Nick's Picks - 7/26/09

Nick's Picks. It's a pretty simple concept: Things that people should check out, with no criteria or relevance to anything in particular. I'll probably write every week or two, depending on what caught my eye. Feedback is strongly encouraged.

1. Jake Lloyd: Ten Years After Star Wars Ep One
For my first posting of "Nick's Picks," I couldn't have gotten luckier in stumbling across this gem:



Believe it or not, this guy went to my high school. Actually, he got kicked out of the private high school in town and had to go to the public high school. Why? He got in too many fights because people kept calling him "Annie" and saying he ruined The Phantom Menace. Notice how I didn't say he got kicked out for beating other kids up, just that he kept getting in fights. Also, notice how Jake mentions nothing of that. Unfortunately, I never was lucky enough to be graced by any conversation with him (Probably too "charming and intelligent" for his taste). I did get to observe from a distance, and yes, he did turn goth for those four years. Maybe that had some bearing on why high school was rough? Yeah, he's not Anakin anymore, but he sure is still a douche.

2. Harry Pothead?
The world loves Harry Potter. I happened to catch the Half-Blood Prince premier at midnight. I enjoyed it very much, as it was the first time I wasn't the biggest nerd in the room. I was even more impressed with this: No jail for drug rap Harry Potter star Jamie Waylett. I'm sure that slap on the wrist will teach him a lesson. Finally all the "Harry Pothead" jokes are true.

3. Tallan Got Talent
Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let's talk about uplifting things for the rest of this. Well, I usually don't care too much for shows like "American Idol" but have you seen "America's Got Talent?" It makes me proud to be an American. All kidding aside, take the time to watch this 9-year-old Tallan Nobel Latz tear it up on guitar. Rip it up, buddy:



4. The Nervous Wreckords
I love the music of Louis XIV. When they came to Boston, I was that guy (you know what guy I'm talking about) who went to the show alone because no one else was around. I was bummed to hear that they're taking a break so Brian Karscig can pursue his own music. Luckily, The Nervous Wreckords are brilliant. The songs are catchy, danceable, and just plain fun. Karscig's also got one of the best beards in the industry (look out Eels). Best of all, you can get their first EP for free on their myspace. Do it while you still can; it's been playing on repeat in my iTunes for weeks now.

5. Jack White - 2 for 1
Jack White is the man. He's one of the greatest guitarists of this generation (purely my opinion, but if Rolling Stone says so, it must be true). So once he's conquered the guitar world, why not have fun on drums? The Dead Weather is another supergroup (not to be confused with the Raconteurs) featuring that chick singer from the Kills, some guitarist from Queens of the Stone Age, bassist "Little Jack" Lawrence, and Mr. White on drums. "Treat Me Like Your Mother" is worth your time:



And if that wasn't enough for him, he's starring in a movie alongside Jimmy Page and The Edge.




Thanks for taking the time to read my first "Nick's Picks," if you even made it this far. Feel free to leave some comments!