walking through walls
Thursday, December 22, 2005
So, I'm back in Kansas City. Its cold, but not unbearable as I previously feared.
This is the beginning of my second full day here and I'm a bit bored. Yesterday I sat on my ass, getting up only to go to they gym when my stepbrother dropped me off. Having no car really limits my mobility. No bother, I wanted time to just sit here and relax.
i got to see a friend last night, and I still have a few more to see. having christmas on a weekend means they are working all week, and having no car kind of hinders my ability to go out and see them.
I have a feeling this couch that I am currently posting from will be my base of operations for the next couple days.
plan for the day
go to the gym
play some pool
walk to the grocery store
get a hold of my cousins.
happy holidays! ¶ 12/22/2005 08:39:00 AM 2 comments
This is the beginning of my second full day here and I'm a bit bored. Yesterday I sat on my ass, getting up only to go to they gym when my stepbrother dropped me off. Having no car really limits my mobility. No bother, I wanted time to just sit here and relax.
i got to see a friend last night, and I still have a few more to see. having christmas on a weekend means they are working all week, and having no car kind of hinders my ability to go out and see them.
I have a feeling this couch that I am currently posting from will be my base of operations for the next couple days.
plan for the day
go to the gym
play some pool
walk to the grocery store
get a hold of my cousins.
happy holidays! ¶ 12/22/2005 08:39:00 AM 2 comments
Friday, December 16, 2005
so, im gonna stop the 10 word rule for a bit to talk about the david garza show last night
david garza has consistently entertained and amazed me. every show seems to get better. Its pretty great that he opened for Fiona Apple on the last tour, giving him some much needed exposure.
anyway, I'm gonna try to describe the show to you, but just to let you know, as great the show was, there were other things that made the night truly memorable.
lets start with the players
David garza ( pianos, guitars, vocals)
Dave (fiona's tour piano player) (piano and keyboard horn thingy?)
earl and jay on two FULL drum sets
jen on bass
eric on pedal steel
another guy on guitar on the second set
the small stage was so crowded with players and their instruments. it was such an intimate vibe, like a living room practice session
he played alot of his new songs and added some standby favorites like disco ball world, too much, black and tan etc..
the cool part was that the show had this whole country western, dub feel to the music
for example they played the standard "smoke gets in your eyes" with this extended dub jam..the two drummers added such a cool vibe with one drummer supplying the beat while the other drummer added little dub-like flourishes like echoing drums.
the piano and pedal steel added so many layers to the music, i found myself getting caught in the melodies that those instruments contributed.
anyways, the 3 hour show was amazing, and despite the long day and late nght, I didn't get tired at all.
But this is the real funny part.
first off, jon heder (the guy who played napoleon d.) was there, we kept looking like "huh? is that him?" and sure enough it was. he's quite goofy looking in person.
but the person who takes the cake was this woman who looked and acted like she was on heroin. she sat right in front of us. she had the most god-awful stench, and she couldn't sit in her sit correctly, as she swayed crazily swinging her nasty dirty hair on to other patrons. she left multiple times taking her bag, to do whatever drug she had. at one time, she fell almost onto the stage.
she finally left, making me a bit sad that I wouldn't experience my one tie to 80's los angeles.
anyways, I came home, happy and satisfied that there is such good music out there to find ¶ 12/16/2005 10:57:00 AM 0 comments
david garza has consistently entertained and amazed me. every show seems to get better. Its pretty great that he opened for Fiona Apple on the last tour, giving him some much needed exposure.
anyway, I'm gonna try to describe the show to you, but just to let you know, as great the show was, there were other things that made the night truly memorable.
lets start with the players
David garza ( pianos, guitars, vocals)
Dave (fiona's tour piano player) (piano and keyboard horn thingy?)
earl and jay on two FULL drum sets
jen on bass
eric on pedal steel
another guy on guitar on the second set
the small stage was so crowded with players and their instruments. it was such an intimate vibe, like a living room practice session
he played alot of his new songs and added some standby favorites like disco ball world, too much, black and tan etc..
the cool part was that the show had this whole country western, dub feel to the music
for example they played the standard "smoke gets in your eyes" with this extended dub jam..the two drummers added such a cool vibe with one drummer supplying the beat while the other drummer added little dub-like flourishes like echoing drums.
the piano and pedal steel added so many layers to the music, i found myself getting caught in the melodies that those instruments contributed.
anyways, the 3 hour show was amazing, and despite the long day and late nght, I didn't get tired at all.
But this is the real funny part.
first off, jon heder (the guy who played napoleon d.) was there, we kept looking like "huh? is that him?" and sure enough it was. he's quite goofy looking in person.
but the person who takes the cake was this woman who looked and acted like she was on heroin. she sat right in front of us. she had the most god-awful stench, and she couldn't sit in her sit correctly, as she swayed crazily swinging her nasty dirty hair on to other patrons. she left multiple times taking her bag, to do whatever drug she had. at one time, she fell almost onto the stage.
she finally left, making me a bit sad that I wouldn't experience my one tie to 80's los angeles.
anyways, I came home, happy and satisfied that there is such good music out there to find ¶ 12/16/2005 10:57:00 AM 0 comments
its tiring watching two drummers collaborate on the same beat.
¶ 12/16/2005 01:32:00 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
lets have an experiment in word conservation.
i will try, every hour to post a thought, using no more than 10 words.
I will try to use as little time as possible (like passing time at school)
why? i'm bored.
here it goes
the door is knocking, I don't want to answer it. ¶ 12/14/2005 09:57:00 AM 1 comments
i will try, every hour to post a thought, using no more than 10 words.
I will try to use as little time as possible (like passing time at school)
why? i'm bored.
here it goes
the door is knocking, I don't want to answer it. ¶ 12/14/2005 09:57:00 AM 1 comments
Monday, December 12, 2005
Hey, one of the greatest bands (www.decemberists.com ) just signed to Capitol Records.
www.pitchforkmedia.com
I'm not surprised nor sad. If it means a bigger budget to make better records, and more touring equipment (that hopefully won't get stolen), i'm all for it.
frontman Colin Meloy is coming to LA, pair that with a jeff tweedy solo show, and I'm in songwriter heaven.
the second jon brion/nels cline show was amazing. I'm a recovering gearhead, and it looked like they ransacked god's music shop and came out with some gorgeous instruments.
I even saw a 6 string hofner bass being played with a massive slide.
the second show was much more uptempo and successfully beat my fatigue.
after seeing some magical musical moments these last couple of years, my faith in music has been renewed. i'm even hoping for some pop renaissance.
i'd try to wax poetic on my ideas on pop music and its social cultural implications right now, but i'm just too tired. ¶ 12/12/2005 08:32:00 AM 0 comments
www.pitchforkmedia.com
I'm not surprised nor sad. If it means a bigger budget to make better records, and more touring equipment (that hopefully won't get stolen), i'm all for it.
frontman Colin Meloy is coming to LA, pair that with a jeff tweedy solo show, and I'm in songwriter heaven.
the second jon brion/nels cline show was amazing. I'm a recovering gearhead, and it looked like they ransacked god's music shop and came out with some gorgeous instruments.
I even saw a 6 string hofner bass being played with a massive slide.
the second show was much more uptempo and successfully beat my fatigue.
after seeing some magical musical moments these last couple of years, my faith in music has been renewed. i'm even hoping for some pop renaissance.
i'd try to wax poetic on my ideas on pop music and its social cultural implications right now, but i'm just too tired. ¶ 12/12/2005 08:32:00 AM 0 comments
Friday, December 02, 2005
exercise caution in your business, for the world is full of trickery
Well, due to the comings and goings and basic craziness that is markham middle school, I still have yet to receive my Mohawk. I feel like a poser already, with kids asking me “Mr. G, when are you gonna get your Mohawk?” I can only say, “I dunno, soon”.
I guess companies that you don’t want to work for still get to reject you. After telling company X that I would only work for X amount money and benefits, I pretty much told them I wasn’t interested. One week later, I get an email saying “….great candidate, but we can’t find a match for you skillset…bla..bla..bla” I almost wanted to write her back, saying, “isn’t it unfortunate that your company is willing to not pay me what I deserve, knowing that I can pretty much kick ass at the job?”
But, their decision makes sense. Why hire someone with some experience, but a total lack of blind devotion to a company when you can hire a well educated, green, yes-man or woman?
I understand that they want that. Hell, I did Teach for America, it’s a corporate job in a non-profits skin. Of course, their mission is superb, but the environment, if you took away the contextual situation of our mission, it would be just like GM, or IBM.
You need smart kids who can think for themselves, but not too much. I still have a lot of respect for company X, and I’m a bit sad that I won’t work for them, but living in LA is hard enough on the measly teacher salary I make.
This was my first experience with the for-profit sector. I have a feeling it won’t be my last, but I’m happy to know that I won’t sell my self short. Well, at least not too short. ¶ 12/02/2005 05:16:00 PM 1 comments
I guess companies that you don’t want to work for still get to reject you. After telling company X that I would only work for X amount money and benefits, I pretty much told them I wasn’t interested. One week later, I get an email saying “….great candidate, but we can’t find a match for you skillset…bla..bla..bla” I almost wanted to write her back, saying, “isn’t it unfortunate that your company is willing to not pay me what I deserve, knowing that I can pretty much kick ass at the job?”
But, their decision makes sense. Why hire someone with some experience, but a total lack of blind devotion to a company when you can hire a well educated, green, yes-man or woman?
I understand that they want that. Hell, I did Teach for America, it’s a corporate job in a non-profits skin. Of course, their mission is superb, but the environment, if you took away the contextual situation of our mission, it would be just like GM, or IBM.
You need smart kids who can think for themselves, but not too much. I still have a lot of respect for company X, and I’m a bit sad that I won’t work for them, but living in LA is hard enough on the measly teacher salary I make.
This was my first experience with the for-profit sector. I have a feeling it won’t be my last, but I’m happy to know that I won’t sell my self short. Well, at least not too short. ¶ 12/02/2005 05:16:00 PM 1 comments
