The Yellow Submarine Trifecta

"Can't help it. I'm a born 'Liver-pooler'." -Ringo in Yellow Submarine

The Beatles are recognized as one of the world’s most successful and innovative rock bands. They have provided the world with an eclectic array of talent, whether it is through the medium of music, film, art or even crafts. Their work still resonates to this day.

Some 44 years after its original release, the Beatles are proud to present their meticulously, frame-by-frame restoration of their film Yellow Submarine.

This brings back nostalgia in the highest resolution possible. Follow an animated journey with John, Paul, George and Ringo as they save Pepperland from the Blue Meanies. In addtion to an easy-to-follow plot line, viewers can get an inside feel for the Beatles-wit they were oh so famous for.

Well, some may say you can get an inside feel for the drugs they were all known for as well. If you have ever seen the original, you would know it is a euphoria of color, trippiness and utter weirdness.

The Yellow Submarine remake was released May 29^th, miraculously restored by hand by Triage Motion Picture Service and Eque Inc.

Lesser known by fans is the release of a new hardcover edition of the Yellow Submarine book (iTunes is even offering the digital version for free! Check it out!), and a reissue of the album.

Buy the film, book and album for a trifecta of humor that will surely ensue. Oh how I wish the Beatles were still around today. 

Click here for Rolling Stone's sneak preview of the film, and their behind the scenes video of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

Lessons Learned From a Wallflower: Five Ways to Feel Infinite

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." -Charlie, from Perks

A reason why I love the summer time so much is because it is one of the few extended occasions where I can just sit out side, soak up some harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun and read a good book.

I just finished Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky last week, and although I thought of it as a slightly more amateur version of Catcher in the Rye, I still felt compelled to share it; especially when I heard a movie was in the works (with Hermonie Granger).

The book follows Charlie, a nerdy freshman boy, who finds himself lost in the world of high school. And that's no piece of cake. He soon befriends a group of seniors and finds himself in a world of drugs, sexuality and literature: a place where he finally belongs. With some bumps in the way, Charlie learns to deal with the past and mature for the future he is destined to lead.

Cheesy summary, I know, but I did learn a lot from Charlie-- even besides some kickass songs from The Smiths. I compiled a list while reading, and am pleased to present my Lessons Learned from a Wallflower: Five Ways to Feel Infinite.

• Remember you are not alone in the world, even if you feel like it. “All the books you’ve read have been read by other people. And all the songs you’ve loved have been heard by other people. And that girl that’s pretty to you is pretty to other people. And you know that if you looked at these facts when you were happy, you would feel great because you are describing ‘unity.’”
• The more you see, the less you know. Charlie “used to be able to do it very easily, but that was before I knew what having a friend was like. It’s much easier not to know things sometimes. And to have French fries with your mom be enough.”
• Never stop asking why. “I almost didn’t get an A in math, but then Mr. Carlo told me to stop asking ‘why?’ all the time and just follow the formulas. So, I did. Now, I get perfect scores on all my tests. I just wish I knew what the formulas did. I honestly have no idea.”
• Always remember what’s important in life. “And I made Aunt Helen a promise to only cry about important things because I would hate to think that crying as much as I do would make crying for Aunt Helen less important.”
• And lastly, you will always meet people like this. “She also keeps talking about the Billie Holiday record she bought for me. And she says she wants to expose me to all these great things. And to tell you the truth, I don’t really want to be exposed to all these great things if it means that I’ll have to hear Mary Elizabeth talk about all the great things she exposed me to all the time.”

Order the book on Amazon here. Watch the movie trailer here.

It’s good, I promise. And here is the Charlie’s awesome playlist from the book.

"Asleep" by The Smiths

"Vapour Trail" by Ride

"Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkel

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum (my favorite!)

"Time of No Reply" by Nick Drake

"Dear Prudence" by the Beatles

"Gypsy" by Suzanne Vega

"Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues (another really good one)

"Day Dream" by Smashing Pumpkins

"Dusk" by Genesis (before Phil Collins joined the band)

"MLK" by U2

"Black Bird" by the Beatles

"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

Boyd Tinsley Makes a Film

"This is a film that is not only meant to be seen, it's meant to be experienced." -Boyd Tinsley

Boyd Tinsley rocks the violin on stage with the Dave Matthews Band at the 2005 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

What is the Dave Matthews Band known for? Besides crazy music, crazy concerts and Dave's crazy dancing skills? I’d say Boyd Tinsley, their fanatic electric violin player. Watching him play on stage is like watching a victim of an exorcise. Except in a less sinister way; instead of being satanically controlled by the devil, he is feverishly controlled by his own music. Nonetheless, Tinsley is now bringing his magic to the realms of cinema.

Faces in the Mirror follows a young boy, Ben Fisher, who comes home to bury his deceased father, but on the way he is led into a dream-like revelation. At the bottom of the website’s synapse, Tinsley adds, “This is a film that is not only meant to be seen, it’s meant to be experienced. An experience of music, visuals and emotions. It’s like a dream.”

To me, it sounds like he’s hoping his audience is hella high while viewing.

The trailer is a mish-mosh of short clips from the film and don’t really give any true insight into the basic plotline of the movie, but that isn’t what is really important to Tinsley.

Faces in the Mirror is unique because the plot was developed around the movie score, rather than the usual vice-versa. Members of DMB, including Dave Matthews, Stefan Lessard and Tim Reynolds, along with Shawn Smith, Maktub and The Silent Comedy, performed the score, which was written by Tinsley.

The film was previously shown to a select group of fans at the band’s Gorge caravan last summer. Now, SnagFilms has purchased the movie (along with several other independent films) and plans to release it on various media platforms, including their own website, Hulu. Faces in the Mirror will be released either this summer or upcoming fall. It will be interesting to see how the movie plays out. Dave Matthews and his band have musically integrated themselves into American culture since their birth in 1991, and I am curious to see if Boyd could achieve the same success in this different field of art.

Wishing him the best of luck.

Click here for a sneak peak of the trailer. Click around and explore the website for more information.

And just in case you are unfamiliar with the violin virtuoso, here are some of his greatest onstage accomplishments (Hint: No. 3 is my favorite. "Everyday" is one of my ultimate summer songs).