, I mean, Neil and I are still good friends...but...you know what I mean. Anyway, I went to see 'em at the Pageant back in September...it was an amazing show. Ezra Koenig, the lead singer, kept apologizing for the small amount of material that they had to play, but he kept insisting that they were playing every song they had...I didn't care, I was enjoying the African-y/Pop/Indie/Ivy League-y sounds of Vampire Weekend! A-Punk is the quintessential VW song...full of popy strums on guitar, with a tribal feel in the chorus. When they played this one on Saturday Night Live I was so irritated by the "Ohs," just listen...you'll know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I've come to love the song...listen, and enjoy!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2008

Nathan Top Ten Songs of 2008

#4 Live Your Life - T.I. featuring Rihanna

The first time I heard this song was at a Halloween party hosted by one of my coolest friends, Starr, her name says it all. She always knows the coolest music and everything else that's cool. Anyway, this song rocks! I mean, a hip-hop song that mentions little of hos, drugs or money. What a concept! Anyway, it's a great tune! Enjoy!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 9:56 PM | Comments (1)

December 12, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#5 Violet Hill & Lost! - Coldplay

I couldn't decide which of these songs should be on here, so I just chose to put both of 'em...IT'S A TIE PEOPLE, GET OVER IT!

The first time I heard Violet Hill couldn't believe that it was Coldplay, it was so rock-y and kind of Pink Floyd-y. I love it. Brian Eno brings that majestic sound to any band, see U2's Joshua Tree for instance.
Lost! is without a doubt one of Coldplay's best songs ever. The words are pretty dese, and the music to go along with it is brilliant; love the drum action on this one. Hope you like the video too, it was done by a fan on youtube; you'll appreciate it even more if you are a fan of Heroes or were a fan of Veronica Mars.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 6:49 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2008

Overheard at the Bar...

Seeing as how it was a brisk 20 degrees tonight I went down to the Royal with a friend for a tall glass of Guinness. While we were there I saw a friend of mine who was tending the bar. I asked him what he eventually wanted to do...he told me of his plans to finish his undergrad degree in Theological Studies. I asked him why he chose that...did he want to be a prof? He says, "A prophet? No, I don't really have any plans...well, I guess I could be a prophet...I'll stand on the corner and say shit." I thought that was pretty funny.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 12:15 AM | Comments (0)

Christmas on the Loop!

...it's the Loop on the Loop!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 12:11 AM | Comments (1)

December 10, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#6: Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn, and John

OK, so there's a part of me that can't believe I'm putting this on here...howev, this song was everywhere this year. I couldn't have a top ten list without them on here. I really like this pop/Eurotrashy/indie ballad about two people coming together in love. What can you say? They're Scandinavian!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2008

Thanksgiving Good Times!

Here's some pictures from Thanksgiving at the Crusey's!

...mmm, Turkey

...good friends, and food...nothin' better

...the Sunday after Tanya and Heidi helped us decorate the tree

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:27 PM | Comments (0)

El Actor Aspirante

My friend, Max Vento, writes and draws a comic book called, Actor Aspirante. He was nominated for some national awards in Spain a couple of months ago. You should check out his creation...it's pretty great!

actoraspirante.com

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#7 White Winter Hymnal - Fleet Foxes

In July one of my friends sent a copy of a cd my way by some band named Fleet Foxes. I thought to myself, "Who's this band?" Their lead singer, Robin Pecknold, kinda sounded like the lead singer of My Morning Jacket, one of my favorite bands, therefore, I kinda dug 'em. I listened to the cd a couple of times and then I put it away. In October I saw Fleet Foxes open for Death Cab for Cutie, and found a new appreciation for their beautiful, majestic sound. This is going to sound kind of weird, but if I were to describe Fleet Foxes in movie form it would be Jeremiah Johnson. They use folksy instruments, guitar and mandeline to name a few, and combine with it gospel harmonies, but with a back woods feel, if that makes any sense at all. They were really great live, in fact, they eclipsed Death Cab that night as far as I'm concerned.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:59 PM | Comments (1)

Pied Beauty...kind of

Hey everybody! So my friend, Neil Das, is having an art sale right now. By day he's a librarian, but by night and at other times of the day he's a photographer...an amazing photographer, seriously, he puts Adnan Ghalib to shame! He's selling some of his photos to raise money for a missions trip. Go over to Crave, a coffee shop near SLU Med School, just east of S. Grand, or check 'em here:

http://thedasslereffect.wordpress.com/pied-beauty-15-crave/

These are some that I really enjoy that are not necessarily for sale...but hopefully it's enough to encourage to check out what is!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:44 PM | Comments (1)

Christmas Time!

It is a need of mine in these days to sit and reflect on the Lord. For whatever reason I get lonely, beyond what I can stand at this time of year. I remember writing about this last year and yet find myself in the same place again. Many know me as an extreme extrovert who comes in bringing the party. Welp, sometimes even the funny guy can be down. Yesterday in Sunday school we heard a message about waiting. Whether that be waiting with an anxious heart, as in, "I can't wait till finals are over," or in an anxious heart, as in, "JUST WAIT TILL YOUR FATHER GETS HOME!" or with an anxious heart, as in, "I am so excited to go home for Christmas!" Get the theme? Waiting always involves some amount of anxiety. Our lives are consumed with anxious hearts in waiting, whether with hesitancy or with excitement, we long for the future to be amongst us so we can know what comes with it.
I see in Revelation 1:5-7, "He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him." The reason that Jesus' birth is so significant is that God, the Lord who created us all, became a human. It's weird, I know. How could someone so powerful and huge, who could hold the universe in His hand become a small human being, and further more, why? He was born through weak human beings, and probably cried and needed comforting from his mom...like us. Being born was all a part of the process of bringing a continual atonement for our sins, for our human ways of walking away from Him. The Lord must have known that we would do opposite of what He wanted us to do...and we do. He brings an answer that saves us from a horrible existence after death and also a constant cleansing while on Earth. The bridge that's hard to cross is that Jesus saves us despite any reason other than He wants to bring good to us.
Although He doesn't need humanity to survive, He continues to look to us and help us because He knows that we need Him. It has nothing to do with His needs. He just does it with a pleasing spirit. That is greater than any gift. 'Grace' is the word that comes to mind. You could bless me with every single song available in the itunes catalogue and it wouldn't amount to what I receive from Jesus. There is no hope in Barack Obama that could come close to comparing what I have in Christ. There is no speech Buffy the Vampire Slayer could speak that would move my heart like what I hear in Romans 8. For, "through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."
What does this mean for me? Not only am I forgiven for sins committed, but also I am given a life full of hope, without loneliness, without sadness, or anxiety. There is no addiction that could bond me forever, there is no evil act that could claim victory over me, and there is no broken bone in my body that could keep me from walking. I like knowing that there is Somone out there, and right here, who longs to see me fulfilled in every aspect of my life. I like tradition, I want to serve a greater purpose and to do good work, I want strong relationships that last a lifetime, I want to be a concerned person in peoples' lives, and I feel like God does that for me...He is making this work in progress happen.
In the times that I am most anxious I think of Him. As the world waits with anxious hearts, realizing it or not, we are all finding ways to fill the time...with things both good and bad, but in the end, He will come and we will see. I look forward to that day. The anxiety will drop completely, my relationships won't be so broken and weird, and I will live as I was originally created to, that is, with a pure heart, not a hateful thought in mind.
One day somebody asked me what "the Gospel" is. Honestly, I didn't know how to respond. It's such a personal thing for everyone who believes. Can there be one way to talk about Jesus? I guess the answer is that He hits home right where we need Him. Right now, for me, that's in my desire to connect. I know that His love for me, and His utmost concern is to bring peaceful times, and fulfilling days with a gentle spirit. He comforts my soul. Thank God I believe.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:08 PM | Comments (1)

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

Beautiful, Dirty, Rich - Lady Gaga

I had heard about this new girl who was putting to shame all those other pop tarts out there in the music world. When I saw the name of her lead single, Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, I just knew she was going to be good...and Lady Gaga did not dissapoint. Moving from Italy to New York City and developing some sort of following on the open mic scene in smaller clubs, Lady Gaga got her big break when rapper Florida and Akon saw her perform. They approached her to make some music and the rest is herstory (Get it?). If you've ever heard, Gimme More by Britney Spears, supposedly you're hearing Lady Gaga's voice when Spears goes up to the higher range. This girl can actually sing. Hope you enjoy!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

December 4, 2008

Christmas by the Numbers...

30 - 35 million Christmas trees will be sold
20 billion Christmas cards will be sold
$700 million will be spent on candles
275 million cards will be sent on December 17th
67 turkeys will be eaten between Thanksgiving and Christmas
$846,000 will be spent on 1 Japanese Christmas cake
50 million copies of Bing Crosby's, "White Christmas"
50,000 letters addressed to Father Christmas will be sent to Nuuk, Greenland

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 11:49 PM | Comments (0)

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

#9 Rise - Eddie Veddar

It's a beautiful thing when music and movies come together perfectly, Eddie Veddar came as close as possible to doing just that. If you haven't seen Into the Wild, check it out...great movie. Veddar was summoned by Sean Penn himself to compose and perform the music for the film. The lyrics and the musicality are parallel to what the movie is about, breaking free and living without any restraints that modern day society has placed on us. Whether you agree with the message of the movie or not, the lead song, Rise, is one of strength and determination that is grounded in wherever we place our faith. Although the songs are original and beautiful, the Academy didn't recognize a single song from the soundtrack because they felt that 3 songs from Enchanted were a better choice for Oscar nominations. Oh well, even rich, white people who have a thing for "hope" and "change" can make mistakes.

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:00 PM | Comments (2)

December 3, 2008

Sweet Chicken Nuggets: Vol. 4

Rachel Getting Married

Have you seen this freakin' movie? I went to see Rachel Getting Married about a month ago and left the theatre sad and empty, but somehow glad that I went to see it. The movie was an incredible blend of excellent writing (see the awkward Maid of Honor speech given by Rachel's sister), dynamic acting (see Anne Hathaway's Kym, who's out on leave from rehab and looking to make amends), and a heartbreaking story about what happens to a family in the aftermath of a great disturbance.

Rihanna Makes History

Congrats to Rihanna, who's third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, now has posted no less than 8 Top 40 Hits...no one has come close to that since Shania Twain's Come On Over, when she posted 6 Top 40 hits herself.

Mad Men

Mad Men is my new favorite show. You gotta watch! When the show won 10 Emmys back in September I decided that I had to at least watch a few episodes. The show centers around one of the most succesful ad agencies on Madison Ave. in the early 60s, and their ring leader, Don Draper played by Jon Hamm. When you watch Leave It to Beaver and the other Nick at Nite TV shows you don't get a feel of the way it actually was back then, with Mad Men, it seems like you're getting the real deal. You see how women were treated in the workplace, you get an idea of what culture might have been like from an ad agency think tank, and everyone is smoking all the time. I was looking for a good show to take the place of Lost while I wait another 2 months for the next season to start, and I got that with Mad Men.

Rollingstone's Top 100 Singers

Rollingstone Magazine just released their list of the top 100 singers of all time. I've always said that Christina Aguilera is the best singer of our generation; she was the highest (#58) to make the list among those who came out in the past 20 years. The list doesn't jive well with me though, they didn't place them according to great voices as much as distinct ones, I mean, John Lennon #5? Really? Bob Dylan #7? Really? Anyway, here's the Top Ten: 1. Aretha Franklin 2. Ray Charles 3. Elvis Presley 4. Sam Cooke 5. John Lennon 6. Marvin Gaye 7. Bob Dylan 8. Otis Redding 9. Stevie Wonder 10. James Brown

Print Making on Cherokee

If you're in the St. Louis area pick yourself up off the cozy couch and head down to Cherokee Street. The Cherokee Print League Holiday Sale happens this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring great art from St. Louis originals as well as live music all day. It all centers around the Firecracker Press, 2838 Cherokee...see you there!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 7:56 PM | Comments (0)

December 2, 2008

Nathan's Top Ten Songs of 2008

So here we go again...I can't believe that I'm already putting my list together for 2008. It seems like only yesterday I was talking about how great M.I.A. is...I'm glad everyone has finally jumped on the bandwagon. Back in January we had no idea that the economy was going to do the greatest roller coaster jumping of all time, we had no idea that The Dark Knight would become such a huge pop culture phenomenon, or that it's star would die of a drug overdose, we had no idea that Lock was going to die, or not?, and finally, we had no idea where Wasila, Alaska was...what a difference a year makes!

10. All I Need - Radiohead

Here's the thing, there isn't a best song on In Rainbows as far as I can tell, they're all good. I went to see Thom Yorke and company back in May and it really was one of the best shows I ever seen. The crowd was moving and lured into the gaze of Yorke's squinty, weird, James-Bond-Villain-y eyes, and the band was putting together music that caused the crowd to be entranced with an unharmable feeling that maybe the world isn't so bad afterall. Not only did they play every song from their recent album, but they played classics and fan favorites alike. I gained a new appreciation for the band that night, they are the BEST BAND IN THE WORLD!
The reason I put All I Need as the best one to represent In Rainbows , which I believe will win Album of the Year at the Grammys, is that it's different from what generally comes out of the minds of the members of the band. In their later years they've mellowed out quite a bit, maybe it's the marriages, or the kids, but this song shows their potential, not that they have anything to prove at this point in their musical careers, I just like it...hope you do to!

Posted by Nathan Gemayel at 10:53 PM | Comments (3)