Essential music - Dulcinea

Album: Dulcinea
Artist: Toad the Wet Sprocket
Released: 1994

It seems only right to start out my list of essential albums with my favorite album, by my favorite band of all time. Toad was one of those bands that seemed to exist on the margins of the mainstream. They had a few top 40 hits, but were obscure enough that people would cock their head to the side a little bit if you said the band name to them. They were "the band that played that song... you know the one..."

Dulcinea was released in 1994, and was somewhat an anomaly in the sonic landscape of that year. Let me take you back to some of the releases in 1994:

Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Soundgarden - Superunknown
Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies
Weezer - Weezer (the blue album)
Live - Throwing Copper
Green Day - Dookie
Bush - Sixteen Stone
Hole - Live Through This

1994 was a fairly loud and angry year in music. Even R.E.M. changed up their sound in 1994, releasing the guitar heavy and uncharacteristic "Monster." And in the midst of that, came Dulcinea.

The album starts with a tickle of cymbals sweeping into the opening song, "Fly From Heaven," a song from the viewpoint of someone (brother, disciple?) who loved Jesus as a person, rather than a messiah, lamenting what became of their loved one. Yes, the album did have some slightly crunchy guitars, which rear their heads in the second song "Woodburning" but the majority of the album is far more melodic and jangly - sounding more akin to pre-1994 R.E.M. than post-Nirvana grunge.

The album produced a few radio gems in "Something's Always Wrong" and "Fall Down" but the album tracks go far beyond these two songs. There is gentle self-flagellation on "Stupid" and the country-tinged ode to splitting up reflected in the division of a record collection in "Nanci." "You take Nanci, for me Loretta's fine. No, I've changed my mind. I'll take Nanci, for you Loretta's fine."

The album flows through each song, changing tempo and direction like a river. At the heart of the songs is a touch of sadness, like lead singer Glen Phillips was looking at the world and finding the grey areas after years of seeing black and white.

For me, there are a few gut wrenchingly gorgeous moments on this album, which most people didn't hear, as they really didn't receive airplay. The first, "Crowing" was released as a single but was lost somewhere along the way. The song touches on how some people always look for a partner who needs fixing, because it gives them a purpose.

"Been waiting to find
You could've been happier given the time
If he'd make up his mind
You'd give yourself to anybody
Who would cross that line
And it was never a question
He was crowing for repair
You'd give him love and affection
But you couldn't keep him there..."

The title of the album came from the Cervantes book "Don Quixote" and the theme of fighting illusions and inner demons is woven throughout the album. The visual of Quixote attacking the giants is given a nod in "Windmills," the song which I consider to be the crown jewel of this beautiful album. "I spend too much time raiding windmills. We go side by side, laugh until it's right." I believe I can never tire of this song. I have heard this song performed live with the band, with Glen playing solo, backed up by Sean and Sara Watkins, with Mutual Admiration Society, and it still gives me chills every time and in every incarnation. I have actually reached a point that I can tell this song is going to be played just by how the guitar is being tuned. "Take the darkest hour break it open. Water to repair what we have broken." This song is beautiful and melodic. Every note, every vocal - lead and background, is brilliant. I have nothing bad to say about this song.

The album closes with the odd and jarring "Reincarnation Song." The first time I heard this song, I was mortified, but it has since clarified itself to me, as good songs often do. A few years back I was talking to Toad's then-manager, Chris Blake, and asked him what the first thing he thought when he heard this song. His reply? "Oh, shit." Apparently Glen had been reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and wrote a song from the viewpoint of a soul leaving it's dying body, realizing that it hasn't reached a full level of enlightenment yet, and being pulled into another corporeal vessel. The band re-recorded the song for the album, but thought the second take sounded like a cover version of the first take and scrapped it for the original. Good call.

So, if you don't have this album, get it. Don't download a few songs. Buy it. If you already own it, pull it out and listen to it again. Listen to it beginning to end. Preferably with headphones. The big foamy ones that press over your ears and block out the world. You might not love it on first listen, but with the really good ones it isn't about instant gratification it's about the long haul. "Maybe any way the wind blows, it's all worth waiting for."





Edit: This was originally posted on 10/20/2006, but I never finished my list. I'm bumping it back up to the top to force myself to continue with my list... wish me luck.

Music is essential

My friend, George, started a list (because the world is crazy for "best of" lists) of his 50 favorite albums. This got me thinking about a list of my own. I gathered cds into stacks. Listed my vinyl and tapes. Got distracted. Played a computer game. And realized that I don't have the attention span for a list. Besides, it's just too hard to play the favorites game. While one album might be brilliant for a road trip, another might be a soundtrack for utter depression.

The album itself is a fading art form. In a generation of iPod shuffling and per-song downloads, it isn't often that people listen to an album from start to finish anymore. And that's a shame. The best albums are intended to be heard as a whole. They have a common thread between the songs, be it a sound or a theme. The songs have a logical progression, a flow between fast songs and ballads. On the best albums, every aspect of the album comes together cohesively. The songs themselves are well written, the musicianship unparalleled, the singers voice an instrument blending with the music, and the production… here's my thing about production. The best producers are the ones that do their job so well, that you don't even think about the mix or the instruments being played. They let the songs exist with odd little noises in the background, they don't add in unnecessary flourishes, they have a light touch and let the music just be.

Back to my friend, George. I'm afraid I don't have his eloquence for describing music, or even share the depth of his musical collection. I encourage you to check out his blog to see his ongoing list of his top 50, and to read the prose of someone who can actually write. The guy has incredible music taste. I will quote him on this "I don't own every album. I only own what I own." I don't buy every cd that comes out. I don't rank amongst the upper echelons of music elitism that own every album by every "influential" and "essential" artist that exists. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the new music that is blowing my face off, without trying to play catch up with the back catalogue of every legend on the planet. Besides, nobody needs someone telling them that they need to be listening to Bob Dylan, or Neil Young. That's really kind of a given, isn't it?

So, instead of a top whatever list, I'm just going to randomly talk about some albums that I really think everyone should own. They are beautiful – some achingly so. Some are old, some new. I am a creature of habit, obsession, and repetition so you will undoubtedly see multiple albums by certain artists listed. Stay tuned if you're interested. Fuck off if you're not. (Just kidding. Sort of.)

Up first: Dulcinea

Edit: This post was originally written on 10/19/06, but I never finished my list. I'm bumping this to force myself to continue with my list. We'll see how that works out...

supporting the troops

I get all steamed up when I see one of those yellow ribbon "Support the Troops!" magnets on a car next to a "W" sticker. Really? Support the troops? By supporting the administration that is keeping them in a war where they are being inadequately fed, don't have access to clean water, are poorly paid, and oh yeah, being killed?

I support the troops. I want them to come home.

I know the military life more than most people. I was born on a military base. I have lived in military housing and seen military doctors. And we were poor. Really, seriously poor, living on military pay. GI Bill? I know all about that too. I watched my husband have to come up with his entire tuition and pay for it up front before being reimbursed for it. I have friends who came back from the first Gulf War sick and unable to find jobs.

My husband told me the other day that his boss's son is leaving for Iraq. I got that pit in my stomach and asked what branch of the military he is in. Turns out he's not in the military. He's a contractor. He's getting paid $60,000 to go there for 3 months. Some troops won't be paid that much in 3 years.



People should be ashamed.

bitter

i don't get why it's such a big deal that barack obama made a comment saying that voters are bitter.

i'm bitter. i admit it.

i'm bitter that more of our budget is being spent on the iraqi police force than on the u.s. education system.

i'm bitter that there are classrooms in portable buildings at my kids' school.

i'm bitter that oil companies are rolling in dough while gas prices are at an all time high.

i'm bitter that my husband works for a huge multi-national corporation, but we are only being offered catastrophic health insurance for our family this year.

i'm bitter that researchers have been able to reprogram embryonic stem cells to fight cancer, but it's too hard to fund research because most people don't bother to understand what stem cells even are, they just follow what the guy behind the pulpit says.

i'm bitter that more and more families are losing loved ones to war every single day.

i'm bitter that people would dare to say that i don't support the troops because i want them to come home alive, and as soon as possible.

i'm bitter that there are children who have never lived a day without hearing a war outside their windows.

i'm bitter that lobbyists have more say in what happens in my community than i do.

you know what i'm not bitter about? someone finally acknowledging that i'm bitter.

the year in music - 2008...thus far

and so begins my yearly ritual. more to keep track for myself than anything else. this year, i’m including cd purchases AND concerts. because i’m forgetful. and because these things need to be recorded for posterity.

well, that and i want your input on what should be my next purchases. (the list has been updated, upon request, and you can now just mouse over the pictures to see the artist and title. html coding is my friend.)

january:


february:
2/9/2008 glen phillips - avogadro’s number, ft. collins co.

march:
lemonheads - ned’s downtown, albuquerque nm.

april:
>

i chased evan dando down a dark city street

it’s true. i’m fairly ashamed. but more about that in a minute.

saw the lemonheads last night at this little place in downtown abq. i’ve been listening to the lemonheads for close to 17 years now, and maintain that "it’s a shame about ray" is one of the best albums of the ’90s. as much as i bitch and moan about the lack of concerts in abq, i can’t complain about this one. granted, it was a tuesday night, and the show didn’t start until 10:30. . . but i’m still giddy.









the concert was fun. they played almost all the songs from ray and a bunch from "come on feel..." so i spent a good part of the night bouncing around like a little kid.

my fan girl moment comes after the show. i had brought my cd cover from "lick" in hopes of an autograph, but it was getting late so we left. as i am pulling out of my parking spot, i see evan dando walking down the street with his guitar cases. i pull over, illegally park, grab my camera, sharpie, and cd case and start running down the road after him. i finally catch up to him an entire block later and wheeze something about listening to him for years. or something. i was on the verge of oxygen deprivation so i don’t remember much besides him asking me my name and being really cool about taking the picture since his arms are much longer than mine.

yeah, i’m a dork. and i’m okay with that.

calculating the worth of happiness

We all have that "thing" in our lives that soothes our soul, invigorates us, awakens our senses, ties together the experiences in our lives, and just generally brings us joy. It's different for everyone. For some that thing is art, film, hiking, cooking, playing sports, gardening. Mine is music.

My favorite singers tend to be indie singer-songwriters that only a select few people have even heard of. They work their tails off touring across the country, playing in tiny venues to their core group of fans, and a few curious newcomers. They rely on merch sales for their income and drive themselves around in rented cars from gig to gig.

My favorite singer posted a link to this article, on the brilliant blog BoingBoing, that speculates whether an artist could survive with just 1,000 true fans. The author states:

"The gist of 1,000 True Fans can be stated simply:

A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

Assume conservatively that your True Fans will each spend one day's wages per year in support of what you do. That "one-day-wage" is an average, because of course your truest fans will spend a lot more than that. Let's peg that per diem each True Fan spends at $100 per year. If you have 1,000 fans that sums up to $100,000 per year, which minus some modest expenses, is a living for most folks."

I try to do my part. I buy every album. I have drawers full of T-shirts that I honestly never wear. I take ridiculously long road trips and spend my leisure budget just to attend shows. I even buy CD's for other people, just to get the music to someone new, and to try to put one more penny in the artist's pocket. I always wondered if there was maybe something more I could do.

The aforementioned favorite singer set up a donation site, so fans could become "patrons of the arts". I've often said that I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that person stopped making music, so I clicked on the donate button and stared at the screen for several minutes trying to think of a number that accurately reflected how much the music meant to me, but for which I wouldn't have to deplete the college funds of my own children. I would type in numbers, click partway through the process, and then close the browser window. Nothing seemed appropriate. Plus, there wasn't an option for an anonymous donation, so I was also left with this dilemma: At what point do you stop being a devoted fan and start being creepy obsessive? (Dear friends, if you ever consider my behavior creepy obsessive, please promptly give me a swift kick hard in the ass to knock me back to reality. Thanks.)

This all led me to wonder - what is your "thing" worth to you? When all is said and done, how much dough do you spend to keep your thing going, and how much would you give if asked?

new favorite song

unless you live in scandinavia somewhere, you probably can't buy this album yet, but once it's available you should get it. it's so good it makes my brain tingle.

maternal duty vs. civic duty

i signed up a few weeks ago to chaperone my daughter's field trip this morning. which is always fun, but it's at the same time that barack obama is speaking down at the university. i really would have loved to have been able to hear him speak. damn.

p.s. for those following the saga with my brother - he's doing much better. thank you for asking.

on the importance of assertiveness

First off, thanks to everyone who has expressed concern about my brother. Here's the story.

Day one: Monday 6 AM he goes to the E.R. because he had been diagnosed with pneumonia a week before, but is now coughing up blood. They run some tests and say, well it looks like your pneumonia is gone, but you're in congestive heart failure. Apparently he had approx. 20 pounds of fluid around his heart and lungs. I go in to visit him at 8 PM, and he's still sitting in the E.R. On a gurney. Peeing into disposable urinals. And a doctor hadn't been in to see him for nearly nine hours.

I take it upon myself to start harrassing the hospital staff. I have to harrass the nurse twice before she comes in. Then, finally after I was there for two hours, a doctor came in. I start grilling her about him coughing up blood. I'm not dumb. I know that coughing up blood is one of the first signs of TB. She doesn't think that it's an issue. She looked at his chart, poked at him a little, and left. Frustrating.

Day two: Still sitting on a gurney in the E.R. Tiny room. No television, no telephone, still not allowed to leave the room to use the toilet. Around noon, they tell him that he finally has been assigned a room, they're just getting it ready for him. Then another doctor comes in and he has to give his entire history again. This doctor hears "coughing up blood" and decides that now (after 36 hours in the E.R.) that my brother should be tested for TB before he is moved. So, he is taken off the list for a room, and put on a new list for a negative pressure room (of which there are only four rooms in the entire hospital) just in case he has TB.

Day three: Yup. Still sitting on a gurney in the E.R. but in a new fancy isolated room. I show up at 9:30 AM, and a doctor hasn't seen my brother since 8 PM the night before. I crack my knuckles and go into attack mode. I tell the nurses that we need to see the doctor. Then I call the patient advocacy office. I do this in rotation for a couple hours before a charge nurse finally comes in and says the TB precaution has been removed so he's back on the list for a regular room, but that the doctor assigned to see my brother "is too busy to come see him" and another doctor will be on after 2 PM that will come check on him. I flip my shit just a little and call the patient advocacy office again and give the girl on the other end a very calm ass ripping. A few minutes later, his nurse comes in, they have a room for him and he should be transferred some time that evening.

I don't know if my constant harrassment had anything to do with them finally taking care of him, but I'd like to think that maybe it did. Apparently, since my brother hadn't chosen a primary care physician on his insurance plan, there wasn't anyone to push his labs through and get things done. What a pile of horse shit.

Day four: I go to visit my brother in his brand-spanking new hospital room. He was transferred about an hour after I left the E.R. the day before. Since arriving at the new hospital, he had an ultrasound of his heart, saw five different doctors, nurses checked on him all the time, he had a flat screen television and access to a telephone. It was like being released from prison and checking into the Ritz-Carlton.

So, they think he probably got a viral infection in his heart, exacerbated by the pneumonia and other health issues (weight and smoking) which basically made his heart start to fail. When they did the ultrasound, it was pumping at only about 20% efficiency, and the entire heart was enlarged. They have him on all sorts of meds to try to get the heart strong again.

Day five: A pulmonologist looked at his CAT scan because there were some abnormalities in the lung. There's some fluid in his left lung and some swelling in his lymph nodes, so now they are deciding whether to do a biopsy to rule out lymphoma or sarcoidosis.


I swear, this is like an episode of House. But without the grumpy (yet strangely attractive) gimpy doc.

2007, in review

2007 is mere hours from being done, so I am contractually obligated to make a year ending post about music.

It's tough to top 2006 as far as music related activity goes, so I'll just let 2007 stand on its own. I moved to a new town this year, which means I moved away from my favorite concert buddies. You know who you are. I've had to travel more for shows. Well, I actually haven't traveled more for shows, but the necessity was greater. Oh! And I got an iPod this year, finally. His name is DJ Reggie, he's a silver 80GB Classic, and I've only managed to get 15 GB in him thus far. I add stuff every day. It's exhausting.

total new cds: 55. (33 new releases, 22 back catalogue)
total shows: 15 shows in 6 states

And because no year end wrap-up is complete without lists....my top 6 of 2007!!!!

Favorite songs:
1. If the Brakeman Turns My Way - Bright Eyes.
2. Long Play - Dick Prall
3. You Are My Face - Wilco
4. The Temptation of Adam - Josh Ritter
5. The Sun Also Sets - Ryan Adams
6. Australia - The Shins

Favorite lyrics:
1. "We passed the time with crosswords that she thought to bring inside. 'What five letters spell apocalypse' she asked me. I won her over saying 'W.W.I.I.I' She smiled and we both knew that she'd misjudged me." Josh Ritter, The Temptation of Adam.
2. "Trying to be thankful our stories fit into phones. And our voices lift so easily A gift given accidentally When we're not sure we're not alone" Wilco, I Am Your Face
3. "Without the numbness all the pain is so intense to feel." Ryan Adams, I Taught Myself How to Grow Old
4. "I tried to pass for nothing but my dreams gave me away." Bright Eyes, If the Brakeman Turns My Way.
5. "Honesty like hanging trees don't get used anymore" Dick Prall, Long Play
6. "Yesterday it hit me that I do All the little things That you do Except those same little things That you do Are annoying. They're annoying as hell in fact." White Stripes, I'm Slowly Turning Into You

Favorite concerts:
1. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago. Did I mention this was the best birthday ever?
2. Ryan Adams, HOB Chicago. I think there are still parts of my face melted on the floor of the HOB.
3. Josh Ritter, Park West Chicago. Josh Ritter, solo acoustic, with Renee, James and Asshead as my concert buddies? Plus, the first sighting of the Jack Bauer of concert security. Awesome.
4. Teitur/Jenny Owen Youngs, Beat Kitchen Chicago.
5. Josh Rouse, Golden West Saloon, Albuquerque.
6. Ryan Adams, Red Rocks Denver.

Favorite new finds (artists I started listening to this year):
1. Wilco. Yeah, I'm late to the boat. Get over it. Besides, could I continue my love of Sansone without finally listening to Wilco? I think not.
2. Jenny Owen Youngs
3. The Shins
4. Rocky Votolato
5. Fionn Regan
6. Travis
(Josh Rouse should be in this category, but I bought one of his cd's last year. I didn't really get Josh Rouse until this year. Now? L-O-V-E.)

Favorite back catalogue pick-ups. (Okay. I admit it. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. But these are the cds I picked up this year that came out pre-2007 that I'm kicking myself for not buying sooner.)
1. Wilco's entire catalog (except the Billy Bragg stuff). Now James and George can get off my case.
2. Josh Rouse - Subtitulo.
3. Rocky Votolato - Makers
4. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
5. Brett Dennen - So Much More
6. Griffin House - Lost and Found

Favorite New Releases:
1. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga. This was a tough year to pick a favorite. Cassadaga won by a hair over Sky Blue Sky. I just think this was such a fantastic cd, start to finish. Ok, I will admit, the beginning of every Bright Eyes cd annoys me with his self-indulgent little oddities. The packaging makes up for it though. So cool.
2. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky. I hear a lot of people who have listened to Wilco for years complaining about this album. That's when I realize that I'm lucky that I just started listening to them, because I can hear this cd with fresh ears. I bought it with no expectations, and I love it without comparing it to anything else they have done.
3. Dick Prall - Weightless
4. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
5. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of...
6. Travis - The Boy With No Name

Music highlights:
1. Being asked to be webmistress of Teitur's website. It feels so good to be so trusted. And it never would have happened without one really damn good reference. There are no words for my appreciation of that person.
2. Toad wishing me a happy birthday from on stage. Even the thunder-stealer couldn't take away the glow from that day.
3. Traveling to L.A. to finally see Glen play at Largo. Pilgrimage complete. Plus I got to see DJ Jazzy Night Court.
4. Getting George to finally accept Josh Ritter into his life. You cannot resist The Animal Years.
5. Shawn Mullins in Colorado. Dancing on the streets with my kids. Joy.
6. Jenny Owen Youngs grabbing James' ass. Genius.

And if James has special categories, damnit, I should too.

* Worst song by an artist I love: Halloweenhead - Ryan Adams
* Everyone tells me I should love it, but I don't: Boxer - The National
* Best cd autograph: Jenny Owen Youngs - "Adobe Sneak Attack Motherfucker! NICER ASS!!"
* Best cd that I can't understand a word of: Teitur - Kata Hornid
* CD I still haven't bought, but I will in 2008: Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha


Looking forward to 2008. Hopefully I'll see you on the road.

gonna trade the weather for the western coast

This past weekend, I took a trip out to California. In my head, song lyrics were rattling around, building up for my trip...

"Going out to California. Gonna let the water warm my clothes..."

"Halfway to Hollywood, I'm selling songs, you're selling your good book..."

"Are you still beautiful in Los Angeles, 'cause it's been so long I can't handle it..."

The trip was a semi-spur of the moment decision. The end of finals week somehow wound up corresponding with a Glen Phillips concert at Largo in L.A. If you're not a big Glen fan, that probably doesn't mean much, so I'll try to explain. Ever since Glen went solo, Largo has become something of his home base, and he has been known to play songs there that haven't been heard other places. And, if you know me, you know there's nothing that makes me happier musically than a Glen show. So, the timing of the show seemed somewhat serendipitous. My traveling companion was my friend Sara, who flew in from Philly for the show.

Flying into L.A., my impressions were as follows: 1) there really are palm trees all over the place. And 2) the air is brown. (In my head, I thought, "Free radicals! Free radicals! I need antioxidants, quick!") From where we stayed in Hollywood, we could have been in almost any city during the summer. The palm trees were really the only distinguishing feature. It was amusing to see people walking around in winter coats in 72 degree weather. I also accosted Dave Navarro in the airport to get his picture with James' famous Asshead shirt.



I got to meet a few people with whom I have had email correspondence. It's always interesting to finally meet someone in person to see if they match up with the person you have created in your head.

The show itself was good, but short. Glen was joined by Sean and Sara Watkins, Greg Leisz, and Pete Thomas. Also, Randy Guss made a surprise appearance on drums during "Windmills". I had actually seen him outside before the show, but didn't realize I would be seeing him onstage. I was kinda hoping for more Glen. Just Glen. But it's hard to complain when the songs sounded so good.

I had a lot of fun on the trip, but I'm coming off it feeling strangely out of sorts. You know how sometimes you build something up so big in your head that there is no way it could ever live up to your expectations? So many things about the trip were great, the show, the inimitable duo that are Cliff and Ian, my think-alike Sara, too many black & tans, Pink Berry frozen yogurt, the staff at our ultra-funky hotel... But there was something remotely toxic about L.A. for me. I don't know if it was the air, or the traffic, or the surliness of the people bustling about oblivious to the people around them. Or maybe it was the delayed plane that left me stranded in Phoenix until almost 2 a.m. Whatever it was, I'm feeling a little drained.

I did come out of the weekend with a realization about people. I've met a lot of people while traveling around and moving across the country. There are people that pass into and out of your life without affecting it much. There are incredibly positive, fun people, who enrich your life regardless of how long they are in it. And there are the negative people who drain your energy in one way or another. It always seems that the negative ones make the bigger impact. I need to work harder at appreciating the positive ones and forgetting about the negative.

" So goodnight Hollywood Blvd, goodnight,
See ya soon
Goodnight Hollywood Blvd, see you sometime
Yeah, right
Yeah, right"

i skipped class...

so i could go to the balloon fiesta!



robot balloon


luke, i'm your father



check out all my photos here: flickr photo set

Dear Josh Rouse...

Dear Josh Rouse,

Thank you for playing a show in Albuquerque. I suppose we are somewhat along the way from Tucson to Austin, but you could have just skipped our little city, and you didn't. For this, I am grateful.



The joint you played was certainly unique. It's not every day that you see a concert in a long, narrow saloon with a rattlesnake skin on the wall. It really startled me how few people showed up to your show, and for this, I feel like I should apologize. I know it's not my fault or anything, but I just feel bad. Like maybe I could have convinced some more people to come to the show, if I actually knew people here. But I don't . So again, sorry.



I will say that I had a fantastic time. I'm kind of a music geek, and I've been wanting to see you live ever since my BFF told me that I needed to listen to you. The show was fantastic. I don't know why, but I was expecting a mellow folk show, and you showed up with your band and proceeded to rock my pants off. What a pleasant surprise. Admittedly, I didn't get up and shake my ass, despite your many requests that we do so. It is difficult to muster the courage to shake your ass in such a small crowd. I was chair dancing though. I promise.



And thank you for finally coming downstairs after the show to say hi to people. There were a lot more people waiting right after the show, but most of them gave up after a while. Not me. I'm tenacious. Thanks for the picture. And for the replacement picture after I blinked.



My goal now is to see you at a venue where people have actually heard of you, and more than 30 people show up to the gig. I promise I'll shake my ass next time.

Sincerely yours,

Dianne

feeling like rodney dangerfield

nope, i still get plenty of respect. but i'm going back to school.

quick history, because i don't want to get into the details. i was, once upon a time, a straight A student. i went into boston university to study marine biology, but had to leave one semester into my sophomore year. i started working full time to support myself, got married, had kids, and just never got around to finishing.

the whole unfinished school thing has always been the albatross around my neck, but life's necessities were keeping me from finishing up. everything has finally aligned (due in no small part to our recent move to NM) and i'm officially a student again.

most of my old credits aren't going to transfer for my degree, so i'm basically starting from scratch. i'm going to go to the community college here for a year, then transfer over to UNM. another thing that really blows is that my math skills have disappeared from many years of non-use, so i have to take a lower level math course just to get into the math classes i need for my degree. that is a fat load of suck.

i'm loading up on the classes though, because i want to get this shit done with. five classes plus a lab. if you don't see updates from me much, or if i don't answer my phone, or if i start posting random gibberish at 2 a.m., just assume that i'm studying too much.

random moment of the day

we were leaving the airport after picking up some people, and had to pull over to the side because the car that was following us didn't get through the traffic signal, and they didn't know where they were going.

next thing we see is a police car pull behind us with its lights flashing. i think "oh shit. they think we're terrorists pulled over near the airport."

the officer walks up to the car and he's holding a lasso in his hand. yes. a lasso.

one word flashes through my head: hogtie.

he leans over and says, "are you stopped because of the sheep?" we explain the reason we are stopped and he says, "ok. there's a sheep running loose somewhere around here. carry on."

this shit doesn't happen in chicago, i'll tell you what.

the end of summer

on this past weekend, the last weekend before school began, we loaded the family into the car for a trip up to denver. the husband's work involves automotive dealings, and we had to attend a work-sponsored drag race event: the jet car nationals. if you are unfamiliar with jet cars, as i was, they are literally race cars that have jet engines sticking out of the back. as we were corporate guests, we had prime seats directly over the starting line looking down the drag.

there are no words to describe how loud these things were. even with earplugs, i wanted to hold my hands over my ears. i could feel the heat from the jets when they started. when they blasted their jets, i could actually feel the noise of it shaking the stands. this video can only give you the slightest idea of the noise.



the next day, we headed over to the lovely coors field to see the rockies play the cubs.


the girls hadn't been to a mlb game since we lived in atlanta, so they were pretty excited. we got there early enough that the girls got baseballs signed by the players.


it was a great game, and if you follow baseball, you know how this one ended. (sorry, james.)


we drove home after the game, 6 hours of cranky kids. yikes. the sunset over the rockies was beautiful though.

ryan adams at red rocks 8.4.07

This past Friday, I hit the road yet again, this time with my husband in tow. (Thanks again to Chris and Mary for hangin' with the kiddos) It's about a 6 hour drive to Denver from Albuquerque, but you know me - when it comes to Ryan Adams or Glen Phillips I'm basically a sucker and willing to travel great distances.

I didn't find out until the morning of the show that the start time had been changed to 5:30 from 7 pm. DOH! We also hit sick traffic around Colorado Springs, so we didn't wind up getting to Red Rocks until around 7 pm. Luckily, it wasn't raining. Unluckily, you are expected to climb approximately 500 steps at the mile high elevation to get into the venue. *GASP WHEEZE* I actually saw some people stop to take smoke breaks on their way up the stairs. Seriously? Like that's gonna help with your oxygen intake?

We got into the venue and the Old 97's were on stage. Well, sorta. It was the Old 97's minus the beautiful and sweaty Rhett Miller. I sat on the corner of one of the steps near the stage, and out bounded Rhett. Apparently all the crap weather had caused his plane to be delayed coming into the airport. Plus, did I mention traffic sucked? Well, he played a few songs with the band, then their time was up. I have no idea why they didn't have Devotchka go on and let Old 97's later. Oh well.

Devotchka followed, and while they seem to be great musicians, their music was not my thing. The first 50 rows or so were packed, so we just went up to the very top of the amphitheatre where it was empty and enjoyed the music and the breeze. Well, until it stopped being a breeze and became a haughty wind. Lucinda Williams followed Devotchka. She's... alright. Her voice is very whiny, and all her songs sound so much alike. Not to mention how juvenile some of her lyrics are. She played a song called Honeybee - and I swear the lyrics were "You're my honeybee, I'm so glad you're mine" repeated ad nauseum. She also played, according to the venue worker I spoke to, 20 minutes longer than she was supposed to. You could see streams of people leaving to use the restroom. Snore.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals took the stage at 11:05, and the crowd went batshit crazy.

Setlist:
Magnolia Mountain
Peaceful Valley
Easy Plateau
Goodnight Rose
Mockingbird
Let It Ride
Cold Roses -> What Sin -> Cold Roses
Beautiful Sorta
When The Stars Go Blue
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
A Kiss Before I Go
--------------------
Dear John
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Dear Chicago
Wild Flowers
I See Monsters

Ryan was, brace yourself, in an incredibly good mood. He actually said "It's really impossible to have a bad time in Colorado." His voice and the band both sounded incredible. I actually think his guitar playing has improved tremendously since the infamous wrist-breaking incident. He joked with the crowd, giving us a little TMI regarding his underwear situation, and even poked fun at himself, "If this wind picks up any more, you're gonna really see me storm off the stage, if you know what I mean..."

But really the star of the night was the venue. The stage is carved into a hollowed out stone face, and the seats rise up from the front, flanked on either side by tilting monoliths of red streaked stone. From our vantage point at the top of the venue, we could see the lights of Denver, and were even able to watch the moon rise over the stage, starting out as a red smudge on the edge of the horizon and growing to an eerie white glow behind the clouds.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: seeing Ryan Adams is a hit-or-miss proposition. But so far for me this year, he's batting a thousand. I will see him every chance I get, because when he is on, he will find the cracks in your soul and crawl inside.

best birthday ever? i think so.

This year, serendipity shined down upon me and scheduled a Toad the Wet Sprocket concert in Chicago on my birthday. What better excuse to make a trip back to Chicago. Best friends and favorite music? Can't beat it.

It was supposed to rain in Chicago, but there was no way it was going to rain on my birthday. In fact, I expressly forbade rain, and it went away as requested. First, my BFF James and I picked up Asshead from his job working the corner over in the Financial District. We headed to Stanley's for some 20-minute chicken. (Best in Chicago - if you ever visit, you must have some.)


Then we headed over to the zoo, where in theory, we were to act all cool and say "We're on the list". Yeah. Not on the list. Phone call. New list. Not on that one either. Another phone call. New list. And finally allowed into the park. So much for being cool.

I got to see all sorts of Chicago concert buddies at the show. It made me feel very loved. Glen opened for Toad, which was just brilliant, because who wouldn't love double the Glen?


I even overcame the adversity of stupid people standing in front of me, by going to the other side of the stage and standing in front of someone else. What?

Throughout the show, there was this crazy drunk girl, who kept talking during the songs, flailing her arms around and yelling how much she loved Toad. She actually accosted James and I before the show started, poking us in the arms and demanding to know how we knew Toad. Not in the carnal sense, but just in general if we knew their music. I conceded to being a casual listener to try to get her to leave us alone.

Then, near the end of the show, Glen and Dean wished me a Happy Birthday, and in the middle of Glen talking about me, drunk girl decides she is going to steal my thunder and yells out that she is the biggest Toad fan ever. Who am I to argue? We took pictures with her afterwards, because it was important to document her idiocy. Oh, and Asshead ate her brain.


After getting James and Asshead's photos with Dean, Todd, and a very smarmy Glen,

we hustled to my favorite spot, Dublins for some food and merriment. Oh yeah, and my favorite hot waiter, Mattycakes.

The next day brought a Transformers movie, The Misbehavers from Four Rooms ("Police? Come right away! There's a dead whore in the room!"), and a drive up to Milwaukee. We even drove by a Cheese Castle, presumably occupied by a Cheese King. At Milwaukee, we met up with some more wonderful friends for a Glen Phillips solo show. It was a great show, filled with rarities, a discussion about the legalities of necrophilia in Wisconsin, and even a song by the ever-wonderful Dick Prall. We tried to get pictures with Glen and Dick, but we couldn't seem to get in synch with each other. Blink. Blink.


Awesomeness abounded.

it's cold in here, and i wish it was hot

This weekend I drove to Austin for my second Ryan Adams concert of the year. (See review of first show here)

The drive was ridiculous - 12 hours each way. Yeah, I know. Next time I will fly. But it was totally worth it. It was a seated acoustic show, and totally different than the HOB show earlier this year.





Set list:

1. Please Do Not Let Me Go
2. Blue Sky Blues
3. Blue Hotel
4. The Sun Also Sets
5. Cold Roses
6. Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.
7. Easy Plateau
8. Elizabeth, You Were Born To Play That Part
9. Starlite Diner
10. Let It Ride
11. I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
12. Goodnight Rose
13. Dear Chicago
14. Goodnight Hollywood Blvd.
15. Nightbirds

**intermission so venue could sell more beer**

16. Dear John
17. Wildflowers
18. Off Broadway
19. Two
20. The End
21. Peaceful Valley
22. What Sin Replaces Love
23. Magnolia Mountain
24. I See Monsters



Ryan stayed seated for the entire show except for when he came to the microphone at the edge of the set to deliver a howling version of "Goodnight Hollywood Blvd."



Will I still go see Ryan every chance I get? Hell yes.