Saturday, December 30, 2023

Favorites of 2023 | Movies

This movie-viewing year ends on a sad note for me, as the theater I have been going to for the past 25 years closed down just a few weeks ago. Almost every movie I've gone to see or have taken my kids to for two decades were watched in that theater. Huge bummer.

BUT, I got to see some great movies in that theater this year, including all three of my favorite movies of the year. Without further ado:




When I went to see Thanksgiving, I knew it would be my last movie in that theater, and it felt right. Horror movies are made for the theater, and I'm glad I got to see so many at my local theater over the years. Great memories!

Friday, December 29, 2023

Favorites of 2023 | Albums


It's the last few days of the year, and I like many others are reflecting on some of my favorite things from this past year. Being on multiple music podcasts means I listen to a lot of albums over the course of a year, and narrowing things down to just a few favorites is not possible. So, I'm going with my fifteen favorite albums of the year:


Overkill: Scorched

Creeper: Sanguivore

Dethklok: Dethalbum IV

Extreme: Six

Night Demon: outsider

Nita Strauss: Call of the Void

Metallica: 72 Seasons

Avenged Sevenfold: Life is But a Dream...

Winger: Seven

Baroness: Stone

KK's Priest: The Sinner Rides Again

The Hives: The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons

Mutoid Man: Mutants

Haunt: Golden Arm

In Flames: Foregone


These are not in any sort of ranked order, though if we do a Power Chords episode about our favorites, I'll have to narrow down a list of 10. I'm pretty sure that Overkill, Dethklok, and Creeper would be the top three for me, though. 


Monday, November 27, 2023

Thrash It Out Podcast | Volume 7--Track 1: Battle Beast


We are back with a brand new volume of Thrash It Out! To kick things off, Antony and I are diving into a super fun album from 2022, Circus of Doom from Battle Beast.



Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Thursday, November 16, 2023

TL;DR | Creeper’s Sanguivore Might be the Most Fun Album of the Year

This album came out of nowhere for me. Creeper have been around since 2014, but this is the first album I've caught from them, and I absolutely adore it. Not only does it have some excellent rock, metal, and punk elements, but it brings the theatrical flair I really love. The whole album is a vampire love story, and feels like Type O Negative + Meatloaf + Ghost + Billy Idol + My Chemical Romance. A campy blast from start to finish.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Convos With Creative People | Volume 2--Episode 4: Prepping for NaNoWriMo

 

Happy Friday the 13th to all who celebrate! Jolene Haley and I are back with a CWCP episode about prepping for National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo.org). We talk about how you can use the rest of this month to get ready for the 50k-word challenge. Even though we focus on NaNo, you can apply most of what we talk about to any large creative project you might be preparing for.

For the horror fans out there, we also talk about the scary movies we’ve been watching, and give some recommendations for movies you can spend the rest of October enjoying.


Thanks for listening! Next month we’ll be back to our regular format and will have a guest joining us, so stay tuned!

J & B

Monday, October 9, 2023

TL;DR | Totally Killer is a Blast From the Past

You had me at “80s-inspired, time-traveling slasher.” I loved Kiernan Shipka in Sabrina, and it’s clear she’s got a long career in horror ahead of her if she wants it. Totally Killer has some great slasher moments, and while the jokes are sometimes a little too on the nose, the pace is brisk enough that there’s not a lot of time to dwell on what hits and what misses. Overall it’s a really fun time-traveling slasher story that pays homage to horror’s best era while being more entertaining than a lot of current horror flicks. Totally Killer succeeds in its mission, and has a blast doing it. I could see this making the yearly October watch list.

Thursday, September 21, 2023

TL;DR | One Piece is So Fun and Full of Heart

I have only seen about three episodes of the One Piece anime, and I have never read the manga. I always felt like I would love it if I just dove in, but I didn’t have the time to invest in the long-running series. From the first trailer for the live action adaptation though, I knew I would be watching it. And holy crap, I absolutely loved the first season. It’s so earnest and heartfelt, and the themes of friendship and following your dreams are ever-present. It reminds me of the Paddington movies, which I adore. I cannot wait for season two.


Sunday, September 10, 2023

Thrash It Out Podcast | Vol 6--BONUS TRACK: Yngwie Malmsteen


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and it's our bonus track for this volume! We discuss why "more is more" as we dive into Yngwie Malmsteen's 1984 shredfest, Rising Force.




Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Friday, August 25, 2023

New Music Friday | August 25, 2023

 

Happy new music Friday, friends!

Some great stuff this week, led by the new Dethklok album for me--it's amazing. I am digging the new Asking Alexandria as well, and I was totally surprised by the new Vandenberg album, which sounds like it could have been the next Whitesnake album right after Slip of the Tongue. 80s fans should be checking that out. 

What are you listening to this weekend?

Monday, August 7, 2023

Monday, July 24, 2023

Convos With Creative People | Volume 2--Episode 3: Karin Wu

 

We are back with a super-sized episode, featuring one of our favorite people, Karin Wu! Karin has over 20 years of experience in nonprofit, education, gaming, fashion, and other industries, leading marketing, fundraising, product development, and distribution in both domestic and international markets. She shares her creative journey with us, and we take a deep dive into what it means to be a creative leader, and how to stay true to what you value the most. 

You can connect with Karin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinwu.

You can also learn more about Karin in this fantastic episode of the Totally Human podcast, where she and host Liya James talk more about leadership and allyship. https://youtu.be/se8KkcMAXFo 

Thanks for listening! 

J & B

Monday, July 3, 2023

Thrash It Out Podcast | Vol 6--Track 13: Blind Guardian


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and we are discussing one of the pioneers of power metal! We take a trip to another world with Blind Guardian, and their 1995 epic, Imaginations from the Other Side.



Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Power Chords Podcast: Track 86--Extreme and Winger




Opening Act: 
New Metalocalypse on the way
Motley Crue teasing new song
Mick Mars solo album details
Dokken's new album coming in September
Withering Scorn debut album arriving July 7 on Frontiers (Video: Prophets of Demise: https://youtu.be/zmXrcKPHVXQ)

Ear Candy: 
Extreme - Six (2023) 
Winger - Seven (2023)  

Seven Degrees of Frankie B.

Bonus Track: From the Sea by Alice Loves Alien
Learn more about the band and check out some of their other tunes at www.alicelovesalien.com

Thanks for listening! If you're subscribing on iTunes or Google play, please leave us a review, as it will help spread the word about the show! You can find more news, reviews, and discussion at powerchordspodcast.com.

Saturday, June 24, 2023

TL;DR | Seven Is a Little More Kip Than Winger

 

After a nine year wait since 2014’s Better Days Comin’, I am so glad Winger is back. Seven is a lot of what you’d expect from the band—melodic, catchy, heavy at times, and technically impressive. I dig all the songs on this one, and there are some standouts that we’ll definitely see on live setlists in the future. But I can’t help feeling a tiny bit disappointed with how restrained Reb Beach is on this album. Aside from a couple songs where he lets loose, he feels underutilized to me, making Seven feel more like a Kip Winger solo album in parts. I wanted a bit more from this full band effort, but still very grateful for what I got. 

Saturday, June 10, 2023

TL;DR | Across The Spider-Verse is a Visual Buffet for Spider-Fans

As a lifelong Spider-Man fan, and someone who owns every 2099 comic that was published in the 90s, I still cannot believe this movie exists. Despite the laugh out loud moments of ATSV, this is definitely the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy for sure. The story is powerful, the action is great, but the star of ATSV is the incredible design and animation of every single frame of this movie. An awe-inspiring work of art that will be studied for decades. I love this movie, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it happen.

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Thrash it Out Podcast | Vol 6--Track 12: W.A.S.P.


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and it's one that many of our listeners have been waiting for! We're finally talking about W.A.S.P., and the debut album that shocked the world (and the PMRC) back in 1984.




Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Monday, May 15, 2023

Convos With Creative People | Volume 2--Episode 2: Victoria Nations

 

We couldn’t wait a whole month! We’re back with a new episode, and we are joined by our amazing friend and incredible writer and poet, Victoria Nations. We chat with Vicki about her creative journey, how she crafts incredible short stories, and her intentional approach to the business side of being a creator. We also get into a deep discussion about finding your community, reflecting on how we all found each other and have created an amazingly supportive community of our own.



Here’s where you can fund Vicki and her work:
Website: https://victorianations.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Leaves_Cobwebs
Tumblr: http://tumblr.com/victorianations-writer

Here are links to resources we talked about in this episode:
Richard Thomas and Storyville Studio
https://storyvilleonline.com/class-basics
LitReactor
https://litreactor.com/classes/upcoming
Speculative Fiction Academy
https://www.speculativefictionacademy.com/courses
Cat Rambo’s The Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers
http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/academy/
NaNoWriMo
https://nanowrimo.org

Here are some free small press Discord communities with writing and publishing discussions:
Tenebrous Press
https://discord.gg/pDMxEgUh
Ghoulish Books
https://discord.gg/bN5BY6cR

And here are the links to the recent books launched by our awesome Midnight Society pals:
The PhDidn't Handbook: How to Quit Grad School Like a Champ by Erica Davis:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2TBB7JS
Into The Gray by Kathleen Palm: 
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Gray-Kathleen-Palm-ebook/dp/B0BSVGDBGN

Thanks for listening! We’ll be back next month with another incredible creative guest, so stay tuned!

J & B

Sunday, May 7, 2023

TL;DR | Overkill’s New Album Scorched Is FIRE

This album absolutely rules. For almost 38 years now, Overkill has been arguably the most consistent thrash bands on the planet. New Jersey’s finest have even taken it up a notch on Scorched, which offers some nice surprises in addition to the tried and true, riff-filled, bass-driven brutality that is their signature sound. These guys are in their early sixties, and are still crushing it. Overkill is amazing. Get this album. 

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Convos With Creative People | Volume 2--Episode 1: A New Chapter With Jolene and Brian

 

It’s a new day! The CWCP podcast is back, and Jolene Haley is joining me as the co-host of the show. In this episode, Jolene and I catch everyone up on our creative adventures, talk about the projects we worked on for Camp NaNoWriMo, and discuss what’s filling up our creative cups lately.

Thanks for listening! Starting next month we’ll be welcoming a guest to the show each episode, so stay tuned!

J & B

Camp NaNoWriMo 2023 Was A Big Success

For the first time in years, I won a NaNo event. 

Every year I participate in at least one NaNoWriMo event, whether it be NaNo proper in November, or one of the Camp NaNo events in April and July. But for the past handful of years, I have not actually hit my word count goal, or in most cases, even come close to my goal.

But this year? I destroyed my goal. I had set out to write 500 words per day, aiming for a toal of 15,000 words by today, April 30th. I ended up averaging about 800 words a day, and finished at just over 24,000 words for the month.

More importantly, I have a full book draft.

This book will be my second nonfiction book. The first was Making Ear Candy, my podcasting how-to book that I wrote in 2013, and released the second edition of in 2017. In fact, I wrote the draft of Making Ear Candy during Camp NaNoWrimo in April of 2013. Ten years ago. 

The book I just drafted is about content strategy, which my career has revolved around for the past several years. I'll be talking a lot more about it over the next few months, as my goal is to release it over the summer.

I cannot overstate how creatively fulfilling it has been to participate in this Camp NaNo, set a goal of getting this draft completed, and actually accomplish that goal. There was a part of me that wondered if I still had it in me. Thanks to my family and friends, who are a constant source of support and inspiration.

The draft is just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to do, but for today at least, I'm going to celebrate. 

Congrats to everyone who participated in Camp NaNo this month! 


Sunday, April 23, 2023

Evil Dead Rise is Worthy of the Franchise Name

Evil Dead is tied with Friday the 13th for my favorite horror franchise of all time, and the first new theatrical entry in 10 years did not disappoint. Evil Dead Rise is a great addition to the franchise, and the type of horror movie we just don’t get enough of these days. Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise brings us somewhere new, and even expands the lore of the Evil Dead universe, while maintaining a connection to everything we know and love about the franchise.

The bulk of the story takes place in a soon to be demolished L.A. apartment building, where our hero Beth comes to visit her sister Ellie, her nieces Bridget and Kassie, and her nephew Danny. Unfortunately for all of them, their evening plans are about to be interrupted, on account of a certain book, and some words that bring the bad things.

The cast are all great, led by Lily Sullivan as Beth and Alyssa Sutherland as Ellie. Their sisters are the core of the story, and both are fantastic in their roles. This film had a budget of $19 million, and likely spent almost all of it on practical effects, which should make everyone happy. While the gore in Evil Dead Rise doesn’t quite reach the levels of the 2013 film, its high points are as good as any in the franchise. 

I will stay away from spoilers, but I loved how Cronin has expanded the lore of Evil Dead, as it  respects everything that has come before, and leaves every possibility for future stories open. He threaded the needle perfectly. There are also some great Easter eggs throughout the film, not just for this series, but some other horror classics as well.

I think that’s what makes Evil Dead as a franchise so impressive in 2023. The series is over 40 years old, and it feels as fresh as ever. I adored Fede Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead with Jane Levy, and with Evil Dead Rise, this is now two great entries in a row without Bruce Campbell, which most fans would have thought impossible. And we’ve also gotten a ton of Ash-related stories in between these two films, including comics, a video game, and three seasons of the Ash Vs. Evil Dead TV series. As producers, Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert have done a great job of shepherding this franchise, strengthening the foundation of the original films and making great choices with these two latest entries. I can’t wait to see where they take us next.

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Thrash it Out Podcast | Vol 6--Track 11: Backstage Pass with John Mason


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and it's a backstage pass, where we invite a listener on to talk about an album they absolutely love. Listener and Patreon supporter John Mason joins Antony and I to talk about Van Halen's 1980 album Women and Children First.



Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Saturday, April 15, 2023

TL;DR | Knock at the Cabin Is a Safe Adaptation of a Great Book

I raved about Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World when I read it back in 2019, so I was definitely intrigued when it was announced M. Night Shyamalan was doing a big screen adaptation of it. For a director known for his shocking twists though, the most surprising part of Knock at the Cabin was how safe he played it. The choice Shyamalan made resulted in a movie more palatable to mainstream audiences, though as with most adaptations, I prefer the book. Worth seeing for sure, through.   

Monday, March 27, 2023

Thrash it Out Podcast | Vol 6--Track 10: Venom


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and Antony and I discuss a foundational album that had a huge influence on metal--Venom's 1981 debut, Welcome to Hell. Come get a history lesson!



Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Sunday, March 26, 2023

TL;DR | M3GAN is Fun and Deserves a Director's Cut

I finally saw M3GAN this weekend, and the movie was a ton of fun. The vibe was more Deadly Friend than Child’s Play, and it works great. I’ll be following everything screenwriter Akela Cooper does at this point—the balance of humor and horror she strikes in both Malignant and M3GAN are what I always loved about 80s horror. What holds this movie back is the PG-13 rating, as it takes the teeth out of the horror elements. I am sure we will eventually get a rated R cut of this movie, and I cannot wait to see that.  

Sunday, March 12, 2023

TL;DR | Creed III Stands on its Own

I saw Creed III this weekend, and enjoyed it. While it was a bummer to not see Stallone’s Rocky in this movie, it’s also the first one to truly focus on Adonis Creed’s character. Jonathan Majors is fantastic as Creed’s childhood friend Damian, who comes back into Creed’s life after almost 20 years, looking to claim the life he believes Creed took from him. The story is great, and plants multiple seeds for future installments. My only complaint—even at two hours, it feels like there was a lot left on the cutting room floor. Hopefully we’ll get a director’s cut.

Sunday, March 5, 2023

TL;DR | Double Fine PsychOdyssey Might Be the Best Documentary Ever Made

I will likely be exploring this topic in a series of much longer posts in the future, but I need to get some thoughts down while they are still fresh in my mind. I just watched a 20+ hour documentary about the making of a sequel to a beloved adventure game that is both an incredible look into the creative process, and possibly the best case study of management and organizational culture I have ever seen. If your work involves collaborating on creative projects, or you are a manager of people, watch this whole series immediately.

Saturday, February 18, 2023

TL;DR | Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

This year I'm going to try and share bite-sized impressions of books, albums, shows, movies, and games in 100 words or less. I'll dive deeper on certain things in other posts, but this series will just be some quick thoughts.

I saw Quantumania last night, and enjoyed it overall. I thought the Quantum Realm was great and there are a lot of possibilities for future stories there. Performances were good all around. They did a good job setting up Cassie Lang as a character we will see a lot more of. As a vehicle for making Kang the next MCU big bad—I thought it fell short. They just didn’t provide enough clarity for non-comics readers about why Kang is an extinction-level threat, especially if you didn’t watch the first season of Loki. 

Monday, February 6, 2023

Thrash It Out Podcast | Vol 6--Track 9: White Lion


The latest episode of Thrash It Out is here, and Antony and I discuss one of my all-time favorite albums, White Lion's 1987 classic, Pride. Does he share my love for one of the most underrated bands of the the hair metal era? You'll have to listen to find out.



Get more episodes at thrashitout.com!

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Power Chords Podcast: Track 85--The Winery Dogs and SpiritWorld

 

Opening Act: 
35 year anniversary of So Far So Good So What on 1/19
Last in Line release single off upcoming Jericho album (March 31)
New Metallica song - Screaming Suicide from 72 Seasons (April 14)--National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.
Aldo Nova new album and possible tour
New Talk is Cheap episode (originalmatman.weebly.com)  

Ear Candy: 
The Winery Dogs - III (2023) 
SpiritWorld - Deathwestern (2022)

Bonus Track: Demons Down - I Stand
From the album I Stand, coming March 10th from Frontiers Music SRL.
Thanks for listening! If you're subscribing on iTunes or Google play, please leave us a review, as it will help spread the word about the show! You can also hit us up on twitter at twitter.com/powerchordspod, and email us at powerchordspodcast@gmail.com.

Sunday, January 1, 2023

A Year of Learning and Building

 

I spent my Christmas holiday in Maine visiting family, and had a little time to decompress and reflect on this past year. This picture is from Wells Beach, and the serene ocean view in this image does not convey the 13-degree temperature of that morning. It was still beautiful, though.  

At this stage of my career, happiness for me is a perfect balance between building and learning in my work. The first half of my 2022 was definitely more learning than building, primarily because I started a new job in February. Learning a new organization, a new team, my place within both, and how I could best contribute has been a challenging and rewarding process (and one that is still ongoing). The second half of the year shifted more into building mode, and I’m incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished. From a content strategy standpoint, we laid a strong foundation, and that puts us in great shape heading into 2023. 

So, even though I felt out of balance at times over this past year, the learning and building evened out in the end. For me, 2023 will be about keeping that balance throughout the year.