Rocktober: My Seven Favourite Fictional Bands and Their Songs!

WOOO! ROCKTOBER! THANK YOU INTERNET, YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE! Yes, it is time for me to rock out and add something constructive to the Rocktober mix! And seeing as how I don't really live in the real world, why not celebrate my tenuous grasp of reality by listening to my Top Seven Fictionial Bands and Their Songs! There's an exhaustive list to choose from, and not everything is readily available on youtube, but here's what I've haphazardly slapped together for your aural pleasure. (Guffaw!)... Presented in no particular order...

1. Zit Remedy (Degrassi Junior High), performing Everybody Wants Something.
If you're as old and despondent as I am, you might remember this home-grown outfit from Canada - the Degrassi sensation, the one and only Zit Remedy, who later became The Zits. Because it turns out there is no remedy. This three-piece consisted of sleazy, hat-wearing, opportunist Joey Jeremiah; the slender man-whore Snake; and the confusingly not-in-a-wheelchair Wheels. Note how at the end of the clip it is revealed that the whole thing is not about the music, but about Joey trying to impress the pants off uber-hottie Caitlin. Respect. How rock 'n' roll is that!

I have six more of these gems waiting for you after the jump!

Rocktober: The Joy Formidable Have Officially Blown My Mind

I wanted to start off Rocktober with a bang, and this is exactly the band to do it. The Joy Formidable is a three piece band from North Wales that have a huge, melodic sound that feels like it's coming from a band twice their size. They also can get quite noisy, in such a good way.

When I first heard them it was the kind of discovery that only happens a few times in your entire lifetime. It mostly reminds me of the feeling when I first heard Sunny Day Real Estate (17 years ago. WTF!?!). But unfortunately, and unlike Sunny Day Real Estate, this discovery makes me terribly depressed because it was just too late to catch them at a small club. Things are blowing up for them, quickly. Next month they're doing shows with the Foo Fighters, and this week they were announced as the lead-off track on the Twilight: Breaking Dawn soundtrack. A few months ago, most of us had no clue what we were missing.

If you haven't heard The Joy Formidable, here is the video that started it all for me. If you have heard of them, I'm sure you'll be re-watching the video again anyway.

Prepare yourself for the best 8 minutes of your day.

For more info: http://www.thejoyformidable.com/

Rocktober Gallery Day #1

I have somewhat of a decent archive of live music photos, resulting from a few years behind the camera working for various magazines and papers, and I thought 'Hey, Rocktober sounds like the perfect kind of month to drag a few photos out and shove them back on the internets!' Some of these will have been published on either my Flickr or photo website previously, but many will have never been let loose on the internet before. Oooo! So, without further ado, let's begin. One photo a day, for 31 days. Let's go!

The Living End. Metro City. 2008.

Welcome to ROCKTOBER!

Motley Crue. Total badasses. Real men wear makeup.

Previously the domain of cheesy commercial radio stations, and at home amongst the movie ticket giveaways and icy cold cans of Coke, ROCKTOBER is back as a saviour to the masses!

So what the hell IS Rocktober? Well....it's October but turned up to 11. We at Fruitless Pursuits love music almost as much as we love ewoks and Batman, so why not dedicate the month with the conveniently adaptable name to our favourite aural treats?

Rocktober will be a celebration of all types of music, and we'll be bringing you mixtapes, photos, videos and more as we share with you our diverse tastes. We hope you discover something new and awesome, and we'd love for you to share some of YOUR favourites in the comments sections.

HAPPY ROCKTOBER, FRIENDS!

Clone Wars Recap S4 E04: Shadow Warrior!

I always get flack for being the Star Wars apologist. I love Star Wars with every fibre of my squandered being. See us talking one on one right now? See that glazed look in my eyes? That's right. I'm looking at you but I'm thinking about Star Wars.

So it was a heart-punch that the first three episodes of season four of The Clone Wars kind of left me cold. And damp. And soggy in places. So it brings me a surge of almost unsettling pleasure to inform you that the newest episode Shadow Warrior was ultimately a triumphant return to form, for me. Not only did I greatly enjoy the episode, but it was primarily about Gungans, and starred that floppy fish-eared rapscallion Jar Jar Binks!

So join me after the jump, where I intend to thoroughly school you on why Clone Wars is back, and Jar Jar is awesome!... This is very much a recap this time. (MESA THINKIN' THERE BE BOMBAD SPOILERS!)

Project Runway Recaps: S09 E10

 

Things are getting a little Lord of the Flies on Project Runway. People are getting very suspicious and weird! Or maybe that's just the editing and music. But it sure does feel dramatic!

Entertainment Weekly Cover Showcases 3rd Runner Up in Avengers Photoshop Competition!

Okay, so this playfully pasted Avengers group shot on the cover of Entertainment Weekly isn't exactly breaking news, but my commentary is new! And, hey, sometimes you need a little time to reflect!

So feast your hungry eyes on this sextet of super-powered heads:

And then join me after the jump for some further thoughts!...

DC Reboot Review: Firestorm #1, Green Lantern New Guardians #1, I Vampire #1, Teen Titans #1, Justice League Dark #1

Here it is, folks, my last batch of issue one reviews for September's DC reboot! (and it is officially October her now anyway). I bravely dived into five of the slightly more obscure titles: The Fury of Firestorm #1, Green Lantern New Guardians #1, I Vampire #1, Teen Titans #1, and Justice League Dark #1.

But were they any good? Which way will my hyperbole wildly swing? There was actually one book that I really enjoyed a lot, and one that might just be my new contender for the worst. Find out which is which after the jump! (SPOILERS):

DC 52 Reboot Recap!

I know it's been well covered already but I just had to chime in on the first month of DC's 52 reboot. This month has marked the first time I've bought comics (aside from the occasional graphic novels) in years and years.  It's been a lot of fun for me going to the store every week and trying to find the issues that I wanted!  I know I can't buy this many titles every month but trying all the new comics has been great fun as well.  Now I just have to decide which issue #2's I'll buy.   

 

 The issue #1's that I decided to try and a brief evaluation of each after the jump!

Thank Gif It's Friday

Via Gifbin.