Ani DiFranco: Cape Cod 7/13/08

I went to my first Ani DiFranco concert a couple weeks ago, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. She played at the Melody Tent, which is a small outdoor venue, so it didn’t matter that I didn’t have great seats. The opening act was Kimya Dawson, who I’ve loved ever since hearing her album Remember That I Love You. Unfortunately, I arrived late and missed most of her set. I did catch her last song, My Rollercoaster, which made me happy. The audience loved her and Ani praised her during her set (at one point Ani stopped a song midway to say something like “this isn’t as cool as Kimya’s dream”). Ani opened with God’s Country and followed with two of my favorite songs, Napoleon (which she described as her manifesto) and Fuel. During Untouchable Face, the audience was on their feet shouting “fuck you” along with Ani, which was awesome. I really hope I’ll get to see her in concert again sometime. Her new album, Red Letter Year, will be out September 30.

Below is the full set list (taken from here).

Set list:
God’s Country
Fuel
Napoleon
Present/Infant
You Had Time
Decree
Subdivision
Landing Gear
Raincheck
Welcome To:
Sunday Morning
Garden of Simple
If He Tries Anything
Anticipate
Untouchable Face
In the Way
Shameless

Encore

Both Hands
32 Flavors

Target Women: Feeding Your F—ing Family

The newest segment of Target Women is up on Current TV. Once again, Sarah Haskins does a great job mocking ridiculous ads targeted towards women. This time she focuses on commercials aimed at moms who cook for their family. I don’t watch much TV so I haven’t seen a lot these, which is probably a good thing. That slow motion crock pot ad is just creepy. And I love the sarcasm bit Sarah does after the Tyson’s commercial. “Trumpets? Standing on chairs? Waffles? Fine, maybe I’ll move into grandma’s house and then everyone can have waffles every night!” Brilliant.

You can find links to other Target Women segments at my previous post here.

Hanson Updates: Tour dates and the newest Hanson baby

As most Hanson fans are probably aware of by now, Hanson has announced dates for The Walk Around The World Tour. They will be starting their eight-week tour of the U.S. and Canada in September 2008. The list of tour dates can be found at Hanson.net. If anyone is planning on going to any shows, post it in the comments!

People Magazine has a brief article on the upcoming tour and the band’s efforts to raise awareness about poverty and AIDS in Africa. Hanson will continue to hold walks before each concert, and fans are encouraged to start their own walks. For each mile walked, Hanson will donate a dollar to one of five causes. Go here to learn more about The Walk Around The World Campaign.

In other news, Isaac and Nikki had their second baby, James Monroe Hanson, on July 1, 2008. The newest Hanson will go by his middle name, Monroe.

Isaac told People Magazine that he is excited to watch Monroe and Everett grow up together and that “two little boys is going to be twice the fun.” That makes a total of six kids for Zac, Taylor and Isaac so far!

Plastic Bags

I found this slideshow posted on livejournal, and I think it does a great job of showing why we need to reduce the amount of plastic bags that are used (or better yet, ban them altogether). I had no idea that so many countries have already banned plastic bags!

And if you haven’t seen the music video for Canvas Bags by Tim Minchin, you should. Now.

Feist: Boston 7/8/08

Tuesday night, I saw Feist perform at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston. It was a beautiful evening, and Feist put on an amazing show. The opening act was Juana Molina, an incredibly talented Argentinian musician. Feist opened with “When I Was a Young Girl,” which she sang behind a screen for a dramatic entrance. After the first song, a fan in the front row presented her with Columbian bells. Feist handed them to a band member and challenged him to incorporate them into the show, which he managed to do. Throughout the concert, an overhead projector displayed shadow puppets and other images to accompany the music, which I think was far more effective than a flashy set and light show would have been. At one point, someone came on stage and tossed flower petals above Feist as she sang.

A reviewer for the Boston Herald argued that Feist’s intimate style wasn’t appropriate for such a large venue. I think it would have been a better show in a smaller venue, but she was still able to connect with the audience and give an incredible performance. Some highlights included “The Limit To Your Love, “My Moon My Man,” “Sea Lion Woman” and “1 2 3 4.” Before one song, Feist announced that she had envisioned us all lying on the grass licking ice cream cones, and strove to set the tone for that kind of setting. She also marveled at the “wide scope” of the venue and got everyone to do the wave, which is always fun.

Here is the video for I Feel It All. Happy belated 4th of July!

Fox News: “A festival of ignorance”

I just saw this Fox News clip from February 2008 and thought it was hilarious. Lee Camp, a comedian, calls Fox News “a parade of propaganda” and “a festival of ignorance.” The anchor attempts to cut him off and introduces the next segment, a promotion of the book “Captain Kirk’s Guide to Women.” I think that proves Lee’s point well.

Via Feministing

Target Women: Proof that Sarah Haskins should have her own show

If you haven’t seen the Target Women segment on Current TV’s Infomania show, you really should. Every episode comedian Sarah Haskins has done so far has been brilliant. The feminist blogosphere loves her and Broadsheet declared her to be a girl crush, for good reason.

In the newest segment, Sarah focuses on annoying Botox ads that advise women to “express yourself” by paralyzing muscles in your face. Previous episodes have tackled yogurt ads (really, who eats yogurt at a wedding?), wedding shows (more evidence that Sarah rocks…”wait, that’s what I look like now!”), and the fight for women’s votes (“You watch Army Wives? I watch Army Wives! I’m voting for you!”).

Here is Target Women: Wedding Shows:

You can read an interview with Sarah Haskins at The Bastion.