i'm a broken record, you have heard this before.

michael fassbender is the prototype.

if you still don't get it. watch shame and then get back to me.

-t

never forget your beginners spirit.

this song sounds like the sweetest lullaby you've never heard. picture a sleep deprived father, picking up his guitar to sing his newborn off to dreamland. all the while making a thoughtful point that the young one will hopefully feel and believe for the remainder of his or her life.

the walkmen - "we can't be beat"

rise before you fall and hope for something more.

the decisions we make in just 24 hours can have the capacity to age us eternally. the depth of the morning's consequences are hardly ever generous towards the night's missteps.

korallreven - "as young as yesterday"

-t

i predict a graceful explosion.

if you say yeasayer - i'll say all day, everyday.

yeasayer - "henrietta"

-t

we were meant for something bigger than this.

since i traded the music biz for movies at my day job, i'm very cognizant of what projects actors are committing to or what director is eying their next venture, especially those people whose work i happen to enjoy.

darren arnonfsky is a fantastic director whose got a few higher profile projects in the air and the clip below is a great 44 second reminder of his impeccable attention to detail.

sounds of aronofsky: by kogonada

-t

all my life i've been looking for something amazing, it's almost like ive been stargazing.

even without the aubrey plaza attached video, this cover is pretty boss.

tashaki miyaki - "hollywood forever cemetary sings" (father john misty cover)

-t

the human soul needs actual beauty more than bread.

'one for me, two for boo.'

sushi time: his and hers

-t

love before anything, real before everything.

gold room isn't just a tiny bar in echo park that serves free tacos upon request. it's also the moniker of one of my new favorite local producers. if you're unfamiliar, listen to his stellar new single below and then run through the rest of his catalogue. better late than never, even if there's no free food involved.

goldroom - "fifteen (featuring chela)"

-t

good luck, be safe.

passion pit's debut ep and full length were on such high rotation back in 2009. i remember when they played the echoplex and i gave my spare ticket to my (then) new boss. it was an hour and a half onslaught of fun that i still keep safely stored in the memory banks. but by years end, the band had become so saturated in everything that i benched both of those records and looked elsewhere for high energy entertainment.

fast forward a few years and whenever i revisit passion pit on shuffle or a mix, it's like excitedly picking up where i left off. the sting of michael angelakos' falsetto still puts me on a good one and while it's been said that their sophomore record will tackle a darker sense of the band, it's an enthusiastic and welcomed come back.

passion pit - "take a walk"

-t

nights end so much quicker than the days did.

when i saw the weeknd at coachella, i was underwhelmed. i felt that his mic was too low, his energy off and his stage presence minimal. but then i looked into the crowd and realized more than half of the people around me weren't even paying attention. the weird crowd vibe must have reached all the way to the stage. poor abel. at least he sounded good.

last night however displayed a much different scenario. playing side by side with the supermoon, he not only sounded unbelievable, but murdered the crowd and owned the stage. added bonus points for the byob policy of the hollywood forever cemetery (+ cinco de mayhem) which translated into a loose and incredibly hyped crowd. as if dancing in the darkness amongst headstones bigger than people wasn't already a trip, the drake cameo cemented the night's perfection.

the only bummer was that the old bosser was too ill to come out and play, but graciously gave me her tickets anyway. YOU DA BESTTTT. 

till we overdose,

-t

i feel the most alive whenever i'm at your place. getting close to your face.

sometimes we put too much faith or necessity towards those we have feelings for. it's easy to think that their presence can dismiss the things that are unsightly or unfortunate in our lives. whether it's safety or stability we crave, it's hardly ever that simple. in reality, the person we care about can only love us back, while standing helpless in the erasure of our real problems. as powerful as love can be, some issues need a little more effort and an inner rehabilitation outside of someone else.

blood orange - "forget it (class actress remix)"

-t

i am not afraid of tomorrow, for i have seen yesterday and i love today.

when i first turned 21, i used to be in hollywood almost every night, bar hopping up and down cahuenga boulevard. around 23, i watched my hollywood days fade away in my rear view mirror, as my friends and i began gravitating towards more low-key situations or tucked away neighborhood haunts. and now, the only time you'll ever catch me in hwood is either at a music venue or at work. (the gofobo office is in the heart of obnoxious tourism - hollywood&highland)

the new jam from multi-continental outfit, RAC, (with an assist from the always adorable penguin prison) reminds me of all of those wild nights and the horrid late night drives all the way back to UCR.

-t

in a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

i can respect a band changing their name for a reason like this, but i just can't get over the terrible replacement: pop etc. but with a new name comes a new direction. and as crazy as it is to think of chris chu and company not churning out delicate indie gems, this slick anthem of promiscuity actually restores my affection for the baby-faced berkeley three-piece.

pop etc (formally the morning benders) - "live it up" 

-t

in the business of words.

coffee rules everything around me.

-t

be there in seconds flat, just tell me where you at.

GHOST LOFT WHY ARE YOU SO GOOOOOOOD?!?!

-t

and i can do the frug.

lately i've been getting coffee drunk on the way to work (aka super hyper and caffeinated mornings) and all i want to do is drive around the city singing prince songs. however, after hearing the new twin shadow single, i'm pretty sure the next round of coffee drunkenness will be soundtracked by "five seconds".

twin shadow - "five seconds"

-t

all of me is asking, all of me is thinking.

just another wednesday at work. scarlett johansson is one of my favorite actresses and it's crazy to know that we're the same age. lost in translation, always.

 

scarlett's walk of fame star can be found on hollywood and orange. 

-t

there’s no better gift than a photograph.

it was a very john cusack oriented work week for me. besides attending the raven premiere on monday, i was asked to also cover his hollywood walk of fame star ceremony (located on hollywood & cherokee). here are the three paragraphs i wrote for it:

Hollywood Boulevard shined just a bit brighter this afternoon, as the incomparable John Cusack was awarded the 2,469th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As fans gathered with various memorabilia and paper printed boom boxes held high, Cusack was introduced to the crowd by what he called, "his very best of friends".  His sister Joan Cusack, kicked things off with a snarky yet loving tribute that illuminated the mystique she believed her brother emitted.

"John is a star. There's magic in him," she boasted. "He makes it look easy even when we know it isn't." Her speech ended with a phrase that seemed to echo a collective sentiment about her brother.  When she called him the "champion of the underdog", heads shook in total agreement and cheers. While Dan Aykroyd and Billy Bob Thornton also took the stage to gush about Cusack, the biggest applause of the day came courtesy of Jack Black's inspired closer: "I love you brohammer. Johnny Cusacko!"

Surrounded by some colleagues from his upcoming film The Raven, Cusack finally took the mic and humbly attributed his success to a long list of actors that he had the pleasure to work with throughout the years. Despite not being able to mention everyone (a filmography of over sixty films equals way too many shout outs), he stood grateful and charmed. Flashing that signature smile and sweetness that continues to resonate in people of all ages and 80s movie archetypes.

i stood next to the smelliest tourists that day. damn.

-t

even when you're in trouble, you can't forget to be true.

once again, blackbird blackbird, sweeps me off my feet. this time with a breeze of island tropics perfect for this sunsoaked sunday.

blackbird blackbird - "waikiki"

-t

in a matter of time, it will slip from my mind.

fourth premiere, first outside of hollywood. the well worn los angeles theater in DTLA served as the perfect outlet to debut the flick, the raven. based on the fictional final few days of legendary writer edgar allan poe, i asked john cusack if poe would be good at twitter. at first he disagreed but then changed his mind mid-answer.

-t