Category: entertainment

catching up

*sigh*

I’d been without power for about 20 hours, but my upstairs neighbors, who had power in some rooms, were kind enough to run me an extension cord so I could power those things which I deemed to be most important. That, of course, meant my computer (except this morning when it meant my coffee grinder), and I was nearly finished with a longish post when suddenly my lights turned on and the computer turned off. So, of course, I lost the post. But the power seems to now be restored to the entire house, and I think they’re done messing with the fuse box, so with any luck I will be able to make it through this post without losing it. I don’t have the energy/patience to recreate it in its entirety, though, so you’re going to get the abridged version.

I’ve posted pictures of my family decorating my grandmother’s Christmas tree, and some older pictures of one of my cats.

I had an excellent Christmas. I hope you did, too. My immediate family tried some new approaches this year, designed to minimize consumerism and maximize recipient satisfaction, which worked out well. My best gift was that my mother cleaned and repaired my favorite winter coat, which was in need of both. Well, that and the iPod Nano I got from my aunt, who wasn’t bound by the same restrictions as the immediate family. Really, though, I genuinely wanted everything I got, which is a great feeling, and there’s been none of that post-Christmas “Crap, what do I do with this?” dread. Also, I asked for mechanical pencil lead and earplugs, both of which I ran out of a couple of weeks before Christmas. Waiting for them made me enjoy receiving them so much that they might also be near the top of the list of favorite gifts. Perhaps instant gratification really isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Moving on….

On Friday I went with Biff and some others to see chesterattic play the Abbey Bar at ABC, which was a good time. Matt, one of the Abbey bartenders, should be visited often and tipped well.

I should probably disclose that chesterattic’s drummer is of my circle of friends, but the music, which they describe as “NuJazz”, was really good, and I don’t think I’m being biased. I feel like I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz lately, but it’s really just been two events at McDaniel and Friday night. But that’s three more jazz events than normal, and it’s kind of growing on me. That doesn’t mean that I can begin to describe chesterattic in any meaningful way, so if you’re curious you should just check them out for yourself.

In addition to hearing the band, I met Fred Otteson, who plays bass for the group (and is the father of drummer and friend Erik Otteson) and writes a Dillsburg blog for PennLive. It’s not entirely Dillsburg, but it is Dillsburg-centric, and is miraculously interesting, given its focus.

I also ran into several friends who I haven’t seen in years, and had a chance to do a little bit of catching up with them. That was better than any music could ever be.

…

I think there was even more in the original post, but I don’t remember what it was, and I’m sure you’ve heard enough. Oh! I just remembered. Just this: the new year is one of the few holidays I really feel motivated to celebrate, but I don’t think I have ever, in my life, or at least not since earliest adolescence, had a really good New Year’s Eve, or at least not one worthy of the year I hope to have. What’s up with that?

these shows are works of fiction

So now Tom DeLay has his panties in a twist over an episode of Law & Order in which the police are searching for someone in a Tom DeLay t-shirt.

My favorite quote from Dick Wolf: “Up until today, it was my impression that all of our viewers understood that these shows are works of fiction as is stated in each episode.”

CNN.com – DeLay angered by ‘Law & Order’ mention – May 27, 2005

CircleFest

What are you doing this Sunday? That’s what I thought.

Instead of being bored silly, come to the Forum for the CircleFest blues concert and silent auction!

I happened to be in close proximity to the last rehearsal, featuring both student musicians from The Circle School and the very talented folks from the Blues Society, and WOW! The music was amazing, the energy was through the roof, and my excitement grew exponentially. They’ve got four blues bands lined up, including Nate Myers and the Aces, one of the hottest acts in town. It’s going be quite an afternoon.

To summarize, come to the Forum from 2-6 PM on Sunday, May 1st for:

* A great blues fest featuring top area bands (and how often can you do this in a smokefree environment?), and
* great deals on all kinds of things at the silent auction while supporting the only democratic school in PA.

You can order tickets here.

Lucky to know you

Fourteen months ago, I mentioned Blue Merle, who I’d seen open for Train. I always meant to write more but, of course, never got around to it. Having just returned from seeing them play in Baltimore, though, I think I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to kick myself in the butt.

Tonight’s show was at the Patterson Theater, which I’d never heard of until I bought the tickets, and was presented by Towson University’s radio station and something called the Creative Alliance. The space was just about the perfect size, but the general logistics of the evening were less than perfect. Doors didn’t open until 6 — which was, kind of misleadingly printed on our tickets as the start time — and even then it was only for an odd catered (sandwiches on the biggest rye bread I’ve ever seen, and really bad pizza). We still weren’t allowed into the black box theater where the show itself would be for another 45 minutes or so. Once we were finally permitted to enter, it was clear that the available seating was inadequate for the mostly older crowd that would probably be uninterested in standing to hear an unknown band. It was okay, though, and once the music started people didn’t seem to mind sitting on the floor. Jancey and I were able to snag two tall retro-ish chairs on the side of the room, providing us with both comfort and a great view.

Justin Jones opened the show. Although his lyrics are a bit weak, he has a strong, clear voice and he plays harmonica, so I enjoyed him. He was almost as funny as he thought he was, but, on the other side of the coin, talked a little too flippantly about his former heroin problem. But that may have bothered me only because I thought he was pretty cute until then. His cuteness, though, does not compare to that of Jason Oettel, bass player for Blue Merle, so I was okay once they took the stage.

I had been worried that the departure of Blue Merle’s fiddler, Patrick, would mean that their sound would not be as dynamic as it had been when we saw them before, but it turns out that they have recently acquired a new violinist (at least for now, not sure if he’s a permanent member), K Ishibashi, who has crazy big hair and is pretty damn good. Really, the whole band is pretty damn good. Better than they were 14 months ago.

Their sound is kind of bluegrass-inspired pop, with a fiddle and mandolin added to the standard guitar/bass/drums mix, and the bass turned upright. When I saw them open for Train I thought they had a lot of raw talent, but they still needed some polishing. Whether it’s been the added time, the result of being in the studio recording their forthcoming album, or just luck, it’s worked. Their new maturity and their unique combination of instruments edges them well past the standard radio fare. And with an infectious enthusiasm that hasn’t waned a bit, Blue Merle is well on their way to becoming a sensation beloved by even those of us who think we might smash the radio if we hear Gavin DeGraw or Maroon 5 one more time.

Did I mention how cute Jason is, grinning and bouncing with his bass?

Desmond Tutu

I enjoyed this interview with Desmond Tutu, but am mostly posting it because I wanted to talk about Tutu’s appearance on The Daily Show a couple months ago. Unfortunately the clip on The Daily Show’s site doesn’t include my favorite part of the interview, but I think you can get the same feeling from what they do have.

Anyway, here’s the thing: I didn’t really know anything about Tutu before I saw him on TDS, but all of a sudden, here’s this child-like 70something archbishop on my TV, laughing hysterically at Jon Stewart one second, his eyes lighting up with delight in humanity the next second. I cried, saved the episode, and watch those three minutes whenever I need a quick pick-me-up.

I’m no great fan of organized religion, but if someone this full of love and light is Catholic, well, they can’t be all bad.

I still don’t know that much about him, so if he’s actually been mired in scandal that just isn’t mentioned in the Newsweek article, please, don’t tell me about it.