It took Jack Johnson two years to break into the mainstream with his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales, and by the time it went platinum in early 2003, his star power was unstoppable. Twentysomethings and college kids across the globe often compared Johnson's comfortable approach to the fiery Ben Harper, so when it came time to make a second album, Johnson basically picked up where the first album left off. On and On is a sparkling sophomore effort, carefully designed to avoid any kind of critical slump. Fans will enjoy Johnson's soothing ballads and boy-next-door charms, never looking beyond the surface of the songs themselves. Producer Mario Caldato, Jr. (Beastie Boys, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) hones Johnson's feel-good vibe and polishes his signature acoustic guitars, while the musician himself continues honing his genre-blending sound. Johnson gets serious this time, too: he playfully expounds on America's sickening dependence on material things (Gone) and its subconscious ill will with today's youth (Cookie Jar). Other views on world war (Traffic in the Sky) and a capitalistic, business-obsessed way of life (The Horizon Has Been Defeated) are gently reflected upon without reproach. Johnson doesn't need to be an aggressive messenger to get his point across; the sales of Brushfire Fairytales make that quite clear. Instead, people listen to Johnson's musical commentary because he puts himself on their level, shunning the philosophical preaching of his counterpart, Harper. On and On keeps things simple in sound and time, and the only noticeable change is that Johnson didn't lyrically restrain himself. There are 17 solid tracks featured here, each one of them rooted in spiritual grooves,funk, and blues. In dire times, Johnson is sunny -- and sunny always feels good. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi

Aphex Twin's On EP is clearly one of Richard James's most successful works, both artistically and chartwise (hitting the low 30s on the British charts--not bad for a rabid experimentalist). His first major release in the U.S., the weirdly club-friendly yet organic title track is composed of (in order of appearance) four pleasant, reverberating piano notes played in succession; a cascade of ascending and descending keyboard notes that quickly approximate a waterfall; the sound of actual water itself in form of a rainstorm; synth washes for ambient coloring; skittering sequencer rhythm notes; an antique Suicide-style beat box that sounds as if powered by steam; and a deliciously distorted, bass-heavy, repeated squeal noise that serves as the focal point of the entire piece. It's pretty neat, enough so that it's one of James's essential recordings. --Mike McGonigal

By Jack Johnson. For guitar and voice. Play It Like It Is. Pop Rock and Pop. Difficulty: medium. Guitar tablature songbook. Guitar tablature, standard guitar notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names, guitar chord diagrams and guitar notation legend. 63 pages. Published by Cherry Lane Music

Opening with a thrilling new version of the previously vinyl-only Ivanka and the chaotic stop-and-start stomper Baby, On begins like any other Imperial Teen album. A pop-perfect hybrid of Top 40, punk, glam, and new wave, that one-two power punch could have easily fit on either of the California foursome's first two near masterpieces, 1996's Seasick and 1999's What Is Not to Love. When the band launches into the album's third number, Sugar, however, even longtime fans may be surprised by the new direction. Trading in the insanely danceable rock beats of You're One and Year of the Tan for more mid-tempo, keyboard-driven pop-lite compositions, Imperial Teen is clearly evolving into a group of subtler, more nuanced songwriters. Which, despite occasionally sounding light years removed from the full-throttle pop/rock of its previous output, doesn't mean that On fails to live up to the exhilarating heights of its predecessors: Relentlessly hummable and teeming with beautiful girl/boy harmonies that most bands only dream of, these 12 '80s-tinged tracks simply see the band fine-tuning its singalong songs and, in the process, securing its reign at the top of the pops. ~ Jimmy Draper, Rovi

Despite growing a respectable mullet at the height of the band's fame, keyboardist Roddy Bottum never seemed at ease with Faith No More 's menacing rap-rock doctrine. Things haven't been easy since striking out with Imperial Teen in 1996--the group's first two albums, Seasick and 1999's What Is Not to Love, didn't even rack up a fraction of The Real Thing's massive sales. But rather than retreating to safer commercial ground, Bottom and his coed San Francisco crew sound more determined than over on this third album. Employing angular new-wave rhythms, furious pop riffs, and stop-start melodies that gyrate over lines like Shake, shake, va va voom / vis a vis / Go go I do you, you do me, songs like Undone and Teacher's Pet evoke the high-gloss punch of early MTV acts like Altered Images and Sparks while steadfastly looking forward. It's not only good fun, but far more illuminating than anything the latter-day nu-metal crybabies are whining on about. --Aidin Vaziri

Life is tough! We are tougher! But there are times when you need a little boost, a little help to get over the big hurdles of life. The stories found in FIGHT ON! are about people who met life's challenges head on. Sometimes it was voluntary. Sometimes it was due to circumstances beyond their control. But one-and-all they refused to give in or give up. Some persevered and live out fruitful lives. Some left us nothing but their extraordinary valor to encourage us. But all of them won! This book is an anthology of stories of struggles for survival in the most austere circumstances. Whether it is in combat, earthquakes, airplane wrecks. Fires, train wrecks, mining disasters, the people whose stories follow have givenus all an example of what can be accomplished when we refuse to surrender to our circumstances! All the stories in this book are true and have been recorded without embellishment. Truth, by itself, is astounding enough. Whatever your personal battle is, it is hoped that something you read within the covers of this book will help you get through, help you survive and even prosper. Who knows, maybe you will even end up in a future edition of FIGHT ON!

Features: Whether you are a veteran director of children's musicals or a novice, you will turn to this easy-to-use resource again and again! Like John Jacobson's popular Riser Choreography, this practical guide will lead you and your students into the wonderful world of putting on a show. Even if your stage is really just the gym floor, you'll discover how to make the most of your performance through dozens of helpful photos and John's clever step-by-step approach. See the techniques come alive on the video with John and a group of real 6th graders as they learn how to project their lines and communicate with the audience in several scenes and excerpts of musicals. Topics include basic stage terminology, blocking, stage projection, moving on stage, the use of microphones, developing and practicing self confidence, learning how to rehearse, helping the background performers feel special,

Richard Hammond describes his childhood and adolescence and the emergence of the adrenalin junkie, the first ridiculous stunts on his tricycle....

One of the earliest in Ninja Tune's stable of ambient breakbeat acts, James Bradell's Funki Porcini project slowed considerably during the 2000s, and he admits as much in the liner notes to 2010's On: Obviously with the freeness of music it became dubious if it would support a family, and as a result I have had to resort to more practical and sordid ways of making a living. Consequently, On is a collection of recordings from the 2000s that Bradell had worked on only fitfully, but his deft touch is still intact. Ambient breakbeat tended to be an easily created and easily dismissed style of music (Bradell admits most of his early recordings put him to sleep), but its best practitioners understood how to create a mood much like a DJ would, whether the emphasis was dancing or relaxing. Bradell understands this also, opening with the beatless and beatific Moog River, and waiting until well into the second track to introduce any rhythmic percussion. His tools are similar to what he used in the mid-'90s -- warm analog keys, a full kit of percussion samples that usually sound more live than programmed, and somber melodies that shift only slightly and slowly -- but also acoustic piano as well. The ambience here is enlightening, and for any ambient fans who remember fondly the heady days of 9 Lazy 9 and Hed Phone Sex, On will be similar and delightful company. ~ John Bush, Rovi

After going for more than a year without a date -- a record in New York City -- Marlowe Riddle has finally met a broodingly sexy, sharply intelligent man who is clearly interested in making more than polite conversation. The only problem: Joseph Kain is an NYPD detective clearly under the mistaken impression that Marlowe is a call girl.But while Marlowe does take money for spending time with strangers in her expensive Upper West Side apartment, she's a psychologist -- not Manhattan's answer to the Mayflower Madam! A fact she has no intention of telling Joe ... at least not until she finishes her research project on the Behavioral Effects of Disguising Identity.But Marlowe's not the only one trying to secretively gain information ... and it's becoming increasingly unclear who is seducing whom. Because sometimes the only way to learn what a man really wants ... is to get him on the couch.

Bernard Williams, who died in 2003, was one of the most influential moral philosophers of his generation. A lifelong opera lover, his articles and essays, talks for the BBC, contributions to the Grove Dictionary of Opera, and program notes for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the English National Opera, generated a devoted following. This elegant volume brings together these widely scattered and largely unobtainable pieces, including two that have not been previously published. It covers an engaging range of topics from Mozart to Wagner, including sparkling essays on specific operas by those composers as well as Verdi, Puccini, Strauss, Debussy, Janacek, and Tippett. Reflecting Williams’s brilliance, passion, and clarity of mind, these essays engage with, and illustrate, the enduring appeal of opera as an art form.

It took Jack Johnson two years to break into the mainstream with his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales, and by the time it went platinum in early 2003, his star power was unstoppable. Twentysomethings and college kids across the globe often compared Johnson's comfortable approach to the fiery Ben Harper, so when it came time to make a second album, Johnson basically picked up where the first album left off. On and On is a sparkling sophomore effort, carefully designed to avoid any kind of critical slump. Fans will enjoy Johnson's soothing ballads and boy-next-door charms, never looking beyond the surface of the songs themselves. Producer Mario Caldato, Jr. (Beastie Boys, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) hones Johnson's feel-good vibe and polishes his signature acoustic guitars, while the musician himself continues honing his genre-blending sound. Johnson gets serious this time, too: he playfully expounds on America's sickening dependence on material things (Gone) and its subconscious ill will with today's youth (Cookie Jar). Other views on world war (Traffic in the Sky) and a capitalistic, business-obsessed way of life (The Horizon Has Been Defeated) are gently reflected upon without reproach. Johnson doesn't need to be an aggressive messenger to get his point across; the sales of Brushfire Fairytales make that quite clear. Instead, people listen to Johnson's musical commentary because he puts himself on their level, shunning the philosophical preaching of his counterpart, Harper. On and On keeps things simple in sound and time, and the only noticeable change is that Johnson didn't lyrically restrain himself. There are 17 solid tracks featured here, each one of them rooted in spiritual grooves,funk, and blues. In dire times, Johnson is sunny -- and sunny always feels good. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi

Pastors, missionaries, teachers, and other Christian leaders are facing major challenges that threaten their effectiveness and even survival. What causes Christian leaders to lose their ministries or quit altogether? Pressing On! details why leaders derail from the ministry and offers hope to leaders determined to finish well. Drawing on Biblical examples, personal experience, his research data from 151 American leaders, and interviews with another 50 leaders in 11 countries, Benjamin Kaufman provides helpful and practical suggestions on leadership development for 21st century leaders. Pressing On! topics include: . Developing integrity . Dealing with spiritual and self-doubt . Handling others' and our own expectations . Surviving and thriving in a Christian organization . Adapting and developing as a leader . Preventing and resolving conflict . Creating an accountability team . Building and leading a team . Overcoming bitterness . Avoiding burnout

ON COURSE: STRATEGIES FOR CREATING SUCCESS IN COLLEGE AND IN LIFE presents a hands-on approach to learning essential life and study skills. Now in its 6th edition, ON COURSE is used as a text in student success courses, first-year experience programs, and inward-looking courses that promote student growth and self-awareness. ON COURSE demonstrates the choices that successful students make. A self-assessment tool at the beginning of the text helps students to identify behaviors and beliefs they may wish to change in order to achieve more of their potential in college and in life. Students have an opportunity to revisit their self-assessment at the conclusion of the text. Written in a positive, motivational style, ON COURSE empowers students with the tools they need to take charge of their success in college and in life. Downing's distinctive guided journal entries help students develop essential life skills by encouraging exploration of personal responsibility, self-motivation, interdependence, and self-esteem. Extensive coverage of study skills--reading, note taking, memory and test taking--provided in the Wise Choices in College sections helps students excel in all of their college courses. Students are encouraged by hearing from their peers through a unique feature called One Student's Story, which highlights the implementation of the text's strategies.

Structured in three parts, On the Material is a meditation on language, geography, socio-economics and the body, moving from the glut of fossil-fuelled consumer excess to the materiality of a single book.Composed almost entirely of quatrains (each page being comprised of four four-line stanzas) and written while travelling through North America in 2008, “4 × 4” navigates issues of space and movement in the global age. As economies crumble, ecosystems fail and peak oil approaches, Collis records the production of a disarticulation of social discourse that our consumer society has generated: “After all we made money out of matter here / Now condos shield us from the computer hum / Of on-line trading and wars ?ash on ?at screens / As 4 × 4s cool and ping mud covered in double garages.”In its bridging second section, “I Fought the Lyric and the Lyric Won,” the desire to express wins out over the desire to possess. Beauty, contemplation and human communication seem to have abandoned the world, and their absence from the everyday has re-engaged the poet’s struggle with language—has left a need to reinvent human discourse and its attendant relations.The third section, “Gail’s Books,” is a sequence of poems in memory of Stephen Collis’s sister, Gail Tulloch. A month after Gail’s death from cancer in 2002, a ?re destroyed her house, removing every material reminder of her from the earth. All that remained was one book recovered from a pool of water in the ruins after the ?re. Dried in the air, this book, and those Collis had previously borrowed from his sister, become a way for the poet to read back into the elemental heart of absence and loss—the “material” of the books displacing, and in some way recovering, how language holds the materiality of the physical world.

Sixteen-year-old Piper Wesley has always been better at hooking fish than guys. But with her best friend Benny by her side, she’s never minded. And besides, her fishing skills have made her a celebrity in her hometown of Islamorada, an island paradise in the Florida Keys. So when a slump in tourism threatens to sink her family’s fishing charter business, Piper recruits Benny to help her win a major fishing tournament and the $25,000 grand prize. It seems like a perfect plan. Put her skills to use, win some money and help her parents weather the storm. Except that now Benny cares more about hanging out with his girlfriend Marina than helping Piper. And he keeps disappearing, usually after something suspicious happens on the island. Add in Logan, a Michigan transplant with a growing interest in something other than Piper’s fishing, and it looks like practicing for the tournament will be anything but easy. Leaving Piper to wonder how she'll win. And who will be there when it’s over.

On the Road is the classic story of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, who set off on an odyssey through mid-century underground America, fueled by jazz, sex, drugs, mystical philosophy....