#st pete music scene

[jessajaguar]

🎶 Get ready to travel back to the 80s for a night of nostalgia and glam with the Ybor City Sirens at The Potion Portal in St. Pete, FL 🌟

LAST DAY for $15 presale, so don't miss out! 🎉 Tickets on Eventbrite, use code JESSA! Email Yborcitysirens@gmail.com with any questions or issues 😘

[aemiron-main]

hot take but i think that mike’s hair and style is more inspired by pete townshend than freddie mercury. i can see the freddie inspo maybe for his s4 ep1 white tank top outfit but even then, that was underwear and imo is more likely a reference to a.) nightmare on elm street 2 with the underwear scene there and/or b.) ripley’s white tank top and underwear scene from Alien.

I talked about this in this post previously, but Mike’s hair and general style and even Finn himself look eerily similar to Pete Townshend from The Who (who, like Mike, is also queer), and The Who’s music was used in the S3 trailer (baba o riley remix), AND there’s a TON of constant parallels in ST to The Who’s album-turned-movie, Tommy (for example, Henry’s smashed mirror scene is taken directly from Tommy, and there’s also things like the Creels’ rose stained glass door vs the Walkers’ door, and a TON of other parallels including specifically the S3 fourth of july ferris wheel scene with the Wheelers which is a definite Tommy parallel).

Like, just look at how similar Pete and Mike look in terms of hair and styling:

Now, maybe Freddie was also inspo in addition to Pete, I’m not 100% ruling that out, but a.) Freddie, as far as I know, has never been listed as inspiration by any official ST costuming source, and b.) not that all inspo is officially listed, but when it’s not listed, we have to analyze the show vs the parallel & imo, the resemblance/parallel between Mike and Pete is stronger than the one between Mike and Freddie, though like i said, it’s probably a combination of both and I’m not ruling out Freddie entirely.

[imthefailedartist]

There's really only diminishing returns on The Strangers sequels.

It's a small diner with large ass windows. Were you not looking at your car to see if someone went under the hood.

This is why you always stop where there's multiple fast food chains. Especially an Arby's. Not McDonald's! Even the most bum fuck nowhere town has McDonald's, but only towns of select size have Arby's.

With the original, they had stakes because their relationship was fraught. Making them cloyingly happy does nothing. Unless they are going to work extremely hard to keep that happiness. Spoiler alert: they don't even try.

The conflict is right there. She might get a job in a new state. He's a marriage guy she's not a marriage girl.

Spoilers below. . . I guess. It's a "slasher" and the third film. You know what's coming

What was the point of the rude ain't married yet scene if it's not something they're worried about.

10,000 is civilization. 2,000 to 9,000 is small town quaint. 1,000 or less is you naked on all fours and being told to "squeal for me fat boy".

Oh girl, no, he got asthma. He can't protect you, he can't even breathe right.

Why is the town so suspicious.

Creepy stranger continuously ringing doorbell in middle of the night in the middle of nowhere, and hearing creepy sounds procedes to prance around in panties and socks, plays music and smokes weed.

Pants and shoes. Put them on.

Opening the door. Big no no.

Stepping outside even bigger no no.

In ya damn panties.

Put on your Goddamn pants and shoes.

Passes the kitchen butcher block full of knives to hide in the bathroom. "We need weapons."

See I would just burn the cabin down. With all of us in it. Pete just gon have to see my insurance.

Why does this cabin have an upstairs if it's not going to factor into the movie.

Who returns to a dark house and don't call out?

Also, that motorcycle was loud as hell she couldn't hear it.

They are the dumbest.

Under the house was smart. Everything they did after was very dumb.

Too much in-house unseen lurking. It stopped being scary.

They aren't even trying.

What was that, not mormon mormon pamphlet?

Not him trying to gaslight her mere hours after he had a meltdown over the locals allegedly scamming them.

The water bottle. Are you fucking kidding me.

The person who made this clearly doesn't have asthma. He'd have been better off pouring the water on his shirt and breathing through that. And it's quiet.

The music cues. My god, stop.

I knew this movie was going to be bad when it opened with text, implying it was sort of a true story.

But let's be honest. We knew this was going to be bad when the strangers talked in the trailers. My first thought hearing their voices, "Oh, they talk now, that sucks."

Shoot her!!! Why are you talking?

Why the fake out with him coming back being creepy?

They would've been better off sleeping in their car.

These characters are so dumb I truly thought this was a cold beginning à la Scream, for much too long. I'm talking he still hasn't come back from the late night dinner run long.

RIP AirBNB dude. The cabin was nice.

This movie is too big. I don't need to see them stopping at a diner full of weird townsfolk, I don't need to see a mormon, not mormon cult. I don't need to see a motorcycle being blown up. Just get em in the cabin and let the "haunting" begin.

If you're going to show me the town. Him going back to town, specifically, make it count. I thought he was gonna sit for a minute and have a beer all while the Strangers really torture her mentally. For him to come back and find her cowering, and the shit really kicks off.

Why are they so loud. At no point are they quiet.

"They caught us." Yeah, you didn't make it very hard.

Wait a minute. This takes place well after the first one. Why is it chapter one? You know what, don't tell me. I don't care.

Sackmans car is still running. Get in it. Drive.

I need movie characters to understand they'd get a lot further in the woods by walking.

At some point, these characters were so stupid I forgot this movie takes place in modern-day.

I was like, oh yeah, this is the 50's they thought the world was safer.

Do they just stab them one time in the original. Is that how it ended? I guess it was scarier because they really were just there doing this for no reason. This movie makes too many suggestions.

Maybe this is just me being nostalgic for the first one and how I felt watching it. Maybe the couple is just as dumb. Who knows? I haven't watched it in a few years.

What the fuck was that end credit scene? It ain't like they ghosts or demons.

She lived. Okay, so what? It's not like she knows who they are.

I know these characters have to be this dumb on purpose. Why a person would want to base their whole movie around them is beyond me. It does not make an enjoyable watch. Not even for the fun of it, that only works if your characters aren't total dumbasses and the audience is in on the stupid.

There's a way to make your characters so unbelievably dumb that it's fun. But the Strangers franchise is not that place to do that.

[tvguidancecounselor]

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 619: Jack Sholder

June 19 - 25, 1953

This week Ken welcomes professor, writer, producer and director Jack Solder (Nightmare on Elm St. 2, By Dawn's Early Light, The Hidden, 12:01, Alone in the Dark) to the show.

Ken and Jack discuss growing up in Philly, growing up playing trumpet, being a classical musician, realizing you're good but not GREAT at something, becoming an editor, the rhythm of cuts, working at New Line Cinema, Caroline Biggerstaff, poses vs pauses, editing The Burning, learning by doing, creating suspense, revival art house cinema, the genius of Buster Keaton, exploitation films, Ed Sullivan, Uncle Milty, 1950s music shows, the cultural scene of the 1950s, Uncle Pete Boyle, Chief Halftown, kids shows, Life of Reilly, Magnavox, The DuMont Network, newspapermen, The Big Story, The Big Picture, the strangeness of modern day network TV, the personal nature of TV, working with Harvey Keitel, swapping India for Eastern Europe, the fake Indian word for "Roll 'em" Easta Sasusaway, never being Mr. Wizard, Big Top with Jack Sterling, Wrestling, boxing, You Asked for It, Fearless Ed, Variety Shows, New York Socialites and Intellectuals, Dinah Shore, representations of gay people on TV, Ernie Kovacs, Red necks, Farmers, how your car key fob is more powerful than the computer that sent men to the moon, the world after cell phones, Alan Funt, Candid Camera, Kids Say the Darndest Things, UHF stations, Dragnet, American Bandstand, 12:01, The Hidden, the gayest Nightmare on Elm St film, Robocop, working with Jake the Dog, and the strangeness of The Omen The Series pilot. 

Check out this episode!

[brooklynwildlife]

Brooklyn wildlife summer fest

Here’s the link to buy your tickets

info about the event

ABOUT BWSF 2023:

Brooklyn Wildlife Summer Festival is an annual, diverse & synergistic, indoor and outdoor festival featuring some of the best Independent talent from New York and beyond. The goal of the event is to galvanize the Indie arts and music community and represent its flourishing cultural growth within Brooklyn, with a special focus on Bushwick.

BWSF 2023 is a true appreciation and celebration of Indie culture. We take an authentic approach to create the largest platform possible for artistic presentation without any corporate sponsorships or industry funding – only art, music and culture in the purest form. We focus on performers in the Brooklyn arts and entertainment scene and want to represent our community...we are lucky to have a large presence of international artists in Brooklyn, so the festival also includes performers and participants from all around the world.

WHAT WE DON'T WANT: Hate speech, Promotion of senseless or gratuitous violence, Exclusivity, Entitlement, Expression of privilege.

. . . Dates, addresses and performers listed below!

9/1 - Opening Night @ Brooklyn Music Kitchen—117 Vanderbilt Ave. Bushwick 

Grant Swift

Eb Rebel

Graphic Melee

Marcus Jade

Melissa Hunter Gurney

Mistha Dean

Modern Flame

Ryan - O'Neil

ViceVerses

No Show No Call

https://tinyurl.com/2b7jm76c For Event Details

9/2: GAMBA Forest— 630 Humboldt St. Greenpoint

OR NAH & Ronit Levin Delgado

kelly shaw nyala

Dan Gitlin

STAV G

ADE O.TONE

ALIXER 

Sunshine Monie El

Nomad N3

The Taste of Vomit 

Ananda Rose

Pheonix Out The

Dakota Smith

The Cannery

G.T. Arpe

MeccaGodZilla

ANTwontstop

C.Shreve the Professor

phil phlaymz 

ZILLY900

The IZM.

https://tinyurl.com/57bndzeu for event details

9/3 : Secret Sphinx Salon — 199 Richardson St. East Williamsburg

Adriana Adeline

Blacc Lotus, Soul Survivor

CallME TK

Chromoplast

Chrrry

Ryan Lucas

Sam Rosen

Millszy •

https://tinyurl.com/yrhmrpv8 for event details

9/4: The Living Gallery— 1094 Broadway, Bushwick

Coffee Nap

Fredrixthelive1 

Phantm Phuego

Complex Messiah

KNOWITALL 

Lex Rush

anna leah

The CHUNE Experience 

Jew Bitch Honey

elana 

Euphony

Mariah Eskoh

Mel Rosa

Danny Severance

Natasha Alexander

Ardamus

Patty Honcho

https://tinyurl.com/2p8k6vw2 For event details

9/5 - Pete's Candy Store— 709 Lorimer, Greenpoint

Cat Rickman

Chocolate Brown & Segami

The DarkDoves

Fancy Cat

https://tinyurl.com/3mh3rmcc for event details

9/6: The Deep End—1080 Wyckoff Bushwick

Mecca Shabazz /DECISIONS

Thorne Malik. (and the Deep Cuts)

DarkStarNoMercy

The Bumbling Woohas

Eliza and the Organix

LOST DOG

Pink Tacos

Cuddlebasstard

https://tinyurl.com/5f2vjhmu for event details

9/7: Becky's House — TBA

Real Clothes

Emmannuel and the unlimited Consciousness

Eush

Sara Clash

https://tinyurl.com/36tt6ey2 for event details

9/7: The Rack Shack—17 Thames St. Bushwick

Virginia Wagner

Queen of Love and Hope

SteV Obsidian

Fuck it’s Leslie

https://tinyurl.com/4p8eek9e for event details

9/7: The Love Gallery— Bushwick

B.Fortune

KNOBAD

Sam Nordlinger

Xtian Aki

Ductape Halo

Garrett Deming

Wade Wilson 

Kay Day

Kjindabuilding 

#JumpingGoats

ALIXER 

Doctor Breakfast 

JOATA

https://tinyurl.com/nka3tfzn for event details

9/8: IVy House Studios— Bushwick

Chris Conde

Parnhash

Homeboy Sandman

Kahlee

Mandella Eskia

Stay on Mars

https://tinyurl.com/282xftm7 for event details

9/9: Gamba Forest—630 Humboldt St. 

Add'm Fears

AllOne

AngelCaroline

Banji

Cruz Cruz

Designer Rap Tour Fearturing James E! Walker

Madeline at Neighbors + Zhenya Skyla

Melton

Mercy Tullis Bukhari

Mosaictheanimated

Pirate Radio Podcast

Samantha Avery

Slick Nova

The Artist & Repertoire Workshop Feat: Yoni Rose and McBean

Valore

Richie

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bwsf-2023-day-9

9/10: Four Five Six/Glenda the GoodBus/GAMBA Forest—Greenpoint

Ashley Be

Bill Bartholomew

Bo Ballew

Carlyn Castigila 

Devin Bramble

Esco

Gabriela Rossi

God

Joi Sanchez

Jon Gardiner

Lucas Connolly

Mario Benitez

Michelle Joni and the Expandaband

OHene Cornelius

Prince Kurt Russell

Frank Vera

GMS

Renee Catrine

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bwsf-2023

#festivals #festival #music #tomorrowland #festivalseason #love #dj #rave #india #events #edm #diwali #art #housemusic #party #musicfestival #concerts #techno #livemusic #edmlifestyle #edmfamily #photography #mumbai #festivalfashion #culture #instagram #festivallife #edc #dance #bkwildlife #BWSF2023

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MAY 24

Who cares what the calendar says? Ryan Gosling has declared summer is officially here! 

Between longevity of the “Beavis and Butt-Head” Saturday Night Live sketch I shared last month, his extremely fun red carpet appearances, and the wonderfully fun The Fall Guy,  he’s been everywhere, and I have no complaints about it. 

But The Fall Guy and the other new releases in this Round Up aren’t the last summer movies to look forward to. I stopped by KMOV to preview some of the movies I’m most excited for this summer, including a star-studded rom-com set in the ‘60s, a legacy sequel action spectacular, a mystery starring a recent Best Actress nominee, and a prequel for a genre I rarely like. Let’s take on the summer as Ryan Gosling commands in The Fall Guy: “Jean-Claude, attaqué!” 

May Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Fall Guy (2024)

Most movies go to great pains to hide their seams, but not The Fall Guy. And who needs to when a behind-the-seams look can be so fun? Summer 2024 is starting off with a bang because it’s a blast both as an action-adventure and as a romantic comedy, making it one of the easiest movies to recommend to just about anyone. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch out my review for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA (2024)

It’s not hyperbole to say I adored this weird and wonderful talk show experiment. Experts on palm trees and coyotes did most of the talking, Bill Hader and Pete Davidson couldn’t stop giggling, and John Mulaney kept asking about what kinds of cars people drive. Only a handful of clips have been added online from this live six-episode series…

"The Map of Los Angeles"

"Reverse Borat"

"Oh, Hello Manson Tour"

"Nepo Babies"

…but if Mulaney ever decides to resurrect his late night format of taking calls, discussing non-urgent topics, and creating sketch comedy with his friends and seismologists, I’d watch it every night.

3. IF (2024)

Not everything about the logic of IF hangs together, but one of the beauties of an original world is not being encumbered by mythology and continuity. IF is about dreaming big, and it’s for kids and families who want to be dazzled by a story imaginative in every sense of the word. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. SNL Round Up

That’s a wrap on season 49! These sketches will be holding me over till the Saturday Night Live’s golden jubilee begins in the fall: 

“Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (4618 with Dua Lipa)

“OBGYN” (4618)

“Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2” (4619 with Maya Rudolph)

“Weekend Update: A Woman Who Insists She's Not Mad” (4619)

“Monologue” (4620 with Jake Gyllenhaal)

“Dad Has a Cookie” (4620)

“Fast Fashion Ad” (4620)

“NYPD Press Conference” (4620)

And if you're still laughing at "Beavis and Butt-Head" from Ryan Gosling's episode last month, don't miss these behind-the-scenes articles about the viral fave:

“Heidi Gardner Couldn’t Prepare for What She Saw,” Vulture.com (2024)

“Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making,” gizmodo.com (2024)

5. Zillow Gone Wild (2024-)

@ZillowGoneWild has been one of my best Instagram follows for years, so you know I’m all in on the HGTV series. Can you live inside a former missile silo? Did you know a real-life house inspired the dwarfs’ cottage in Snow White? How would you renovate a 17,000 square-foot church to make it a home? Host Jack McBrayer is stopping by the craziest Zillow listings (and more than once in my hometown of St. Louis), which you can imagine inspires hilarious commentary along the way.

MORE MAY CROWD-PLEASERS // Olivia Rodrigo’s bonus tracks on GUTS (spilled) (2024) are five more album-worthy pop-punk bangers and folksy bops // Even though I find puppets unsettling, the Prime rom-com Música (2024) is proof Camila Mendes has the “it” factor and writer/actor/director/musician Rudy Mancuso should direct a full-blown musical // Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) is the least successful of the modern Apes franchise, but I’m still in on this dystopian adventure world // It’s a shame Rutherford Falls (2021-22) was cancelled just as it was finding its groove in Mike Schur’s canon with its big ideas like The Good Place, its small town cast of characters like Parks and Recreation, and its problematic lead like The Office // Angela Lansbury time travels to the Antebellum South in a mystery with thorny issues still relevant today in Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)

May Critic Picks

1. The Way We Were (1973)

After a longer-than-planned hiatus, SO IT’S A SHOW? has returned! We’re breaking our typical mold in our seventh and final season (much like the seventh season of Gilmore Girls—IYKYK), and after a quick catch up in ep. 137 (though not without plenty of discussion of what the Palladinos are working on right now and a new Gilmore children’s book), we dig into our newest pop culture reference. In ep. 138, we’re discussing the the ‘70s weepy The Way We Were, which features a Palladino-esque heroine, Robert Redford in a cable knit sweater, heartache, laugher, and Communism all in one neat package! We discuss the cultural changes in parenting since then, why the Gilmores reference this movie several times in the series, and yes, Robert Redford in that cable knit sweater. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Jane Austen—you ever heard of her? She’s pretty good! Though it always takes me a minute to get into the rhythm of her writing, her characters and plotting never disappoint. This romantic comedy focuses on lovers separated by society reuniting almost a decade later, and as always, their story is funny and swoon-worthy.

3. Audrey Hepburn in Paris by Meghan Friedlander (2024)

I have admired Audrey Hepburn as a performer, fashion icon, work-life balance enthusiast, and humanitarian since I was 15, and the creator of Rare Audrey Hepburn has captured the beauty of each of those roles in her first book. With a journalistic attention to detail, Meghan Friedlander reports on the sets, theaters, and fashion houses Hepburn graced during her frequent visits to France. This book is both a unique biography and a gorgeous coffee table book that fans of Hepburn, fashion, and film history won’t want to miss.

4. Thelma & Louise (1991)

Kyla and I also chatted about the crime classic Thelma & Louise on SO IT’S A SHOW?. What does this movie have to say about female friendships? What did we think of THAT ending? And is Rory totally a Thelma? We discuss that and more in ep. 139. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Good Reads

Recently I’ve been reading and thinking about…

The movies…

“Ryan Gosling’s Best Co-stars Are His Jackets,” Vulture.com (2024)

"The Power of the Planet of the Apes,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“‘Mum Knew What Was Going On’: Brigitte Höss on Living at Auschwitz, in the Zone of Interest Family,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

Men and women…

"Trying to Decipher a Man’s Mind? Now There’s a Name for That,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

“Why Your Big Sister Resents You,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Executive Women Are Wearing Sequins to Work. ‘I Made the Decision to Be Seen,’ WSJ.com (2024) 

“The Menstrual Mood Disorder You’ve Never Heard About,” TIME.com (2024)

“Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Australian State Appoints Official for ‘Men’s Behavior Change’ as Outcry Over Violence Against Women Grows,” CNN.com (2024)

America…

“How America Got Mean,” TheAtlantic.com (2023)

“Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave,” AtlasObscura.com (2024)

“How to Be Less Busy and More Happy,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“America’s Best Decade, According to Data,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

Asia…

“China’s Age of Malaise,” NewYorker.com (2023)

“How China Miscalculated Its Way to a Baby Bust,” WSJ.com (2024)

“China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No,” WSJ.com (2024) 

“Overworked South Koreans Unwind With Pet Rocks—‘Like Talking to Your Dog,’” WSJ.com (2024)

“The Land That Doesn’t Need Ozempic,” TIME.com (2024) 

The Internet…

“Our Entire Society Is Becoming Addicted to Sports Gambling,” NewRepublic.com (2024)

“Hold Your Clapbacks,” ChristianityToday.com (2024)

“Stop Filming Yourself at the Gym Already,” WSJ.com (2024)

“Is Uber Strangling the Restaurant Business?,” insights.som.yale.edu (2024) 

MORE MAY CRITIC PICKS // The Moulin Rouge! National Tour finds new ways to update my beloved musical // Like all Douglas Sirk films, Magnificent Obsession (1954) looks incredible // Sofia Coppola and Celine Song chatted on the A24 podcast, and they spoke to my soul // Amy (2015) is making everyone wonder why Back to Black was ever made (keep reading for more on that new biopic) // Born to Kill (1947) is an underrated film noir // Caroline Polachek’s album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (2024) is scratching the Imogen Heap itch I’ve had for awhile now // The scandals Ryan Gosling and George Clooney are caught up in The Ides of March (2011) already feel quaint, but I’m still thinking about days later

Also in May…

Young Woman and the Sea is a little choppy, but it’s good pick for family movie night. Read my full review for ZekeFilm.

I watched my worst movie of the year so far, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV.

Photo credits: Zillow Gone Wild, Persuasion, Audrey Hepburn, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.

[jenringwrites]

Arts Coast Magazine features detail how to enjoy the arts in Pinellas County

Stop by Creative Pinellas ' website before you dig into all those "Best of 2023" articles floating around the interwebs.

This month, Creative Pinellas' Arts Coast Magazine published two articles on the best Pinellas County art experiences. As you may have guessed, I wrote one of them.

I logged all my Pinellas County art experiences during November, aka ART'n month. I drove past countless murals, saw art and listened to Celtic music in Dunedin's Highlander Park, listened to blues music in Pioneer Park, went to a book signing, visited the Museum of Fine Arts and The Factory in St. Pete, and much more.

I created a postcard for every place I visited and every event I attended. Each card briefly introduces one of the many ways I enjoy Pinellas County's art scene.

I saw (and heard) a lot of art this November, but it's not even half of what Pinellas County has to offer.

Arts Coast Magazine editor Sheila Cowley reached out to Pinellas County artists and Arts Coast Magazine contributors to collect their favorite Pinellas County arts experiences for the Art Coast Magazine feature, "Favorite Arts Experiences in Pinellas County." They wrote about public art projects in Tarpon Springs, Gulfport, and St. Pete; unforgettable performances at The Studio @620, American Stage, and The Palladium; finding inspiration at The Dali and more.

And that's not all. Creative Pinellas' Arts Coast Guide lists even more ways to enjoy Pinellas County's art scene with family and friends in 2024.

Happy holidays and happy reading! See you in 2024!

[musicblogwales]

Swansea Sound announce new album 'Twentieth Century'

An album of sparkling pop-punk tunes from these lovable veterans of the indie scene, Featuring Hue (The Pooh Sticks) and Amelia (Heavenly) deploying their fuzzed-up guitars and melodic wiles in a set of loud, energetic pop songs, an album, containing self-deprecating critiques of everything that was supposed to be great about the alternative culture of the Twentieth Century – and of the way that culture left its adherents totally ill-equipped to deal with the reality of the Twenty First. 

Released on the 8th of September via Skep Wax Records, format's will include Vinyl LP CD and digital versions.

Swansea Sound Full Lineup includes

Hue Williams (The Pooh Sticks), Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (both Talulah Gosh/Heavenly, The Catenary Wires), Bob Collins (The Dentists, The Treasures of Mexico), Ian Button, (Death in Vegas, with Louis Philippe, Pete Astor and Papernut Cambridge)

In Paradise, the first track, old-school futuristic synth-bleeps accompany Hue as he tries to establish some kind of relationship with a woman who only really exists on his screen.  Like an early 80s Gary Numan aficionado, he spends most of his life in digital isolation.  Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in a coltan mine, using their bare hands to dig out the precious ore that will provide the raw materials for the manufacture of Hue’s smartphone, impoverished workers lose their lives: ‘servers hum/and miners die’ goes the chorus, as the woman Hue hopes to communicate with remains as elusive as ever.

In ‘Click It And Pay’, another cracked duet, Hue is the stressed-out home-worker doing some online shopping.  Amelia is the girl in some distant hyper-warehouse who fulfils his requirements. They don’t get to meet – they will never meet - but they kind-of bond through CDs by The Police and Primal Scream that form part of his shopping list.   Twenty-First Century romance amounts to no more than the purchase of music reissued from the Twentieth.

The Twentieth Century provided other rock prophets: more political than Gary Numan, these men wore combat gear and sang of revolution.  In title track ‘Twentieth Century’ we meet a pseudo-punk singer in fatigues, a purveyor of radical anthems, cushioned by a major label deal, who wonders why he’s lost contact with his once-devoted fans.  One of those disappointed fans crops up in ‘I Don’t Like Men In Uniform’: it’s 2023 now, and he’s still angry, still seething with pain – but he’s no longer robust enough to sink his fists, or his teeth, into the authority figures he hates.  Meanwhile, in ‘Punish The Young’, an ageing rock icon and sometime rule-breaker curses the young people of 2023 who couldn’t care less about his heroic past, and despises them because they don’t want to work for shit wages on the trout farm that he bought with his royalties back in the 1980s

‘Greatest Hits Radio’ pulls focus, and suddenly we are looking at three centuries – the brutal Nineteenth Century slate mines of North Wales depicted alongside the digital corporations of the Twenty-First, extracting as much profit as they can from two things people need: shelter and entertainment.  In the chorus, once again, we hear the voice of the young girl forced to work in the contemporary coltan mine - as downtrodden and as abused as the kids who toiled underground in Blaenau Ffestiniog to extract the slate two hundred years ago.

This sounds grim, and if you look at the Twenty First Century hard enough, it really is.  So where is the hope?  Well, the music on the album really is joyful, and it really will put a smile on your silly indie face.  There’s a love song to Pete Shelley (‘Far Far Away’) - a tribute to a true Twentieth Century hero. And in the final track – ‘Pack The Van’ – the band make fleeting contact with the pure idealism of their early teenage years, remembering the beautiful beach on the South Wales coast that provided the backdrop to their passionate youth.  Maybe if we could access that optimism again we might find a way forward...

Anyway.  Swansea Sound themselves never pretend to be anything other than creatures of the Twentieth Century.  They still celebrate the joy of cramming into a car with loads of mates to see a gig at a crappy indie venue in the small town where they live (‘Seven In The Car’).  And they don’t see why that kind of joy needs to stop: in fact, it may be one of the important things we’ve got left.

Swansea sound will be recording a BBC6Music Riley & Coe session in September, and will be Hue Stephens’ album of the week on BBC Wales. They are touring the UK in September and October, then playing in the US and Japan in 2024.

Swansea Sound: a brief history.

Formed during lockdown, the band recorded three singles without actually meeting each other.  Corporate Indie Band appeared as a cassette on specialist label Lavender Sweep.  It got a lot of airplay, and the next releases were on 7” vinyl, including Indies Of the World, which made it into the UK vinyl Top 10.  A debut album, Live At The Rum Puncheon, was released in 2021 to considerable critical acclaim:

‘The glorious sounds of C86 brought into the now.’ Thomas Patterson, Shindig.

‘Close to an indie pop miracle.’ Tim Sendra, All Music.

‘An essential broadcast from the forefront of the indiepop resistance.’  Andy Brown, Louder than War.

TRACKLIST:

PARADISE

SEVEN IN THE CAR

KEEP YOUR HEAD ON

CLICK IT AND PAY

I DON’T LIKE MEN IN UNIFORM

TWENTIETH CENTURY

I MADE A WORK OF ART

MARKIN’ IT DOWN

PUNISH THE YOUNG

FAR FAR AWAY

GREATEST HITS RADIO

PACK THE VAN

Swansea Sound will play a number of live dates in the Autumn.

09 Sep 2023:  London, Rough Trade East, LP launch 14 Sep 2023:  Manchester, The Talleyrand 15 Sep 2023:  Cardiff, Moon Club 16 Sep 2023:  Carmarthen, Cwrw 17 Sep 2023:  Bristol, Rough Trade 29 Sep 2023:  St Leonards, The Piper 30 Sep 2023:  Paris, Popfest 13 Oct 2023:   Leeds, Wharf Chambers 14 Oct 2023:   Newcastle-On-Tyne, Cumberland Arms 27 Oct 2023:   Brighton/Hove, The Brunswick 28 Oct 2023:   London, The Water Rats

Music Blog Wales wish Swansea Sound all the best with the new release and all the tour dates, make sure you catch them live x

[rocknrollpourlavie]

[blueiscoool]

Rock Legend Pete Townshend’s $21 Million Historic London Mansion

Rock ‘n Roll royalty has passed through the doors of this magnificent London mansion built in 1775—and probably all-too-often passed out on the floors.

For a quarter-century, The Wick, as the house is known, has been home to legendary The Who lead guitarist and co-founder Pete Townshend.

Perched on a hilltop in the leafy West London suburb of Richmond upon Thames, with jaw-dropping views of the River Thames below—the view is so special it’s protected by a 1902 British Act of Parliament—this four-story, six-bedroom mansion offers over 8,500-square-feet of interior space.

Before Townshend bought it, it had been owned by Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood who had converted the home’s one-time billiards room into a recording studio.

It was here where the likes of Clapton and Bowie, Jagger and Richard, Harrison and McCartney—entering through a discreet side-street door—frequently showed-up to jam.

“We’d fall asleep on the studio floor and wake up to find a room full of musicians who hadn’t been there when we crashed,“ Wood wrote in his 2003 book Ronnie: The Autobiography.

But according to Perry Press, of London estate agents Pereds, that holds the coveted listing, an equally fascinating and star-studded part of the home’s history was when Ryan’s Daughter actor Sir John Mills owned The Wick.

“He had lots of photos of The Queen Mother around when she visited  the house, and told us stories of Sir Laurence Olivier and Gone With The Wind’s Vivien Leigh acting out a scene from Romeo and Juliet in front of the drawing room fireplace,” he tells Robb Report.

According to Press, Sir John bought the house in 1950, sold it in 1956, and bought it back again in 1964 before passing it on to Ronnie Wood in 1972.

“Almost as soon as he sold it to Ronnie, he was calling us to see if it was possible to buy it back. Either he was sentimentally devoted to the place, or just couldn’t make up his mind,” says Press.

The Rolling Stone guitarist, who recorded two solo albums at The Wick, would go on to sell the house in 1976 to music industry executive Derek “Dick” Leahy who produced George Michael, Donna Summer and Britain’s Bay City Rollers band.

The Grade 1 listed Georgian-style mansion was designed in 1775 by eminent architect and engineer Robert Mylne for a Lady St. Aubyn. It was built on the site of the Bull’s Head tavern and was steps away from the then newly created 2,500-acre Richmond Park—still the largest royal park in London.

“The design is like a doll’s house and gives the illusion of being much more modest in size than it is. The home was Listed Grade 1 in 1950 for its architectural and historic interest,” says Pereds’ Press.

Key features include stunning, oval-shaped living rooms with stately fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, an elegant drawing room with views of the river, a glass conservatory, a heated pool and pool house, a large storage cellar, plus secure parking for a dozen cars.

As for that famous basement recording studio, little is left. One of the rooms was turned into a wood-paneled TV room, while the other is, according to Press, ripe for converting into a gym.

Why has Townshend, 76, decided to sell? According to Press, he and his composer wife Rachel Fuller came to the decision after spending over a year in Covid-19 lockdown at their Oxfordshire country home, Ashdown House. With a luxury apartment in Central London as well, seems The Wick has become what Press calls “surplus to requirements.”

But don’t expect too much negotiation on price; Mr. Townshend is only accepting offers “in excess” of £15 million, or $20.8 million.

As for kicking back on the home’s 200 feet of terracing with sweeping views of the Thames, and thinking of all the great music created in the basement below? Priceless.

By Howard Walker.

[starleska]

👀 for augustus st cloud?

ohhhh my God Augustus 😳😳😳 i can only apologise for continuing to clog up his tag but given that there's just me and perhaps three other people enlightened enough to sincerely adore him, i think it's okay 😂

okay like i said in my last ask about Augustus, i was in complete denial about finding him attractive in any way, because i'm an idiot...and so is he 😭😭 i adore characters who are filled with such an extreme level of confidence that it defies any kind of social norms. characters who are so self-assured and feel that they are consistently in control regardless of how anyone else perceives them. Augustus is the epitome of that trope. he's a decadent, selfish, vain, gatekeeping capitalist whose self-worth hangs entirely on his wealth, and being able to throw said wealth around to humiliate a man who is much smarter than him. and honestly, that is sexy 😂💖 i just love how intense and ridiculous he is. the depths to which he will sink, the complexity of the scenes he will craft all for the sole purpose of feeling superior ticks some boxes that...really shouldn't be ticked 😳

i know many people won't get it because he evolved from an amusing, yet promising, threat into pure comic relief, and he is intentionally written as an embarrassing, unlikable person, but man, he is still winning at everything!! his dynamic with Pete and Billy shows us that Augustus is a caricature of the kind of person we love to hate. someone who, regardless of their personal failings, hasn't ever needed to work a day in their lives - and they're totally fine no matter the losses they suffer. and i love that about him. he's a horrible human being who uses his exorbitant wealth on childish powerplays just to fuck with the heads of his enemies, because he has no concept of needing to help people.

those are two things i love in a character: a complete lack of concern for social mores and other people, and their level of focus. any character who literally makes a detail-perfect recreation of an 80s music video specifically to anger his enemies is on a level of unhinged i can't not be attracted to. likewise, i can't help but imagine what it would be like to be under that kind of laser-like attention. Augustus may spend most of his time attempting to prove his superiority over Billy, but he is highly intelligent and capable of some next-level cruelty. Spanakopita! is my absolute favourite episode of The Venture Brothers for all of the amazing Augustus content, especially because he is so in control of the whole thing. the way he cheats and rigs each of the games in favour? the fact that he was totally fine to kidnap and either kill or seriously harm Pete just to get the crown? fucking exquisite. he isn't above making people he doesn't like extremely uncomfortable, or even physically harming them. pure girlboss behaviour, i love him 🥰💖

plus, the voice. shut up i KNOW he sounds like the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons but (especially in his earlier, intimidating episodes) he has this gorgeous, throaty little drawl that just makes my heart skip;;; nerdy weirdos with strange voices get me eeeevery time. i legit think he looks cool as fuck too? i love a prissy, morally defunct capitalist (it's the Once-ler's fault) but he really do be rocking the purple suit + orange wig combo. i do headcanon the shades as being a medical necessity due to his disabilities, and damn if it isn't an excellent look. his mannerisms also delight me too 😭 he has this languid, unhurried way of walking, gesturing and talking which i genuinely find very attractive. as someone who simply wants to be negged, what is sexier than a man who has neither the time nor the inclination to even deign to address you? 😳

all in all, i love Augustus because he's vicious, petty, eccentric, stylish, and above all hilarious. literally everything that comes out of his mouth makes me smile. i feel that in his presence i would literally be incapable of experiencing day-to-day anxiety ever again, just based on his ludicrous and luxurious quality of life. Augustus was perhaps the best little fandom surprise i've had over the pandemic, and i'm grateful for all the content of him we got :3c

[ask game]

[leafblower]

Music I listened to *A LOT* in 2021

Here is a bunch of mostly old stuff I listened to this year.

1) Instrumental hip hop, mostly by Pete Rock, an absolute master of the form. I highly recommend his album Return of the SP-1200. Also check out Jimmy Eden Moon’s channel on YouTube, particularly this mix.

2) Sadevillan EPs 1 & 2. I just discovered these a few months ago and I cannot stop listening to them. The best hip-hop I’ve heard in YEARS. 

3) Ghostface Killah - The Lost Tapes - This short album from 2018 is all bangers. Snoop and Tricky make appearances. I never doubted you, Ghostface.

4) My Morning Jacket - “Wasted” The jam that starts at about the 2:20 mark is extremely my shit.

5) Spoon - “The Hardest Cut” -  We all need new Spoon in our life.

6) Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams - Arlo Parks is the truth.

7) Pavement - 4-21-1997 @ Missoula Copper Commons - Another old thing I just discovered. Is this the best Pavement bootleg ever? “Passat Dream,” The Hexx,” and “Blue Hawaiian” are all incredible. And they play “Westie Cannot Drum” and “Gangsters and Pranksters.” 

6) Broken Social Scene - 1-18-2011 @ Terminal Five - Another amazing bootleg with all my fave BSS songs.

7) Gruff Rhys - Seeking New Gods - Gruff’s second best solo album, tons of hooks and full of his trademark wit.

8) Lee Perry - Dubz of the Root - I won’t lie and claim I’ve been into Lee Perry for years, I’ve dabbled here and there but I started listening to this a lot after his death and it really hit different.

9) Johnny Marr - Call the Comet - I didn’t like this album when it came out in 2018 but I gave it a few more listens earlier this year and it really clicked for me. I absolutely love listening to Johnny Marr play guitar. It’s so soothing (again, a big theme for me this year).

10) Martina Topley Bird - Forever I Wait - Been a fan forever, so happy to get great new music from her. It also caused me to dip back into Tricky’s catalog.

11) Super Furry Animals - “It’s Not The End of the World” -  The most underrated song on their re-released masterpiece album from 2001. I’m soooo happy to finally have this album on vinyl.

Best shows:

I got to go to shows this year!

1) MMJ @ MPP - Not the first show I saw post-pandemic, but the biggest. So good.

2) IDLES @ 9:30 Club - So much energy, so much fun.

3) The Flaming Lips @ The Anthem - Hearing songs from the Ego Trippin’ at the Gates of Hell EP was fun and it was worth hanging around to hear “Feeling Yourself Disintegrate.” I still have confetti in my camera bag.

4) St. Vincent @ All Things Go - She’s a bonafide amphitheater act now. Absolutely crushed it.

5) Arlo Parks @ Union Stage - See above.

6) Avett Brothers @ Camden Yards - Not my usual fare but they were great and I shot this show for the Orioles!

(I had tickets to go see The Hives in Atlanta but chickened out on going as I wasn’t sure the venue was doing an all vaxxed crowd. That would have been #1, obvs.)

[tvguidancecounselor]

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 619: Jack Sholder

June 19 - 25, 1953

This week Ken welcomes professor, writer, producer and director Jack Solder (Nightmare on Elm St. 2, By Dawn's Early Light, The Hidden, 12:01, Alone in the Dark) to the show.

Ken and Jack discuss growing up in Philly, growing up playing trumpet, being a classical musician, realizing you're good but not GREAT at something, becoming an editor, the rhythm of cuts, working at New Line Cinema, Caroline Biggerstaff, poses vs pauses, editing The Burning, learning by doing, creating suspense, revival art house cinema, the genius of Buster Keaton, exploitation films, Ed Sullivan, Uncle Milty, 1950s music shows, the cultural scene of the 1950s, Uncle Pete Boyle, Chief Halftown, kids shows, Life of Reilly, Magnavox, The DuMont Network, newspapermen, The Big Story, The Big Picture, the strangeness of modern day network TV, the personal nature of TV, working with Harvey Keitel, swapping India for Eastern Europe, the fake Indian word for "Roll 'em" Easta Sasusaway, never being Mr. Wizard, Big Top with Jack Sterling, Wrestling, boxing, You Asked for It, Fearless Ed, Variety Shows, New York Socialites and Intellectuals, Dinah Shore, representations of gay people on TV, Ernie Kovacs, Red necks, Farmers, how your car key fob is more powerful than the computer that sent men to the moon, the world after cell phones, Alan Funt, Candid Camera, Kids Say the Darndest Things, UHF stations, Dragnet, American Bandstand, 12:01, The Hidden, the gayest Nightmare on Elm St film, Robocop, working with Jake the Dog, and the strangeness of The Omen The Series pilot.

[danwhobrowses]

20 AEW Dark and Elevation Regulars that AEW should sign

Now I know, AEW has a very stacked roster, in fact I've considered writing an essay on the risk of AEW's growing roster being top-heavy

I mean we've barely scraped the potential of Brian Cage, Scorpio Sky, Wardlow, Sammy Guevara, TH2, Sonny Kiss, Matt Sydal, Proud and Powerful, Nick Comoroto, Will Hobbs, Serena Deeb (who I know is injured atm), and many more. But with Rampage oncoming maybe there is room for them.

But, we'll stick a pin in that for now, because tonight is AEW's 100th Episode of Dark. A big deal still considering it's one of AEW's 2 weekly youtube wrestling shows, and one of AEW's many Youtube weekly shows if you include vlogs such as BTE, SammysVlogs, Ethan Page's vlog and the AEW-promotional Countdown to and Outside the Ring with Lexy Nair segments and the Unrestricted Podcast. In the pandemic era, Dark became a home to several indie talents in need for work, some got signed but not all, so I'm gonna list 10 men's and 10 women's wrestlers who were regulars on Dark and Elevation who AEW can and should still sign

Note: I will not be including wrestlers who look set for regularity, so Wheeler Yuta, Jora Johl, Fuego and the Wingmen won't be on the list, as will any AEW Women's tournament entrants (Maki Itoh, Madi Wrenkowski, Nicole Savoy etc.). Danny Limelight and Konosuke Takeshita are also signed to MLW and DDT Pro just fyi

10 Men AEW should sign

The men's division is already stacked, and it has a lot of up and comers too, but there are still a few areas where AEW's Dark stalwarts have proven they can fill a void for.

Honorable mentions for: JDX, El Australiano, M'Badu, Jake St. Patrick, Brick Aldridge, Megabyte Ronnie, Suge 'Pineapple Pete' D and Vary Morales. Also Kidd Bandit, but he hasn't wrestled on Dark or Elevation so I couldn't add him in.

10. Marty Casaus Better known as Marty 'the Moth' Martinez from Lucha Underground, Marty trained with AEW after some time out with injury and made some appearances on Dark. As the Moth, Marty demonstrated his character work as a gross heel, but his size was also an asset to his disturbed and near-psychotic persona.

9. Dean Alexander An alumnus of the Nightmare Factory, Alexander has frequented on Dark and Elevation usually in tag action where he hasn't been able to get his dickhead persona across. He is your traditional cocky heel which in the Nightmare Factory showcases has led to his hilarious downfalls, even losing to Negative One in his multiple failures to win in the Main Event of these showcases. Frankly, this is what Baron Corbin should be like if you're gonna mock him, he's also very impressive in the ring.

8. Dillon McQueen Another Nightmare Factory alum, Dillon McQueen has also only been used for jobbing, but his character is actually great. The King of Queens, Dillon brims charisma that would be a winner for crowds, but he has a babyface fire to him as well, easily could be a rising talent with the right training.

7. Dan Barry To be honest, I like his Hawaiian Shirts. He has a lot of experience in the indies and can work in a similar way Colt Cabana works balancing serious and comedy wrestling, would just be pretty cool to see him more.

6. & 5. TNT (Terrence and Terrell Hughes) Sons of D-Von Dudley, TNT have had less appearances on AEW as of recent, which is a shame, because they can definitely be developed as some of the next gen tag teams the Acclaimed and Blonds have been. AEW haven't shied from legacy wrestlers in the past, and the duo definitely have potential.

4. Chandler Hopkins Chandler Hopkins has shown up to be squashed by the big men a lot, but somehow he also manages to eke out some strong entertainment and fluid wrestling in it. His match against Brian Cage is an effective example of this. Like Fuego, Chandler is definitely someone you can use on the undercard for some enhancement, maybe even push up once more character comes across.

3. Ryzin Ryzin has stuck with AEW for quite a while now, even having skits on BTE. The Unholy Father however never got a W on AEW, which is a shame because he has character and promo skills in hand. He could easily be a fit for Chaos Project as well or teamed with Abandon in a James Mitchell kinda role.

2. Carlie Bravo One of the first class alums of the Nightmare Factory, Carlie Bravo remains charismatic and athletic in his showings, he even had a great little pairing with Shawn Dean until Dean's signing, I'd love to see them bring that back - two Navy veterans tearing up the tag scene would be pretty awesome.

1. Baron Black Few have stayed the course during the pandemic era like Baron Black. Debuting in April and still yet to get his first win, he was one of the three touted stars by Cody on Sammy's vlog who he encouraged to be booked around the world because of his workrate and skill. If anyone has earned it that isn't named Fuego del Sol (or that other name Cody mentioned), it's Baron Black.

10 Women AEW should sign In contrast to the men's division, AEW's women's roster does look like it could use some buffing, for midcard and even building more stars.

Honorable mentions are plenty in this one, so just missing out are the following: Ashley D'Amboise, Leila Grey, Renee Michelle, Jazmin Allure, Savannah Evans, Willow Nightingale, the Renegade Twins, Holidead, Kenzie Paige, Jennacide and Brooke Havok (who I would guess will be signed once her leg recovers).

10. Ashley Vox With or without her Sea Stars tag partner, Delmi Exo, Ashley Vox has proven herself a frequent flier for AEW. Talented in singles and tag competition. She also has a strong rapport with many of AEW's current roster.

9. Alex Gracia The Pink Dream has been on ROH as of recent but remains a freelancer, her last appearance being a squash from Dr. Britt Baker DMD. AEW must've been high on Gracia at one point because they gave her a title shot on Dynamite. With experience in Shimmer and Stardom, Gracia would definitely be a worthy addition.

8. Tesha Price Another woman who AEW put on Dynamite rare times, Tesha proved herself to play face and heel during her time on Dark and Elevation. As a heel she showed a lot of fire especially against KiLynn King and Ryo Mizunami, the Psycho Sweetheart definitely has something she can give to the division - who are tbf lacking in heels right now.

7. Vertvixen I am not sure what it is about Vertvixen specifically, but whenever I see her I think she has the look, not to mention the athleticism to boot. Her triple threat on MPW against Jennacide and Jazmin Allure was a definite highlight as of recent.

6. Miranda Alize A former Mae Young Classic competitor, like Jennacide and Gracia she's recently been used by ROH, but she is definitely a confident wrestler and does not shy from the intergender matches either, having fought Laredo Kid and Danny Limelight. She's worked with many impressive wrestlers too, including an Impact Knockouts Title match against Jordynne Grace and matches against Deonna, Taya and Tessa.

5. Reka Tehaka The Samoan Savage may've debuted on AEW's first ever house show, but regular Dark and Elevation appearances have been met with positive reactions. Being partly trained by the Nightmare Factory, Tehaka has done well to establish herself despite only wrestling for a year and a half, she could definitely be a prospect.

4. Veda Scott Okay, so I cheated a little by saying no competitors, but I could not leave out Veda on this list. She has in-ring talent and intergender experience - tagging with her Speedball husband - but on AEW Dark and the Deadly Draw she proved herself excellent on commentary. A female voice in the booth even for just the women's matches would go a long way for the division and Veda's the perfect voice for it.

3. Dani Jordyn The Mean Girl is definitely someone you can call a regular on Dark and Elevation. She works hard and works with a lot of main roster talent, and I don't think I've seen her put on a bad match. So it would be nice to reward her with a contract.

2. Diamante It still baffles me actually that Diamante has yet to become All Elite. Deadly Draw winner and involved in a lot of the Elevation/Dark women's feuds, Diamante has a wealth of knowledge and experience under her belt. She's still popular with fans and can easily step back into her LAX days by pairing with the Inner Circle. Few unsigned talent have won as much as her too, I would say it's when rather than if, but when is taking a long ass time.

1. KiLynn King The three names Cody praised highly were Fuego, Baron Black and KiLynn King, so I think above all else they should be given contracts. In fact, I was surprised King wasn't on the Dark 100 card, by virtue that although King has shown up on Dynamite a few times, she has been on Dark and Elevation 41 times since debuting in May 2020, it was a shock that someone so regular wasn't on the card. King showed she could work as the bully heel but also as a charismatic babyface, even having a little faction brewing with Swole and Red Velvet as RSK, but when crowds came back we seemed to drop the potential of AEW's first all-women faction. King is over with fans...so long as you don't put her against someone as over as Thunder Rosa, and she has put on some lowkey bangers during her time on AEW, especially the one against Riho. Tall and powerful, but fun in the ring and outside the ring with clips of her in the crowd chanting and even vibing to Angelico's music. King would definitely be on the top of my list of AEW Dark regulars that deserve a contract.

I'm sure I might've missed some and opinions may differ, but I think these lot would definitely be able to fit into AEW effortlessly thanks to their time on Dark and Elevation. Many of whom could be used to build or become future champions themselves, and I hope still to see more of them beyond Dark 100.

[jenringwrites]

WEEKEND ARTINGS: Holiday shopping opportunities and more

Kress Contemporary celebrates one year of programming (and the holidays) in Ybor City with art, music, and good cheer. Thurs., 6-9 p.m.

The MFA celebrates the holidays in St. Pete with live music, hot chocolate or cider, and holiday cookies. Thurs., 6-9 p.m.

Tombolo Books celebrates their 4th Anniversary with a Holiday Night Market. Thurs., 5-8 p.m.

Tampa arts leaders Amanda Poss (HCC) and Tracy Midulla (Tempus Projects) speak about growing the arts in Ybor City bright and early Friday morning at The Portico. Fri., 8-9 a.m.

Clearwater’s Coachman Park screens Polar Express in a special holiday edition of Scenes on the Green. Fri., 7-10 p.m.

Artists of Elements celebrates their grand opening in St. Pete with art, live music, food and drink. Kick off Fri., 6-8 p.m.

The Dali hosts a special holiday edition of The Dome After Dark with an ugly sweater contest, a holiday-themed interactive art activity, and holiday specials at Café Gala. Fri., 6:30-9 p.m.

The Studio@620 hosts HOLIZAAR, their annual handmade holiday gift bazaar, in St. Pete. Sat., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Pinellas Arts Village’s Christmas Block pARTy brings artful holiday shopping opportunities to Pinellas Park. Sat., 4-9 p.m.

It’s Santa Saturday at Heritage Village in Largo. While you’re at Pinewood, create poinsettia portraits with watercolors at Creative Pinellas Sat., 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Fringe Theatre hosts their inaugural Whinge Festival, where local performing artists try out new ideas. Sat. & Sun.

[rocknrollpourlavie]