audioslave - out of exile (overdue revue)

if you didn't know that audioslave had put out a new album, i feel sorry for you! "out of exile" is out with at least two singles released at this point. "be yourself" was the first single out and was followed by "your time has come." both songs were good, but once again, the greatness of audioslave shows through in the variety of songs contained in the album as a whole. as with their first self-titled album, the best songs will almost certainly be the ones you don't hear on the radio.

its hard for a big audioslave fan like me to choose a favorite song from "out of exile," but i really enjoy track 4 "doesn't remind me," track 6 "heaven's dead," and track 8 "man or animal." "doesn't remind me" is a great chill-out tune, for lack of a better term. the leisurely guitar and carefree lyrics make for a great and relaxing listening experience. "man or animal" again reminds us that audioslave is a rock supergroup, the important words there being rock and supergroup. the previous song shows their range, but "animal" is a great rock song showcasing the signature vocals of chris cornell. "heaven's dead" is a great ballad that seems to be very meaningful to chris and the band. this might be the best song on the album... but again, i'm not going to choose that because i'll change my mind a million times over the next few weeks.

if you haven't bought this album, get your ass out there and do it now. i've had it since noon the day it came out, and if you don't get it soon, you are missing the obvious album of the year.

drop me a line at schmidti@augsburg.edu or talk to me at AOL: theeck888

stadium review

over memorial day weekend, fick and i hit up milwaukee and st. louis for two great baseball experiences. saturday was my first experience with miller park home of the milwaukee brewers. following an excellent free tour of the nearby miller brewery (which was free and had samples!!!) we paid $20 for an awesome baseball experience. the open concourses were great because we could watch the game while purchasing a hotdog and a beer. prices were very reasonable. the best part of the park was the atmosphere! the crowd was into the game and in a beer town like milwaukee, i guess that should be expected. my only regret was not knowing the importance of tailgating in milwaukee... i will not make that mistake again! although the roof was closed, overall this stadium was great and i fully anticipate attending a few more games there in the future. i would rate the miller park experience as an 8 (metrodome=1 and wrigley=10), with more room to grow with the addition of tailgating!

after a drive to illinois and a stay at motel 6, we drove a couple hours to st. louis for a sunday day game at soon to be destroyed busch stadium. ***note to self, show up early to downtown st. louis like the first time instead of arriving a couple minutes before the game*** the game was a sellout and once again I was reminded that baseball should be played outdoors. we ended up paying some low-life scalper $40 for a $22 upperdeck ticket. even an upperdeck seat at busch has a clear view of the entire game and is much better than a reserved seat at the dome. i just don't understand why they need a new stadium and are getting one, but we probably aren't. even the $9 jumbo beer was well worth the cash (and of course, fresh from the budweiser plant down the street!) but the jumbo hotdog was very not jumbo. overall, this stadium rates as an 7.

after the game, it was off to our ghetto hotel. not to worry though, splitting a 12-pack of fresh bud light we headed off to a sportsbar slash club slash outdoor bar (i'm not sure what to call the last one) down by the mississippi. after a few beers, some wings, and some great live acoustic guitar entertainment, i headed off to a few other bars with more great live music. st. louis' laclede's landing was full of great live music and i would love to stay out all night there again. and now that i am a member of the president's riverboat casino players' club, i see no reason why not to go back again! just don't drink so much the night before such a long drive... trust me!