Stars…

I went down to Brooklyn last week and saw the Stars play at an excellent new venue – the Music Hall of Williamsburg.  The show was good…  They have a new guitarist that stands awkwardly off to the side of the stage.  He plays the guitar as if he is alone in his room playing along to the album. However, he clearly had his ONE moment to shine when he played the only shredding-guitar-part that exists in the entire stars catalog.  He came to life.  The crowd cheered.  And then he waddled back to his side of the stage to continue being awkward.  

  

March Fourth Marching Band…

Thanks to the knowing encouragement of a friend, I checked out this Portland band the other night.  I’m not sure how to explain the experience other than saying that it was extremely entertaining.  Kind of a marching band/circus/vaudeville/freakshow mix.  If you get a chance, go see them. 

 

 

Farewell Bend…

Which is actually the original name of this town… this being the phrase uttered by covered-wagon-travelers as they pulled away from this small enclave, headed further  west to the Pacific.

My last night here. It’s been a good visit with the ‘rents. The temp got into the 70’s today, which made for some nice golf. Now on my third Mirror Pond, and just enjoying the evening as the temperature begins to plummet in that wonderful high desert way.

On another note, the National’s new album The Boxer leaked. Really good. Great. Get it.

Golf pictures later. For now, gotta run.

The joys of bipolar weather patterns…

After a weekend of snow, the climate suddenly shifted to beautiful weather that permits me to sit here with the window wide open while drinking a beer. Mind you, it’s still a porter, but I can sense the IPAs and Polish horseshoes approaching quickly.

I’m sneaking around the studio with my iPod on because Christie is sick in bed. She crashed around 7:30pm. Fatigued with a fever. I quietly scrubbed my bike clean following a sloppy-melting-snow-and-mud-splattering ride out to the beach. I did the dishes. Now I suppose I’ll read for a few hours.

I must recommend the new Andrew Bird album Armchair Apocrypha. I loved his last album, but this record is lyrically amazing. The music is amazing as well, but that is a given. The man can whistle, rock the violin, and fumble on the guitar. And he does them all at his live shows – slowly building the music through recorded loops.

I’ll be back in Portland a week from tomorrow… can’t wait.

“And all the wine is all for me”…

The National is a band that continues to be an obsession of mine. I have little shame, since I’m in good company – The Boss is a fan as well.

Here’s an archive of a concert from 2005. The recording is off the soundboard, which kicks the shit out of most concert recordings. For a heavier song, try Mr. November… for something softer, try Daughters of the Soho Riots.

Bikeage…

I’ve been following my brother’s latest race, the Redlands Cycling Classic, which, from what I understand, is a longstanding and well thought of tour. The cool news is that his team seems to have had a pretty kick-ass day. One of their riders broke the top three, and others were not far behind.

I really know next to nothing about cycling… I used to be a mountain bike nerd, but I’m lost when it comes to road. That DNF list for the third day is pretty impressive though… it’s a brutal sport.

Now… if only I could get the road bike I have been lusting after for the past year.

In other news, I bought a few CDs, which I haven’t done in awhile. It’s one of the nice outcomes from my recent ‘cease-and-desist’ regarding my bittorrent use! HA! Stupid MPAA/RIAA/Major labels.

The music is great. I have been addicted to The National since hearing their latest, Alligator. It’s an eclectic blend of mellow-booming instrumentation, and baritone-meloncholy-poetic lyrics that leave you wondering what exactly this guy from Brooklyn is singing about. Anyway, I picked up their older CD, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, and it is also excellent.

Also, I got a CD by Band of Horses entitled Everything All the Time, which has also not let me down. It’s the first LP from this Northwest band… nice to see that hipster Brooklyn isn’t the only foci of indie talent.