tomorrow we are off to the land down under...kinda. not really, but we will be close, and a little further under, actually. cant believe how excited i am now, and i know that brenda is too.
gotta say that im really glad that i get to go with her. things have been going so well for the two of us, and i can only see them getting better.
just bought a new camera for us earlier in the week too, so i hope to come back with a ton of great pics to share as well.
if i have some opportunity, maybe i will try to make a quick post while we are out, but to tell you the truth, my mind wont be on it. after we get back, i will keep working on improving da blog.
off to finish packing...stay good!
-b
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
here comes sickness
i know that ive said this a number of times now, but i really miss going to see shows. the problem is that i dont miss it until im out listening to the tunes. again...gotta do it more often.
and of course this post all starts from going to a show last friday, and of course, enjoying myself just enough to want to go back for more. anyway, i convinced brenda to go with me to the larimer lounge to see a band that i had heard about through one of my indiefeed podcasts that i subscribe to (which, btw, i highly recommend if you are interested in finding new music in the indie/alternative/electronica realms). i wanted to see snowden, but as usual, i insisted on seeing the opening bands as well, which was for the better really .
we walked in while everything absent or distorted was already playing. they are a local band with, i dont know, seven or eight members, who were constantly switching instruments and places on stage between songs (up to 3 guitars at a time along with hand clappers and even a trombone). it really got difficult to figure out who was doing what, so i just gave up and tried focusing on the music. at first i wasnt really all that impressed...another big collective band trying to do something cool, but then i found myself getting lost in some really nice pop-hooks. with big collectives ive found that its easier for me to enjoy them if i focus on some one piece that i like and then branch out from there. not the case with eaod. the secret with this band was their balance of the large number of participants involved in each song and keeping each member at just the right distance from overwhelming the hook of the song. now not every song was worth loosing yourself in, but there were certainly some gems. really not sure if they pull it all off on a studio recording, but live, they have certainly figured out how to juggle it all.
next up was malajube. four painfully skinny french-canadien boys from montreal. again, i wasnt impressed to begin with, but then i realized that they actually had something. unfortunately, i wasnt able to come up with a single band to compare them to, which for me is fairly amazing (cursive, maybe, but thats a bit of a stretch). there was just something about them which i really enjoyed...maybe it was just the right amount of sarcasm that they used when they were speaking to the crowd with those exaggerated french accents (were they making fun of us or was it just me?) or maybe it was just the fact that they could flat out play together.
finally came snowden. i first heard their song, between the rent and me, on indiefeed and was intrigued enough to use them to get us out to see some music. unfortunately, they were the least compelling band of the night. they are just another one of those bands that are using the 'retro' 80s thing thats all the rage with the pseudo-indie/alternative kids right now. the problem with snowden is that they just really arent that great of a band. i really didnt hear anything very original at all. my first instinct was to label them as a minus the bear/the killers hybrid, but then i realized they did have just a touch of explosions in the sky, but that didnt even come close to saving them for me. their performance was far too much contrived drama for me to take seriously, and musically none of the members stood out as having any standout talent. i tried to find some redeeming quality that would keep me interested until the next song (just in case they were saving their best for next), but all i could come up with was how the drummer filled so much of his sound with the base drum. once i realized that was the best i could come up with, i knew i was done. i enjoyed 'between the rent and me' when they played it live, and i still enjoy hearing it, but not enough to make any effort to go and see them again.
i recently discovered that sebadoh is back together and touring, so this saturday i get to see them for the 3rd time in 14 years. that in itself is frightening. i think it was 1993 when i first saw them on the 2nd stage at the 3rd lollapalooza. back then they were dubbed as one of the loudest live acts around. 7 years later i saw them at bimbo's in sf, and now, another 7 years later, they are back together. im really not sure what drummer they will have with them, but sebadoh has never been about the drummer.
-b
and of course this post all starts from going to a show last friday, and of course, enjoying myself just enough to want to go back for more. anyway, i convinced brenda to go with me to the larimer lounge to see a band that i had heard about through one of my indiefeed podcasts that i subscribe to (which, btw, i highly recommend if you are interested in finding new music in the indie/alternative/electronica realms). i wanted to see snowden, but as usual, i insisted on seeing the opening bands as well, which was for the better really .
we walked in while everything absent or distorted was already playing. they are a local band with, i dont know, seven or eight members, who were constantly switching instruments and places on stage between songs (up to 3 guitars at a time along with hand clappers and even a trombone). it really got difficult to figure out who was doing what, so i just gave up and tried focusing on the music. at first i wasnt really all that impressed...another big collective band trying to do something cool, but then i found myself getting lost in some really nice pop-hooks. with big collectives ive found that its easier for me to enjoy them if i focus on some one piece that i like and then branch out from there. not the case with eaod. the secret with this band was their balance of the large number of participants involved in each song and keeping each member at just the right distance from overwhelming the hook of the song. now not every song was worth loosing yourself in, but there were certainly some gems. really not sure if they pull it all off on a studio recording, but live, they have certainly figured out how to juggle it all.
next up was malajube. four painfully skinny french-canadien boys from montreal. again, i wasnt impressed to begin with, but then i realized that they actually had something. unfortunately, i wasnt able to come up with a single band to compare them to, which for me is fairly amazing (cursive, maybe, but thats a bit of a stretch). there was just something about them which i really enjoyed...maybe it was just the right amount of sarcasm that they used when they were speaking to the crowd with those exaggerated french accents (were they making fun of us or was it just me?) or maybe it was just the fact that they could flat out play together.
finally came snowden. i first heard their song, between the rent and me, on indiefeed and was intrigued enough to use them to get us out to see some music. unfortunately, they were the least compelling band of the night. they are just another one of those bands that are using the 'retro' 80s thing thats all the rage with the pseudo-indie/alternative kids right now. the problem with snowden is that they just really arent that great of a band. i really didnt hear anything very original at all. my first instinct was to label them as a minus the bear/the killers hybrid, but then i realized they did have just a touch of explosions in the sky, but that didnt even come close to saving them for me. their performance was far too much contrived drama for me to take seriously, and musically none of the members stood out as having any standout talent. i tried to find some redeeming quality that would keep me interested until the next song (just in case they were saving their best for next), but all i could come up with was how the drummer filled so much of his sound with the base drum. once i realized that was the best i could come up with, i knew i was done. i enjoyed 'between the rent and me' when they played it live, and i still enjoy hearing it, but not enough to make any effort to go and see them again.
i recently discovered that sebadoh is back together and touring, so this saturday i get to see them for the 3rd time in 14 years. that in itself is frightening. i think it was 1993 when i first saw them on the 2nd stage at the 3rd lollapalooza. back then they were dubbed as one of the loudest live acts around. 7 years later i saw them at bimbo's in sf, and now, another 7 years later, they are back together. im really not sure what drummer they will have with them, but sebadoh has never been about the drummer.
-b
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
arms over arteries
rough ending to the shift at work, but nothing that a generous pour of jameson cant fix.
all i have to keep remembering is that none of this matters...who cares, its just the top of a beer can, really. thats the best thing about my job; as soon as i start taking it too seriously all i have to do is fall back on the absolute mundane silliness of the product that i make to remember that there are MANY more important and enjoyable things to think about (like a good jameson and listening to fugazi ('facet squared' playing now)).
two weeks from now i will be here and not thinking about a single thing in this country:
i can't wait for our new zealand trip. brenda and I have been putting off doing much serious planning, but thats not keeping me from anxiously awaiting it. i wish she would just hurry up and win the powerball, so we wouldnt have to worry about going to work anymore.
on another note, saturday was a big turning point for the weather....we had our first rain of the year. not that big a deal for some people, but that means that it wasnt very cold. we are over the hump and moving towards warmer weather. the kayaking i was hoping for last week didnt happen, but maybe this weekend! highs in the 60s and 70s all week and the water is already running at 70 cfs (100 is pretty much the minimum for it to be halfway decent). if i can get in the creek before we head out on our trip, i will be really happy.
i love sleater-kinney. i hope their hiatus isnt long.
-b
all i have to keep remembering is that none of this matters...who cares, its just the top of a beer can, really. thats the best thing about my job; as soon as i start taking it too seriously all i have to do is fall back on the absolute mundane silliness of the product that i make to remember that there are MANY more important and enjoyable things to think about (like a good jameson and listening to fugazi ('facet squared' playing now)).
two weeks from now i will be here and not thinking about a single thing in this country:
i can't wait for our new zealand trip. brenda and I have been putting off doing much serious planning, but thats not keeping me from anxiously awaiting it. i wish she would just hurry up and win the powerball, so we wouldnt have to worry about going to work anymore.on another note, saturday was a big turning point for the weather....we had our first rain of the year. not that big a deal for some people, but that means that it wasnt very cold. we are over the hump and moving towards warmer weather. the kayaking i was hoping for last week didnt happen, but maybe this weekend! highs in the 60s and 70s all week and the water is already running at 70 cfs (100 is pretty much the minimum for it to be halfway decent). if i can get in the creek before we head out on our trip, i will be really happy.
i love sleater-kinney. i hope their hiatus isnt long.
-b
5 things that i love about the indie kids
- the messed-up gelled hair
- they can vary in age from 8 to 45
- the unstylishly-stylish clothes
- they come in all shapes and sizes
- the fact that even i feel comfortable among them
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
theme for a pharmacist
the weather has finally taken a turn for the warmer (better), the snow thats been on the ground since december 20th is finally just about gone, and the water is beginning to run. crazy how i moved out here to snowboard as much as i can, and now i cant wait for the snow to melt so that i can start kayaking. realistically, its still a bit early to be getting in the water, but im so anxious to give it a try im looking for any sign of warm(ish) weather. . . this sunday they are saying that it might get into the 60s, and if it stays in the 50s up until then, we might actually get enough runoff to actually paddle in down at the golden playpark. playing it by ear, and crossing my fingers...
just a little taste from last year.
-b
-b
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
arcade fire
so, i finally decided to move the blog. there wasnt really one particular reason, but a few things pushed me to look for a new host. first, i got sick of looking at the ads. dont like em, dont believe in em. plus, i didnt like how my blog was so closely linked with my friendster profile. i tried a quick look at myspace, but their blog appeared to be a bit limiting and then there is just the whole myspace thing which im not sure i really want to get into. so, this is where i find myself, and so far, it seems like its going to work for me.
if you catch this post alone, come back in the future. im still trying to figure things out, and ill give you more at a later time.
if you got here without any knowledge of my past site, you can sicken yourself completely by reading all of my pointless rants at my previous host for mindless drivel.
back soon.
-b
if you catch this post alone, come back in the future. im still trying to figure things out, and ill give you more at a later time.
if you got here without any knowledge of my past site, you can sicken yourself completely by reading all of my pointless rants at my previous host for mindless drivel.
back soon.
-b
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