Unlike my favorite comedians list, I do not have a top favorite band because it constantly changes due to my mood, recent experiences, foods I ate, the weather, and so forth and so on. Here are the 5 newest additions to my list of favorite bands.

Minus The Bear
Minus the Bear :: Planet of Ice

Song: “Burying Luck” from Planet Of Ice

Interestingly, I first noticed Minus The Bear on a TV commercial advertising their latest album, Planet Of Ice. They’re not a mainstream band and I was surprised to see a commercial for them but I was instantly drawn to the track that was playing during the spot, which was “Burying Luck.” Immediately, I purchased the album on eMusic and became an instant fan. Jake Snider’s vocals are amazing, but Dave Knudson’s guitar work and effects sealed the deal for me.

Explosions In The Sky
Explosions In The Sky

Song: “Welcome, Ghosts” from All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I have a bone to pick with these guys about their short live sets and lack of encores. They’ll play a 90 minute set, cut the show suddenly, and then say they’re completely wiped out and can’t go any longer. Listen, you jackknobs, I’ve been to Slayer sets lasting twice as long and they play many times faster and harder than you. Not to mention they’re all about 15 years older than you. If you can barely do 90 minutes, you should probably take up jogging to improve your cardio levels.

With that said, I first saw them on DirecTV while I was wedged in a middle seat on a JetBlue redeye flight from SJC to JFK last June. Their performance of “Welcome, Ghosts”on Conan was being re-run and I caught part of it as I flipped through the channels. As cliché as it sounds, I became a fan instantly.

Band of Horses
Band of Horses | Cease to Begin

Song: “The First Song” from Everything All the Time

Like Hooverphonic, Stereolab, and Nick Drake several years before, I discovered Band Of Horses in a car commercial. Instead of “Renaissance Affair”, “Parsec”, or “Pink Moon” in a VW spot, this time it was “The Funeral” playing during a Ford Edge commercial. Ben Bridwell’s voice absolutely captivated me and I just had to find out who the band was. After googling the answer, I bought their albums and have been cranking them since. If someone were to ask me what my favorite song right now is, I would not hesitate to say “The First Song”. That one has been wearing out my iPod.

Funeral For A Friend
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND – Official Website

Song: “Streetcar” from Hours

Recently, Funeral For A Friend has been my go-to band when I need some tunes to pump me up before a workout, a run, or before hockey. I first heard “Streetcar” on the Madden NFL 06 video game and I only purchased that one song of theirs. Recently, I saw a video of them performing “Juneau” at some outdoor festival and I decided to check them out in more detail. I became drawn not only to their rockin’-ness, but also to how catchy and memorable their hooks are.

Sigur Rós
eighteen seconds before sunrise – official sigur rós website

Song: “Andvari” from Takk…

When I was working for DRUM! Magazine, I used to regularly rummage through the rejected/reviewed CD box and I was fortunate enough to nab a copy of the recently-reviewed Takk… I had heard the Sigur Rós name and I didn’t really know what to expect but I was capitvated by the music from the first listen. Even if you’re not familiar with the band, you may have already heard them as “Hoppípolla” was used in the Planet Earth documentary series recently. Perhaps I’m just overly sensitive, but I do usually have to fight back tears when I listen to the beautiful music Sigur Rós graces up with. I have to bite my lip a bit harder when I listen to “Andvari” from Takk…

A Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

This is a 400-word (if I recall correctly) Wordle of my various blog posts.  I don’t really know what to do with it other than show it to you, but it really is kind of cool looking.  It’s a cool little gadget to play around with.

As an avid stand-up comedy fan, I like to listen to and watch as many comedians as I can.  Here are the 5 newest additions to my list of favorite comedians.

In case you were wondering, Mitch Hedberg holds the all-time top spot.  Rest in piece, Mitchell.  You always make me laugh and you’ll never be forgotten.

Sebastian Maniscalco
Official Website of Sebastian Maniscalco

I recently saw Sebastian’s Comedy Central special and was very impressed by his hilarious observational humor and deliberate mannerisms.  His friendly macho act makes for a great stage persona that sets him apart from most relatively unknown comics who can seem generic and faceless regardless of how funny they are.

Kyle Cease
KyleCease.com

Also known as the Slow Clapper from Not Another Teen Movie,  Kyle Cease could make it on this list for his Nintendo bit alone.  His fast-paced style uses jokes as transitions and is full of references that will make anyone who grew up in the 1980s and 90s laugh hysterically.

Ben Bailey
The Real Ben Bailey

Ben Bailey is probably better known as the host and driver of Cash Cab, but he has been doing stand-up comedy for many years.  His observational style is slightly surreal and often results in hilariously unexpected punchlines.

Brian Regan
Brian Regan: The Official Site

Brian Regan’s clean comedic stylings widen his appeal to all ages but don’t be fooled into thinking that his stuff is watered down and lame.  Regan is extremely funny with his over-the-top personas that make his casual observations seem like grandiose events.

Doug Stanhope
Doug Stanhope – Stand-up Comedian

Stanhope has been doing stand-up since 1990 and is probably the comic who can best take over where George Carlin left off. He’s vulgar and dark and will probably offend you at some point.  However, you will probably agree with him vehemently at another point.