Winners!

I think I mentioned my trip to Columbus, NE in a previous post for a video competition - I was the chaperone and two of my students, Carissa and Kelsey, were competing. Here they are, hard at work.



Well, they won first place! They did an awesome job, and had a great attitude about the whole thing. So that was really cool.



The video below shows them receives their medals and such onstage, where they had to get up onto this awkwardly tall stand. Notice the teamwork they exhibited in getting to the top - that's what wins gold medals, folks. Winning state qualified them for the National competition in Kansas City, Missouri. So I'll be returning with an update at the end of June.

Fireside Bowl

fireside, originally uploaded by NotoriousLBT.

This was a test to be able to use my Flickr account to post photos here. It worked!

This was a photo I took back in the day with my old Lomo camera of the Fireside Bowl, an all-ages venue in Chicago. As the name suggests, it's actually a bowling alley, but they put on some great shows there too (not on the lanes, but beside them).

Dream for Darfur

There is a great article in the NY Times magazine today on the non-profit organization Dream for Darfur. The organization is using the Olympics as leverage to pressure China to end their support of the Sudan government and their actions, such as supplying weapons and oil, that have allowed the genocide in Darfur to continue. You can go here to read more about the direct link China has to the genocide in Darfur.

I urge you to read the article, it's a really interesting read on a small organization that has made major gains. And if you go to their website it is really easy and quick to send e-mails to the corporate sponsors of the Olympics, the UN, Ambassadors, and the International Olympic Committee.

I am so happy that major news outlets like the Times have been covering China's egregious actions with regards to human rights and freedom of the press and religion. The Times has had a few articles on the Tibetan "riots" and the violence that Tibetan protestors were encountered with by the Chinese forces. The articles have also given some background on the China/Tibet conflict, something that I think many people are still unaware of. The confluence of these two movements (Save Darfur and Free Tibet) and the unrest in China and the subsequent news coverage (much of it being suppressed by China) and the efforts by groups such as Dream for Darfur make actual change seem possible. At the very least, more awareness is brought about. But awareness is not enough, and there is opportunity for real change and action right now. And that is thrilling.

Glur's and more.

This weekend I ate at Glur's Tavern, established 1876, the oldest tavern in Nebraska and much of the west. Buffalo Bill would eat there on his frequent visits to Columbus, Nebraska. I seriously regret not taking photos. I found the above image at www.nebraskahistory.org. Anyway, their menu was on a small piece of paper in a plastic holder on the table. Options included such staples as: hamburger, cheeseburger, onion rings, fries (cajun and regular), and fried gizzards. The food came out on tiny paper plates, the cook/server (and probably owner, who I hoped was named Glur) brought our food out on tiny paper plates, his finger pressed firmly into the top of the buns, breaking the bread. I think a hamburger cost $1.50 or so. I think I may have to venture back to Columbus, to explore the town further and document the experience properly with photos. It was a quaint, old (mixed with the new and slightly depressing), strange town.

I have stumbled (or driven) across so many small, interesting, antiquated towns in Nebraska. They're everywhere and they are SO interesting and visual. I think I need to embark on some sort of art/video/photography project that is about these outdated, Western towns. Nebraska is so interesting. For example, I was at a state-wide competition where a bunch of high schools students from all over the state were participating. I can't tell you how many teen boys I saw in Wranglers, cowboy boots, big rodeo buckled belts, flannels, etc. It's 2007. And they're in high school. I will say that look is not a majority, but it's certainly not seen as an oddity here. Maybe I'll do a documentary on modern day teenage cowboys. Maybe I shouldn't be posting all of my internal, creative ideas on here. My point is that Nebraska never ceases to amaze me, and I'm saying that in the most loving, non-ironic or sarcastic or condescending way possible. I have come across so many fascinating and wonderful places and people in the state, and I look forward to further exploration and discovery.

Headlights write-up

Here's an article I have in this week's Reader, on the Champaign, Illinois band Headlights.

I'm in Columbus, Nebraska at the moment, writing from a Sleep Inn. I'm here for a film/video competition that two of my students are competing in, and it's been going really well. The only downside is that I have to miss the Honeybee/Evangelicals/Headlights and Jens Lekman shows tonight. The upside is that I've had two A&W root beer floats from here, and they were really good.

Below is a photo from the Darren Kean show on Wednesday night.

Honeybee interview/photos

This week's "Meeting the Band" for City Weekly was Honeybee. Honeybee is a group of great people making great music. My friend Will wrote the article, and I took the photos. The scanning didn't work out so well; the quality isn't so great and the first page didn't fit on the scanner. To read the whole interview in a possibly easier format, you can go here: Honeybee article.

Critic love.

I came across this NY Times article, My Private Screening With Pauline Kael, when I was looking for Kael's famous review for The New Yorker on Bonnie and Clyde. That review was her first for the magazine, a detail I just discovered.

The article was written by Wes Anderson in 1999, shortly after he finished Rushmore. It's funny, interesting, and gives some insight into both personalities.

This is not a test

I have a new song love, and it's This is Not a Test by She & Him. I have included it below for your listening pleasure. If you haven't heard by now, She & Him are the duo of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. Their debut album Volume One is nice spring pop; if only spring was really here. I believe that M. Ward actually makes a trumpet noise with his mouth during this song, which is 1/4 the reason I really like it, so I hope that is true.

This Is Not A Test

More Easter photos

The Beatles should have used this as an album cover. These are our "hidden" Easter baskets.


A-ha!


Tricky!


Dye-ing eggs is kind of a Zen art form, like fishing without the gross hook part.


Look how happy Kyle is. I must admit his eggs were quite eye-catching.



All of our creations together. My eggs are in the closest carton. Aren't they beautiful?

the eggs say it all.

Super Thursday

Thursday was a great day for a few reasons. I will list them.

1. No work.
2. It was warm out.
3. Got a good night's sleep.
4. My sisters are still in town.
5. We got Chinese food.
6. My new, old camera came.
7. My first issue of my free subscription to Moviemaker came.
8. Kyle and I got to see the NCAA Basketball tournament games USC vs. Kansas State game (okay, some of my luck ended here) and Wisconsin vs. Cal State Fullerton.

And here is the beautiful packaging of my new Lomo LC+A. I love this camera. I bought my first Lomo LC-A back in 1999, I think. I used it and loved it for years until it broke and then broke again to the point that it did not work in any capacity. So I thought about getting a new one since it broke a few years ago and didn't actually do it until this past week. And it came today, in this wonderful little bundle, and I'm so excited to have it back in my life and can't wait to start taking pictures with it again.

Belated Utah photos

Here are some photos from Park City, Utah. The trip was so much fun. I didn't do such a great job of taking photos during our time there - I guess I was too caught up with actually enjoying it. But these photos hint at our activities, which included skiing/snowboarding, relaxing in the jacuzzi, feeling sore and exhausted, watching movies, playing Rock Band (our band's name: Bucket Moustache), eating, sleeping, talking, taking a trip to downtown Park City and more. Oh, and the last photo was taken on a historic occasion: the first time I've ever been on skis. It's hard to tell from the photo, but they are bright neon skis and the boots were a size too small. I lived. I would try it again for real, but I still think snowboarding is more of my thing despite my general decline in the sport and exhaustion and shortness of breath after the first run.

Film in Omaha

Here's an article from the NY Times on Film Streams.

I'm currently volunteering there, working on the education aspect of the theatre/non-profit. They're hosting midday and after school screenings for High School students, with a discussion aimed towards analyzing/discussing the film in a critical manner afterwards. I think it's a great program and idea, and I'm thrilled to be involved.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is currently playing there. I plan to see it tomorrow. I've heard a lot of great things about it, so I'm really excited for it.

The Return of Jezebel James

Amy Sherman-Palladino's new show, starring Lauren Ambrose, Parker Posey, Scott Cohen and Dianne Wiest, premieres tonight at 8 pm Eastern time on Fox.

True, it's gotten some not so great press/reviews and Fox cut its 13 episode order down to 7, however, it's from Amy Sherman-Palladino!

Alessi article

An article/interview I wrote on English singer/songwriter Alessi was published this week in the Omaha City Weekly. It was a really fun interview to do, and she is a really talented musician and just a really nice person. I'm a fan, if you couldn't tell from the interview.

Note: I had Johnathan Rice spelled right, and they edited/changed it to the incorrect spelling of "Jonathan." Just wanted to make that clear.

Tilly photos - but not mine

Here is Omahype's slideshow from the Tilly show, including photos of UUVVWWZ, Thunder Power!!! and Tilly.

Here's the whole set of photos, if you prefer that.

For a bit more detail, I can remember Tilly playing the following older songs: Urgency, Bad Education, Lost Girls, The Freest Man, Fell Down the Stairs, Nights of the Living Dead, and Reckless.

Tilly show

I saw UUVVWWZ, Thunder Power!!! and Tilly and the Wall last night at The Waiting Room. All three bands were pretty awesome. How can you not completely enjoy yourself at a Tilly show? Sadly, I forgot my camera last night, so no photos or videos, but I'm sure Omahype will have some posted soon, so I'll put a link up when they do. The only disappointment was that Tilly didn't play their new song Too Excited, which I love. They played some other new ones though, probably about 4 or 5. I'm a little mixed on them. Beat Control was really fun and danceable live. It seems like the vocals are really emphasized in the new ones, and there is less layering of the vocals and some of the sounds. But they still sounded good. I'm anxious to hear the album. Though some haven't had the same impact upon first listen like some of the other Tilly songs have, I trust them and think it's cool that they're exploring different avenues.

It was my first time seeing UUVVWWZ, a band from Lincoln that I've been wanting to see for a little while now. They were pretty rad. I think I'd be even more into it had I heard any of the songs before (besides like once on MySpace), but it made me want to hear them more, which is a really good thing. The guitarist is pretty amazing. Their sound reminds me a little of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs...not a ton, but a little, and I'm not drawing comparisons based on their extroverted female lead singers.

Thunder Power!!! also sounded good last night. They played a new song that was upbeat and catchy. There was a good crowd for both opening bands, which is always nice to see.

No show for me tonight, I'm super swamped with work. I shouldn't even be taking this break to write this post. Back to slaving away...

Last night

Honeybee, from Omaha, Nebraska.



Talkin(g) Mountain, from Omaha, Nebraska.



The Lisps, from Brooklyn, New York.

So many shows...

I saw Jake Bellows and Alessi last night at the Goofy Foot Lodge. It was a great show. Alessi is this singer-songwriter from London who spends quite a good amount of time in Omaha -- she's great. She's kind of freak-folk with less emphasis on the freak part, plus she's pretty endearing live and really nice and she's got a great voice. Jake Bellows from Neva Dinova also sang some back up with her, and their voices play really well off each other.

Well, there are a ton of possible shows to go to this weekend and into the next week. It's a little overwhelming. My tentative schedule looks like this:

Tonight: Honeybee, Talking Mountain and The Lisps @ PS Collective
Saturday: Thunder Power!!! and Tilly and the Wall @ The Waiting Room
Sunday: Flowers Forever and more @ The Waiting Room or Orenda Fink @ O'Leavers
Monday: Times New Viking and more @ The Waiting Room
Tuesday: UUVVWWZ and more @ Brothers

That's 5 straight days. I don't think I can make it. I'm not quite feeling 100% and I don't want to push it and then get more sick. Also, I should aim to try to keep at least some of my hearing for my 50s and beyond. I'm going to aim for 3 out of the 5. I think that's do-able.

Thunder Power!!! video

So here is the official unveiling of the video I directed for Thunder Power!!!


"Why Don't You Go Take a Hike" Thunder Power!!! from Lindsay Trapnell on Vimeo.

Edit: Omahype, a cool Omaha music blog, also posted it with a little write-up.

Amy Sherman-Palladino article

From the Sunday NY Times, read it here.