Chad VanGaalen’s Infiniheart is a collection of home-recorded songs that was first put out by Calgary-based micro-label Flemish Eye. The album’s earned comparisons to everything from the Flaming Lips to Cat Power to Neil Young, but saying it sounds like anything you’ve ever heard
The ATP-organized Don’t Look Back gigs feature “classic albums” performed in their entirety by all-original lineups: Step forward, Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney, and the Lemonheads. It’s an idea that smacks of selling out and dumbing down, a pipe-and-slippers rock show for aging grungesters who no
I’ve probably bought more copies of Helen DeWitt’s The Last Samurai than any other novel, because I give them away constantly and need to replenish my stock. What a book! Crammed with smarts and adventure and a very full heart—and nothing to do with that Tom Cruise
Tired of picking up an esteemed magazine only to see that it has turned into a disguised catalog of what to buy next? Well, consume Stay Free Magazine. It’s more than just about skewering corporate marketing with hilarious mock-ads. It’s more than just articles about employee personality
You know how teachers are always spending their own money on fun things for their classroom? Fun things like paper and books? Donorschoose.org is a brilliant site that lets you fund classroom projects. Teachers submit requests, and you decide who gets your cash. One teacher in San Francisco wants
Summer is drawing to a close. This is good, because it means fall is nearly here, and fall is pretty. But mainly it is bad, because it means pick-your-own-berries season is nearly over. Get out there while you can! Few things are more satisfying than coming home
No doubt in the future all our food will come out of pouches and packets, obviating the need for Cuisinart, All-Clad, and Wusthof doo-dads. My trusty rice cooker has been shelved since I discovered Zatarain’s microwaveable rice pouches, 10 flavors ready in 60 seconds. Straight from New
Fans of the Oxford American like to hate its editor, Mark Smirnoff. He repeatedly runs the magazine into the ground only to resurrect it after months of radio silence. But then he puts out something like the 2005 Music Issue, and all is forgiven. An eclectic mix of obscure and
Aunt Trudy’s potato salad lasts about nine seconds in your mouth, but the fork you used to put it there will still be in a landfill after all your kids are dead. Ditch the plastic and try using biodegradable tableware made from corn and potato resins. After lunch, dump
In two days I’m headed to the place where my family gathers every August, my enthusiasm high despite a mixed historical record. In my suitcase: a copy of the summer issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review. Why? Because I’m making every member of my family read Brock Clarke’
