Wednesday, July 30, 2008

I have left the Xbox Podcast

Just an update that I am no longer a member of the Xbox Podcast. I have moved on and will be hosting This Xbox Life with Brun (bjswick33) and Rob (Presar). I won't go into why I left the previous show as that is between myself and BEM. But please continue to support Kyle and Arnold as I will continue to listen to them as well.

Thanks for your support of myself and the guys for the past year and a half. Its been a fun ride and I look forward to this new show.

Look for our first episode of This Xbox Life the first week of August. If all goes well, we will actually be recording tonight.

See ya on Live.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

It grew on me



Have you ever heard a song and thought "what a bad or strange song"? I thought that the first time I heard Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or Dead on Arrival by Fall Out Boy. Both songs I did not like when I first heard them. Now they are both favorites of mine.

Its weird how you can hear something the first time and think one thing, then hear it a second or third time and actually enjoy it to the point of buying the song and possibly more songs by that artist.

Well, today I bring you the newest song that has grown on me. Its called Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn, and John. This is a very strange song that is not in my normal range of musical taste. But this song has grown on me and I like it. I first saw in in the trailer for the upcoming Xbox 360 game called Lips. Lips is a karaoke game that looks to be really cool with some really neat features that are not found in other karaoke games.

Now I am hoping this song will be in the actual game since it is featured in the trailer. This could be fun to sing.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

This Xbox Life Podcast

Yes, I have breaking news. Be sure to head over to This Xbox Life and check out the new site. The site is live, the first podcast will be out next week. This podcast will be very different from my other podcast which is Xbox Podcast.

I am not leaving the Xbox Podcast. I will still be doing that show. This Xbox Life is just a side project that I am doing with Brun (bjswick33) and my best friend Rob (Presar). These shows will be vastly different from each other. Xbox Podcast will remain as it is now. This Xbox Life will just be a roundtable like discussion show. We will be talking about whatever is on our mind that is Xbox related.

We hope to make this show fun and relaxing. Just a couple of guys sitting around talking about their favorite pasttime which is gaming on the Xbox 360.

So join us for our first show next week and be sure to let us know what you think. We will have some RSS feeds up and we will be on iTunes. Later.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Jeff Dunham and Walter



Jeff Dunham is a very funny comedian. He is a ventriloquist and one of my favorite characters he has is Walter. Plus Jeff actually makes all his own dolls which is pretty cool. On his second DVD he put out, he actually shows you how he makes them. Pretty cool process. But anyways, enjoy the video above and if you want to keep laughing, then be sure to rent or buy his DVD's. They are great.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Rock Band 2 coming soon

Oh man I can't wait. I love Rock Band and simply can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. The cool thing is that my wife was not pleased about my purchase of the original Rock Band, but she now is addicted to the game and wants the new game as well.

The following is the official posting from the Rock Band forums which details all the upcoming tracks in the game and some other news items. All I can say is that this game can't get here fast enough.

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Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit the song set list for Rock Band™ 2, the next evolution of the groundbreaking Rock Band music platform. The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall. This builds upon the unparalleled depth and diversity of Rock Band’s original set list and its ever-expanding library of downloadable tracks. Comprised entirely of master recordings from some of rock’s most prolific and untouchable artists, including AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more, Rock Band 2 will deliver the most impressive and largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame ever.

• After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track “Shackler's Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.

• Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock.”

• For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue.”

• Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.

• Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay--the first time ever in videogame history!

• With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!

“With Rock Band, Harmonix and MTV Games set out to create a powerful music platform for music fans, their friends and families to discover music in a way unlike ever before,” said Paul DeGooyer, SVP Electronic Games and Music, MTV. “We are honored that such legendary artists as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan and more have chosen Rock Band 2 as a new platform for fans to experience their music. As our catalog of disc and downloadable songs continues to grow, we are determined to continue to provide the Rock Band community an unmatched ability to customize their musical experience with the artists and songs they love.”

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:

Artist Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s

Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

** The Rock Band 2 on-disc track list is comprised entirely of master recordings.

Monday, July 14, 2008

E3 2008 has arrived

WooHoo, today is the first day of E3 2008. I am waiting patiently to hear the Microsoft Press Conference. Can't wait to see what they have ready for the Xbox 360 in the next year. There are tons of rumors out there and today we find out what is real and what is not.

I should be posting some news here and I will definetly be talking about all Xbox related E3 news in next weeks episode of Xbox Podcast.

I am looking forward to hearing about the following items.

1) New Dashboard
2) Rock Band 2
3) Guitar Hero IV
4) Motion controls??
5) New Halo shooter?
6) Just exactly what is Lips?
7) Price cuts and bigger hard drives

I do hope to see a new dashboard, but I don't want them to emulate the Wii or PS3's Home. Lets move beyond them and do better.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Party like its 1599

This holiday weekend we took the kids to the opening day festivities at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Wisconsin. They had fun riding pony's, watching the Mud Show, seeing the Royal Joust, and just walking around seeing all the fun and exciting things going on at the Faire.

Thankfully the weather was about as perfect as could be. It was about 70 degrees out with clear skies all day long. Just a perfect day. Our 3 year old got a dolphin painted on her face and our 4 year old had a snake painted on his arm. Of course the littlest one slept or just stared at people.

It was a fun day and I of course can highly recommend the Renaissance Faire to anyone who has never attended one. Check out their site here if you are interested.