It isn’t long into our conversation that Rogue Wave frontman Zach Schwartz diverts to socio-poli tical issues. Bringing up his life in Oakland, where the indie rock singer has lived more than eight years, leads to discussion of the Bay Area’s current housing crisis, as well as toxic corporate environments typical in Silicon Valley.

“Maybe it’s because our desks were made out of post-industrial metals, but I kinda felt like a rat in a cage,” Schwartz says. “I felt like I had a ‘work self’ and then I’d leave and then I’d be myself after. …When I started playing music professionally, I felt like I was reclaiming my life a little bit. …I became more outspoken. I think I became a lot more pleasant to be around.”

It was approximately 13 years ago that Schwartz was laid off from his job as a project manager when the Dot-Com Bubble ruptured, allowing the guitarist to become focused solely on music. Six albums, a fistful of EPs and singles, near non-stop tours across the globe and (according to IMDB) a whopping 22 television and film soundtrack credits all suggest that Schwartz had much to reclaim.

Similar to The Shins or Sea Wolf, Rogue Wave was one of the many tenderhearted independent acts to rise amongst the rush of alternative music that dominated the mid-2000s. Their breakout album, Out of the Shadow, was a lavish mix of sad-slash-beautiful introspection driven by jangly, roughly mixed guitar. It quickly drew a loyal audience, which led to getting rereleased on Sub Pop and a national tour lasting two years, but it was a series of appearances on The OC and One Tree Hill that gave Rogue Wave one of their biggest pushes forward.

In fact, Schwartz still gets shouted requests at shows, including on this current tour, to “play The OC Song!” Which refers to their sarcastic acoustic tune “California” (not to be confused with the show’s theme song of the same name by Phantom Planet). Schwartz admits his initial reaction to these appeals is usually less than enthusiastic.

“Really? You’re going to call it ‘The O.C. Song?’” he says. Schwartz has a voice somewhat similar to Matthew Broderick, and you can almost hear him rolling his eyes. Nonetheless, he’s still grateful for the exposure.

“I don’t make music to be exclusive. I make music to be able to reach people,” he says. “The licensing we’ve done as a band has been an absolute gift. It totally helped us reach so many more people, it broke us early on.”

Rogue Wave built on that early success in stride, but the band’s growth wasn’t entirely easy. A few months after his amiable departure in 2007, bassist Evan Farrell died of smoke inhalation, leaving behind a wife and two small children. Drummer Pat Spurgeon overcame nearly fatal renal failure in 2006, which required a kidney transplant, and his ordeal became the subject of the documentary D-Tour. Schwartz himself suffered from a slipped disc and his father recently passed away.

But if there is one defining characteristic to Rogue Wave, it’s a silvery, upbeat lining to their gossamer clouds.
Now Rogue Wave have returned with Delusions of Grand Fur, their sixth album and first in three years, featuring guest appearances by Sam Hopkins of Caveman and Mike Deni of Geographer. Chris Walla, formerly of Death Cab for Cutie, mixed “In The Morning,” but otherwise the entire album was self-produced by the band.

“The way we did this one, it was like we had to do it on our own because it was a long and protracted process, but I wouldn’t say I would never work with a producer again,” Schwartz says. “Honestly, I have to let the music sort of decide that. I have enjoyed working with producers, but I also know there’s no better joy than doing it on your own.”

Looking for a fun fluffy feline friend to start a life with? Check out Hermitage's 4th Annual Kitten Shower this Saturday, June 18. Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and Sanctuary is filled with kittens and wants to give you the opportunity to complete your family with an adorable kitten, or two or three. 

Head over to the shelter, 5278 E. 21st St., between 12 to 6 p.m. to pet and play with kittens and cats for free. 

In line with their theme this year, New and Certified Pre-Owned, the shelter's offering lowered adoption fees at the shower for all cats.

The prices are as follows:  
Kittens $35
Adults under 7 years of age, $15
Adults over 7 years of age, $5
Positively Purr-fect Cats, FeLV+ and FIV + are $5

Not currently looking for a new feline friend? That's okay the shelter encourages everyone to still come out and enjoy food, tours, cats, a raffle and a chance to see them before they renovate.

For more information email Hermitage No-Kill Cat Shelter and Sanctuary, visit their webpage or call them at 571-7839.

More than 24 hours after a man broke into an LGBT nightclub in downtown Orlando with an AR-15-like semiautomatic rifle, a handgun and overloads of ammunition, the identities of some of the 49 victims who died are beginning to come afloat.

What's known so far of the Pulse nightclub deadly mass shooting is that most of the victims were gay, Latino men in their 20s and 30s. There were at least five women, also mostly Latinas. Some of the names that have emerged so far: Eric Ivan Ortiz Rivera, 36; Peter O. Gonzales-Cruz, 22; Kimberly Morris, 37; Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30; Anthony Luis Laureano Disla, 25—all at Pulse for a Saturday night of tireless dancing with friends and other close members of the LGBT community. For many, Pulse wasn't just a nightclub, it was a safe haven for those facing family rejection over their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

Fifty-three others are in the hospital for gunshot wounds.

While most international and national media automatically labeled the massacre an act of extreme Islamic terrorism, (as well as Republicans who need a scapegoat for violently fueling anti-LGBT laws and environments) even President Barack Obama said that the country's homophobia and transphobia played a huge, if not a stellar, role, alongside the country's dangerous lack of gun control laws, in the killings. Tucson-based Southern Arizona Gender Alliance also blamed anti-LGBT sentiments. (As this Fuse article bravely discusses, it is simply not safe to be an LGBT person of color in the United States.)

"As we mourn, we stand with a community shaken, and we process countless emotions—sorrow, rage, fear, all of them valid, all of them too common in the lives of the LGBT community. We have witnessed an act of hate whose savagery goes beyond understanding," says a SAGA media statement. "Sadly, this is but an extreme version of the anti-LGBT animosity that is not only common, but entirely too accepted by our society, from state houses to the streets. This is the reality for queer identities, a reality that lads us to mourn today, but will also lead us to stand united, and forever fight to eradicate hate in all its forms."

Last night, hundreds of Tucsonans participated in a candlelight vigil on Fourth Avenue to honor the victims and to protest gun violence, as well as hate crimes against LGBT people.  

Here's a video released by the LA-based Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, for your consideration:

Flag Day is June 14. The occasion reminds me of an anecdote that goes back a number of years, but still comes to mind every now and then, touching my heart.

My friend Jason and I were walking along a sidewalk by a marina in the Mission Bay area north of San Diego. We were up from the boats in an area of trees and lawns. We were coming up on a building with a tall flagpole next to it. It was approaching dusk. I noticed a man wearing a work uniform and what appeared to be industrial safety glasses. He had lowered the flag that was flying on the pole, but it was rather large, and with the last few wind gusts of the day still blowing he was having trouble gathering it while keeping it off the ground. I signaled Jason and we ran over to help.

As soon as we arrived, the man explained that it was too much to handle, almost apologetic in his tone. I said, “I know, I know, it’s a two-man job.” Jason asked if we could take over for him and he agreed, seeming relieved.

Jason noticed an accent in the man’s voice and asked him if he spoke Spanish. He said he did, which delighted Jason who had just completed a class in Spanish and saw an opportunity to practice. While we gathered the flag and detached it from its halyard, Jason engaged the man in a casual conversation in Spanish, mostly discussing their jobs. Jason told him of working in San Diego in a high-end bicycle shop. The man asked how much high-end bikes cost. Jason told him he sold one for “ocho mil dolares.” The man’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped in disbelief. I added, “por uno.” We all had a laugh.

Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was a hardworking, impassioned spitfire with a promising future. He seemingly threw that all away when he tweeted out pictures of his surprisingly hot bod to virtual strangers, in addition to all out sexting with them. Word got out, and the man was dethroned.

This documentary from directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Stenberg shows the humiliated politician seemingly on the comeback trail, making a serious run for NYC mayor with renewed public support and wife Huma Abedin still at his side despite the naked pics sent to ladies other than herself.

Even the press seemed to be lightening up on the dude, although fellow politicians still shot arrows. Weiner was actually in the lead when word got out he had continued the whole sexting thing well after his resignation, even doing phone sex with one particular, insane fan. The doc then becomes an examination of a fairly sick guy losing it all once again, a man unable to control his stranger impulses. During it all, Weiner remained defiant, committed and steadfast in his beliefs that he would make a good mayor. The public didn’t see it that way, and he went from holding the lead to finishing dead last with less than five percent of the vote.

No doubt, the man is entertaining and certainly anything other than uninteresting, making this documentary a fascinating and entertaining one. It’s also an undeniable testament to the negative powers of the selfie, especially the partially naked selfie. 

Watching and listening for the next foot to fall. Still,


Nothing.



But.



Crickets.

So we've done a fair bit of reporting about the Arizona Daily Herald and its connections to Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller and her now-former aide, Timothy DesJarlais.

This story is so crazy that we don't know where to start recapping it (read about it here, here, here and here), but the bottom line is this: It appeared as if DesJarlais, in addition to being Miller's communication aide, was also masquerading as Jim Falken, the editor of a new online news site, the Arizona Daily Herald, that planned to cover Miller's reelection campaign.

Despite the multiple links between DesJarlais and "Jim Falken," DesJarlais denied having anything to do with the Herald and Miller stood behind him, saying the media was besmirching the reputation of her young aide and her office. Both Miller and DesJarlais filed reports with the FBI, saying whoever was running the Herald was trying to steal DesJarlais' (fake) identity and interfere with Miller's reelection campaign. Then DesJarlais quit Miller's office, saying he wanted to concentrate on his college studies.

Well, as of today, the Arizona Daily Herald is back in business! And guess what? The site appears to be run by Timothy DesJarlais. 


A call to DesJarlais to learn how he became editor of a publication that he was not associated with previously has not been returned. But the first story on the site carries his byline—unless this is yet another attempt to steal DesJarlais' identity? 

An interesting-for-English-teachers article in today's New York Times talks about the changes in the way people are employing the period at the end of sentences. The change is especially notable in text messages and tweets where the punctuation mark is often dropped completely. Really, if you think about it, why do you need to use a period at the end of a short message? It's clear it's over when the last word is written, making the period redundant. And in a tweet, why waste one of your precious 140 characters? It may not even be useful at the end of a paragraph

The article points out something else I find far more interesting: that choosing to use an optional period can actually change the tone of the sentence, adding the sense that the writer is annoyed, a distinction completely lost on an old grammarian like me

If the love of your life just canceled the candlelit, six-course, home-cooked dinner you have prepared, you are best advised to include a period when you respond “Fine.” to show annoyance

“Fine” or “Fine!,” in contrast, could denote acquiescence or blithe acceptance

As I've written in earlier posts, I'm not a card carrying member of the Language Police. I don't think linguistic variations from accepted usage are necessarily errors, let alone signs of the crumbling of civilization. Likewise, I don't think changes in the way people talk and write are indications of the deterioration of communication. Take "up talking," that tendency, which I find annoying, of making the ends of statements sound like questions. Linguistic scholars who have looked carefully at the nuances of "up talking" have found there are at least six different connotations of meaning, depending on the sound and the context. In other words, it's a far more sophisticated method of communication than my old ears can decipher. Or take "Dude!" As was brilliantly laid out in a standup routine a few years ago, that one word statement can have numerous, very different meanings depending on the tone and context in which it's delivered

So, long live the dropped period. Or if it has a short life, that's OK too

When I'm confronted by changes that seem to me like degradations of language, I always try to remember that old literary cretin, William Shakespeare. He didn't use anything like the punctuation we consider essential to civilized communication. I've also read he spelled his own name at least six different ways. What an idiot! Didnt he lern nothin in skul?

It's too hot to go outside between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., so you may as well prepare to lock yourself inside for the majority of the weekend. Get some snacks, close the blinds and get ready for a movie marathon. 

Here's your weekly list of the 10 most rented DVDs from Casa Video last week:

1. Deadpool
   
   

I'll be frank when I say I've been not so patiently waiting the release of new Asian Fred music. Frontman Fred Huang can attest to the occasional, "So, you're going to let me know when you have new music, right?" from me. And, if you've been waiting like I have, I've got some good news in the way of two brand new tracks.

What I love about this local band is the commitment to making good, fun indie music in a time where psych is a near ubiquitous descriptor of up-and-coming bands. Their music has moments of alt-country riffs and some jazzy piano flourishes, but at it's core, Asian Fred goes straight for that Beatles-y nostalgia that so many turn their nose up at—and guess what, they're doing it well. When folk want to channel early Sabbath, get that Stones attitude or go trippy like the Byrds or the Animals, Asian Fred responds with music that's fun and addictingly upbeat. No need to raid the thrift store for fringed vests and snake skin boots.