Perfection

“You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last.
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun,
Crying like a fire in the sun.
Look out the saints are comin’ through
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.

The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence.
The empty-handed painter from your streets
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets.
This sky, too, is folding under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home.
All your reindeer armies, are all going home.
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor.
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue.”

- Bob Dylan – “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

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Fucking perfection.  And that’s all i have to say about that.  Enjoy.

Talent

Tonight i watched a teenage girl of indeterminate age and identity hold a crowd of maybe a thousand people (or more) completely captive and breathless with nothing but a guitar and her voice.  I was/am fucking IMPRESSED, as in, the moment has left a serious and deep impression upon me.  One that is not likely to disappear any time soon . . maybe not ever.  An indelible mark on my heart and mind, if you will.

This was at the Rocklin High School Halloween Concert/Variety Show/Fundraiser-thingy, Rocklin being a smallish, newish, reasonably upscale suburb in the foothills east of Sacramento, and the home of my beloved Aunt Julie, Uncle Joe, and their two kids, Jacob and Mallory.  My cousin Jacob currently attends Rocklin High, which accounts for my appearance at this event.  Jake is a very nice kid; extremely smart and absurdly talented.  He plays in the orchestra, the jazz band, the choir, and god knows what else, in addition to being tasked with high-level academia, and playing goalie on the soccer team.  He’s been wowing us (the family) with his piano skillz since he was too small to reach the pedals, and we always jump right into a musically centered conversation when we see each other.  Like i said: Great kid.  Thus i was happy to show up for his concert tonight, to support him and to listen to whatever he and his peers had to offer-up.

The event was full of highs and lows.  Lows included amplification issues (the levels were all over the place, act to act, and it had a real impact on a few of the performances . . they clearly did not do a thorough soundcheck), inexplicable confusion with the schedule (the jazz band’s performance, which i was really looking forward to, was almost completely ruined by an ill-timed and apparently unplanned intermission), having to wait in line for a solid half-hour just to get in (WTF?), impossible seating (whomever’s idea it was to hold the event in the gymnasium SANS CHAIRS needs to be replaced as events coordinator, or at least given a stern talking-to), and inconsistency in the level of preparedness and quality in terms of the performances (a few of the acts were pretty terrible and out of place, and any reasonable director would have cut them out without hesitation).  Oh, and it was looooonnnnnnggggg.  Like, uber-long.  WAY too long.  Especially when you’re sitting on hardwood bleachers.  However, it’s a high school production, and thus i am very willing to overlook a lot of that.  It comes with the territory, does it not?

Oh, and of course, there is one last low, one i can not forgive: They didn’t bother to hand out a program.  That’s a first for me.  Here we have a newish school, in a reasonably affluent neighborhood, that clearly is overflowing with materials and resources (paper, computers, and copy machines included, i would have to imagine), and they didn’t give us a fucking program.  Why is this a big deal?  Well, first of all, it’s customary.  I was in the concert and jazz bands when i was in school, and there was always a program.  Even our crapptastic grade school concerts came with programs.  It’s standard.  Secondly, it’s a big deal because with no program you have no way of timing the event.  You can’t figure out when your kid (or relative, or friend) is going to be on, and you have no idea, during the course of it, how much longer it’s going to take, etc.  That’s annoying, to say the least, as pacing is key at these kinds of things.  Lastly, and most importantly, no program means that you don’t know WHO is playing WHAT.  I knew the name of exactly one performer tonight, that of my cousin.  That means that unless you already knew the person performing, the performer was not, and did not, get any credit whatsoever for their performance, good or bad.  Obviously the less-than-stellar acts are happy to remain anonymous, but here i am blogging away about this event, which means that there were certainly noteworthy and commendable aspects of it, and i have no idea who to give credit to.  And to think, all this because some dumbarse director or coordinator couldn’t figure out how to make a copied and folded piece of paper to distribute at the door.  That’s a major Fail, right there, and if i’d have been one of the student performers tonight, i’d be livid about it.  Ok, ok . . maybe not livid.  But pissy!  Definitely pissy.

Moving on.

The highs were, indeed, lofty.  First and foremost, Jake did very well, as we knew he would.  The choir did a pretty awesome rendition of one of the songs from Sweeney Todd and the jazz band (from what i heard through the talking and general disarray that took place during their performance) was quite good on their tune.  Also, there were several acts that were easily performing on a nearly professional level, and really, who expects that out of kids?  A couple of the dance groups were VERY impressive (and this from someone who doesn’t like or generally appreciate dance, at all).  There was a lovely orchestral piece at the beginning of the show that was gentle and well-played, and touched the whole thing off wonderfully.  A very talented young man played an original piece on the keyboard (there’s another thing that ticked me off: They couldn’t wheel the damn piano into the gym?  What the fuck is that all about?!  When i was a teenage band kid i was regularly called-upon to help haul pianos up and down stairs, in and out of gyms/theaters/auditoriums/etc, and a keyboard does NOT a piano make . . but i digress).  A few of the Halloween-themed skits by the Emcees were funny and entertaining (many were not, but i felt they got better as the night went on).  There was a stunning (yes, STUNNING) duet by a couple playing The Frankenstein Monster and His Bride serenading each other that literally gave me chills (those two kids are destined for stardom if they seek it, and i really mean that . . they were better singers than several professionals i’ve seen live over the years, and they even walked and moved according to the zombified roles they were playing, while singing magnificently all the while).  And, of course, there was this girl.

They didn’t hand out programs, so i can’t tell you her name.  When i asked my cousin afterwards, he didn’t even know who she was (and he, presumably, knows everyone associated with the music department to some degree), which reminds me of a short anecdote that i shall recount in a minute.  The lobby, after the show was over, was full of parents, relatives, and students, talking to/congratulating the performers, and i heard the buzz all around me, in every corner of the room.  It was the same general conversation going on 50 times at once in the lobby alone, and it went something like this:

Parent/Relative/Friend [big smile on their face] – You did a great job!  I loved your part!  Were you happy with how it went?

Performer [tired but also smiling] – Yeah, thanks!  I’m glad you came!  I thought it went . .

Parent/Relative/Friend [interrupting excitedly] – Yeah, yeah!  So, listen, who was that girl?  You know, the one with the guitar?  She was amazing!  I just couldn’t believe how good she was!

Performer [unsure but also excited] – Uhm, yeah, i’m not sure.  She was really good though, huh.  I’ve never seen her before.  But yeah.  Did you like my song?

Parent/Relative/Friend [oblivious to the feelings of their principle] – Yyyyeahhhh.  It was good honey/dude/man!  It was good . . . But, yeah, i could’ve listened to that girl sing all night!  She was unbelievable!

I shit you not, that conversation must have taken place 800 times or more in the last 3 hours.  That’s how special this girl was, and she only sang two songs!  TWO!!!

The anecdote i promised a moment ago:  I don’t know how it went at your high schools, but at mine, the band played at graduation.  We sat in the orchestra pit at The Memorial Auditorium every spring, and we watched that year’s class of seniors walk the walk as we played “Pomp and Circumstance” until our lips and embouchures threatened to mutiny and flee the building with or without us.  Now, every year it was a tradition at graduation for a few bold seniors to take the stage mid-ceremony and sing something (a capella, or otherwise).  It was as traditional as the valedictorian’s speech, and the principal’s toupee’, and nearly every one of these performances was . . well . . not fantastic.  Don’t get me wrong, they usually weren’t terrible, but for the most part i wasn’t too blown-away.

Then came my junior year, which marked my third graduation as a pit-dwelling “Pomp and Circumstance” performer.  I knew the kids in that class very well . . maybe even better than i knew the kids in my own class.  A lot of my closest friends were walking that year, and i watched as a few of them went up and made speeches and played tunes.  Anyways, so the ceremony was in full-swing, proceeding nicely, when, to everyone’s surprise, up walks this guy that we all knew, but that none of us knew to be a musician of any sort.  He was a popular kid, affable and athletic, and i think he might have been involved with a drama production at some point, but never in a musical capacity.  I, and my buddies around me in the pit, was puzzled beyond puzzlement as to what business he could possibly have on the stage at that point.  He wasn’t class president, nor was he a special academic award winner of any sort.  We all immediately grabbed our programs (SEE!?!  PROGRAMS ARE OUR FRIENDS!), and after a glance down, our gazes shot right back up to the stage in shock, horror, and disbelief.

You see, in the program, it said that our buddy, the non-musician, was about to sing “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” by Elton John.  Our horror was doubly inspired, of course.  1) We didn’t want our friend to make a damn fool of himself in front of thousands of people, including his entire class and family.  And 2) We were not at all looking forward to hearing ANYONE’s rendition of that particular tired and overplayed number.  What happened next is, in the context of my post, easy enough to figure out.  Dude KILLED it.  A cappella.  I mean, he sang that song so well that somewhere out in jolly-ol’ England, Elton John himself got a fat chubby and didn’t even know why.  The performance was SO good, that it reminded every person in that hall exactly why they USED to like Elton John, and why they USED to think that The Lion King had one of the best soundtracks ever.  It gave us chills.  It dropped our jaws.  It made us cry (seriously, it did).  And the most amazing part was that NOBODY knew that this kid could sing a lick.  Well, i suppose someone knew.  But i was pretty close to the guy, and i had no idea, and my fellow bandies were in the same boat as I.  We stared at each other in disbelief, and when he finished every person in Memorial Auditorium shot up out of their seats in a frenzy of applause.  It was unreal.

So, as you have already figured, that memory came fresh and immediate to me this evening, and for good reason.  There was no standing ovation for the girl, her voice, and her guitar, but i think that’s largely because of the seating arrangements.  With all of us old fogies packed into the gym bleachers like oh-so-many sardines, i’m not sure it would even have been physically possible to give her such an ovation.  Too, i sensed a great deal of shock in the crowd as she wrapped-up, shock at the supreme quality, at the sheer TALENT that had made itself known to us all out of nowhere, and i think that shock hampered some in the audience in the volume and ferocity of their praise, ie. there were definitely people in my field of vision that were too visibly stunned by what they’d just heard to react until it was too late, and the girl had already bowed and walked-off, making room for the next act.

Have you ever seen a thousand people drop their jaws at once?  I have.  I’ve seen it at two different kinds of places: Sporting events (the Niners/Packers Wildcard Game that i attended in 1998 comes to mind, Young to Owens for the win with 3.6 seconds to go), and musical events (Tim Reynolds soloing on “All Along The Watchtower” at the Dave Matthews Band show on the 6th of last month comes to mind, playing with his teeth).  And i saw that same thing again tonight.  The difference, i think, between those other times and this evening, is that people go to an NFL Playoff Game or a DMB concert expecting magic.  A high-school Halloween variety show that the kids have only had six weeks or so to prepare for?  Not so much.

This girl didn’t write the two songs she sang.  I didn’t know either tune, but i’m confident that she didn’t pen them.  But you know what?  I’m equally confident that, given enough time and effort, someone with that level of talent can write albums worth of material.  The vocals were PERFECT.  Like, crystal clear, soft-yet piercing, enunciated-yet-melodious, soul-wrenching perfect.  And that was through a terrible mic, hooked-up to a crappy little amp!  It was just unREAL.  A moment of surpassing beauty and soulfulness.  The guitar work was simple rhythmic changes, not-flashy, but at the same time it was definitely better than i could have done, and i’ve been playing for 11 years, with 9 years of theory and musical performance experience before that.  She could be a professional.  Like, right now she could be in the studio, singing and playing and touring to packed houses, making a name for herself on the national stage (and beyond).  It wouldn’t suprise me to see her on Oprah tomorrow, right after the Korean nine-year-old that can play Chopin backwards and with his eyes closed.  She exudes that intangible gift that so many of us envy, and too few of us are born with.  That thing we call Talent, with a capital “T”.  All those other kids, with their years of violin tutors, and dance lessons, and tailored outfits, and pricey instruments that they’ll likely abandon within a few months of their graduations . . they were shown-up tonight by a girl in jeans, Converse All Stars, a stripey green t-shirt, and an acoustic-electric that couldn’t have cost more than five or six hundred bucks.  A girl that isn’t in the band, or the choir, or the dance squad, or the drama program.  An unknown.

I only wish i could tell you her name.

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[The event was videotaped by a standing camera, so there is a slim chance i may be able to wrangle a tape or a youtube vid of this girl's performance, and if such a thing occurs, i will, of course, post it here immeadiately.]

“LMFAO” Stands for Laughing My Fucking Arse Off

more about “Saturday Night Live – Update Thursday…“, posted with vodpod

As the great Homer Simpson once said, “It’s funny ’cause it’s true!”

Uhhhhhhhhhmmmm . . . WOW

Apparently people in Clinics aren’t “innocent Americans”.  She’s a Christian, we all know this, so the question has to be, What ever happened to the Christian tenants regarding forgiveness? What about “The meek will inherit the Earth”? I guess she skipped those days in Sunday School.

The sad thing is that this isn’t even the worst i’ve heard out of her.  It’s sickening, and beyond the pale, but really . . what about her isn’t?

For the record, this footage is all you need to know about Sarah Palin:

Separation of Church and State?  Anyone?  Anyone?  Bueller?

Pray for the unification of companies?  Does anyone else think that’s a little shady?  Whatever, that’s not nearly the worst of it.

Look, we’re all free to believe what we wish, and that’s a freedom that i support and enjoy.  I have no problem with her evangelicism as long as it doesn’t affect me. The Vice President of The United States thinking that we’re carrying out “A Task That Is From God” in Iraq?  That would affect me, and it’s disturbing in the extreme.

I’m pretty sure that the founding fathers (deeply Christian members of that group, such as the incomparable John Adams, included) would not be too happy about the next potential Vice President being someone who thinks that killing upwards of 1,000,000 Iraqi civilians in a war for oil and private defense/construction profits is God’s Plan.

[Yes, they did start a revolution that lead directly to over 100,000 deaths, but A) That was a conflict that had an (arguably) reasonable and virtuous purpose, and B) Those casualties were almost all soldiers.  Clearly there is no parallel between the American War for Independence and the current U.S. Invasion of Iraq.  To see one would be to warp history beyond recognition.]

Sarah Palin, the woman who John McCain chose out of all the people in the entire country to be his running mate and to succeed him if his health went sour, believes, as is evidenced in that Wasilla Assembly of God footage (taken THIS YEAR, by the way), that our invasion of Iraq, which, let me say it once more, has killed upwards of ONE MILLION CIVILIANS, is THE WILL OF GOD.

And that is all you need to know about her.

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*** None of the video footage posted here is ever edited, unless otherwise noted.  This is real and uncut, ladies and gentlemen. ***

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EDIT: My friend Janet linked a good commentary about this business from the Huffington Post’s Lauren Sandler in the comments section below. In case some of you didn’t see it, here is a second link. It’s very good (and short, in case length is an obstacle for you), and definitely worth the read. Thanks Janet!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lauren-sandler/in-the-last-days-of-the-e_b_137787.html

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Forgive the brief lapse on my promise to lay off the political posts (and also for the grammatical errors, some of which i’ve now fixed).  More music reviews should be up in the next couple of days.

- tony

New Music

I, like so many others, have been quite preoccupied with the election of late, and my posts have certainly reflected that.  It’s hard not to be focused on it, as this particular cycle is offering us such an exciting and historic candidate; and it is such a wonderful opportunity for America to throw off the shackles of divisiveness and fear-mongering and xenophobia and violence, in favor of a fresh image, one born of intellectualism and diplomacy, of progressive thought and honesty.  When i watched Barack Obama make his victory speech in Iowa after the caucus, i was touched.  That was in the first week of January.  When i saw him make his victory speech in South Carolina a few weeks later, i was more than touched, i was moved, and there have been many speeches since then.  His monumental address in Berlin gave me chills down my spine, and his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention is the most inspiring thing i’ve ever seen on television.  It was simply breathtaking, and i am not ashamed to admit that I wept freely that night as i watched it from my living room.

These moments are some of the very real and quite legitimate reasons why i have been so fired-up for the last 10 months.  I am a historian at heart, and we are in the midst of history.  And not the nasty Crusades-Spanish Inquisition-genocide of the Native Americans-Holocaust-Great Leap Forward kind of history, either.  Instead, Barack’s incredible rise to prominence and popularity through the power of his eloquence seems to hearken back to the histories of Pericles, Abraham Lincoln, John Adams, and John F. Kennedy.  What will be written about the events of the 4th (not to mention the next 8 years) is beyond our current knowledge, but at this moment, it is hard to feel anything but inspired and enveloped by the events surrounding the election, and i have succumbed as much as anyone.

Still, it’s a tiring subject, isn’t it.  Tiring to write about, tiring to read about, tiring to converse about, tiring to think about.  Of course, that it is taxing should not be used as a pass to be intellectually lazy and to avoid the subject altogether.  Every one of us who is eligible to vote has a real responsibility to research and consider, to debate and to decide, and, ultimately, to vote, on (or before) the 4th.  However, it is tiring, and as I’ve already voted (absentee for the win), i’m now trying desperately to forget about it entirely until that fateful day a week and a half from now.  I have done my research, and fulfilled my responsibility, and now it’s time for me to pop my head out of the my hole and take a look around at what else is going on.

In my case, that means taking a look (and a listen) at new music.  As it says on my “About” page, i’m obsessed with all things musical, and i feel like these last couple of months i’ve been somewhat stuck in neutral on that front, which is a discomforting feeling.  Sure, there were the 3 Dave Matthews Band shows at The Greek in September (which were mindblowingly glorious), and there have been a smattering of other notable musical experiences as well (a few decent jams on the guitar, the DJ Z-Trip mix that i posted about earlier, the Me First and The Gimme Gimmes show i saw back in August), but really, i haven’t been “feeling it” all that much in recent days, and i think that it’s largely due to my focus on the deadly-serious nature of the election.  Well, as i’m now vowing to take a respite from all that for a few days, i thought this might be a good opportunity to discuss some of the new albums that i’ve been able to sneak-in in between the political rants and hoopla.  After all, music is, literally, the most important aspect of my universe, and this page really ought to start showing that to be the case.

So, without further ado, i give you my take on two new(ish) releases.  There are more to come (may this be the beginning of a long series of music-related posts here, as i certainly have a lot to say on the topic).  Enjoy.

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JENNY LEWIS – ACID TONGUE

Ok, so the first thing i need to state here, upfront and with full-disclosure, is that i am an enormous and unabashed Jenny Lewis fan.  Rilo Kiley, the band that Lewis has made a name for herself with, may well be my favorite band of the decade (or damn close to it), and that’s even after taking into consideration their less-than-fantastic 2007 release, Under The Blacklight, which did not set my soul afire.  That is just how incredibly good their other work has been.  The Execution of All Things (2002) is a damn-near perfect record, as is her solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat (2006), with Takeoffs and Landings (2001) and More Adventurous (2004) not too far behind.  And when i say “perfect”, i mean exactly that.  So keep in mind that this is not an unbiased review.  Music, like all art, is a subjective beast, and to try to tame it objectively is entirely futile.  Trust me, i’ve tried.

So, as a fanboy, the release of this record was a matter of much anticipation on my part.  I waited and waited, ticking off the days and weeks with growing impatience, and finally, on my birthday of all days, it was released (incidentally, the last time my birthday fell on a Tuesday, which is the typical day that new albums are released in the U.S., was 2003, and no less a record than Dave Matthews’ solo debut Some Devil, a fantastic piece of music, was released . . but i digress).  I had already heard a few of the tracks from Acid Tongue before the release, so i didn’t come into the first listening blindly.  NPR records and shares an impressive number of sets every year from the 9:30 club in Washington D.C. on their All Songs Considered program, and a few of the tracks from this record can be heard in their infancy on just such a recording (made in 2006 on the Rabbit Fur Coat tour).  Check it out here.  The whole show can be freely and legally downloaded by clicking on the link on the bottom of the left sidebar panel that says “Download Jenny Lewis”.  It’s a fantastic show, and will soon become a prized gem in your music collection.  Guaranteed.  It pays to keep up with NPR.  Those guys are almost as awesome as their TV corollary, PBS.

Anyways, i’d heard a few tracks already, so between the NPR show and the tracks that Jenny upped on her Myspace page, i knew roughly what to expect, and those expectations were sky high.  So, how did the actual record match up?  Well, to be brief about it, pretty damn well.

It’s a varied record, and it doesn’t seem to have much flow or cohesion (case in point, the first two tracks are both repetitive B-Sides that somehow found their way into those all-important first two slots instead of being mid-album transitions or being cut altogether).  So, in that way, it’s not as good as Rabbit Fur Coat.  But, honestly, even as someone whose expectations for this LP would have been nearly impossible to live up to, i’m quite happy with it as a whole.  It’s a very good record.  After the first two clunkers (“Black Sand”, and “Pretty Bird”), the listener is treated to an impressive run of startlingly touching and impassioned tunes delivered in Jenny’s trademark breezy L.A. style.

“The Next Messiah” is a wonderfully idiosyncratic eight and a half minute romp that, like the best of Jenny’s songs, doesn’t have to mean a damn thing if it doesn’t want to (not that i’m saying that it’s meaningless, not at all, but rather that the music is good enough to carry it past such trivial constraints as lyrical depth).  The title track is perhaps the best song on the whole album, and, frankly, i’ve had it stuck in my head for about 3 weeks now.  Where that would normally annoy the shit out of me, in this case it’s been a pleasure.  That song KILLS.  “See Fernando”, “Godspeed”, “Trying My Best to Love You” . . all instant-classic Jenny Lewis.  Elvis Costello guests on another beauty, “Carpetbaggers”, and “Jack Killed Mom” is almost as good as it was on that NPR show that i linked earlier (which is actually a complement, if you can believe it).  Never before has matricide sounded like so much fun.

So, yeah.  This is a pretty great collection that Miss. Lewis has given us.  It’s not as incredible as Rabbit Fur Coat, or The Execution of All Things, but hey, what is?  You can’t make a perfect record every time out.  No one does.  Not The Beatles.  Not Zeppelin.  Not Dylan.  Not Petty.  Not Paul SImon.  It doesn’t happen.  But what we get here, while not perfect, is still full of wonderfully crafted, memorable tunes.  Songs that i will be singing for the rest of my life. It’s not every day, or week, or month that i get to hear an album like that, and i’ll be on the edge of my metaphorical seat waiting the next installment of the Jenny Lewis catalog, just as excited as i was for this one.

["Acid Tongue" on Conan earlier this month]

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LISA HANNIGAN – SEA SEW

Those of you who listen to or are familiar with Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice (that should be every single one of you, such is the sheer and undeniable awesomeness of his two albums O (2002), and 9 (2006)) will recognize Lisa.  She sang backup on those two outstanding records, even taking a few lead bits in the latter, and in that capacity she absolutely shined.  When Damien suddenly announced last year that they would no longer be working together (the rumor being that they had a romantic relationship, the termination of which was the cause of their professional split), it may have signaled the end of his relevance, THAT is how good they were together, and how important i believe she is to his sound.  I hope i am wrong about Damien, as i love his music, but only time will tell.  Too, when that sad announcement was made public, there was no doubt at all that this, Lisa’s first solo work, would be coming sooner or later.

Yet there was no publicity.  Zero.  Not even in this, the internet age, where publicity is easier to drum up than a lynch mob in 19th Century Alabama, was there even a hint that this would be coming now.  Sure, there was probably a bit of buzz in Ireland, where she and Damien hail from.  But not here, not even to someone who was listening.  This is why i didn’t find out that this album even existed until today.  Feverishly, i ran around (figuratively) trying to get my hands on it, thrilled that this woman who i admire so has already put together a whole record full of originals, and pissed at myself that the release had slipped under my radar (apparently it was released in Ireland five weeks ago).  Well my search was successful, and, nervously, i plugged in my headphones and pushed Play.

It turns out I had no reason to be nervous.  Even though this is her first solo effort, not one song on it betrays that fact.  I haven’t had nearly the time to digest it that i have had for Acid Tongue, thus this will be a much less detailed review, but don’t mistake a lack of specificity for flippancy.

This is one of those records that starts off mellow, but in a satisfactory way.  Damien’s songs are often mellow, and so i expected the same from her, and that’s what we’re greeted by, but it’s only the beginning of a wondrous progression.  At first it’s, “Oh, this is nice.  A little vanilla, but nice,” and the next thing you know you’re bobbing your head and completely caught-up in tune after tune after tune.

You can hear the Joni Mitchell in her melodies and mildly-funky rhythms, but this stuff is a lot more palatable than Joni’s (for the record, i think Joni Mitchell is amazing, but “easily consumed” is not as fitting an adjective for her music as are “eclectic” and “complex”).  Also, you can definitely hear Damien’s influence in there, yet the differences are substantial.  I’ll tell you this much, Damien Rice sure as hell never wrote a song as upbeat and poppy as “I Don’t Know”, and while i might normally use “poppy” as a negative, here it holds none of that connotation.

The arrangements are exceptional on nearly every track, as is the backing instrumentation.  The horns are perfect, and track by track, it really keeps you guessing.  I don’t know who produced it or helped with the arrangements, but it’s a very mature record, and i have absolutely nothing negative to say about it.  Here i am, a notorious nitpicker (even of the things i love); i’ve listened to this album through four times now, and i simply can’t bring myself to be negative about it.  It’s a thoroughly pleasant and well-crafted piece of work, especially for a debut.

She has a naturally whispery singing style, which might have worked against her in any kind of solo effort, but not here.  On this she manages to be soft and strong at the same time.  The dynamic shifts are impressive and well-placed, possibly a lesson learned from her former partner.  “Teeth” sounds like something he might have written, and yet it manages to be clearly HER song.

Alright, i think i’ve made my recommendation clear.  Get it.  It may be a sonofabitch to find, as it’s only been released in Ireland to date, but it’s worth the search.  And hey, if you can’t find it, leave me a message.  I may be able to help you out.

Now away with you all!  I’m going to go put it on again

[A performance of "Teeth" from December, 2006]

An Absolute Must-Listen

On September 12, 2004, i was lucky enough to attend the massive Dave Matthews Band concert held at the Polo Fields in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, along with over 70,000 other people.  That was a glorious day, and an unbelievable concert, but this post isn’t about the Dave Matthews Band (a shocker, i know).  This post is about an impressive piece of art that has recently been created by the person who opened that show: DJ Z-Trip.

On that day, i couldn’t have cared less about DJ Z-Trip.  I thought then, as i think now, that he was a poor choice to open that show, and he was no-doubt less-than thrilled by the lukewarm reaction that he received from the crowd that day.  It was an odd fit, and i did my absolute best to completely ignore his set (which seemed to drag on to no end).  In fact, i’d almost forgotten his name entirely . . until a few days ago.

A few days ago i read an article (i don’t remember where, exactly . . Pitchfork maybe) that was discussing musical news as it relates to the election, and they dropped a link and mention to Trip’s website, saying that he’d created an “Obama Mix” and was giving it away for free.

Well, being both a supporter of Senator Obama, and a lover of free music, i was intrigued.  “DJ Z-Trip?” i said to myself.  “Isn’t that the guy who bored the crap out of me before that DMB show?  Huh.  Interesting.  I wonder what that’s all about?” i mumbled to noone in particular.

Clicked the link.  Chuckled at the graphics on the front page.  Saved said graphics to my desktop, as they amused me.  Downloaded the mix.  Proceeded to listen.

“An hour?!  Who’s he kidding?  I’m not going to listen to an hour of some fucking DJ,” I groused.  “Ah well, no harm in checking it out anyways.”

It doesn’t take the director of CERN to figure out where i’m going with this.  Clearly i liked what i heard, or else i wouldn’t be writing about it, now would I.  In fact, it would be a gross understatement to say that i “liked” what i heard.  I fucking LOVED it.  I ADORED it.  I was impressed by it on every level.  It is, dare i say, perfect.  I would marry it and have sweet little digital babies with it if i could.  It is, as the title implies, an absolute must listen.

Here’s the site:

http://www.djztrip.com/obama/

GO.  DOWNLOAD.  LISTEN.  YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.  GO.  NOW.  IT’S FREE.  YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO.  DO IT.  GROOVE.

I have spoken.

Allergies = tEh Suhkk

It’s that time of the year when i get hit by allergies. Sacramento is the 22nd worst city in the country for allergies (apparently), and every year for the last decade or so, mine have gotten worse and worse.

A few days ago i woke up feeling like a cat had just slept on my face (as you may guess, i’m allergic to cats).  The wind had been blowing mightily all night, the windows were open (because i’m a genius like that), and when i rose from bed my pillows were covered in what used to be the skin around my eyes.  In general, my face was as red and poofy as one of Richard Branson’s reddest and poofiest hot air balloons.  The back of my throat, my nose, my eyes . . not pretty.

I stumbled to the medicine cupboard, and grabbed the little plastic container of Zyrtec.  Why?  Because it was there, and because only last year it was still prescription, and i tend to put great faith in meds that were recently prescription but have now been deemed safe for the masses.  I figure, if it used to be forbidden, then it’s stronger and fancier than the other stuff, and thus must be better, right?  Never mind the gaping holes in logic that can be found in that statement.  I’m a funny creature when it comes to meds.

So, did the Zyrtec help?  Am i back to feeling peachy keen?  Well it’s days later, and i’m writing about how much allergies suck.  That ought to tell you all you need to know.

So you start feeling stuffy and runny, or itchy and sneezy (it’s starting to sound like the seven dwarves for chistssake) . . what do you do?  You take an allergy med.  Maybe you also wash your sheets, and dust your dustables, and vacuum your car, and try like hell to clean any and all potential irritants out of your living areas, but that’s roughly the equivalent of pitching a shutout ninth inning when you’re down by 10 runs.  It could help, but the real damage has already been done, and the game is lost regardless of your cleaning aptitude.  So what the hell do you do?  You hope and pray that whichever med you could get your hands on works, and works fast.

Here’s the thing that really kills me; here is god’s punchline (he’s such a joker, that one):  The allergy meds are likely to make you feel even worse than the fucking allergies. I mean, COME ON!!  That’s just not fair.  I’ve seen the ads.  Formerly miserable people tra-la-la’ing through fields of pollen, now unfettered and joyful beyond their wildest hopes and dreams.  Like all ads, this is a baldfaced lie (duh).  The meds don’t make you feel good, nor do they help you forget about the original malady.  What they do is make you feel loopy, and sort of clammy, and detached, and cracked-out, and . . well . . still pretty miserable.  A slightly different brand of misery than you were dealing with before, but misery nonetheless.  In short, they make you feel like you’re sick.  You go from feeling itchy and sneezy and runny, to feeling like you are in the middle of a cold.  Except it’s worse than a cold, because you get over a cold.  With a cold you can go to the doctor and get antibiotics, or nom some chicken soup and feel comforted, or call-in-to-work-get-a-couple-of-sick-days-drink-some-NyQuil, and pass the fuck out until you feel better.  With a cold you can guzzle OJ, and eat a banana, and mix some Airborne (i LOVE Airborne), and in a few days (give or take) you will no longer have a cold.

But it’s not a cold.  It’s allergy meds.  You can stop taking the meds (which i shall be attempting on the morrow), but then you still have to deal with the original problem, and, sadly, it’s a problem that has no solution outside of patience.  Oh, and you now have to deal with that chest full of mucus from the cold that you never contracted.  Have fun with that.  Here’s some Robitussin.

We have cured polio.  We have cured malaria.  We have cured smallpox.  We have cured many kinds of cancer.  We are making enormous breakthroughs on HIV every day (there are some fellas out in Houston who think they’ve got it licked, and i’m told that we shall likely be seeing a practical treatment from their research within the next few years).  But mold spores and mulberry trees lay us out like the Bubonic Plague.  Tall grasses and dandelions dress up like Apocalyptic Horsemen once or twice a year, and dance merry jigs on our heads.  Oak trees and a strong autumn breeze can topple the otherwise stalwart ramparts of our immune systems like they were made of cardboard and fairydust.  There seems to be very little we can do about it, and that pisses me off to no end.

I repeat: This is not fair.  A choice between “Argh!” and “Eck!” is not a choice that i’m prepared to deal with.  What about door number three?  Why, in this age of medical and technological miracles, must we suffer so?  I think i’m about three-more-days-of-this away from constantly sporting one of those masks like the throngs of Asian pedestrians that they show now and again on the BBC news.  It may look stupid, but dammit, i can’t spend the entire month of October feeling like this.  I’m choked up and can’t breathe.  I feel like i have a fever even though my temp is running at a standard 98.6.  There’s a tickle in the back of my throat that hasn’t dislodged itself in four days.  FOUR!  DAYS!!!  I smell nothing but bleck, and my sinuses refuse to clear under even the most insistent of blowing and coaxing and assorted sweet talk.  I’m hot, then cold, then hot, then cold.  If i weren’t 29 years old, and a dude, i’d swear that i was going through menopause.

Fuck this business.  I’m moving to Antarctica.

.

Miserably Yours,

Tony

‘Nuff Said

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081011/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_angry_crowds

^ Click on that link.  Read the article.  Read it again, if necessary.

While you’re at it, here’s CNN’s take:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/10/mccain.crowd/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Are those people that you want to stand beside?  Are those people that are clearheaded, or intelligent, or well-informed?  Are those people that have even the slightest grip on reality?

For once, i’m not talking about the candidates.  The candidates are, by this point, well defined, and relatively transparent.  But look at what those “adults” in Lakeville, Minnesota are saying.  Those rabid conservatives.  Those maniacs.  Those voters.  Play that scenario out in your head, as if you were there, or better yet, go back to that CNN article and check out the attached video clips.  Does this scene not incense you?  Does it not embarrass you, as an American, as a citizen of The Planet Earth, as a citizen of the 21st Century?

Don’t think for a second that those kinds of outbursts are unique to Lakeville.  Not by a long-shot.  This has become run of the mill at those rallies, at least the ones that have been televised (or reported on nationally).  This is no different in content from the Republican National Convention, nor does it differ from the reaction at nearly every one of the McCain rallies since then.  The only remarkable change, the only reason why this made the news at all, is that McCain actually offered a short protest to the crowd’s viciousness.  For which he was BOOED.  Apparently he has a conscience after all, albeit not much of one.  Who knew?

“Traitor”?  “Arab” (clearly meant as an insult of the most vile variety . . apparently racism is alive and well in certain segments of the population)?  “Off with his head”?  Where is this coming from?  Is it not a direct reflection of the hate and fear mongering that the McCain-Palin campaign has been spewing at every opportunity over the last month?  With Sarah “Golly Gee Shuck Darn” Palin telling America that Barack Obama associates with terrorists, should we even be expecting better of those poor, misguided, uneducated, scared-shitless, saps that show up at their rallies?

Does that remind anyone else of Salem, Mass right around 300 years ago?  The Spanish Inquisition ring any bells?  Berlin circa 1938?  Alright, enough rhetorical questions.  You get the point.

If you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those people, you have forfeited your claim to sanity in favor of senility.

Yes, i’m serious.  No, i am not overreacting.  No, i am not joking.  No, i am not using hyperbole.

You don’t have to vote for Barack.  You SHOULD.  But you don’t have to.  Vote for Ron Paul.  He’s a good man; honest, and intelligent, and passionate about fixing our country.  Vote Green.  They’re compassionate, and empathetic, and progressive, and they care deeply about our future and the future of our planet.  Vote Socialist.  No matter who you are they care about you, just as they care about your neighbor, and your neighbor’s neighbor, and his children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  They have all of our best interests at heart.  Vote for your dog, or your cat, or Bruce Wayne, where it says “Write In”.  Stay in bed and forgo your vote.  Vote your conscience.

But whatever you do, don’t support THAT.  The anger, the irrationality, the slander, the unbridled xenophobia, the thirst for blood; these should stun you; repulse you.  The complete disregard for compassion, or truth, or critical reasoning, or progressive thought; you should be horrified, for it is undoubtedly horrific.  These people are what holds us back as a country.  These people are what stokes and fosters hate and intolerance.  By voting with them, you are condoning their cause.

‘Nuff said.

A Clarion Call From An Idealist

It’s no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”

-Jiddu Krisnamurti-

So, like a few million other curious internet goers, i watched a documentary last year called Zeitgeist, which was (and still is) shown for free online.  It focused on the hoax and effect of modern religion, the shady nature of the Federal Reserve system, and the attacks of September 11, 2001 (and the subsequent, so-called, War on Terror).  It was homemade.  It was urgent.  It was non-conformist.  It was, at times, a little cheesy, or overreaching.  It was quite pointed.  It was, needless to say, controversial.

However, although it was (indisputably) all of those things, i found it to be also somewhat powerful.  I did not find myself agreeing with every line or segment, yet i was quite moved by the sincerity and the underlying plausibilities that were evident in nearly every take that it had to offer.  Furthermore, i was impressed that, for a self-produced and clearly low-budget project, it garnered so much attention.  It was a remarkable product of The Internet Era; its reach vast, immediate, and relatively substantial.

When i heard yesterday that there was a sequel, i was instantly interested (and that, in itself, is an indication of the impression that the first film had made on me).  This sequel, entitled Zeitgeist: Addendum, has been, i believe, prompted by the current global financial crisis that is rooted in the failed economy of the United States, although it does seem as if parts of it were probably already in the works before said crisis.  This one focuses on the role of modern monetary systems in the structure and goings-on of the world in the last 50 years, how that will continue to affect and dictate the future of humanity, and what we might do about it all.  Once again, it has a distinct urgency, and once again, it is bound to be controversial (although probably not quite as much so as the original, as this one does not address the touchy topic of Sept 11, and thus will remain off the radar of many people who would otherwise find it offensive or “dangerous”).

In any case, I would like you all to consider watching it.  It’s pretty extraordinary.  As with the first one, i do not agree with every line.  There are a few things that are oversimplified or based on debatable assumptions, and a few other bits that some would certainly call “naive”, but none the less, I found it to be inspirational, thought provoking, and progressive.  Too, it (at its finest moments) synthesized a great number of my personal and deeply-held theories, philosophies, and musings, into a relatively cohesive call for action.  I have long railed in my heart (and with my breath when the opportunity presented itself) against the absurdities that form the rules and structure of the modern world.  I am a Taoist, a Pacifist, an idealist, a Socialist, a philosopher, and a humanitarian, and, as such, this film spoke to me on enough levels and with enough intelligence and clarity that i have no choice but to acknowledge it, appreciate its point of view, and recommend it here.

Ever since i was a little boy, i have marveled time and again that the world we live in today, a world with the technology, and the resources, and the available knowledge-base to step free of the shackles of our ugly collective past (and present), should still let people starve, and should still live largely according to myth, legend, and superstition, and should still spend so much time, and money, and blood, on war and military.  Nationalism and dogmatic religion are plagues that choke our highest hopes for the brilliant progress that man has been at the threshold of for decades, and yet those two paradigms seem to be as strong as ever in the world.  These realities have always bothered me, and threatened to quash my optimism.  Here is a filmmaker who has been troubled by those same thoughts, and then has gone so far as to propose a few elementary causes and solutions to this perpetual SNAFU.  I think we all have a few hours to hear what he has to say.

So here i am, recommending it.  It’s free, so really, you have no excuse NOT to watch it.  Like i said, you’re not going to agree with every line, at times it may seem like propaganda to you (although i would argue that what it propagates are good causes), and some aspects may seem to be a bit of a stretch or a bit of an overstatement.  But that doesn’t mean that it has nothing to offer.  To the contrary, i think your patience will be rewarded with a largely insightful and hopeful experience.  I’ve included the original Zeitgeist movie as well.  They are in order on the screen, so even though this entry is regarding the sequel, you’ll find the original on top, and Addendum beneath it.

Think about what you’re being shown.  Do not be a passive watcher or listener, and yet, at the same time, allow your heart and mind to be open enough to at least accept the possibility of the filmmaker’s viewpoint.  I am convinced that, although his sources are admittedly limited and one-sided, they are also legitimate and thoughtful, and of all those adjectives, “legitimate” is the most relevant to whether this is worth your time or not.  There are many truths in the world; this you know.  Please consider what that means.

Pop some popcorn and enjoy your taste of the 21st century “underground”.  It’s not so exclusive anymore.

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”

-Thomas Paine-

Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist: Addendum

[here is a link to their website: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/]

Nailed It!

more about “Saturday Night Live – VP Debate Open:…“, posted with vodpod

This is an absolutely brilliant parody.  Right.  On.  The Money.  I guess SNL still has a modicum of talent hidden away on its writing staff after all.  Who’d have thunk it?