Phone and computer off. Mary and I are going for a drive. See you Tuesday.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Rockcrowd Fest 2011 - Concert #12
The Dirty Dozen is complete. I'll write something comprehensive to close out our Rockcrowd tour, with lists and favorites and such. But let's first give #12 it's due credit.
The Avett Brothers!
Wow - to think we've gone from a small stage at Outside Lands 2009 on a Sunday morning to TWO sold out shows at the Fox - well done, gents.
And even though it was a replica of the Brett Dennen story, with a Sunday Outside Lands '09 performer doing a Fox show - the Avetts show had me smiling throughout. They continue to master intimacy and raucous energy at the same time (Mumford & Sons does a good job of this as well - probably why that Grammy Bob Dylan thing worked out so nicely.) Scott Avett has a bit of the Billie Joe Armstrong "pick the crowd up" ability while Seth melts your listening soul with his sincerity (and then they switch roles ... oh and instruments.) It is just pure talent.
The Avett Brothers!
Wow - to think we've gone from a small stage at Outside Lands 2009 on a Sunday morning to TWO sold out shows at the Fox - well done, gents.
And even though it was a replica of the Brett Dennen story, with a Sunday Outside Lands '09 performer doing a Fox show - the Avetts show had me smiling throughout. They continue to master intimacy and raucous energy at the same time (Mumford & Sons does a good job of this as well - probably why that Grammy Bob Dylan thing worked out so nicely.) Scott Avett has a bit of the Billie Joe Armstrong "pick the crowd up" ability while Seth melts your listening soul with his sincerity (and then they switch roles ... oh and instruments.) It is just pure talent.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
a SF baptism
I've never really felt as a "denizen of San Francisco"
This attitude is for a few reasons:
1) Chicago was such a grand town for me. And this where I came after leaving there. So, it was a "second city" to me.
2) We live in Marin - and very intentionally spent our initial time here being nature-explorers, rather than urban-dwellers (we'd already done that for a bit in Chicago.) You really have to live in the town to get a feel for it.
3) I was actually trying to get to Seattle rather than SF, but JWT sent me here. So, I had a second-second city attitude. My second-city was actually a second (squared)-city.
Now, I love the city of SF and have pretty much since we moved here, but just didn't feel a part of it. Recently, we celebrated our 5th year of being in the Bay Area. And I'm starting to more than ever feel a part of the city.
One strange thing - I find myself rooting for the SF Giants - and not just when Tim Lincecum pitches.
Of course, I still find myself rooting against them to tear a game open so I can see B.Wilson - but seriously, most Giants fans are in the same category...
Then this past Friday night, we had a uniquely SF experience.
We went with our friend Ellen to the Cartoon Art Museum to listen to a drag queen-hosted reading of Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl.
We then headed to the Pied Piper bar in the Palace hotel. It gets it's name from a giant Maxfield Parrish mural of the Pied Piper story above the bar. I got the tasty Charlie Chaplin cocktail (absinthe, rye whiskey, dubonnet, honey, pischard bitters.)
The next morning, I headed to the ferry and opened my bag:
Spent PBR cans and geek paraphernalia - huh. I do love this city. I do embrace it. I do feel a part of it.
This attitude is for a few reasons:
1) Chicago was such a grand town for me. And this where I came after leaving there. So, it was a "second city" to me.
2) We live in Marin - and very intentionally spent our initial time here being nature-explorers, rather than urban-dwellers (we'd already done that for a bit in Chicago.) You really have to live in the town to get a feel for it.
3) I was actually trying to get to Seattle rather than SF, but JWT sent me here. So, I had a second-second city attitude. My second-city was actually a second (squared)-city.
Now, I love the city of SF and have pretty much since we moved here, but just didn't feel a part of it. Recently, we celebrated our 5th year of being in the Bay Area. And I'm starting to more than ever feel a part of the city.
One strange thing - I find myself rooting for the SF Giants - and not just when Tim Lincecum pitches.
Of course, I still find myself rooting against them to tear a game open so I can see B.Wilson - but seriously, most Giants fans are in the same category...
Then this past Friday night, we had a uniquely SF experience.
We went with our friend Ellen to the Cartoon Art Museum to listen to a drag queen-hosted reading of Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl.
We then headed to the Pied Piper bar in the Palace hotel. It gets it's name from a giant Maxfield Parrish mural of the Pied Piper story above the bar. I got the tasty Charlie Chaplin cocktail (absinthe, rye whiskey, dubonnet, honey, pischard bitters.)
The next morning, I headed to the ferry and opened my bag:
Spent PBR cans and geek paraphernalia - huh. I do love this city. I do embrace it. I do feel a part of it.
Rockcrowd Fest 2011 - Concert #11
While Rockcrowd Concert #10 had me in a "why are we doing this?" mood - Rockcrowd #11 got me back into the "I'm so glad we are doing this" mood.
We went to the Paramount in Oakland to see Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder. They asked us not to take photos in the seating areas, and I respect that, so above is all from the event you are getting from me. But, you can get an "official story" with pics from the Mercury.
First, Glen Hansard came out on stage with his beaten-up guitar - this was the same venue we'd seen him play before with Swell Season. As always, he was wrenchingly good. Besides his incredible original work, we were fortunate enough to watch him again shred the strings of his guitar for his cover of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks; I could watch that every night - it could be my "power song" for getting things done.
Then there is Eddie Vedder. I've written about him before on this blog (most of the videos are gone now.) And Mary and I had a less than ideal situation in seeing him with Pearl Jam @ Outside Lands. But this time, he did not disappoint. He came out, sat on a stool surrounded by instruments and told stories and sang to us. It was wonderful. Just so damn good. The program included this list of the stuff he had on stage with him:
He played a good mix of new stuff, "Into the Wild" and other solo standards and Pearl Jam. It was perfect. Quite frankly (and obviously), I've changed so much since Pearl Jam's Ten came out. I want to say I'd prefer to listen to Pearl Jam, but that was me then - the solo Eddie Vedder stuff is definitely much more where I am now. It is fun to experience that.
The crowning moment had to be the blend of worlds - Eddie Vedder singing Marketa's part in a "Falling Slowly" duet. Great night.
I wanted to buy tickets to the following night's show, but knew I should a) enjoy the fact that I had a remarkable experience and b) not kill myself with exhaustion & music fatigue.
ROCKCROWD! One show left...
We went to the Paramount in Oakland to see Glen Hansard and Eddie Vedder. They asked us not to take photos in the seating areas, and I respect that, so above is all from the event you are getting from me. But, you can get an "official story" with pics from the Mercury.
First, Glen Hansard came out on stage with his beaten-up guitar - this was the same venue we'd seen him play before with Swell Season. As always, he was wrenchingly good. Besides his incredible original work, we were fortunate enough to watch him again shred the strings of his guitar for his cover of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks; I could watch that every night - it could be my "power song" for getting things done.
Then there is Eddie Vedder. I've written about him before on this blog (most of the videos are gone now.) And Mary and I had a less than ideal situation in seeing him with Pearl Jam @ Outside Lands. But this time, he did not disappoint. He came out, sat on a stool surrounded by instruments and told stories and sang to us. It was wonderful. Just so damn good. The program included this list of the stuff he had on stage with him:
He played a good mix of new stuff, "Into the Wild" and other solo standards and Pearl Jam. It was perfect. Quite frankly (and obviously), I've changed so much since Pearl Jam's Ten came out. I want to say I'd prefer to listen to Pearl Jam, but that was me then - the solo Eddie Vedder stuff is definitely much more where I am now. It is fun to experience that.
The crowning moment had to be the blend of worlds - Eddie Vedder singing Marketa's part in a "Falling Slowly" duet. Great night.
I wanted to buy tickets to the following night's show, but knew I should a) enjoy the fact that I had a remarkable experience and b) not kill myself with exhaustion & music fatigue.
ROCKCROWD! One show left...
Monday, July 11, 2011
A weekend without Sam
Sam has been traveling the Midwest - he comes back for a short return home time, and then off to Hawaii, so Mary and I are trying out the being a solo-couple thing.
Not bad.
We had a nice 4th of July weekend:
Not bad.
We had a nice 4th of July weekend:
Rockcrowd Fest 2011 - Concert #10
Rockcrowd #10 was probably my most disappointing yet. I had high expectations: Brett Dennen with Dawes opening @ The Fox in Oakland
Brett Dennen is someone I've been geeked out on since at least June 2008. We saw him in a small venue setting in March of '09, then again at Outside Lands '09 where he put on a soulful, happy set outdoors.
Dawes was one of our favorites from Outside Lands '10.
First of all, the sound seemed to be exceptionally crappy in the Fox that evening. I don't know if it is where we were sitting, peculiarities of that evening, my own personal funk-mood or just the fact that we are starting to notice these things more now that we are attending so many shows.
Secondly, I had seen both these groups in more intimate settings previously - this was a "big show" and you could feel the distance between performer and audience.
Third - this as my view:
If you want to stand up and sway and dance - why not go be on the floor? When she finally sat down, another person came down from her seats behind me to take what was deemed the prime dancing in the balcony spot. Don't get me wrong, I love dancing at Brett shows - it just wasn't a good setting for it.
Anyway - I still love Dawes and Brett Dennen - I'm just going to kind of forget this evening and spend more time with videos like this:
Walk Away Watch Me Burn from Brett Dennen on Vimeo.
Brett Dennen is someone I've been geeked out on since at least June 2008. We saw him in a small venue setting in March of '09, then again at Outside Lands '09 where he put on a soulful, happy set outdoors.
Dawes was one of our favorites from Outside Lands '10.
First of all, the sound seemed to be exceptionally crappy in the Fox that evening. I don't know if it is where we were sitting, peculiarities of that evening, my own personal funk-mood or just the fact that we are starting to notice these things more now that we are attending so many shows.
Secondly, I had seen both these groups in more intimate settings previously - this was a "big show" and you could feel the distance between performer and audience.
Third - this as my view:
If you want to stand up and sway and dance - why not go be on the floor? When she finally sat down, another person came down from her seats behind me to take what was deemed the prime dancing in the balcony spot. Don't get me wrong, I love dancing at Brett shows - it just wasn't a good setting for it.
Anyway - I still love Dawes and Brett Dennen - I'm just going to kind of forget this evening and spend more time with videos like this:
Walk Away Watch Me Burn from Brett Dennen on Vimeo.
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