I now write from the great plains of the Midwest, residing in what locals may or may not call "The Big O."
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Welcome to...
I now write from the great plains of the Midwest, residing in what locals may or may not call "The Big O."
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Slowdown opening
Article on the new music venue in Omaha owned and run by Saddle Creek, which is slated to open this Friday, from the Omaha World-Herald.
Oh Marianne
My last night in L.A. was actually spent in Anaheim. This begs the question, "Why?" The answer is below.
The iconic Ms. Faithfull played to a sparsely attended show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, right off Disney Drive. Unfortunately, we parked close enough not to have to take the Disney tram. A very strange venue choice, but it was a rare opportunity to see her, and especially rare to see her in such an intimate setting. Laura, CB and I walked in and basically walked right up to the stage. The crowd was, shall I say, interesting. And by interesting, I mean weird. Eclectic may be a kinder word. The crowd was quite eclectic. Although there did seem to be a lot of hardcore fans, and anyone who truly loves and appreciates Marianne is a friend of mine.
Marianne was amazing. She was poised, funny, warm, and engaging. She is such a natural performer, and you can tell that she has an emotional connection to the words that she is singing and also a deep connection to the music. Her voice has weathered time, drugs and alcohol and though it is much different than the sweet falsetto of her youth, its gravelly texture speaks of experience and maturity. It adds weight to her words. I couldn't imagine "No Child of Mine" being as powerful without her current voice. Even "Why'd Ya Do It?" seemed a more cutting barb than the original with her battered vocal cords. A razor sharp song with words quite shocking to hear (and ill-fit to print for such a PG publication) coming from this somewhat proper looking (glasses, flowing top, water bottle with a straw, English accent) woman in her sixties. Then again, anyone who is familiar with Marianne or has read her insightful, interesting autobiography Faithfull, knows all too well that prim and proper are not quite the adjectives you would use to describe her...and that's what is so great about her. She does have elements of the prim and proper English schoolgirl in her (the image really promoted by wunderkind manager Andrew Loog Oldham in the 60s to sell records), but it is only one piece of her complex, multifaceted identity and personality.
Her voice has aged with time, but that isn't to say that she still can't sing beautifully or hit the high notes. The cover of "Don't Forget Me" (to which she dedicated to her friend, the late Harry Smith) was sweet and emotional without being sentimental, and it offered her the opportunity to really show off her vocal range.
Marianne chose a wonderful and varied selection of songs that spanned her over-40-year career. She played quite a few from Broken English (her best album in my opinion), including the title track "Broken English", "Why'd Ya Do It?", "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (one of the best songs ever), and "Guilt." She also sang "Crazy Love" and "No Child of Mine" from her most recent album "Before the Poison," a collaboration with P.J. Harvey and Nick Cave. She also sang a few covers including two which would be most aptly described as "ditties." The first a wry look at romance titled, "All the Best" and the second a folk-Americana inspired inflected "Spike Driver Blues." Another one written by Roger Waters, "Without Blame", was introduced with a short history lesson about the war between the Christians and the Moors. Faithfull's comment, "The Moors won back then, unlike now," led into the song.
One of the major highlights of the show was Faithfull's rare performance of "Something Better," a song she claimed that she has not performed since the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in which she was "very, very, very, very, very high." Her sober version almost 40 years later was just as catchy and compelling as the original, if not more so.
Then she aptly closed the night with "As Tears Go By," her first hit single as a teenager in the 60s written for her by Jagger and Richards (at Oldham's insistence). She walked up to the front of the stage, walking side to side, making eye contact and a connection with her fans, most of them singing along to the lovely ballad.
"It is evening of the day. I sit and watch the children play. Smiling faces I can see, but not for me..."
The smiling faces there tonight were most definitely for her.
The iconic Ms. Faithfull played to a sparsely attended show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, right off Disney Drive. Unfortunately, we parked close enough not to have to take the Disney tram. A very strange venue choice, but it was a rare opportunity to see her, and especially rare to see her in such an intimate setting. Laura, CB and I walked in and basically walked right up to the stage. The crowd was, shall I say, interesting. And by interesting, I mean weird. Eclectic may be a kinder word. The crowd was quite eclectic. Although there did seem to be a lot of hardcore fans, and anyone who truly loves and appreciates Marianne is a friend of mine.
Marianne was amazing. She was poised, funny, warm, and engaging. She is such a natural performer, and you can tell that she has an emotional connection to the words that she is singing and also a deep connection to the music. Her voice has weathered time, drugs and alcohol and though it is much different than the sweet falsetto of her youth, its gravelly texture speaks of experience and maturity. It adds weight to her words. I couldn't imagine "No Child of Mine" being as powerful without her current voice. Even "Why'd Ya Do It?" seemed a more cutting barb than the original with her battered vocal cords. A razor sharp song with words quite shocking to hear (and ill-fit to print for such a PG publication) coming from this somewhat proper looking (glasses, flowing top, water bottle with a straw, English accent) woman in her sixties. Then again, anyone who is familiar with Marianne or has read her insightful, interesting autobiography Faithfull, knows all too well that prim and proper are not quite the adjectives you would use to describe her...and that's what is so great about her. She does have elements of the prim and proper English schoolgirl in her (the image really promoted by wunderkind manager Andrew Loog Oldham in the 60s to sell records), but it is only one piece of her complex, multifaceted identity and personality.
Her voice has aged with time, but that isn't to say that she still can't sing beautifully or hit the high notes. The cover of "Don't Forget Me" (to which she dedicated to her friend, the late Harry Smith) was sweet and emotional without being sentimental, and it offered her the opportunity to really show off her vocal range.
Marianne chose a wonderful and varied selection of songs that spanned her over-40-year career. She played quite a few from Broken English (her best album in my opinion), including the title track "Broken English", "Why'd Ya Do It?", "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" (one of the best songs ever), and "Guilt." She also sang "Crazy Love" and "No Child of Mine" from her most recent album "Before the Poison," a collaboration with P.J. Harvey and Nick Cave. She also sang a few covers including two which would be most aptly described as "ditties." The first a wry look at romance titled, "All the Best" and the second a folk-Americana inspired inflected "Spike Driver Blues." Another one written by Roger Waters, "Without Blame", was introduced with a short history lesson about the war between the Christians and the Moors. Faithfull's comment, "The Moors won back then, unlike now," led into the song.
One of the major highlights of the show was Faithfull's rare performance of "Something Better," a song she claimed that she has not performed since the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in which she was "very, very, very, very, very high." Her sober version almost 40 years later was just as catchy and compelling as the original, if not more so.
Then she aptly closed the night with "As Tears Go By," her first hit single as a teenager in the 60s written for her by Jagger and Richards (at Oldham's insistence). She walked up to the front of the stage, walking side to side, making eye contact and a connection with her fans, most of them singing along to the lovely ballad.
"It is evening of the day. I sit and watch the children play. Smiling faces I can see, but not for me..."
The smiling faces there tonight were most definitely for her.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Guess what?
Glacéau, those clever geniuses with exquisite taste buds, have done it again. Check this out.
That's right. Mini vitaminwaters.
To get a better sense of scale, here are the drinks next to a Mickey Mouse napkinholder I made in shop class in 7th grade and a ball of rubberbands.
How awesome is that?
You can see how excited I am for this new product. Anyone who knows me knows that this combines two things I really love: vitaminwater and small-sized things. They have made what is possibly my favorite drink (save for chocolate coke) in the perfect size for me. A regular size vitaminwater would last me at least two days (unless after a concert or other strenuous activity). And they come in a four pack. How convenient.
It's like they are reading my mind. Juice is too strong for me, water is too boring. How about make something that is a combination in really unique flavors? Sounds good. Why don't we just throw in some vitamins while we're at it? Hey, why not. New flavors? How about jackfruit? I have no idea what this jackfruit is, but I know I love it and it was perfect new addition to the library. XXX has yet to grow on me. And those colors? Perfect pastels. So pleasing to the eye.
I tip my hat to you, Glacéau.
That's right. Mini vitaminwaters.
To get a better sense of scale, here are the drinks next to a Mickey Mouse napkinholder I made in shop class in 7th grade and a ball of rubberbands.
How awesome is that?
You can see how excited I am for this new product. Anyone who knows me knows that this combines two things I really love: vitaminwater and small-sized things. They have made what is possibly my favorite drink (save for chocolate coke) in the perfect size for me. A regular size vitaminwater would last me at least two days (unless after a concert or other strenuous activity). And they come in a four pack. How convenient.
It's like they are reading my mind. Juice is too strong for me, water is too boring. How about make something that is a combination in really unique flavors? Sounds good. Why don't we just throw in some vitamins while we're at it? Hey, why not. New flavors? How about jackfruit? I have no idea what this jackfruit is, but I know I love it and it was perfect new addition to the library. XXX has yet to grow on me. And those colors? Perfect pastels. So pleasing to the eye.
I tip my hat to you, Glacéau.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Falling behind
I really need to catch up on my posts. So much has occurred. I finally finished a post about my last class at USC (see a few posts below). Still haven't written about my graduation -- I think I'll skip that. You get it, I graduated. I was a flag bearer. I shook Clint Eastwood's hand. Then there was the very big development of moving out of my L.A. apartment and to Omaha, Marianne Faithfull concert (!), road trip with CB to Omaha, Jamie and Erin's graduation and party, Fort Omaha Film Conference, the Millard West lacrosse championship and multiple trips to Dairy Queen.
I also never wrote more detailed posts on Stephanie Daley or Away From Her, something I was considering doing because I really loved those films and think they should be promoted as much as possible...not to mention that they were both directed by women, which is somewhat beside the point, but exciting nonetheless.
So, Midwestern updates, details and photos coming. Get excited...
I also never wrote more detailed posts on Stephanie Daley or Away From Her, something I was considering doing because I really loved those films and think they should be promoted as much as possible...not to mention that they were both directed by women, which is somewhat beside the point, but exciting nonetheless.
So, Midwestern updates, details and photos coming. Get excited...
Friday, June 1, 2007
Congratulations Jamie and Erin!
Are they praising the Lord? Begging the heavens for rain? Exemplifying the idiom "the sky's the limit"? Performing a modern dance? Practicing for Riverdance? Attempting to move objects with their mind? Practicing the art of levitation? Starting a new phase of only looking up in life? Or celebrating their graduation from high school and their foray into adulthood? Perhaps it is a combination of these stunning feats. You decide. Whatever it is I am proud of them. I am proud of my Evangelical, optimistic, pose-striking, astral projectionist sisters.
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