VW admits rigging vehicles for emissions tests, this week's new music picks, the struggles of helping children with homework.
The who-done-it behind Volkswagen's emissions scandal
VW admits it deceived regulators (and its customers) by installing a tricky software routine in its four cylinder diesel vehicles that switched on pollution controls only when the car detected an emissions test.
OC Register car critic Susan Carpenter tells us all about the scheme, and how regulators slowly pieced together puzzling data to conclude the VW was behind the ruse.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above
Volkswagen could face an $18 billion fine, but are fines effective?
Volkswagen on Tuesday admitted to rigging emissions test for its diesel powered cars. The German automaker said the emissions issue affects 11 million vehicles worldwide, and will take more than $7 billion to fix, making it one of the most expensive automotive scandals ever.
Even though Volkswagen is worth billions of dollars, the company faces a potential fine of $18 billion. It would drain all its profits from 2014, and then some.
But do fines make for an effective disciplinary strategy? Some research shows that fines, whether given to individuals or companies, might not always be a compelling reason to do the right thing.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- , professor of behavioral economics at UC San Diego and co-author of, "The Why Axis: Hidden Motives and Undiscovered Economics of Everyday Life."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above
The Brood: When helping kids with homework, how much is too much?
Families across the country are settling back into the rhythms of school year. Making lunches, corralling the kids into the car, and of course doing homework.
Homework raises all sorts of questions these days. How much work is too much, or not enough? Should parents help? And what about kids who don't have access to someone who can help them?
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- Maryam Zar, a parent of three and a contributor at The Huffington Post
- Martha Brockenbrough, former high school teacher and writer on parenting and education
New music from Gospelbeach and Dylan Gardner
If you love new music, but you don't have the time to keep up with what's hip and new, we've got the perfect segment for you: Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our music experts bring in their top picks, which we promise, will keep you and your musical tastes relevant. This week we're joined by , News Director at Billboard Magazine.
Artist: Gospelbeach
Album: "Pacific Surf Line"
Songs: "Mick Jones," "Your Freedom"
Summary: First up is a sort of supergroup of musicians from L.A.’s Eastside called Gospelbeach. Those who keep up with the indie scene might recognize a few of this five-piece’s forefathers. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood for starters, both of whom feature the guitar stylings of Neal Casal. Gospelbeach also includes members of Silverlake-born groups Beachwood Sparks, Everest and the Tyde. There’s also a cameo by a member of Brian Wilson’s band.
The sum of all parts is a musical homage to those who came before them, namely another of LA’s adopted sons, Gram Parsons, but also a cosmic American nod to other beacons of decades past, like the "Pacific Surf Line," which is the name of the album and of an old railroad route that traveled the California coast.
Needless to say, this album is sunny and breezy and many other adjectives you could associate with SoCal, but it’s also surprisingly sparse at times, letting the vibes flow through individual leads. So, on one song the harmonies might shine, but on another, it’s the guitar solo, or like on "Your Freedom," it's the pedal steel.
Singer Brent Rademaker has called Gospelbeach a happy accident. In fact, he had basically written off the band life and returned to his home state of Florida, but the West Coast drew him back, and this collaboration came to be organically.
You can check them out for yourself at their upcoming residency at the Standard in Hollywood every Wednesday in October.
Artist: Dylan Gardner
Album: "Adventures in Real-Time"
Songs: "I’m Nothing Without You," "Too Afraid to Love You"
Summary: A multi-instrumentalist whiz kid, 19-year-old Dylan Gardener was raised on Power pop and Pro Tools in his Aurora, Illinois hometown, miles away from the music store his dad owned. They grow them strong out in the Midwest and Dylan, like his pop, has rock in his blood. Thankfully, it’s of the irresistibly sweet variety as this album proves in several spots, like on the song "I'm Nothing Without You."
Now, in what was some smart sonic decision-making, this debut album not a throwback, retro kind of thing, but melody-wise, the songwriting is stepped in the Beatles but also a band like XTC.
You can also hear echoes of the Knack and Cheap Trick and countless obscuro seven inches from Midwest bands that toiled away in their basement.
But that doesn't mean Dylan Gardener shies away from the sort of big pop that makes it to commercial radio. In fact, some of the songs on "Adventures in Real-Time" come awfully close to OneRepublic territory. It's like they’re contracted for maximum appeal, but that’s not his strong suit, necessarily. His songs are built of something more fragile and real than what most pop singers put out.
What Dylan Gardener can claim is an update of buoyant, head-bopping power pop for the 21st century. He’s still young, as you can tell from song titles like "Too Afraid to Love You," but he’s definitely someone to watch.
Pop-Up Magazine to kick off in LA, takes to the road
is coming to Los Angeles this Thursday. The live event aims to make the magazine concept come to life with an evening of true stories, photography, video, audio and music.
For the last couple years, Pop-Up Magazine primarily happened in San Francisco, with a couple of shows in Los Angeles. But this year, they're taking it beyond the Golden State with showings in Seattle, Chicago, Portland and Brooklyn, and are set to include a shadow puppetry show and guest musical performances.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- , one of the show's producers
- and , hosts of Buzzfeed's podcast Another Round, who will be joining the tour.
LA mural draws on international trend to mix art, cuisine
L.A.-based artist Carlos Nieto teamed up with restaurant owner Jesse Gomez to cover one side of the Mercado restaurant with colorful images of skulls, roses and an ashen landscape of downtown Los Angeles.
The result is a collaborative artwork that combines the best of L.A. street art with innovative cuisine – even making a nod to the latest trend in Mexico City's art scene, called art chilango. It features the work of more than a dozen L.A. artists.
"People all over the world are starting to take this idea, this notion of tagging and graffiti art and taking it to the next level," said Nieto, also known as CN3. "It's more illustrative, it's more descriptive and it's more personal to the artist."
What: The Skull Project art mural
Where: Restaurant Mercado, Hollywood
3413 Cahuenga Blvd. West, Los Angeles, California 90068