G.R.i.D. (Get Rich in Dallas)

Bar of Soap posted the following blog today (ok, I guess yesterday officially):

Friday, August 29, 2008

 

Sorry, we are closed this weekend.

We will reopen next week. Thanks

And well, that was about it. So, I’m gonna miss my buddy Joe who had a show with his band The Blackouts tomorrow night. Plus, I imagine Partly Cloudy from KY ain’t too happy about the news. Just be nice if the guys had some decency to mention what the heck is up.

Sorry I ain’t been around too much lately. GRiD’s still here but I’m giving a lot of attention right now to this. And I’m really hoping you will too!

But don’t you fret. Just be patient.

R

I saw Sonic’s latest offering while partaking in their (best idea ever) Happy Hour for half-off drinks. Now, fried ice cream has never impressed me. The idea, the sound, the look - just something I never place high on the list but for some reason the convenience of it in a cup sounded slightly enticing and by the following description, seemed like something I might want to sink my teeth into:

Fried Ice Cream Blast™
Summer fever has kicked into full force, and you may need something to cool you down. SONIC® has just the remedy. A creamy, crunchy blend of vanilla soft serve, cinnamon crisps, caramel and whipped topping. It’s a fun twist on an authentic favorite, and it’s so good you’ll want to share this sweet dose of deliciousness with all your friends. So grab one tonight because SONIC® is open ’til midnight or later and is Even Sweeter After DarkSM.

Now, I don’t consider Sonic a primo dessert stop but they can do in a slight pinch if I have a sweet tooth and added laziness that prevents me from getting out of my car. So after today’s lunch, I decided dessert sounded like a nice idea in the hot day and lo and behold there was a Sonic.

The picture of crumbly cinnamon crisps on top of whipped “cream” seemed like a good introduction to the sweet that would be soon blasting my mouth. However, it was the only bit of flavor in a dull dessert. I forget to expect anything from soft serve ice cream or whatever it’s called. Definitely not Blue Bell. More than likely a concoction in which one just adds water. I began to swirl the topping of cream and cinnamon into the rest but no satisfaction could be attained by the now muted cinnamon flavor. And where was this caramel I kept searching for? If anything might have saved this icy confection, a ribbon of caramel could have done the trick but alas, I tasted none. Nor found any so maybe it was just a mistake made by the crew. No worries, by this point, I’ve made up my mind.

So I won’t plan to “share this sweet dose of deliciousness with all my friends.” It might be the only friend I have left! In fact, I’ll discourage anyone to not partake in this missed-the-mark dessert. Forgo the dessert craving and the calories for a drink instead which can be just as fattening and desserty enough. Might I recommend the fresh fruit strawberry slush? I wish I had recommended that to myself.

Since his last few runs at an NBA championship have gone less than stellar, Dirk is determined to get the gold at the Olympics. And by the looks of this haircut, might be going a little crazy about it. But Brad reveals that Nowitzki will be the flag bearer for Germany which makes me kind of proud…in a weird unpatriotic way. The haircut…not so much.

That thought occurred to me after hearing about Morgan Freeman’s car accident Sunday. It sounded pretty serious but by the sounds of it, he’ll be hurting for a bit but perhaps ultimately OK. I hope. He plays Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight.

But when the movie came out, Batman/Bruce Wayne actor Christian Bale was arrested for allegedly assaulting his sister and mother. Now, sure, whatever happened was probably a result of bad decisions but still. Could something have been looming over to push him to the brink if that was the case?

And of course, the tragedy of Heath Ledger’s death which everyone knows about by now.

Worse yet, with all the hype and great reviews, I ended up not liking the movie. Which was as much a tragedy on my wallet. Movies are expensive!

So, if anything happens to Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine or Maggie Gyllenhaal or any other cast and crew members of The Dark Knight in the next few weeks, I’m going to expect some credence to my hypothesis.

Ya know, it’s bad enough I have to wake up at 3:30 am on Fridays. But to wake up to the news that one of my favorite local bands is no more, now that’s just too much for the waking soul.

The Hourly Radio has decided to disperse as noted in a MySpace bulletin posted last night which said the following:

As some of you may have heard, we have officially decided to stop making music together as The Hourly Radio. We can’t express how much the experience has meant to us or how difficult the decision has been to move on, but we want to thank all of you for supporting the band and the music. We’re going to take some time to compile our favorite pictures and memories to post here and on our website and hope to make our entire catalogue available for free download soon. If you have any images or stories you’d like to share, please post them. You never know, they might make it into The Hourly Radio coffee table book.


As a parting gift, we have one last song to offer up. Sons and Daughters is the last song we recorded together and is included in a multimedia release entitled Two Blue Wolves. The song is our contribution to the soundtrack and features members of Stellastarr*, Elefant and a bunch of other great artists.
For more info on this project: SparrowHall. com

We’ll also be sure to post any news on future projects featuring members of The Hourly Radio.

Thats all for now.
Thanks again and leave us your comments!

Ryan, Aaron, Tim and Adam.

I was in love with this band to no end. They and Black Tie Dynasty always went hand in hand and their sounds took me back to my favorite 80s new wave while still sounding modern enough to be cool. And when the two shared a bill, it was always the highlight of my week to check ‘em out. Funny thing was, I could never catch THR live. I was always too late when they would just be stepping off the stage. It pissed me off. It happened at the Wreck Room in Fort Worth and then at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. I did see ‘em at the Granada before but I walked in on their last two songs. I finally caught them when they opened for IAMX at Club Dada and while I can’t say I was blown away, I could finally have a sense of peace that I got to see these guys live. I know, dumb, but they ended up being like the holy grail of live sets for me.

What sucks even more is they were always on the brink of bigtime stardom. Spin talked about ‘em. American Eagle used them in ads. Blah blah and blah. I am never sure what happened or why they didn’t get that one crossover they needed but c’est la vie.

So, adios, THe Hourly Radio. You done good.