Now I am truly excited to be spreading the word about this particular music outlet. Unusually named, Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist(better known to regulars as 'BIRP.fm') is one of those sites that just make an ageing guy like me feel young again. Back in the days when you felt like every band you ever listened to was lower than underground and you would plug them and worship them like they were your little secret; damn it was a cool feeling. But then you got older, shit (life) got in the way and you don't have time anymore to keep up to date with anything. The lowest you get into underground is who is playing at the biggest indie rock festivals, and the fact that I say biggest says something about how little known they really are.
To cut out of this self righteous bullshit about being cool and underground, Blalock's Indie Rock Playlistis actually a brilliant music blog that does everything from interviews, reviews, announcements, and archiving to (what I think is the best part) releasing a monthly 120 song playlist in the form of a downloadable torrent, complete with maybe one or two bands you've actually heard before. I was stoked to find so many different new artists, most of whom come from some weird country in Europe and haven't got any other releases then the demo's from the playlist.
With 120 songs on the playlist you're bound to find a few things you like and I myself recently have been introduced to so many fricken cool bands that I literally cannot stop listening to. One of my fav's discovered from the playlist, a little british indie band that go by the name of Little Cometsthat I'm actually listening to at the moment.
The other cool part about this is that it battles one of the only downsides about torrents in that every playlist comes with an original and wicked cover art that gets chucked into your iTunes account; for example, the May issue to your left. The May playlist is out now so:
The recent popularity about this Hunger Games movie has got me thinking about all of my favourite books that never quite made it to the big screen and for countless reasons should have. I mean, if any of you have read Jeffery Deaver's 'Lincoln Rhyme' novels, you would know that Hollywood produced the wrong novel in 'The Bone Collector' when they should have drawn up plans for his better work, 'The Coffin Dancer". After the Twilight series and now this Hunger Games, I can't help but think Hollywood keeps over looking the better adventures in print that haven't yet made it to the silver screen.
This brings me to Matthew Reilly. An Australian writer who is also a New York Times Best Seller for his Jack West Jr. and Scarecrow novels and my favourite writer at this moment in time. Shortly after finishing his third book in the Jack West Jr series I felt compelled to vent. You see, this trilogy consisting of "The Seven Ancient Wonders", "The Six Sacred Stones" and "The Five Greatest Warriors" is a sad one to end; the kind of series that makes you genuinely upset that it had to finish somehow and most of the reason why I'm outraged there is no film yet to prolong my interest in this series.
The series follows adventurer Jack West Jr (as previously mentioned) and his efforts to retrieve parts of the seven wonders of the ancient world in order to stop a global event that will cause one nation to gain complete power over all others, only to encounter several other problems and subsequent adventures around the world in the following two books. It produces a sort of Indiana Jones style treasure hunter epic, but with Reilly's superb writing style making it so vivid in your brain that you get thrown into the adventure yourself and just can't leave it alone. I spent many nights reading till 4am because I just couldn't put these books away.
So basically...Hurry up Hollywood and make this series into a movie! Oh, and readers, if you haven't already heard of this series make sure to get it as soon as you possibly can. It's epic.
Are you sick of the same old sloppy, muddy, sticky dancefloor every weekend? Tired of weaving your way through the cluster of testosterone that seems to be all around you? Bored of the same stench of puke wofting its way up into your nostrils and knowing you could very well be standing on it at that current moment? If you're just trying to enjoy a few fun drinks with mates on a Saturday night on the Central Coast, NSW, there's some exciting news for you.
Spanish tapas style restaurant Cara O' Cruz, found on the main block of Terrigal have just announced the 'soft opening' of their new upstairs cocktail lounge destined to be the next big hot spot for those of us wishing to have a great night out with friends without the annoying parts that have become somewhat synonymous with this part of the coast. I checked the place out with a few friends last Saturday night and it's absolutely great.
The lounge area upstairs @ Cara O' Cruz
As you can see they've recently renovated the entire place to mix a kind of city style classy atmosphere perfectly with the chilled out coasty vibe we are so used to up here. My personal favourite is the wall lounge, however, the whole place is great. They've somehow managed to bring this upper class vibe to the place without seeming pretentious in the slightest, making it a great place for anyone to go for afternoon drinks, to carry on after dinner or even just for a night out in itself.
It keeps getting better, as they stock higher quality spirits and wines such as Belvedere Vodka and Moet, they are offering drinks at pretty much the same price as competitors in the area whilst having the edge (basically, serving much better tasting drinks). As well as this, their interesting and extensive cocktail menu boasts delicious drinks at a reasonable price, the service was great and they continue on the bar food menu until late which basically tops any of the other places in the area already.
I believe the official opening of this place will be in a few weeks so I suggest everyone go check it out when you get the chance and try "The Matador's Quiff", it was pretty sweet. Check out the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CaraoCruzRestaurant
With 120 songs on the playlist you're bound to find a few things you like and I myself recently have been introduced to so many fricken cool bands that I literally cannot stop listening to. One of my fav's discovered from the playlist, a little british indie band that go by the name of Little Comets that I'm actually listening to at the moment. 
