Ebony Magazine: Racism in a nice wrapping

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Ebony Magazine: Racism in a nice wrapping

Such a Nice Band: The Head and the Heart

The Head And The Heart Maggie Caldwell

There is a certain sound that became popular in indie music four or five years ago that seemed to have sprung forth in reaction to the gloomy mood of the Great Recession. It is a stripped down, bombast-free, rustic folk sound popularized by such acts as The Fleet Foxes, The Great Lake Swimmers, and Mumford and Sons. The songs often feature swelling choruses and invoke a spirit that rallies against the dying of the light. This boot-strap hitching, mellow optimism also has been the hallmark of a band of six strangers from Seattle, who, through mutual admiration of each other’s talents at open mic nights around the Emerald City, agreed to join forces, record an album, and head out on the road, recession be damned.

It’s been four years since the members of The Head and the Heart released their self-produced eponymous first album, a collection of heart-on-your-sleeve, piano-driven acoustic folk songs laced with violin; rounded out by a clean, driving percussion section; and driven home by gorgeous three-part vocal harmonies. Through heavy touring and word of mouth, they’ve sold more than 10,000 copies. And when Seattle’s Sub Pop label re-released an expanded edition in 2010, The Head and the Heart’s NPR darling status was sealed.

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Culture | Mother Jones

Such a Nice Band: The Head and the Heart

Bill Maher"s California: Nice State! (If You Have a Job)

There’s a word missing from Bill Maher’s recent ode to liberal governance in California: unemployment. The state has the fourth-highest jobless rate in the country. So while the budget might be balanced–thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown’s accounting tricks, taking $ 500 million from California’s underachieving cap-and-trade revenues–its economy is slow, its pensions are among the nation’s worst and it is still losing residents to other states. 

Put another way: California is a great place to be liberal and rich enough, or unfeeling enough, to ignore the consequences for other people. The HBO comedian, who kicked $ 1 million into Barack Obama’s super PAC coffers in 2012, is speaking for a caste of media super-celebrities who have seen the state remade in their image (his analysis is largely a snarky play on a recent Rolling Stone paean to Jerry Brown’s “miracle”).

Maher at least has the good sense to be somewhat self-deprecating about the place, throwing in jokes about almond milk and body piercing. He mocks the idea of American exceptionalism, noting that California comes close to imitating Europe–successfully, in his view. Actually, the state remains in a class of its own, both good and bad. It still is the most innovative and create place in the world, from Silicon Valley to Hollywood.

It also has, as Victor Davis Hanson frequently points out from his perch in the state’s rural Central Valley, one of the richest agricultural endowments on the continent. And yet it consistently underperforms. Its middle class is in flight from the high cost of living and dwindling job opportunities. It has attracted an overwhelming number of illegal aliens who form an alternative third-world nation within, beyond the cares of the coastal set.

Many of the experiments in which Maher takes pride–high-speed rail, for example–are already failures. The New York Times, no less, recently reported on the failure of efforts to encourage eco-friendly drivers in lefty Santa Monica to take up electric cars. Now the foot soldiers of Obama’s campaign army are trying to promote Obamacare in the state, to little avail: hardly anyone in the state eligible for it seems interested in purchasing it.

Culturally, and technologically, yes–California remains on the cutting edge. And there are those–like me!–who continue to fall in love with the Golden State. But it is largely living off the legacy of Republican governors Maher loves to hate–Ronald Reagan most of all. Meanwhile, the state’s voters cringe in anticipation of higher taxes and spending from a one-party government. The model works for a few. Not for most, and not for long.

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Bill Maher"s California: Nice State! (If You Have a Job)

Paul Krugman plays nice for a change

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou

Image credit: Getty

Salon.com

Paul Krugman plays nice for a change