Fiddlin' with my dreams

Awhile back I set a goal to perform some of my music live. My singing teacher, knowing that my confidence was as shaky as an octogenerian on Viagra, reccommended that I try a local spot called the Fiddlers Dream. (www.fiddlersdream.org) It is a local spot that specializes in acoustic music for performers of all levels.

Jodi and I checked it out last night. Here are a few thoughts......

• It is run and operated by the "Friends of the Quakers" or something. As expected it was a very welcoming and docile environment. It's great, my music could suck but I would only get cheers. The majority of the attendees were middle aged hippie/folksters who preached inclusiveness and a good time. Unfortunately, since no alcohol or drugs are allowed, they had to get high on the music. There was also a mix of middle aged average joes who just can't put their guitars down and a few young kids wanting to test their stuff out, heckle free, before going in front of more brutal audiences.
• This is the perfect place for an NPR piece. It could focus on the small enclaves of authentic folk that still thrives in a world of strip malls and blogs.
• It literally looked and felt like a glorified clubhouse. It was behind the church and probably holds no more then 40-50 people. The quarters are pretty tight. There is a little concession stand in the back, serving a few flavors of coffee.
• Most people attending were performers, the remaining few most likely the immediate family. Tonight was "open mic" night. Your name is put in a hat and selected at random. You are given eight minutes to perform two songs.
• I really enjoyed the breadth of the performances. While everything was acoustically based, many styles were reflected. Each piece was unique and reflected the tastes or eccentricities of the performer. We had spanish, blues, blue grass, power ballads, country, and a lot folk.
• I noticed that the best guitarists never sang and that the worst guitarists were the song writers. I would fall somewhere in the middle. There were only three songwriters or of the eight people we watched.

All in all a great evening. I look forward to doing this but hope that I will be able to get in front of a bigger audience. I'm glad that places like this are still around. They add a little positive color to our communities.

Phoenix living at 110 degrees

Living in Phoenix presents a few unique challenges. Most residents agree that one of the bigger drawbacks to calling the "valley" home is the living conditions during the summer months. Right now we are in the midst of our second consecutive week of 110 + heat and there appears to be no relief in sight. (Damn those people who live in moderate climates!)

This problem is somewhat exacerbated by the way that we handle our indoor air conditioning. Most people over react by super cooling anything. We're talking temperatures in the sixties! So you can pick your poison by either contracting hypothermia in your local mall or by suffering heat stroke outside. I'm sick of curling up in the fetal position and waiting for October to roll around. So how does one deal with this?

• Suck it up and play golf. There are some great deals if you are willing to deal with the prospects of having a club melt. Some clubs run all you can play specials for like $10.
• Watch movies. Just make sure that you bring a jacket because those things are cooler then most meat lockers.
• Get out of the state. It only takes one summer to truly understand the migratory patterns of the large retired population in Arizona. I'm suffering in this heat while they are quietly sipping their metamucil outside of their cabins in Minnesota.
• Get out of town. There are some somewhat cooler destinations (Prescott, Globe, Payson, Flagstaff) within a few hours of hear. The higher the elevation the better you are.
• Think of December. There is a reason why so many people have chosen to live down here. We will scoffing at all of those northerners as they deal with their snow shovels and moon boots.
• Reup that membership to the local club. Trust me you don't want to run, jump, or skip in this weather. Burn your calories indoor.

My Summer Music

For the past couple of summers I have gotten pretty ambitious about bolstering my musical library. With the aid of shadowy Russian P to P networks, emusic, Itunes, and the old venerable music store I have compiled my summer 2007 collection. And they are....

1. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible- I was first introduced to them during a recent U2 tour. Their unique and textured sound has grown on me. While their music might be a little dour for my tastes I cannot argue with the way they arrange their music to give it a full body. ( I hope that description isn't only reserved for wine) This disk, while not quite as good as their first, is still worthy of a download.
2. Bright Eyes, Cassaga- First things first, hats off to the people who created the disk. Their encoded messages and spectral decoder should inspire people to actually go to the store and purchase the disk. I don't believe that the music of Bright Eyes is exceptional, but that's not the main attraction. It's most definately Conor Oberst. His strange command of the english language really brings these songs to light. I've only listened to this album a couple of times but I feel that it will grow on me.
3. Beatles- I recently viewed the anthology DVD's and my love for this band was renewed. Since I had only previously owned these albums as cassettes I went out about everything post Rubber Soul. I don't need to say anthing that hasn't already been said. The White Album is still my favorite because it just covers so much ground. Love also provides a fresh take on many of the beloved classics.
4. Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full- Speaking of the fab four....Paul was always good at writing pop music and this is no exception. I've only given it a couple of listens but so far so good. "Dance Tonight" has a care free happiness that seems paramount to most McCartney songs.
5. The National, Boxer- Like Arcade Fire they do a great job of creating a textured sound, and I do like their lyrics better. While not quite up to par with Alligator it is still nonetheless superb.
6. The Shout Out Louds, Very Loud- Another great Indie band. Their songs are catchy but a few songs blend together. They have some incredible percussion that really add a unique element to their sound. I also like their straightforward song titles.
7. Voxtrot, Voxtrot- I found about these guys on emusic. They are out of Austin and have been garnering alot of praise lately. I am still getting into their music but they do remind me of the Strokes. I will have to listen to some more stuff before I feel comfortable offering an opinion.
8. Ryan Jensen, Making Sense of Somethings- Here's to hoping. Maybe next summer I will make the list. Until then it is back to the studio.

I am still missing a few albums. I have quite a few friends who love the new Wilco. Hopefully I will get that shortly. I am looking forward to the upcoming Austin City Limits so that I can find a few canidates for 2008. Happy listening.

Self Portrait- 6/13/2007

The Band of Brothers

So I subscribe to Netflix. I’ve got about one free night a week to devote to pursuing care free frivolity. Since I don’t have cable or internet at my house I figure that this is my best shot at getting entertainment that I actually care about. I typically go for a comedy, documentary, or some big budget movie that I wasn’t willing to pay $10 in the theatre to see. This time I broke rank and tried something new, I decided on “The Band of Brothers.”
I don’t casually watch shows like “Saving Private Ryan”, or “Patton”, or even “Lord of the Rings”. They are exceptionally rewarding but very consuming. I know that if I am going to watch one of these shows it will require a lot of attention and I will be very affected. It’s a lot easier to watch Fletch on a Wednesday night instead of a show depicting the horrors of war.
It seems like the closer you get to experience the extremes of life the more affected you become. The “Band of Brothers” chronicles the actions of the 101st Airborne’s Easy Company during the European invasion of World War II. It has most of the same elements of most war shows- the battle scenes, the drama, etc… But the part of the show that really got to me? The human element.
Through the course of the show- 10 episodes- you get to really know the characters wearing the fatigues. You see them as humans, for better or worse. This allows you to relate to them. It makes you wonder how you would have responded in such dire circumstances.
Let me describe one of the more poignant scenes. It came from the end of the war and the last episode. By this point the 101st was occupying the last German stronghold and the war was all but over. The Germans were being round up and set into POW camps. As expected there were scenes of US troops taunting and mocking the defeated Germans, and who can blame them. This was right after the concentration camps were discovered and I am sure that the US feelings of hatred towards the Germans were only amplified. Despite being defeated most of the Germans still marched in order and carried a semblance of dignity.
One of the defeated generals asked permission to speak to his troops, it was granted by the commanding US officer. His wounded and dispirited troops stood at attention as they were addressed. The general then spoke words that really put things in perspective. The US forces had an interpreter there as well and were similarly affected. The general, almost in tears, shared his gratitude and honor for having served with such men. He said that this experience forged within them eternal bonds of brotherhood. My heart broke and at that moment I wished that I could have been there to hear that speech in person.
The movie did such a good job of humanizing the war. War isn’t a “Risk” board with two opposing forces hungry to occupy territory and resources. War is good men being compelled by either a good or bad cause to do extraordinary things. The poor men, both Allied and Germans, were far from the decision makers that brought them there, but they were nonetheless the ones shedding blood. They did it because they believed in their cause.
These men became infinitely better people because of how they responded to these difficult circumstances. Sometimes I wish that we had a similar refiner’s fire to force me into extraordinary things. We live in relative peace and prosperity, far from these horrors. But you can’t help but think that we’ve forgotten these sacrifices. And in doing so, we’ve lost some of our capacity to become a better people. For that reason I won’t soon forget watching “Band of Brothers.”

Mr 85%

I'm an "ideas" guy. I like to think in big, broad strokes and paint a wide and expansive panorama. I'm not one to really enjoy getting mired down in details. They say that the devil is in the details and I've always figured that I never much cared for him. This has been both a blessing and a curse for me. I like to start a lot of things but often times I don't take the idea to fruition.

Until now......

I have started a few projects that are very important to me personally. I want to record and an album and eventually perform it. I also have a book idea that I would like to present to a publisher. And finally, I want to become a decent photographer. I don't necessarily need to taste financial sucess or outside validation for these projects. I want to do them mainly for myself. These are very personal to me and I would feel like such a shmuck if I didn't finish them.
I've decided that I am going to break character and ride these waves to the shore. I am the only one who has a vision for these things that are germinating in my head. If I don't see them through then I have just wasted a lot of time and a lot of myself.