Embracing a barely crowded Tuesday night in Ybor City, These United States took control of the Orpheum venue with their rock and roll tunes. The audience, a little curious of what to expect from the band, gradually were enticed by the frequent catchy beats and general energy These United States pulled off. 

Bandleader Jesse Elliott sang his soul to the gathering crowd while bassist Anna Morsett put the grooves to dance to. Aaron Latos banged on the drums, with help from Elliott and his tambourine, enough to give off an extreme energy to each song that came onto the set list. The southern noise of steel guitar, courtesy of J. Tom Hnatow, gave each song a specific unique sound (as steel guitar usually does to any song it’s featured in), closed out by Justin Craig’s catchy guitar riffs.

Overall, These United States gave a stellar performance that make fans wonder why they haven’t recorded a live album yet. The raw energy that These United States performed with definitely carried over to the audience, causing new fans to flourish on the dance floor. 

Exclusive Acoustic Sets and Live Images

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Written by Sarah Page

Although seven years may seem like a long time to many, these past seven years flew by for Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig who said her goodbyes on her final episode two Saturdays ago. Wiig, a Saturday Night favorite to many, spent the past seven years entertaining us week after week with characters like the Target lady, Gilly, and a very boozy Kathie Lee Gifford. This year however, we say goodnight and goodbye to all these characters and the actress that kept us laughing week after week. Wiig was one cast member that truly put her all into every character she portrayed, and it certainly paid off. Quickly becoming a fan favorite, Wiig began branching out to movies, from playing smaller roles like the yoga instructor in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, to being not only the star, but also writer of Bridesmaids, arguably one of last year’s best comedies. Wiig quickly found her calling on SNL and charmed audiences of various ages and will continue to do so in all her future endeavors. Lorne Michaels described Wiig’s leave as “difficult for all of us,” and described her last episode as one of the hardest goodbyes on the show yet. But don’t be too upset; although you may have seen the last of her on your TV screen every Saturday night, you certainly have not seen the last of Kristen Wiig. She will be moving onto bigger (and higher-paying) things, as she already has movie roles booked up to 2014. Wiig is a strong actress who is able to take any role and make it her own and truly shine above the rest. Comparable to past SNL alum Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Wiig is a powerful female actress who has really just begun her rise to the top. Be sure to keep an eye out for her.

Watch Kristen’s final SNL episode here.

Season Round Up: Community - Season 3

Ah, Community. The show that undeniably has the strongest of fanbases that mysteriously disappears whenever the show is actually on but starts kicking their feet whenever it goes away. This relationship of audience vs. show is an extremely odd one. A few seasons ago, Parks and Recreation was on the verge of cancellation and nobody really did anything about it other than say “Aw man, that’s gonna suck.” But if Community is on the verge (it practically lives on that verge), then the Internet explodes. 

And all of that could be a case on why season 3 of Community has been much different from previous seasons. The show took a turn to become more focused on high concept episodes while trying to do full season story arcs. It was a bizarre combination because usually Community worked in the fact that it wasn’t a necessarily serialized comedy. It worked by doing small stories to tell a larger one, not by a large story to tell small stories. 
Granted, Community has always had concept episodes (starting with season 1’s “Modern Warfare”) and they have been very hilarious and creative, but doing a high concept episode nearly every episode leaves room for it to fall flat on its face, which is a good way to describe season 3.

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A cliche battle for the ages. Since the beginning of Parks & Recreation’s life, it has constantly been compared to its sister show, The Office. Both shows tonight have their season finales, and with no word on renewals yet, this could possibly be the end of one or both of their lives (but I seriously doubt that).

NBC doesn’t have many hit shows anymore. This isn’t 1997 anymore so the closest thing to a scripted comedy hit for the network is The Office these days. But Parks and Recreation, a show that was created by the same writers and producers of The Office, should be getting the same praise or more praise than its sister show. Parks and Recreation has a better lead character, better characters in general, and a world that is constantly open as a setting. Parks and Recreation is better than The Office.

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You Should Be Watching: Girls

With only four episodes stirring around on HBO, Girls is already one of the season’s best shows. The show, set in New York, revolves around the lives of friends who are stricken with the reality of being grown up when you’re just learning how to grow up. Girls fools around with honest humor and drama that is punctuated in life as a twentysomething. Not to mention that it’s really fucking great.

Created, written, and directed by 25 year old Lena Dunham (who is totally one of Based on Nothing’s dream podcast guests), Girls shows a side of the female world that isn’t usually shown to the television universe. Dunham’s honest voice is heard throughout every line, shot, and cut on the show. The only other TV show I can compare it to is FX’s Louie. They’re both filled with honest jokes and drama plots that just come with the simplicity of reality. Without getting too deep into word count, Girls deals with reality and makes it funny and charming to peak in on, leaving out the fakeness that usually occurs whenever a television show tries to create a real-life feel.

Girls is worth a shot. The soundtrack, the likable but flawed characters, the fact that you could probably say “Oh my God, that has happened to me and that shit sucks!” right to your TV while you laugh and cry is something to be achieved. The show will definitely be going places come award season and DVD release. Do yourself the favor and watch Girls on HBO at 10:30pm on Sundays.