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by doug | June 4th, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
Si pregunta el viajero si sostuvo
el tiempo, andando contra la distancia,
y vuelve adonde comenzó a llorar,
vuelve a gastar su dosis de yo mismo,
vuelve a irse con todos sus adioses.
- Neruda
Well, here it is. Finally. Looks pretty much like the old .net site, does it not? There are, however, some cosmetic changes at version 3.2 that will hopefully 1) be noticed and 2) make for a more pleasant reading experience. Most of the features are carryovers, of course. There’s still a link, for example, to my fotoblog at the top of the page. It has been re-christened the "foto gallery" and will be reserved for photographs I deem worthy of publication.
The "gallery" designation distinguishes the art from the non-art – the non-art being the newly unveiled daily snapshots section. These will be unaltered, un-photoshopped pics taken and posted on the same day. Every day. The inspiration for this new form of expression was this, admittedly depressing, set of polaroids. Read about it here, take a look at the set, be bummed out, and then appreciate the record this guy left behind. My snapshots will be digital (mostly from the little lens of my already-indispensible Blackberry) instead of instamatic, but the concept is intended to be the same.
At the risk of being labeled Captain Obvious over here, I will only point out that the other design changes – the single sidebar and condensed "links" sections, for example – have been made in hopes of creating and maintaining a cleaner, uncluttered site. It is still in flux, and will always be, but at least here there is a new launch pad to hurl my projectiles from. Anyway, we are officially open for business here at grammaticaster 3.2. Pop in occasionally and enjoy the confusing theme-jumble that is the running monologue of my internal existence.
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As an addendum, and on a totally unrelated note (as is par for the course), I wanted to share my latest musical obsession: Amanda Palmer and her band, the Dresden Dolls. I cannot stop listening to it. Her Who Killed Amanda Palmer? and the Dolls’ Yes, Virginia have been in constant, heavy rotation in the Volvo for the past three weeks. It is real. It is raw. It is emotional. It is sexy as hell. And "Ampersand" is the early favorite for my song-of-the-year. (Yeah, I know the album came out in ’08. Lay off.)
I think I discovered her about a week after the Dresden Dolls came to Birmingham. That, also, is par for the course.
Check out The Decemberists‘ Hazards of Love as well, if only for the brilliantly gruesome "The Rake’s Song" and the sweeping "The Wanting Comes In Waves." Excellent stuff. And a challenging listen, which is fine by me.
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Okay. I think that’s it for now. More to come, and more frequently. I swear.
by doug | May 19th, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
For those among my readership who may have questioned the reasonableness of paying for such NYC related expenses as airline tickets, an expensive 2-night Manhattan hotel stay, pricey meals – all to see a concert… allow me to direct you to the video above. This, alas, is not footage from the Radio City show that I saw, but from the Beacon Theatre concert a few months back. He gave the exact same recital of this gorgeous poem, though, and if I find a video of the RCMH version I shall update appropriately.
Allow me, too, to post the set list from Saturday night – if only for the benefit of my own memory. The list is from an anonymous commenter at BrooklynVegan.com, which has its own review of the Radio City shows as well as other info, pictures, etcetera.
Dance Me to the End of Love
The Future
Ain’t No Cure for Love
Bird on the Wire
Everybody Knows
In My Secret Life
Who By Fire
Chelsea Hotel
Waiting for the Miracle
Anthem
–intermission–
Tower of Song
Suzanne
Sisters of Mercy
Take This Waltz
Boogie Street
Hallelujah
I’m Your Man
(Poem)
Democracy
–1st Encore–
So Long, Marianne
First We Take Manhattan
–2nd Encore–
Famous Blue Raincoat
If It Be Your Will
Closing Time
–3rd Encore–
I Tried to Leave You
Whither Thou Goest
This might have been, quite simply, the best concert I have ever attended. Was it worth the trip and the expense? Yes. In fact, in the long record of the reckless, impulsive decisions I have made over the years, this one was by far the most successful.
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A side effect, it should be mentioned, appears to have reared its head. As a consequence of Mr. Cohen’s concert, I am now – perhaps hopelessly – in love with New York City. It is not pretty or picturesque. It has no deep sense of history – not that I care anything about. It is a gargantuan, undulating city; ugly as sin. But it is the hub of everything. The heart of the world. Now there’s a metaphor we probably shouldn’t explore too deeply, eh? I want to be there. I want to be a part of that energy. If you asked me why, beautiful reader, I could not give you an answer.
by doug | November 23rd, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
Last night was the Iron & Wine show at WorkPlay. Even nursing a head cold, Sam Beam was amazing. Beam, his sister Sarah, and his backing band made for an evening of lovely music. Charmingly soft-spoken and self-effacing, his on-stage persona complimented his light, airy yet moody tunes. Old songs were given new, full-band arrangements that worked surprisingly well (I would have balked at the idea of converting the soft, solo acoustic numbers for drums and electric guitars had I not witnessed the results for myself). The full show will be available on playedlastnight.com sometime in the coming week. Here is a clip of a song he did not play last night. Enjoy.
The only blemish on an otherwise wonderful night was the fact that WorkPlay once again sequestered us away in the truly shitty “soundstage” – a dark, cave-like standing-room-only performance space with a crappy folding-table cash-only bar. We are surmising that they are doing this in order to sell more tickets than they could for the intimate table-and-chairs set up in the proper theater. Unlike the Ted Leo debacle, however, Iron & Wine was just too good to walk out on. So we soldiered on. We stood up and fought the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. I sipped watered down gin and tonics from little plastic glasses rather than the bottle of wine I was planning on ordering. So, WorkPlay gets a tremendous thumbs-down, but Iron & Wine earned two and a half thumbs-up. Go see them if you get the chance.
by doug | October 1st, 2008 @ 8:28 pm
Last night I finally received the long awaited confirmation from the hipster gods that I am, indeed, not cool anymore.
We had tickets to the Ted Leo & the Pharmacists show at WorkPlay — always a fun time. Over the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing such artists as Alejandro Escovedo, Hem, Son Volt and, okay, Angie Aparo (my wife makes me go to his shows… again and again and again and again) there at WorkPlay’s soundstage. It is a cozy, two-tiered concert hall with tables or standing-room on the floor, booths around the perimeter, and intimate tables lining the balcony. You can run a tab and order bottles of wine, mixed drinks and beers, served to you by very attentive waitresses. A wonderful venue. As it turns out, though, the soundstage is not the only space WorkPlay rents out for music concerts.
Last night, for instance, WorkPlay was apparently hosting two bands — one at the soundstage and one (Ted Leo) in the back, seemingly recreated in the style of a tiny high school cafeteria complete with cinderblock walls and fluorescent lighting. Running a tab at the bar? Not hardly. It is a folding table, cash only, tonic water from a 2-liter bottle kind of affair. Tables to spectate from? Nope. Standing room only. A black, unadorned room with a stage at the front. Last night, by the way, upon our arrival, we found this lovely space to be slowly filling with twenty-something emo/punk-wannabes in black shirts and matted hair — kids that probably couldn’t even name a Sex Pistol. And then, there was the opening act.
There is no word other than "suck" that would do this band justice. Crunching power-chords and guttural screams. What was the opening song about, you ask? It appeared to be about sausage. On a stick. That was the chorus: *imagine screaming punk-guy* "SAUSAGE ON A STICK!!! AAAIIGH!!!!!!" It was beyond terrible. The audience, to their credit, weren’t reacting at all to the music — they were just standing with their arms crossed, as was I. But the fact that people weren’t streaming for the exits, or at least deciding to take a cigarette break outside, was disturbing in a way I am still trying to come to grips with.
I stood there, mulling over the happenings of the past five minutes. The concert isn’t in the nice theatre space, it’s in this psych-ward-esque shithole. I can’t sit at a table, sip at a gin and tonic, and enjoy the intellectual punk-pop of Mr. Leo. I have to go to the ATM, pay four bucks for a watered-down flat concoction in an 8 ounce plastic cup, and strain to see over punk-posturing, moodily gyrating emo dudes and goth chicks. I looked at my wife, slumped my shoulders, and walked out of the "concert hall" and into the disgustingly pale and buzzing lights of the "lobby". I had decided against it. Having weighed seeing a truly good band in an uncomfortable and irritating atmosphere and going home, napping on the couch, and going to bed at a decent hour, I took the path less traveled by. And that, my friends, makes all the difference.
Good music just isn’t worth the annoyance anymore. There are nights when I enjoy the idea of going out to The Bottletree, say, and standing in a crowd listening to good independent artists. It isn’t about the people. It’s almost about the expectations. On a weeknight, when I have to go to work the next day, I like the idea of sitting back and enjoying a few drinks and some quality artistry. That is what I wanted. That crappy little room with the afterthought bar was just too much for me.
I’m sure Ted Leo was very good. But I’ve got all kinds of Ted Leo songs on .mp3. I don’t need to subject my slightly more refined sensibilities to sub-optimal listening spaces. That is not my idea of a good time anymore.
So, gentle readers, please go check out some Ted Leo & the Pharmacists’ material. It is as if Elvis Costello conceived a child with the Ramones (you don’t have to conjure that mental image if you don’t want to). And go check out WorkPlay if you haven’t been. Just make sure the concert is on the main stage. That back room gets a hearty thumbs-down from me.
by doug | September 23rd, 2008 @ 6:22 pm
It seems like this season has been unusually dry musically, or else we just missed out on the good stuff. In either case, there is a whiff of change in the air. Here are three upcoming concerts I will attending with my proverbial bells on:
Now that I look at the schedule, it appears that two out of the three are on a weekend. Sweet. You out-of-towners will have no excuses. Anyway, go to their sites and check them out. They are really very good, and the venues are the best in the city. I will post a couple of songs here when it gets closer to show time (and as soon as I figure out how to embed audio on this thing).
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