The Cosmo Vinyl

What's this

2012-02-02T22:36:00.000-06:00

I haven't looked at this place for so long. So many things have happened since I last wrote. Good things, average things. Maybe we will catch up sometime. At any rate, this photograph of my grandfather at 18 prompted me to return. With some unknown person called "Two-bit," Grandpa is on right in his navy outfit. Sometime in 1944.

The Arcade Fire at Roy Wilkins

2010-10-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

So, it worked out that I have been to the (Legendary) Roy Wilkins Auditorium twice now in three days to attend two wonderful concerts.
Here, I was confined to a balcony seat, because the tickets sold out alarmingly fast and that was the best I could get, but it was okay anyway. Just less enjoyable, due to not being able to go crazy without the possibility of losing my footing and toppling down to presumably my death from up above. Also, the sound was a bit over-saturated (if you will), but Roy Wilkins is notorious for bad sound anyway so I wasn't very surprised at all. But yes, it was okay.

Calexico was the opener, and not knowing any of their music, I would say it was pretty good. Their style isn't exactly my main choice, but it was smooth, and nice to listen to. The horns sounded great, and I enjoyed watching them.

When the Arcade Fire finally came on, they were greeted by the expected screaming. They opened with "Ready to Start" off the Suburbs (which, as I probably should have expected, they played lots of songs from. I haven't really been feeling this album though, and I still haven't gotten around to purchasing it, so I was unfamiliar with a lot of the stuff. Oh well...). Right after, Win yelled, "This is a song called 'No Cars Go,'" and we erupted. Then shortly after, they played "Haiti." It was a good start to the show, indeed. The band was super-energetic, as I've heard, and they really put a lot of feeling into it. Even if it's only for show, it gets the rest of us going too, and it's super fun, if not a little dangerous (my god, the way they launched those drumsticks into the crowd I'm surprised no one got speared). It was a lot of fun, Regine was even dancing so hard the skirt of her dress flew up and we saw her butt. And you, crazy Win, you get down from that piano.

So, as I was saying, they played a lot of Suburbs tunes, but they also played most of their older songs that I wanted to hear. Although there was no "My Body is a Cage," they did play "Intervention," my other favorite from Neon Bible and "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" one of my very favorites from Funeral (Win prefaced it by pleading with us, "I know you're all tired, I know you have work tomorrow, but please, please, just give me something for this one." And we did).

The encore was great, beginning with "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)," another personal favorite of mine, and finishing off the night with "Wake Up." This was really a pretty good show. Honestly, I wasn't expecting all that much because I had been a bit disappointed with The Suburbs and I was beginning to wonder how much I really liked this band anymore, but I was very impressed. I still like them, and that's good.

The Flaming Lips!

2010-09-25T12:03:00.000-05:00

Went to my first Flaming Lips show on the 19th at Roy Wilkins with my mom. Excellent!

It really lived up to all the hype you hear about F'Lips shows. It was absolutely awesome, in the real sense of the word.

We got there, and the crowd was really pretty young and friendly. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti opened, and although I commend them for trying, I can't say I really liked them at all. Too much synth, too much awful, if you ask me. But that didn't matter; they kept the set fairly short. Wayne kept peeping out during it, too, just to make us more antsy.
So then they set up the elaborate F'Lips stage, what with nets full of large balloons swelling up from behind and confetti guns and aliens and everything. Wayne kept coming out, smiling, assuring us that he loves us too, and being an all-around coolguy. Finally everything was ready, and he announced a sort of disclaimer thing regarding the strobe lights, and shortly then after the show began! Whee!

So, the balloons and confetti were released, and they came out from behind the screen with the yellow dancing woman (whee!) and got in their places and Wayne got in his bubble. And then he rolled out onto us. It's such a strange feeling, to be looking above, and seeing the soles of Wayne's shoes, and realizing that he's standing on top of you, in a bloody plastic bubble. It's rather insane, I'd say. Brilliant though. We pushed him back to stage, and they started playing some songs. A lot of their newer ones, but they also played "She Don't Use Jelly," to which everyone sang/yelled along. I enjoyed the theatrics, what with the strobes and bear-costumed man giving Wayne a piggy-back ride, the green laser hands, the wonderful use of darkness, Woo Hoo!, the video backdrop, everything. It was really quite a trip. Everything was so fun, the jumping the dancing and singing. Good stuff. For encore, they played the Yeah Yeah Yeah Song and Do You Realize?, both of which were extended and very good for the singing along. When it was all said and done, the place was a huge mess, and people were lingering around, dancing amongst the garbage all over the floor. It was great!

Nirmala Rajasekar and Co.

2010-09-18T18:20:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday I sort of spontaneously decided to go to an IMSOM hosted concert featuring Ms. Nirmala Rajasekar. I met Nirmala back in May and aside from being super-nice and talented, she mentioned how she'd be playing in September, and so I looked up the show, and day-of I decided to go.
It was in a little room inside an auditorium at St. Catherine's that was really very intimate and filled with orange-upholstered seats. When I got there, it was already pretty crowded, and I recognized a few players that were with her last time sitting in the audience. Honestly I felt a bit out of place for different reasons, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Nirmala is extremely talented, and the ensemble playing with her were great as well. During the first half of the show, she recognized her "mentor, and guru," and elderly woman in the front row, whom she invited up on stage. Nirmala stooped to touch the woman's feet in great respect, and presented her with a gift and her new "Into the Raga" album. Then, we took a 10 minute break of cookies and coffee.
When we returned, we got right back into the music, playing some really long compositions. I honestly am not that knowledgable with the ways of keeping rhythm for this style of music and everyone else did, but after some time, I fell into it, and it was a lovely atmosphere. It was a nice familiar feeling with almost everyone in the room patting their hands in the same rhythm, right along with the players, dropping our palms on the dominant beat. It was really fun, and very long. After everything was said and done, it had been just about 4 hours. We split pretty soon after it ended, and were thoroughly impressed.

Lowertown Music Festival!

2010-08-09T12:36:00.000-05:00

I went to the Lowertown Music Fest on Saturday with some friends and had a great time. It was a bit overwhelming, but the weather was perfect, and the music was nice. Here's the breakdown, in order of appearance:

Koo Koo Kangaroo... was this humor hip hop duo wearing black sweatsuits trying to get the crowd going. Their songs focused around such heavy subjects as PB&J, let me see your dinosaur, I'm drivin' the minivan, and others. Although they had so much zeal in their performance and getting the crowd going, only a small percentage of the people there were actually playing along. They did bring out a parachute though, which was pretty neat. Everyone loves a rainbow parachute.

Frank Turner... is from Winchester, England, and is pretty cute. He seemed like a cool guy and a good musician. He mainly played fun, youthful songs on his acoustic guitar getting the not-yet-leg-cramp-ridden crowd going. He even asked for a volunteer to play harmonica solo for him, and a girl named Rachel from Australia got to come up and do it. It was nice that she was the one, because while she was up there, it was clear she knew all the words to all his songs. He kept us singing along with him, yelling "I still believe," and other things. At the end, we were to sing the chorus with him, all of us, as loud as we could, because he firmly believed that if everyone on that block sang together, something amazing happened, something philosophical, where there is no raised stage anymore, and we're all in it together. It's a very nice thought, and so I sang and sang and sang.

Peter Wolf Crier... I don't know much about them, unfortunately. I enjoyed the performance though.

Tapes n Tapes... I'm afraid I only knew the radio hits for these guys, too. Oh well. They were a fun bunch.

Cloud Cult... over the past couple of years have really impressed me with everything they've done. This was my second time seeing them, and it was great, as expected. Aside from about ten minutes of technical difficulties after the first song, they were very smooth. They have a new album due out in September (although it was for sale there, and from their website too, I believe,) and they played a handful of songs from that, but many of their older, so well loved ones. They even did a Cloud Cult-ified cover of "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man." They really owned the crowd, had and brought out a lot of energy. During "Pretty Voice," while just near everyone sang along with the opening lines, Craig was visibly in awe, and said, "Wow, guys, that's great... Keep doing that." And so we did. I think a lot of people were there to see this band. Definitely some great things from them.

Mason Jennings... is an amazing songwriter. I overlooked him for so long, and it was just this year that I started getting into him. I shouldn't have waited; his music is great. His performance was pretty much flawless. He played some of the songs from his last album, Blood of Man (which I think is just great), including some of my favorites from there, like "Pittsburgh," and "The Field," which pull tears from my eyes whenever I hear them. He played older songs as well, and everything was spot on. There were a lot of hard-core fans singing all around, it was a nice atmosphere, as the sun slowly disappeared and left us in the bluish dim. He played for a long while, and it was a great set. He's a cool guy, and I hope to see him again.

Built to Spill at First Avenue

2010-07-30T16:50:00.003-05:00

So I saw Built to Spill in the Mainroom on Thursday the 22nd, and it was a great show. A band called Fauxboix opened, and weren't too shabby, but Doug Martsch and Co. just blew me away.
They opened with "Else," which is probably one of my favorite songs of theirs from probably one of my favorite albums of theirs, and so we began on a great note. They played lots of great songs.. not the songs I expected them to play, but still great. I want to say how lovely the guitar work between the three fellows comes out, wonderful jamming. I love Doug a lot. I really love this band.

Schedule.

2010-07-18T23:29:00.000-05:00

Very excited.

And happy 92nd birthday to Nelson Mandela.
Possibly Dr. Dog in October.

Ramblin' Jack Elliott at the Cedar.

2010-06-28T23:15:00.000-05:00

June 19-- We went to go see a folk pioneer play at the Cedar. I think there is a trend forming of seeing folk musicians at the Cedar. That's cool.

Anyway, yes, so the mysterious "Rolling Patches Revue" part that was included on the event poster ended up being a (long winded) tribute to Ramblin' Jack himself, including a zillion local folksters, and then, surprise, Patches and Gretchen happened to be there too. Well anyway, that's unimportant.
Yeah okay so then after all that and the intemission, 'twas time for Ramblin' Jack's set. He was welcomed warmly by all, and sat down to play a few songs. No pictures were to be taken because he said that when people shot pictures of him, he felt compelled to "shoot back." Well, he played some songs, and mostly told stories. He really lives up to his epithet. I don't know if we ever did reach the punchline to some of them. His "sweetheart" Vickie Lee (the Queen of Rockabilly) came out to do a song with him (sung in G.. the People's Key) and rambled a little bit about some teddy bears that they have living at home that talk to them and often have malicious intentions. Jack talked about Bob Dylan, and did a quick impression of him (well, his voice) during a song. He got on coughing jags. He complained about the heat, and the funny shape of his new hat. He was pretty colorful. Good stuff though. I feel lucky to have seen the man.

Optometry.

2010-06-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

Summer is Ready.

2010-06-03T22:33:00.003-05:00

Here comes the sun. The weather is shaping up nicely and I would like to go swimming. So. Here's the deal.

I have been cultivating my fondness for the wonderful Built to Spill this past year, and some weeks ago, I remarked, "Gee-- it sure would be nice to see this band play live." And then the next morning, because fortune decided to smile upon me, I opened up the City Pages to the First Avenue schedule-ad, and guess who is scheduled for July 22? Yes, indeed it is Built to Spill. I am going, I am excited.

Also in the upcoming concert queue is one Ramblin' Jack Elliott. There's a good chance I am going to see him play at the Cedar very soon.

I've been on a ridiculous Donovan kick lately, decades late to the party or not. He just recently turned 64 years and released through his website a new single. (http://www.donovan.ie/). He's got a new album coming out you know, Ritual Groove. Whether it is going to come out within the summer or not, I think he'll be getting heavy rotations on my record player all summer long.

Speaking of new material. My first musical love, Sawao Yamanaka, has finally gone along and created a solo album. I will say, I am excited for him! His album is called Discharge and the song 'Dawn Speech' is up and playing already. What can we say about it? It's different, it's Sawao trying to sound mellow, or something. Still, it's nice to see him and Yoko together again. I'm curious to hear more cuts from the record.

The Arcade Fire, too, have a new album due for August as well, titled The Suburbs. I doubt it has any correlation to the Minnesota band The Suburbs, but either way I am looking forward to hearing new Arcade Fire tunes.

Summer music is always integral to the season. I will be digging out the required summer records soon, a comprehensive list of which I plan to compile in the near future. Rock music friendships, yes yes.

Adventures in Space and Time with the Apples in Stereo

2010-05-17T22:45:00.017-05:00

It's strangely apt that the Apples' new theme is time travel, because Saturday the night of May day sure happened fast, almost as if compressed in time. Story time.

In all likeliness, I wasn't going to be going to this concert. Just another age-restricted Turf Club show. I really wanted to go though. A good acquaintance suggested that I contact Robert to see if he could do any pulling of strings for me, and so I did. He directed me toward his lovely wife Marci, to whom I am forever indebted for all the kind things she did for me. Marci and I kept of sporadic correspondence until the very night of the show, where she sent me a last e-mail about 50 minutes before mom and I were going to leave that sealed the deal of getting in. We got our things gathered in a great tizzy and left to go to the show.

So we got to University Ave., and basically just wandered and waited until the time came. I made serious eyes at the wonderful Bill Doss in the CVS store, but I don't think he realized I recognized him. I saw the kids of Laminated Cat (who, as it turned out, were a nice bunch too). When the time came, we sent the deciding text to Marci, saying "Hello, this is nicole, we are here, we are in front. You are wonderful!" and about 15 seconds later, we spotted Marci and Robert through the window and coming out the door to come meet us. Wow!

First impulse of mine was to hug the pair, and so I did, and shook their hands. Robert commented, "Nice Music Tapes shirt!" and flashed his lovely white smile, and I melted a little bit. They led us in, where we found out they had actually put me on their guest list (oi!) and really weren't even expecting me to have a ticket. Amazed I was, and Robert then announced, "We're gonna go eat," and so mom and I were left alone again, completely floored.

Sitting at the bar, I basically looked around dumbfounded and overjoyed to be there, and listened to Laminated Cat mic check for a while. Robert walked by later and spoke with us again, and then soon enought LC began their set.

Not knowing much about them, I honestly enjoyed LC. Basically, they are a group of some talented young kids who like to make psychedelic rock music, and play it well. Robert stood solitary in the middle of the floor, watching them like a proud father, for the majority of their set. I really enjoyed this band, and ended up purchasing their two CDs afterward. Very polite indeed: the bassist smiled widely at me as he walked by; my mom told the front man (whose voice I really quite love) he did a really nice job, and he just smiled and looked in her eyes and said "Thank you very much"; and the guitarist said to me afterward, "I like your shirt. A lot." (Gee--I claim to like these guys and I can't even remember their names off hand. I am an awful person). Anyway, Laminated Cat is a cool bunch, definitely worth checking out. They finished their set, and the first middle waiting time commenced.
Generationals! I only really knew them from the radio, but they were pretty cool.
More on this soon...

Festival of Nations

2010-05-03T16:09:00.001-05:00

Today I visited the 2010 Festival of Nations over in St. Paul and had a nice crowded time. As always, there were hordes of people there, which gets on my nerves in trying to walk but also is nice in seeing such diversity.

Largely, the bazaar and cafe are where it's at. So of course, I spent a lot of time looking around at all the little buyables that are supposedly representative of their respective country (which, in many cases, aren't, but likewise in many are-- the Matryoshkas, for example). I ended up at the Tibet stand, where I bought a cute little knit hat (although summer is on its way) and a beaded bracelet. There I spoke to an older fellow from Tibet from whom I got the sense that he'd really like to go back but "(sigh)" he really cannot, "because China." He was really a kind old man and pressed my hand warmly before I left, and I was happy to have spoken to an interesting person.

Speaking of interesting persons, I continued ambling along through the stands, and I spotted a blanketed instrument obviously of Indian origin. I didn't know what it was, so I sort of stood and stared until the women took notice, then I asked them. As it turns out, it's a veena, the ancient cousin of the sitar, and the national instrument of India. They are 2000 years old and have a nice unique sound. The woman who led the troupe of veena players and others was one Ms. Nirmala Rajasekar, who coincidentally was going to be playing that day a small set, so I went to watch her. She was quite friendly, and really quite good, and reassured me that sitar "really isn't that complicated." I'll take her word for it..

Anoushka Shankar at the Dakota.

2010-04-21T20:27:00.013-05:00

Yesterday, the twentieth, my father and I went to the lovely Dakota Jazz Club to watch Ms. Anoushka Shankar play up her sitar, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
Having been my first time visiting the Dakota, I didn't realize that I would be enjoying an entire dinner meal there and be waited upon all night. It was quite nice though, and the food was good.

Anyway, Anoushka and her fellow players came onstage and filled the place with wonderful music. They began with a traditional Indian style piece that was just lovely to the ears. Anoushka, sitting in center with a great stage prescence, led the songs, which varied from traditional ragas to psychedelic flamenco-esque pieces ("it's like flamenco--but not entirely") to interesting energized songs with her two percussionists going at it across the stage verbally. All the pieces were terribly impressive, what with so many plucked notes in rapid succession and much raking of the sympathetics alongside the tom dom tom of the tabla. She played a piece written by her father, as well (as she put it: "... I assume I don't have to tell you his name"). Later, she introduced her band-mates, and mentioned that she was actually playing a borrowed sitar, from a San Franciscan fellow named Kenji (who was standing up in the balcony above) because her own was damaged during transport. Oh dear. She wasn't very distraught, however, and seemed confident it was repairable. The last song they played before encore was a long jam of back-and-forth motifs wherein each player had his or her own solo bit. After leaving for a minute, they came back on to do the final song, which was a romantic Indian song that they "like to finish shows with." It was very pretty indeed, and left a good taste in my mouth. (Also the soup I had was delicious).
Here I am looking silly as usual with Anoushka's percussionists and flautist who I spotted on the sidewalk after the show. When I saw them walking out, I promptly succeeded in walking into a locked revolving door. Hopefully, they didn't notice.

Revival...

2010-03-12T17:18:00.007-06:00

Now, I don't quite know just where I've been, but I plan now to revive my electronic rambling archive.
So what shall I say today? Well, there's so terribly much I don't exactly know with what to begin, or where. Perhaps I will just coo about the Sarangi.

I met it for the very first time some weeks ago. I had never seen anything like it. There's some zillion sympathetic strings, and it had quite the sound to it. And it is so slippery-slidey, the way you sidle up to those gut strings. So neat. More later, I will come back in time.

So Long, Decade One.

2009-12-31T23:00:00.004-06:00

Wow !!

2000-2009

R.I.P. first decade of this century. You had a great run.

Monsieur Sitar

2009-12-25T14:53:00.007-06:00

My newest buddy-thing. He's very complicated, but I love him.

Hopefully we will become good friends in due time...

Out on a Wintry Day

2009-12-19T16:24:00.020-06:00

Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue, by Robert Koehler ca. 1902--hanging at M.I.A.

So, I did say in the Andrew Bird post that Saturday December the twelfth was filled with beautiful everything, and here I have those day time things. (I'm working backwards!)

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is a wonderful place, and I've enjoyed going there a lot in the past few years. The resident-art is free to look at, and (save for a few over-zealous guards eyeing you down) an afternoon spent there is quiet and wondrous. I recommend it.

Anyway, currently, they have an exhibit of borrowed pieces of art from the Louvre. (!) My grandparents invited us to go look at it with them, and it is really nothing less than amazing. Although only the tiniest fraction of their art could be borrowed and brought across the sea, the ones that made the voyage are exceptional. There were archaic pieces, Da Vinci sketches preserved on their paper, and also there was The Astronomer. Present, in real life! Wow! This was a very special meeting for me! Do go, if you have the chance.

After we finished poring over the pieces in there, I spent hours more wandering about the rest of the museum (one could easily spend a week there and not get bored). The building itself is beautiful. The place is immaculate.
I looked out the multi-storey wall of windows, and saw a lovely panorama of a wintry Minnapolis. In the foreground were kids and their trails left by their sleds on the gentle hill with trees scattered, up to their ankles in white snow. The middle had some city streets and the various apartment blocks and the back held the classic line of sky-scrapers. It was a very pretty sight.Later, after having left the musee', we went back to the grandparents' place, where I left to take a walk. The weather was good; the air crisp but not harsh, no terrible wind, the sun casting light along the trees and the structures. It was beautiful. I stopped for a moment to take a fellow's photo with his bike on the greenway, then walked uptown. It wasn't terribly slushy yet, so I went on to cheapo records, where the warmth fogged up my spectacles. The sky began to dim, so I strode briskly back, reading Benjamin Franklin's autobiography to keep me company. I was met back at the grandparents' with grilled cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate, paired (oddly enough) with a can of tropical fruit bits. At any rate, I think my day epitomized the romantic and jazz aura of the town. And it proves that it actually can still exist and happen in that way. It's very lovely.

Ornithology and Stained Glass

2009-12-18T15:42:00.023-06:00

It has almost been an entire week now that I get around to writing about this, but Gezelligheid is still stuck in my mind.

Saturday, December the twelfth was filled with most beautiful everythings; notably, Andrew Bird at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis. It was his third night playing his Gezelligheid shows here at this immaculate church plopped down in Loring, and the weather was crisp and promising. Sitting beneath the doubled Victrola was one bevested sock monkey. Andrew came on stage looking dapper as usual, albeit with a little five-o'clock-shadow about his face and mussed hair, with a slight limp, which he acquired the first night after smashing his heel in (as he told us). This show was largely instrumental, comprised of most beautiful melodies that Mr. Bird has been working on. He played these long, epic pieces, with masterful use of loop to layer under the cry of his dear fiddle, and the result was truly chilling. With every factor playing in, I venture to say that this was the most aesthetically beautiful show I have ever watched. I was stricken, at the time, by the realization of all the beauty. I try to paint it.

Try to imagine:
The all-encompassing sound of the violin loop, echoing off the ancient walls of this cathedral, and the quiet of all the listeners. Behind Andrew's sweet head was a startling wall of illuminated stained-glass ikons, illustrating some epic tale of yore, while this young man and the violin produced such sweet sounds that would make even Cremona's original inventors of the instrument proud. His elongated shadow jumped and twisted over the left wall, making a dark silhouette of a man and a bow in some passionate work. Projected on the immense beige walls behind were vibrant colors of cyan, magenta, green and white. Stephen (?) emerging to accompany Andrew on clarinet, then saxophone for the next song. Andrew knelt down to play and attend to the loop button, and Stephen (?) shaking while playing his sax madly, with insane other-worldly effects bending the sounds. Andrew's flowery and colorful gestures with his hands as he spoke to silent us. The shaking of his head while he whistled and plucked at the catgut. His ever un-conventional strumming of those strings and striking them, bouncingly, with the hard side of the bow. Natural Disaster. Stephen (?) on his standing bass, pulling and pounding his thumbs to rhythm. "Minnapolis has been like a home to me." An old song, from the Bowl of Fire days... The Swimming Hour-- so beautiful. And another new one, and finish with Scythian Empires. We stood and clapped and clapped and clapped and he came back out, and played a little Bob Dylan, with Oh Sister. My, was it wonderful. Very special indeed.

'And Russia was a Candy - Store.'

2009-11-27T19:32:00.021-06:00

Recently, I visited the Museum of Russian Art, a lovely church-turned museum in Minneapolis, to look at their Nesting-Doll Exhibit. Indeed those little lacquer dolls are interesting little things, and this exhibit (though not overwhelmingly big) was quite nice, ranging from tiny painted peasant women to world figures to even tinier painted aristocratic women. While there, I also saw some startlingly beautiful old-ish and new-ish portraits and landscapes by Russian artists, and on the middle and tallest level, respectively.

In loose relation, I want to also bring up another startling beauty I found in the the music of one Nesey Gallons. He popped up awhile ago now, over in Elephant Six-land, and I am really taken with his songs. He has out one LP officially--Eyes & Eyes & Eyes Ago (ignoring those home-released discs, although I hope to see them too, someday)-- and it is just wonderful. I recommend it to people. (Incidentally, I actually spotted Mr. Nesey at a show once, [he's cute, too] but I was too bashful to say anything.) Anyway, his circles are released by his record label called Hurrah for Karamazov ( Dostoyevsky is brilliant) and much of his work tangles back to Russian themes. You see, there IS a connection. At any rate, his music is just so chillingly nice, sung in a forlorn, soft-spoken wail, with his guitar and dear Julian's accompaniments of saw, chord organ, and countless things. All together, it makes a big stew of niceties to the ears. Indeed melancholy may seem the mood, but when I hear Nesey's music, I always feel happy and hopeful. He is sort of the new kid, but from what I have been fortunate enough to hear, he's as marvelous and seasoned as the rest of that wonderful old collective. That's quite a nice thing.

It was a Cliché.

2009-11-09T22:07:00.006-06:00

Today I saw something delightful.

I was walking through the hallway, and I saw a poor girl misstep, and she slipped and fell on a banana peel!! The cliche banana-peel fall, and in all genuineness! It made me laugh and smile all day.

Fragments and Droplets of Wonderfulness.

2009-11-05T16:07:00.004-06:00

Swingsets :: Grandparents :: Old family photographs :: Ginkgo trees :: Shared deep thought :: The package waiting for you in the mail when you return :: Sitting in trees on windy days :: Spinning for a long time :: Suliko :: Books, especially with characters that are you :: You :: Wonderful, wonderful kind people :: Strawberry freezer jam on homemade bread :: Psychedelia and it beautiful music :: Joe :: A stream of water running over hands :: Connections with people, especially strangers :: Feelings of things :: A good fountain pen :: Papers of different types :: Librarys :: Old things :: Crackles and pops on records :: Rainy stormies :: Bicycles :: Newspaper :: Fruit :: The jarring and beautifully ethereal singing of Julian :: Being with Julian and Co. while he sings :: Bananas :: Finding the first music you really really love :: Soft broken in jersey knit fabric :: Closed eyes :: Relaxing your entire self into a soft bed :: Hot oatmeal with milk :: Brilliant colors in leaves and skies :: Lying in some grassy sunshine :: so many things...

The Scary Zone

2009-10-31T19:18:00.008-05:00

Halloween, with eerie sixties twilight zone-esque family photos. I wish everyone much fright.

Tom Rush at the Cedar

2009-10-10T13:04:00.011-05:00

At the beginning of the week, my father presented me with a concert ticket of one of his very favorite artists, Tom Rush. In all honesty, I knew nothing about Mr. Rush's music. I think I knew one song. Darn young people these days.
So the shindig last night took place at the Cedar Cultural Center, where I hope to visit numerous times more in the future. I shook hands with Tom himself before the show, and he seems to be quite a gentle fellow (and I think he bears slight resemblance to Mark Twain). He played a long set, (none of which I knew--oi!), with one intermission. I must say, being an objective listener, he's got loads of talent. Whether you're into folksy-folk or not, to stand up there with only an acoustic guitar like he did and make songs have substance, and real bottom, takes musicality. And he's funny, telling jokes and sardonic stories of past times, nonchalantly talking about a bus trip he spent with the likes of Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and Buddy Guy, to name a few. One song in particular stuck out, "Panama Unlimited," I think it was called? He made his guitar sing so nicely, you could really hear its voice. Very smooth indeed.

As an afterthought, I couldn't help feeling a little out of place. The atmosphere gave me a vibe of an era long past, where everyone who saw its heyday was trying to resurrect it. Even people talked of way back when, when such and such bar was still open. It gave me just a hint of melancholy. I've not even yet entered my "golden age" yet, but I'm already feeling sad about how things will be once it has passed. Change happens, and it's inevitable, I suppose. But traces of those eras still linger in the city culture and people. It's interesting, and makes me mumble, "H'm...."

Furry eared things and other interesting bits.

2009-09-20T14:06:00.013-05:00

I have a new object of affection. She's named Pebbles, and she's the sweetest little baby bunny ever. I love her so much. And she's getting fat.
I've been having such an unhealthy obsession with books as of late. I love books, I love them. I love everything about them, I love reading them, and holding them in my hands, I love their smells. It's just so good. I want to read so many, so many. There's not time enough though right now, I'm afraid. So many books I want to get in; I don't even know about half of them yet, I'm sure. I want to be the keeper of an enormous library full of books in every language of every genre. That would be so very wonderful.
It has been making so much wind here, I flew a kite last week. It was so amazing. There were stormy gusts of wind to knock one over, and they caught themselves under that kite and took it as far as the string allowed. We really did run out of string. It was so high above the trees, it could have been a hazard to air traffic. It really was just the best. You know, I believe that it was the Chinese who invented the kite. The Chinese invented lots, they often don't get the credit, though (I'm looking at you, movable-type being credited to Gutenberg). But I digress. Either way, I recommend kite-flying to you, regardless of your opinions on movable-type.

A Short Anecdote from Grade One.

2009-08-26T01:52:00.023-05:00

Here, I 've very brief story from my youth (which wasn't very long ago at all).
It was Mrs. Olive's first grade class, and we were to take a survey on a very controversial matter: that of favorite colors. Mine was undoubtedly orange. I had even found friendship with a classmate, who also favored orange. This should have been an easy thing.
But immediately, it all began to fall apart. Mrs. O. called around the room asking each kid what was there favorite color? Red, blue, red, blue, red, red, blue, red... and so on. (Childhood political party affiliations, perhaps?) Until my orange comrade--"Orange. " It crept up to me, and during the wait I was having a terrible trial in my mind, something á la Jean Valjean. I didn't want to stick out from the vast sea of Blues and Reds and say something so passe as orange... but I knew my Orange friend would know I was lying. Finally, it was my turn-- and I uttered "Blue."

Everyone picked blue or red, except for the single Orange. I regret the vote even now, because it's so against my free-thinking code. Just because I wanted to blend and fit in to that purple mess of kids, I forsaked my first love, Orange. Don't let it happen to you. Tell them your favorite color, my friends, and do it with confidence!

The Music Tapes present: Song for Planet Pluto

2009-08-19T18:30:00.004-05:00

This rumour-song has finally surfaced over at the Townhall, much to our surprise and glee:

Hey thanks, Pitchfork!

A song for Pluto, that poor once-planet. The song is very pretty and very meaningful, and the cute video complements it perfectly. It's a sort of humorous melancholy little piece. But it works out in the end, so it's all right. Also, hello there, Kevin Barnes, I didn't know you were an astronomy enthusiast--it's nice seeing you again. Woo, Julian, I like your songs. Trum didi didi trum trum rum a dum.

Birthday!

2009-08-13T00:15:00.015-05:00

Today is my birthday, WOO! In honor of the holiday (heh), I have for you my favorite birthday party photo ever, directly from the Grandparents' archives..

There's old Antonio, little Marc the man of the hour, Mary, and Gary. For me, this is just the best photo... look at those kids' faces! Their eyes and smiles are so cute and they say so much. Regretfully, I think that the poor old clown cake got brutally cut and eaten shortly after having this photo taken, but you know, I never get tired of looking at this one.

The Breeders at the Fine Line

2009-08-12T17:30:00.014-05:00

Went to see the Breeders again yesterday, and they really never fail to amaze me. This show was arguably even better than last year's... and that's saying something. Maybe it's because I was directly under Kim for this one...
They opened with "Hoverin'," while Kim manned the snare (well, mostly-- I know your drumroll secret, Kim) and sang. Kim and Kelley are as cool as ever. They're a perfectly polite and amiable pair. I love them both. Cheryl seems well acclamated now, as well. She handled herself surprisingly well when Kelley ripped out one of her red dreadlocks. Plan on seeing a Kelley Deal bag with an ratty old red dread for the handle in the future. Mando and Jose didn't talk much, as usual, but they played their instruments phenomenally (like always). There was no lack of variety with songs from every album, plus Amps. Their sets are always great... they don't neglect their older albums like some bands will. The Breeders, they've got it down. They know how to put on a great show, and they do everytime.

P.S.--I love you Kim, and I'm happy I got to experience you spitting on me!

Creepy Skull Cloud

2009-08-01T00:38:00.006-05:00

The bony face, can you see it? An omen, maybe? Dear me, I hope not.

Conglomeration

2009-07-18T00:23:00.028-05:00

First: Let us wish our dear Nelson Mandela happy birthday. Happy 91st, Madiba! You're a hero!

Next: Going to see the Breeders again on August the 11th. I'm getting pretty ecstatic about that. Plus, I learned how to properly open a banana--hint, try pinching the other side. I've been playing my saw on the roof and I got a pair of sunglasses at the antique store for 400 cents that make me look like Dr. Strangelove and I've begun the construction of my tiny cardboard house. Lots of things I've done.

And, I have gotten through most of one of the grandparents' photo albums, which I dubbed the Brown Album. Sounds like a Beatles or Weezer type of name, doesn't it. This one was filled with zillions of old ones of my grand-relatives and their relatives and it is all just brilliant. Here I have

a couple of my favorites. On the left is my late Uncle Butch (recall?) holding a rat he caught. The little mobster on the right is my Grandpa Tony, whom I idolize, standing ring with a huge pile of wood making for a picturesque backdrop. These are circa 1935 or 36, making Butch and Grandpa around 13 and 9 years old, respectively.

Honestly, I never get tired of looking at these. Maybe it's just a personal obsession, but when I look at them it's like visiting an alternate space, and I try to piece that these are the people I know. Time, man, it's a bloody spaceship. I'll put up more of these soon, hopefully.

Out of the Archives

2009-07-17T00:22:00.009-05:00

I am beginning a great effort this summer to copy all my grandparents' old photos into digital. The idea began this year while searching for a single photo of my great-grandfather Antonio, when I was shown album after album after album of wonderful old photos of my predecessors, most of whom I never got to meet! To me, it's some sort of trove; hundreds of fading, black-and-whites that show the people who've put me here. It's both an aesthetic pleasure as well as a historical one. It's all there, but it's vulnerable, too. I wouldn't want some freak accident (volcanic eruption, alien invasion, return of the super-ape) to go and ruin them all. And so begins my quest...

Delicious

2009-07-11T01:37:00.004-05:00

This is the most amazingly delicious thing anyone can ever eat on the planet earth, and I have a stash of it. Oh yes. It's the time of year when my wonderful Grandmum makes her strawberry freezer jam, and she gave me five jars. Oh, it tastes so good. I eat it by spoonfuls right out of the jar. It is the greatest memory and taste of my life, I think. Oishii, as they say.

Stuff.

2009-06-12T14:52:00.006-05:00

The school year ended yesterday for me, and in all the hubbub I managed to finish one last art project. The Music Tapes show of February had affected me so wonderfully, I thought I would make some Music Tapes-inspired bits. I suppose you could call them "jewelry," but I guess when I was making them I wasn't really thinking jewelry as much as little metal bits. Also, they make a chiming sound when you have them all together on strings (perfect).

Record Show!

2009-06-10T00:48:00.005-05:00

On Saturday the mums and I went to a neat little record show at the VFW on Lyndale Ave. in Minneapolis that my dear old teacher Mr. Lewis had been promoting in his room for a while. It was raining like a pissing cow that day, but we had fun and enjoyment anyways. We spent some two hours flipping through all the milk-crates of records and 45s and talking to the vendors (some of whom were pretty interesting cats), and I ended up picking up a few things I've never heard of, and thought I would just try them all out. I got some albums by the bands Brian Brain, Fungus Brains, and the Posterchildren, plus some lovely Greek vocal stylings by Nana Moskouri, a Russian Orchestral Pieces record, and some Hungarian Gypsy Melodies. This show was fun. I think I've found my self a new hobby or maybe obsession.

The Breeders: Fate to Fatal (Reprise)

2009-05-05T21:36:00.006-05:00

Oh yes.

This was setting on my stoop today and I'm pretty excited about having it. I set the needle on it right away, and I must say, it's really good. Yes.

The Breeders: Fate to Fatal

2009-04-15T18:07:00.009-05:00

The Breeders have a new EP coming out on Tuesday entitled "Fate to Fatal," about which I am feeling pretty happy. They're releasing with recognition to Record Store Day, which quite possibly is my new favorite holiday. With Mountain Battles out just last year, it's good to see another release from the Deals, who are wonderful. And hopefully, a tour, so I can see them again. The "Fate to Fatal" video is up now, and it's a really cool song. It's just... cool. So keen sounding. Here, have a listen:

And don't forget about Breeders Digest.

Andrew Bird at the State Theatre

2009-04-15T18:06:00.014-05:00

Saturday the eleventh of April, my mum and I watched Andrew Bird play his lovely violin at the (historic) State Theatre in Minneapolis. We've both seen him before, but this time was really smashing.
His buddy artist Haley Bonar opened up for him, and although I can't say I'm a huge fan of her style of music, she's got a beautiful voice and represents Minneapolis well. She made another appearance later in the night, but I'll get to that in a moment.

So, our dear Andrew came out playing his violin and removing his shoes. He moves his stockinged feet and sways those hips just to make us swoon, I think. He played lovely pieces on his violin, and after awhile the rest of his band came out to join him. They played a lot from Noble Beast, including the wonderful 'Masterswarm,' 'Effigy' (which he explained was about that guy who sits at the end of the bar, sketching weird things in his notebook), and a jazzed-up version of 'Fitz and Dizzyspells.' And a bit later, 'Armchairs.' (Oh, wow). Time's a crooked bone, indeed. Of course he did the regulars, 'Dr. Stringz,' and 'Nervous tic motion,' during which he sporadically threw his head to the left. And later, he recruited Ms. Bonar to sing with him on 'Scythian Empires,' which was quite beautiful. They finished with 'Fake Palindromes,' which was a final burst of energy, to say the least, but he wasn't quite finished. He came out and did an encore, which included 'Table and Chairs' and another one in which he spoke along the words while playing his violin, as if it is a part of him. He painted pictures with his arms and hands, with all these flowery gestures that we never got to see at Rock the Garden. He belongs onstage in the theatre, I think. After that, he left the stage, only to come back for a second encore. Nice.

Dreadfully, all the photos I took are blurry enough to cause seizures, so I'll sample one of the better ones here:

[I know, it's pretty bad.]

The Music Tapes.

2009-03-01T00:12:00.021-06:00

On February the 24th, I enjoyed myself thoroughly at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis watching the Music Tapes. Go see them. Do it. You won't regret it. I promise.
Of course, we can't forget that our beloved Brian Dewan and Nana Grizol were opening for Julian and friends.
So, I talked it up with a friendly kid who was into Elephant 6 a lot, like myself, and we waited and observed. Everyone was bouncing about the place, setting up, and there was a perpetual line for the toilet, but that's besides the point.
Brian Dewan began his wonderfully strange set on one of his swanky machines. He sang delightful songs of Charlie who lives at the hardware store, mechanical arms, and cadavers. And, a nice little cover of a rap tune about Pres. Obama. He manned the accordian and autoharp while slamming back a beer, and the wonderful Laura Carter played the melody box- thing on his final song.
I didn't know much about them beforehand, but I learned that night that Nana Grizol is cool. Some bands have that. They're just cool. Nana Grizol is cool. So, they played some energized songs for us, and Theo (handsome) told us a joke about a panda who went to a restaurant and "eats, shoots, and leaves." Oh ho, Theo, you're clever. Their set passed fairly quickly, and before I realized, they were leaving the stage.
We then watched a short colored film strip by Mr. Dewan called The Age of Innovation (I think). It was partly humorous, but also partly thought provoking. I think that Mr. Dewan is probably quite brilliant, wouldn't you agree?

And then, there were the Music Tapes. Julian and everyone were just... great. They played a bunch of Music Tapes songs new and old, and Julian told amusing anecdotes throughout. Static made his appearance during "a Ukrainian folk song that encourages singing televisions to sing," and our portly old Metronome kept some steady beats. Julian happily stummed his banjo and bowed his reliable saw, playing us music to make you happy. There was something euphoric about it all. His closed-eyes vocals were ethereal... and it put me in another world. Just brilliant.
After a while, Julian came down onto the floor and sat on a euphonium case, as we planted it around him. Like a campfire, almost. There, he coaxed his saw Badger to sing us The First Noel, and mentioned how Badger's grandparents were there that night. Then he told us about the game. Which I think I should keep secret, to preserve the mystery. But I will say that it involved fire and bells. Anyway, after the game Julian said that they were going to play "a song we don't know very well... called 'C'... oh no it's called 'C#.'" And so they played their 'C#' beautifully, ended the night with the epic song. Afterwards, I talked with Julian briefly, getting a photograph and hugging his sweaty frame good night. He's an absolutely amazing person, and honestly, this might have been my favorite show yet. Go to a Music Tapes concert sometime. It will change your life.

For Your Reading Pleasure

2009-02-21T00:15:00.005-06:00

My grandparents just returned from vacationing in Israel a few weeks ago, (a gutsy move right now, wouldn't you say?) and brought back for me a souvenir Israeli newspaper, plus a German one from their Frankfurt layover stop.
Anyway, here are some samples:

Of course, I'm sad to say that I don't know a lick of either language, but I get this child-like fascination with things I don't see everyday. That probably sounds a tad geekish. Ah well, I can still look at the pictures.

Lefty.

2009-01-30T15:37:00.009-06:00

I have supported the new President of the U.S. Barack Obama for some time now. Since I started following the campaign I liked his plans and ideas, his beliefs, that charisma, and in all vanity I have to admit, he's pretty handsome as far as a president goes. You cannot deny that much. But just this week while watching him in action on the telly, I learned something new and exciting about the Pres. Something that only about 15% of the population can say they are (source).
Yes, President Obama is indeed left-handed. A Zurdo, if you know Español. Since I myself am a Zurda, I feel a special connection to other lefties. It's stupid, I know, and we have had other left-handed presidents, but I still maintain that we lefties are an interesting sort. We can understand one another when we complain about the sides of our hands getting all dirtied with pencil from having to run them over all the words we just wrote. Anyway. I just thought I'd mention it.
You know, it sort of made my day.

Simple X

2009-01-28T16:19:00.004-06:00

I found this old school bell in a desolate corner of my high school a bit ago. Not only does it conjure nostalgia for me, it also bears the name of a dandy song by Dosh and/or Andrew Bird, so it caught my eye. I'm not sure if I should say it is by Dosh or Andrew Bird though. I know Martin Dosh wrote the original song, but that's called 'Simple Exercises,' whereas the one with Andrew's voice and lyrics is actually called 'Simple X.'

Either way, what I'm not so smoothly trying to segue into is the news that the mum and I are going to see Mr. Bird again in April! Cannot wait. I can't give my opinion on his latest Noble Beast (mostly because I haven't gotten to the record store to buy it), but I'm sure it's brilliant, like most everything he's done. I liked the singles that I've heard, so here's to hoping the rest of the CD is good too.
And for what my little praising and recommendation is worth, go visit both artists on their websites:
Dosh. and Andrew Bird.

Of the Lost and Found

2009-01-25T01:01:00.008-06:00

I found this handsome bass in my basement last night for the first time. How long have we had this? Years, apparently. Oi! I had no idea. It's really quite lovely, and I hope I'll have time to play it up soon.

It's been a while since I was last here. I will try to come back more, although I know I'm writing essentially to myself. But I've been known to do that anyway. I like it. Now it's just electronic, too. But I haven't forsaken my old ways, oh no.

Well, to end on a sour note, my great uncle Butch has died. He's gone to sleep in my memory, and now his back and hip doesn't have that itch. Many found him to be aloof, which he was, but if you did get to talk to him, it was nothing but a pleasure. I enjoyed his company, myself. He was the only person I have known who could pet those chipmunks.

Hi.

2008-12-24T01:17:00.007-06:00

It seems as though I've neglected this space for a while, haven't I? Ah well.

It has been quite mundane for me lately, and I must say, I kind of prefer it that way. I've been staying awake long into the night, shuffling around in the basement doing things like crosswords (which I recently learned are crucigramas en español), drawing, wrapping, playing the guitar and taking photos. (And sitting at the dryer while doing many of these). I've been enjoying myself, yes. Not much else though.

My feet are cold... I think I'm going to go for now. But I will be back!

A Dinosaur and an Old Radio

2008-11-02T16:01:00.002-06:00

Man, that dino's swanky.

Pumpkolantern

2008-10-31T23:31:00.007-05:00

This is my pumpkin for this year. How nice!

Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster-- 'Engine'

2008-10-19T18:09:00.014-05:00

'Engine.'
Here it is. With the recent Elephant 6 Surprise Holiday Tour begun some week ago, it has become common knowledge amongst us Elephant 6 groupies that our hero Mr. Jeff Mangum of the late band Neutral Milk Hotel has been playing in these shows with his friends' bands. And all of us were euphoric to see him playing with his mates again. But we all had a thought in the back of our minds, well, will those crazy E6'rs do any NMH stuff? And here it is. A poor quality bootleg of Jeff and Julian performing 'Engine,' the beautiful B-side to NMH's single 'Holland 1945.' Jeff's crooning and Julian's haunting saw make me shiver. I can't even say how happy this makes me. I guess when you really look at it, I'm just a lame fangirl that got into this band too late, but I'm so ecstatic. Dreadfully, I'm not able to make it to any of the shows, but that's all right. Oh wow, Jeff Mangum and friends are out again. Holy Crap.
Anevengreatervideoofthissongfromyouaintnopicasso...Merci to E6Townhall and Pitchfork for following this so closely, and all the photos and videos. The photo is by Josh Modell and can be seen Here. Oh, and of course youaintnopicasso.com.

An Orange Door

2008-10-06T19:53:00.002-05:00

Beck + MGMT

2008-10-01T17:27:00.010-05:00

Last night, I accompanied my mum to a concert to see her idol, Mr. Beck Hansen.
We were lucky enough to get right up to the fence in front of the stage, and had a perfect view of everything. The now-popular band MGMT were opening, and having seen them open a show before, I knew we wouldn't be disappointed.
MGMT began their set with 'Electric Feel,' keeping it going without many breaks between songs. 'Kids,' was probably the best, with that great song embellished with a trippy strobe light effect. My statement I made last year after seeing them open for of Montreal still holds true-- they're the best opening band EVER.
And then there was Beck. He was dressed quite dapper, as usual, and being quite the cutie. They opened with a rocking and high energy performance of 'Loser' that got the night going full force. They played stuff from all over his career, including newer ones like a beautiful live show of 'Chemtrails,' and 'Nausea,' as well as our favorite classics 'Where It's At,' and 'Devil's Haircut' (a personal favorite). And all those other great ones like 'Lost Cause', 'I Think I'm in Love,' and their counterparts, of course. The set was a really great and long one for a set these days, and the encore was four good songs, starting with a birthday song to Scottie the drummer, and including the new-ish 'Gamma Ray.' 'Tis safe to say nobody left disappointed.
Anyway, in the end, Beck is bloody amazing, and if you ever get the chance, do go to see him!
I don't even know where I found the photo...

916

2008-09-16T18:31:00.003-05:00

So, it's 916. The significance? Well,

my favorite band of ever, the pillows, formed on this very day in 1989. So, today is their nineteenth anniversary, and for us fans, it's a tradition of sorts to recognize this day every year. So it leads me to wonder: what has the future in store for our beloved Sawao, Yoshiaki, Shin, and Jun? They're showing no signs of slowing, so I guess we'll have to wait and see, yes?

Band photo found on the 2005 SXSW site.

Quirkiness

2008-09-15T17:08:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about how wonderful people's strange little quirks are. Life would be terribly boring if nobody had an odd little habit they do regularly.
The other day, I was sitting at a bench at the mall, when I spotted a young-ish man, he couldn't have been older than 25, in a burgundy tee shirt, walking and singing loudly to himself. He strolled by singing some lovely song, and disappeared into the book store. At first, I thought, why, that's odd, because I don't generally see people singing to themselves when they are walking alone. But a few seconds later, after he was gone, I wished I would have stopped him, and at least asked, what song are you singing?
I really liked this fellow-- because he has a wonderful idiosyncrasy of singing aloud. These quirks are great. I love to see all the little eccentricities of the world come out.

Spilled Milk

2008-08-21T22:33:00.001-05:00

Scooters

2008-08-18T19:34:00.011-05:00

Here are some scooters I have found parked on various streets. I really like the mod little transports, and you don't see them around very often anymore, so whenever I spot one I take a photo.

This is a pale blue Vespa ca. 1964. Ace, no?

This is a cute yellow Stella I found parked in Minneapolis. It has a little reference to a television series featuring the music of the pillows, so it stuck out to me.

Factory CD

2008-08-05T18:53:00.005-05:00

I recently was on Ebay, and I stumbled across the coveted Factory CD from Japan. Released in 2000, it's basically just a silly compilation of different songs from different bands. It includes, however, a song that pleases me very much by a favorite band of mine, Noodles. It's called ヘッドフォンオーケストラ (Headphone Orchestra), and it's an absolutely wonderful guitar pop song. ヘッドフォンオーケストラ was only released on the aforementioned compilation, so I was pretty happy in finding this. I purchased it new for a mere $14 from Taiwan (no, not a bootleg), from a Mr. William Cheng (check his store out), and it arrived in the post a few days ago. You can check out a live of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqcwi0gLLQ

Happy Birthday, Nelson!

2008-07-19T00:18:00.006-05:00

Ah yes, so today is our beloved Madiba Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. 90 years young, he is. Cliché, yes, but oh, it's true. I think Mr. Mandela needs a little more recognition with the younger generation, and the world in general. We musn't forget about the man with the white hair. You're a hero-- Madiba, I salute you!

Glasses

2008-07-17T21:04:00.005-05:00

I got some new glasses today, I absolutely love them. Walking bespectacled is so amazing to me-- I can see again! How novel!

Rock the Garden

2008-06-24T13:14:00.016-05:00

Last Saturday, June the 21st, my dear friend Emma and I rocked the garden.
89.3 the Current along with the Walker Art Center were hosting an outdoor concert in their Sculpture Garden with a great line up of Eau Claire's Bon Iver, Minneapolis band Cloud Cult, Canada natives the New Pornographers, and Chicagoan violinist (and a personal favorite of mine,) Andrew Bird.

Bon Iver opened, and performed flawlessly. I worked my way up about 10 feet from the stage for Cloud Cult, another favorite of mine. They were absolutely wonderful and Craig really rocked out. They performed some of my favorite songs like 'Take your Medicine,' and 'Pretty Voice,' to which I sang along quite loudly. The New Pornographers were very polished, albeit bland in my opinion, (plus the sun was in my eyes) and ended their set with an Electric Light Orchestra cover. By then, I was three feet from the fence. Then finally Andrew Bird came on with Dosh and the guitarist whose name escapes me.

My HEROES!

I don't even remember what song he opened with, or what song he played second, or third for that matter, but every song was great. At some point, I asked him to marry me, but, he decided to ignore me. He did his lovely live rendition of 'Fiery Crash,' and I rocked out. He did a lot of stuff from Armchair Apocrypha, but a lot of older tunes as well. We pogoed to 'A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left,' and belted out the chorus of 'Plasticities.' 'Plasticities' was played right after a slight weather delay, if I remember correctly, and everyone sang along with no inhibitions whatsoever. 'Twas really a beautiful scene, Andrew and friends framed by the stage with the grey sky behind spitting out chain lightning. He played upon all of the audience's crushes and moved his little slight hips around very suggestively, all while jumping from guitar to violin. His sound was beautiful, just like his face. He finished up the set playing various songs like the Dosh-written 'Simple X' and 'Tables and Chairs' (which he requested we sing the violin part-- that sounded wonderful). He topped this day off by doing a wonderful solo encore with only his violin. I have to say, long live the Bird!
And then, it was done. All done. But much worth it. My feet won't ever be the same (stood in three inch heels for six hours, squatting down for six minutes once,) but I'd say that seeing four tremendous bands all in the same place was well, well worth it.
Andrew Bird photo from Mosaic Music.

The Breeders at First Ave.

2008-06-01T21:45:00.018-05:00

So, last Friday, my mum surprised me with the news that we could attend the Breeders show at First Avenue in Minneapolis. Some eighteen years later, and we get to see one of my hero bands live. Needless to say, I was pretty ecstatic.

So we endured a lame opening band, and when those crazy Breeders finally came out, we kind of erupted. Kim and Kelley were pretty laid back, and they have such a charisma, we all were taken by their aura. They opened the set with a cover (not sure of what, however), and played a variety of songs from all over their career, including the Amps' 'Pacer,' and classics like 'Iris,' 'Fortunately Gone,' Beatles cover 'Happiness is a Warm Gun,' and 'Safari,' as well as brand new tunes like 'We're Gonna Rise,' and 'Walk it Off.' They talked about Dayton, and made fun of Mando, switched instruments and made everyone want to rock out. The Deal sisters are absolutely wonderful, silly musicians. I fell in even deeper love with them after seeing them live. I'm curious what the future has in store for them... eighteen years, numerous member changes, and they're still rocking.

This is my ode to you, Deal sisters! ¡Viva los Breeders!

Do You Hear That?

2008-05-28T00:07:00.004-05:00

Yep, I made that little boss music player down there on the screen. It hasn't much songs on it yet, but it will. I was pleased to find the song "My Dreamgirl Don't Exist" from the Jeff Mangum Live at Aquarius Records Bootleg. And little Smiths Britpop... we all need a healthy dose of that each day. Boss, no?

Boss.

Art Show at the High School

2008-05-23T18:25:00.007-05:00

The High School Art Show is tonight, and from what I've seen, it probably will be pretty amusing. My Birkmose Park painting (no photo, sorry) is hanging up in the antechamber, and it's neato to see all the pictures students have created.
My cousin Kristine has a purple painting of a dancer that is absolutely amazing hanging in the hallway, and I stopped to look at it earlier today, and was a tad confused by the title.
Later, at lunch her friend Gunnar informed her that her painting was entitled Cholera. I corroborated with him, and Kristine wasn't all too happy to hear that. As it turns out, Kristine had asked her friend Jessie to print out a label for her, and Jessie thought it would be funny to rename the piece Cholera. I must say, it was pretty hilarious when I saw it.
And that, friends, is the story of Cholera, the painting.

The Breeders: Mountain Battles

2008-05-23T07:52:00.005-05:00

The Breeders' long-awaited new album has been out for over a month now, so I suppose I ought to write something with regards to it.
The packaging of the CD is beautiful and artsy, so one's anticipation for the actual music inside rises as you peel off the celophane.
The album opens with 'Overglazed,' a short anthemic tune to sing along with. The single 'We're Gonna Rise' is the highlight track four, and debatedly the best and most nostalgic song on the record. It moves along until the final song, 'Mountain Battles,' a mellow, broken down weep & sleep.
The album was good, because it was by the Breeders, but in all honesty, a bit confusing. My biggest complaint over the whole thing is its non-cohesive-ness. Each song alone is good, but when you have 'Bang On,' 'German Studies,' 'We're Gonna Rise,' Eastern 'Istanbul,' Spanish ode 'Regalame Esta Noche,' Tasties cover 'It's The Love,' and 'Mountain Battles' juxtaposed next to one another, it makes for a choppy, many-part record. I think the Onion AV Club said it best... it's more like a collection of Kim b-sides. Nevertheless, it is the return of our favorite Kim Deal band, and the album is a keeper.

Take a listen to the single 'We're gonna rise':
http://www.zshare.net/audio/539566526ffc63/

the pillows: Pied Piper

2008-05-22T20:12:00.007-05:00

My ever-prolific favorite band the pillows have a new album slated for release entitled "Pied Piper." They've been pumping out the singles like mad(and genre-jumping from pop to ska to grunge and back to indie, not to mention), and we've finally gotten confirmed word on the record! The track list is thus:

曲目リスト

1. PIED PIPER

2. New Animal

3. No Surrender

4. Last Holiday

5. Tokyo Zombie(The knock came at dead of night)

6. Across the metropolis

7. Purple Apple

8. Tokyo Bambi

9. Ladybird girl

10. That's a wonderful world (song for Hermit)

11. POISON ROCK’N’ROLL

Looks interesting, no? Strange how a B-side makes it on there, but Across the Metropolis is a wonderful song anyway. Hopefully this record will be a nice surprise... I'm not saying I didn't dig "Wake Up!^3"...I'm just saying.

Nelson Mandela's Upcoming Birthday

2008-05-21T23:38:00.003-05:00

Whether you've heard already or not, my man Nelson Mandela will be turning 90 years old this July 18, 2008. For his party he's going to be having a big concert in London with various names from the music industry. I just checked out his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and I intend to begin reading it tonight. He really is a hero. My favorite African news website follows him pretty closely: http://www.news24.com/

P.S.How does this pertain to my blog, you ask? The book is art and Mr. Mandela is part of a culture.

Hey You!

2008-05-20T20:38:00.003-05:00

So now that I am the proud parent of a blog, I'll get to share my musings with all the people of the interwebby. I've succumbed to the trend of talking to essentially nobody about things you've got going on, but I find it a tad interesting. I often find myself on someone's blog reading their thoughts, and realizing the vast number of humans out there. A bit mind boggling at times, yes, but neato compleato at others...