Ms. Darby

Ever since I’ve moved to the land of outlet malls (well disguised outlet malls, thankfully), I find myself especially drawn to the Banana Republic outlet.

This may not be odd to most, but I never quite found myself to fit the “B.R.” demographic. Ever since I realized I was never gonna take that African Safari and make like Meryl Streep in Out of Africa back in 8th Grade, the “B.R.” dream of wearing khaki short suits fell by the wayside.

The original draw was that this place has really GREAT deals, and clothes that, mostly, fit me well. Add to that the fact that my black and more funky clothes never quite worked within the Southern environment (not the only thing that doesn’t work, but I digress…), and I found myself more and more drawn to “B.R.” to fulfill my functional, mostly business, fashion needs.

Now that I work from home and don’t find much need for business casual clothes, I still find my car heading straight to the local Banana Republic. I have also found that some of the things I think are FANTASTIC for the brief moment while I’m in the store turn out to lack that luster once I get them home. But this week, I experienced an epiphany to explain my (unknown) initial draw to the place.

The epiphany is this, dear friends. The music. EVERY time I am in there, I am groovin’ on the tunes. I sing, hum, and even sometimes semi-groove – publicly – to the music that is played. EVERY TIME. Of course, this is where I fit the demographic. Which seems a tad disconnected to the clothes, I might add, but I think I realized that I subconsciously go there for the music. Because in the last 4 visits, I have purchased nothing, but not been disappointed in the least by not finding anything.

Instead, I have come away, almost gleefully, not even realizing why until the other day. When I was all, like, what is this song? I know this song? But it’s not the song I think it is. But it is. All this within the first 5 notes…and it is a remake of one of my favorite Ryan Adams songs, called Amy. And I have discovered Mark Ronson in the process, which I am quite thankful for. This is an incredibly beautiful song, originally, and this remake takes it to a different level. I would put the MP3 here for your listening pleasure, but it is SO INVOLVED (especially since I only have the MP4 version, etc., etc….)

Go get it. It’s 2 bucks, if you get the original Ryan Adams’ version AND the Mark Ronson remake. SO WORTH IT. Trust me.

P.S. I was also re-invigorated with New Order’s Love Vigilantes during my recent Banana discovery, too. Reminded me of my high-school friend (and prom date), Matt Vidmar. He owned and sported the classic Substance all-white t-shirt back in the day. I love the 80’s.

Filed by darby at 7:53 am under Arts, General, rants, raves
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Our relationship with food is an interesting delve into passion, survival, hedonism, disease, and social interaction, among other things. I love food, and although I am a picky eater and trying desperately not to be, cooking is my chill zone. I love to get into that rhythm, where the timing is like a precise and lovely mambo, with the aroma of spices and sauces wafting through the space, mixing with the music playing in the background. Ahhhh, the kitchen, that hearth of home that everyone gravitates to, especially once they are drunken.

The biggest joy I derive from cooking is seeing the ones I love enjoy what I’ve made. Although I probably rebelled against this seemingly gender based role, one reeking of June Cleaver goodness, (not goddess), I eventually just allowed myself to do what I found joy in. Cooking fits that bill, and I have since been re-inspired with the hopes of helping our household to be more vegetarian.

While I have been around vegetarians and vegans since my late teens, I grew up on the Irish cooking of a very meat and potatoes based diet. (Still, it was GREAT food). This has made it a challenge for me to find my way towards doing things creatively with vegetables, so that even I would enjoy it, a kid who hated all vegetables except corn. (Which is a grain, anyway…) All that said, I will likely not want to pass up the amazing taste of Argentinian Beef and a fresh Chimichurri sauce every once in a while.

While I work my way away from meat and have always loved falafel, tempeh, and pasta, introducing TVP and tofu (I can’t get past the texture) is tricky for me. Still, I love the way I’m feeling after only a few days of eating some hearty vegetarian fare. Not to mention the enormous environmental benefits to be had from consuming less meat.

Plus, I have been infatuated with the idea of self-reliance forever. And if I am fulfilled with a vegetarian diet, I don’t ever have to confront the killing of 4 legged animals, an act I am incredibly freaked out by. Unless, of course, it’s all wrapped in a nice plastic cellophane, removing me completely from the enormous miracle that it took to get that cow, chicken, turkey, and pig so easily in front of me. Geez, how I long to respect and appreciate the food that I consume much more than I presently do.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve made a vegetarian moussaka and peanut noodles with mixed veggies in a lemon-infused chile sauce. I’m going to make some baba ghanouj, curried celery soup, griddled pineapple and mango with vanilla yogurt, and a sweet potato roulade. All of these wonderful dishes come from a cookbook I picked up a couple of months ago, apparently when the seed was planted, somewhat unbeknownst to me. It’s called, plainly, Vegetarian, and is put together by Nicola Graimes. I can’t find it anywhere online, probably because it’s one of those mass produced books commissioned by Borders Books or something. The 126 page intro, with fabulous pictures, food anecdotes, nutritional factoids and preparation info is broken down into categories and makes for a tantalizing foray into the world of gourmet vegetarian cooking.

Bon Appetit!

Filed by darby at 7:08 pm under Arts, General
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Me man and I enjoyed the outdoors this weekend while camping in Moravian Falls, NC – about 4 miles from Wilkesboro, NC, home of Merlefest. In honor of Merle Watson, Doc Watson’s son who died in a tractor accident back in 1985, Merlefest has been bringing “traditional plus” music to Wilkesboro ever since.

During our visit, we were lucky enough to see some amazing music. Here’s the line-up:

Levon Helm Band
Ollabelle
Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder with Bruce Hornsby
Hot Buttered Rum
Bearfoot
Allison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven
Donna the Buffalo with Jim Lauderdale and Tim O’Brien
The Avett Brothers
Peter Rowan + Tony Rice
Sam Bush Band
Carolina Chocolate Drops
Donna the Buffalo
The Infamous Stringdusters with Tim O’Brien
Ralph Stanley & Clinch Mountain Boys

Pretty sweet, huh?

Many thoughts become clear while camping, people watching, and ingesting art at this level. Among them came forth these random ponderings…

I need to learn to play the Bass. Guitar or stand-up is the question.

Where can I get me one of them there washboards? Seriously…

Um, where’s the Beer? Wine? Spirits?

Is it feasible to take a year, or 6 months, or 3 months – even, and go travel. Right now, Chile, Argentina, and Patagonia (with a “quick” sidetrip to Easter Island via Santiago) is the first big trip on my list. Second is maybe Paris and the South of France. Third is New Zealand or Ireland and Scotland. Damn it…I’ll go anywhere, really.

Oh, how I love my indoor plumbing and running water. Especially in the middle of the night when I invariably have to pee. And I’m naked. DOH!

Why is everyone so attracted to Evangelicalism? Don’t they find it highly oppressive?

It takes all kinds to make the world go ’round. Keep an open heart.

Filed by darby at 5:20 pm under Arts, travel
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Sy Safransky, the founder, editor, and publisher of the fantastic independent, ad-free magazine, The Sun, writes a one-page section (mostly) every month called Sy Safransky’s Notebook. Here are two of my favorite entries this month:

The Winter Solstice arrives, and not a moment too soon. These long nights stir up too many ghosts. I’m ready for the days to start lengthening again. But who am I to question the movement of the seasons? My wish for some kind of eternal springtime is laughable, like Bush’s plan to bring democracy to Iraq. As if we had a surplus of democracy here in the United States. As if all our democratic institutions were humming along to peak efficiency, and everyone’s basic rights were being respected, and we were all feeling so magnificently equal that we could afford to give some of it away. But I digress. Forget Bush. Forget the sad fact that the future hasn’t turned out the way my high school social-studies teacher predicted. The light returns – no matter how many times we’ve been wrong. The light doesn’t vote for president, or run for president, or care who’s president. The light doesn’t study itself in the mirror, compare itself to last year’s light, wonder how many light years it has left. The light isn’t afraid of darkness. When the light arrives, darkness flees.

Today I’m thankful for the word Gratitude, a word in which I can make myself at home. It’s not a prestigious Park Avenue condominium of a word like transcendence or a palatial mansion of a word like enlightenment. Gratitude is four walls, a ceiling, a floor. And a chair? Yes! And a window!

Filed by darby at 10:39 am under Arts
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I’m not sure why I even waste my time watching the Grammys, but as soon as the Foo Fighters beat out Wilco AND Bruce for Best Rock Album, I had to change the channel and never come back. As any good music fan knows, the Grammys are not the place to celebrate all of the best artists of the year, so I’m not sure why I was surprised. Although there are definitely many talented artists represented, the field is amok with mediocrity, and mediocrity wins, too. Case in point, The Foo Fighters.

Here are some of the good highlights:
Herbie Hancock won album of the year for The Joni Letters.

Joni Mitchell won for best pop instrumental performance for her One Week Last Summer tune, from the album Shine.

Beastie Boys won best pop instrumental album for The Mix-up.

Bruce won for best solo rock vocal performance for his song Radio Nowhere off the Magic album (Lucinda Williams was also a contender for Come On off of her album West). Bruce also won a bunch of other stuff for Magic.

Icky Thump provided Meg and Jack another award.

Alicia Keys and Prince won for best female and male R&B artists, respectively. I don’t keep up much in this category, but it’s what I was raised on and these two artists are super talented. Also, Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige won for best R&B performance for a duo. These ladies ROCK THA HOUSE!

Common won, and although I have fallen off the Hip-Hop train because most of it is wiggety-whack and it takes too much time to find good Hip-Hop, I haven’t closely followed Common’s recent work. I am a fan from the days of Resurrection.

Levon Helm, famous for his membership in The Band, took home a Grammy for best traditional folk album.

Steve Earle picked up a statue for best contemporary/folk/americana album with his Washington Square Serenade.

Barack Obama won a Grammy – seriously – in the best spoken word album category.

Cassadega won the Bright Eyes’ art director, Zachary Nipper, an award for best recording package. Perhaps if he has some newfound pull, he can convince the prolific band to NOT RESIZE THEIR SITE when launched. An interwebs taboo, for sure. This album, BTW, is fantastic.

Best historical album went to the Woody Guthrie clan for The Live Wire album.

***And finally, in the best compilation soundtrack album (Film, TV, etc) there were so many fantastic options:
Across the Universe, a collection of Beatles’ tunes redone by the actors and Bono, to name but a few

The Dreamgirls soundtrack, which is SWEET

Hairspray, adapted from John Waters’ famous film, for 2007

Once, the masterful, beautiful and original love story with an equally heartfelt soundtrack, which really, the film was built around. God, these songs are so very pretty

But even though the competition was fierce, the music accompanying the Cirque Du Soleil production called Love, featuring Beatles songs, won the category. George Harrison (perhaps my favorite Beatle…it’s so hard to pick – him or John) began the projects discussion before his death, so I guess it’s nice that Paul, Ringo, and friends won, but these other soundtracks were all phenomenal.

And in case you hadn’t heard, Amy Winehouse won a ton of crap. I say this with a scowl, not because her album, Back to Black, isn’t great. It is. Although she borrows HEAVILY from Motown, she still brings her own talent to the table. Still, were there not tons of other artists that should have been celebrated instead? Last year at SXSW, Winehouse started 20 minutes late and sounded like crap. I am not impressed. Part of the longevity and soul of an artist is reflected in the way they relate with their craft; their professionalism, if you will. And while I love a bunch of wasted drunk and high artists, I never quite like them as much as I did before their demise and disrespect for themselves and their fans.

Filed by darby at 6:56 pm under Arts
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A couple of weeks ago, I found myself head deep in design books while doing research for a potential interior re-design of a local private club. I love being head deep in design books, and the one that continues to blow me away is Fingerprint: The Art of Using Handmade Elements in Graphic Design , by Chen Design Associates out of San Francisco.

Josh Chen is a bad-ass designer, with 20 years of experience in design, broadcasting, journalism, and music. I love renaissance men and women. Within the school of renaissance thinking comes humanism and self-awareness, and it seems much of the design work Chen has compiled and highlighted here is lacking neither.

Take, for instance, the Futurefarmersgroup, also from San Francisco, that fertile ground which nourishes SO MUCH talent. Futurefarmers collaboration includes creating prototypes of an urban planning tool which allows users to visualize The Great Park’s health and creating a “lunchbox laboratory” which will encourage students to screen various algae strains, ultimately helping to find the strains that are optimal as a renewable energy resource. Basically, design used as a superpower for the forces of good and not evil. Think of a modern day Leonardo or Galileo.

Futurefarmers website describes the group as:

practitioners aligned through an open practice of making work that is relevant to the time and space surrounding us. Futurefarmers work across many media. We enjoy creating platforms for sociability, play and culitvating consciousness.

One of my favorite pieces is this sundial watch, by Futurefarmers Amy Franceschini. I don’t wear a watch, but I would wear this one:

Described as:

a reaction to the ubiquity of technological devices in our lives today. Sundial watch reminds us to depend on our own devices. It is an interface with nature…

The sun will always rise in the morning and set in the evening, and the length of the winter days will be shorter than the summer days. This portable sundial physically illustrates the wonders of the sun and its motion through the sky providing a stage for the suns’ shadow to dance upon.

This book is FULL of inspiration and genius creativity from some of the best designers today. And although I am working on becoming a full-fledged interior designer, cultivating ideas from many disciplines, be it graphic design, architecture, music, science, literature, philosophy, film, graffiti, fine art, or nature is what this cross-platform, renaissance thinking is all about. Count me in and on the bus.

Filed by darby at 11:11 am under Arts, raves
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Armstrong Center for Professional & Continuing Education, Grand Lobby

Savannah’s new media strategists, visionary entrepreneurs, traditional journalists, bloggers galore, and local interesting characters gathered publicly, in real-life flesh and blood, at the 2nd annual BlogSavannah UnConference yesterday.

Although I couldn’t partake in all of the breakout sessions, my favorite panel was on GPS and Geocaching led by Marvin Heery. I hadn’t ever heard of geocaching, and since me likes to learn, it provided the biggest opportunity to do so. Geocaching is like a digital scavenger hunt, described as “an adventure game for GPS users” on the most prominent geocaching website, (uh, duh) Geocaching dot com.

From my limited understanding on the subject, it seems players all over the world both hide “prizes” in various “secret” locations, as well as hunt for these “prizes”created by other players. Through any number of various geacaching websites, players list the coordinates of a specific spot. Various items are left in the spot by the player that “hid” the treasure, many times a tupperware container with found objects, little toys, etc. There is usually a note in the box explaining the interest of the location, items in the box, etc. Geocaching is also used to bring players to points of interests in an area that perhaps no one else knows about, much like a childhood secret spot in the woods.

While the idea of Geocaching was being explained, it reminded me of the hyper advanced way Trent Reznor and Nine-Inch-Nails promoted their (then new) album, Year Zero. With cryptic messages hidden in a concert t-shirt, USB drives left in concert venue bathrooms, and the slow reveal of unannounced shows, the artform turned out to not only be the album itself, but the interactive discovery of a message created to connect the fans to the band and their music. This speaks volumes of our human and innate yearning for discovery.

Mostly, all of these technologies deliver some truly interesting modes of using the online environment to actually interact offline. Thus, my favorite part of BlogSavannah’s UnConference; Joining with others that have blogging (at least) in common presents the rare opportunity to learn from and meet the real life people behind their online presence and the opportunity for new discoveries.

Words of the day:
Podfade
Geocoding
Peyote Buttons
Libsyn

***DISCLAIMER***My link to BFG Interactive is not unbiased. My other half started and heads the Content Department there.

Filed by darby at 10:06 am under Advertising & Marketing, Arts
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Pre-order the journal for a hard copy

Every two months, Polar Inertia rolls out extraordinary photographic installments via a magazine (and website) documenting “the story of the highway, mobile home, fast food chain, suburbanite, truck stop, and industrialized landscape.”

Here’s their manifesto:

Polar Inertia journal is an outlet and a resource for on going research into the networks that define the contemporary city. The journal began with the idea that an understanding of the conditions of post war urbanism requires immersion into the technologies and instruments that have molded the growth and image of the city. Using Los Angeles as a primary research laboratory, Polar inertia works under the belief that by exploring and documenting the infrastructure and land use patterns we can begin to understand the contemporary and future city. The research in the journal provides a basis from which to explore the potential for alternative proposals for urban development informed from the daily realities of the city.”

Some pretty heady stuff, with amazing photo’s to match. Check it out!

Filed by darby at 10:33 am under Arts, Docu Potent, raves
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On the left, a knock-off of the Arco original, shown on the right

I have been TOTALLY enamored with this lamp since I was a child. Of course, at the age of eight, I did not realize it to be an Achille Castiglioni Arco lamp, but I was drawn to its eight foot arch and graceful presence.

Now, having learned that Italian born and educated Castiglioni was an architect, forced to think on a smaller scale due to limited major architectural assignments available at the time, I am not surprised that I am drawn to his design. Architects that “do” furniture are tops. Frank Lloyd Wright, Marcel Breuer, Arne Jacobsen, and Charles Rennie Mackintosh all come to mind, but the list could go on forever. A deep connection exists between architecture and furnishings for buildings and homes, while gifted architects work to preserve the psychology of space within a structure.

The original Arco costs several thousand dollars, but one can find some knock-offs like the one above from around $150-400. And every once-in-a-blue-moon, I have spied this and other classic originals and knock-offs in off-the-beaten-path city thrift stores and furniture shops. (think Chicago, Atlanta, and Portland, for starters.) Happy classic-design spying and finding! (and if you’re lucky, buying…)

Filed by darby at 5:11 pm under Arts, raves
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In a slightly weird twist of fate, I am listening to Neil Young’s epic After the Goldrush whilst I am sitting down to the keyboard all inpired by Wilco and their first studio album, A.M.

But that is just the thing. Listening and seeing (albeit on tha TEE VEE) Wilco on a Saturday night is so good that I find myself going and listening to great albums of masters past well into late Sunday evening. And like all great music, it helps me to realize and appreciate other great music. I am by no means a music afficienado nor expert…I leave that to some of my other friends…yet, this isn’t about all that. This is more about how Wilco inspires me, and then, potentially, how they inspire you…

So let’s get to it, shall we? (right now, Neil sings “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”…temporarily reminiscent of “Should’ve Been in Love”…temporarily…)

A.M., released in 1994, twangs me into some part of my nostalgiac, somewhat sad, broken-hearted period of loves past from the first note, and even more so while Tweedy sings “Should’ve Been in Love.” Ghosts of relationships past provide perfect and lovely muses for all songwriters, and didn’t Vonnegut say to only ever write about love, god, and politics, cuz that’s all there is, anyway? (I think that reference is hazy and will have to look into a bit more later…it might’ve been Dylan…)

The title of this album is perfect, and as a musically obsessed, VERY young child, the A.M. stations of my youth served up some great 70’s fare. Bands like America, Seals and Crofts, and Buffalo Springfield were presenting L.A’s (Laurel Canyon) music scene to the midwest and beyond. Wilco’s A.M. has layers of that, too, as I am sure the entire band also soaked up those A.M. tunes while staring out the back of their parents car as I did, a couple of states over. Tweedy and Wilco make it their own, though, and while they soaked it up, they haven’t wrung it out into this plastic groove.

Somewhere, too, is the feeling of a road trip of that era, as if the listener begins her travels from the present day alt-Nashville, then up to Detroit for the forward bluesy rock of “Casino Queen” on track 2. Along the way, it seems the car spent a little longer than expected in Athens, GA and soaked up some R.E.M. It’s subtle, but in there. (Interestingly, Wilco will play with Minus 5, a Peter Buck side project, many years later…)

I am a sucker for the Pedal Steel, too, and there is plenty of that weaved through this album. Tracks like “I Thought I Held You” are made around it, and I can see the hula girl on the front of a ‘75 Cutlass Olds Supreme swiveling her hips to the hawaain beat and gently picked banjo as I write.

Jeff Tweedy’s voice is young on this album, but doesn’t sound all THAT different than it does now. Having never really dissected Wilco like I am now, I am seeing all kinds of things, like how John Stirrat’s lyric’s and delivery on “It’s Just That Simple” are very reminiscent of how Woody Guthrie writes a song. Only then, as perhaps comic relief from the heavier “…Simple”, the drunken appreciation of a sober, car owning friend on “Passenger Side” is just what the listener needs. (and what I surely appreciated, too, as a young, um, drinker).

Can you take me to the store and then the bank
I’ve got 5 dollars we can put in the tank
I’ve got a court date comin’ this June
I’ll be drivin’ soon
passenger, Si-ide…
don’t like ridin’, on the passenger side

“Dash 7″, the albums 11th track, must have inspired Red House Painters and Mark Kozelek somewhat. This song sounds like the pre-cursor to the entire Old Ramon album. And with all this talk of other people and other people’s music, cuz that’s the only way I know how to talk about music (I am a total amateur, see? I told ya so…), I forgot to mention the troubled beauty, raw authentic yet sophisticated stylings, and clear window into the next 13 years of what Wilco would be sharing with us. Or, that’s what I thaught i knew at the time, at least.

I am gonna make myself pick a favorite song, which goes against everthing I believe in, but I am gonna try it and see what happens.

Track 9: Should’ve Been in Love

Filed by darby at 11:23 pm under Arts
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Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator. People who look at music as commerce don’t understand that. They are talking about pieces of plastic they want to sell, packages of intellectual property. I’m not interested in selling pieces of plastic. -Jeff Tweedy, in a Wired interview

Having just watched Austin City Limits tonight, which featured (dare I say, the best American rock band presently playing) Wilco, I am inspired, again, and moved, as always.

Sky Blue Sky, their most recent album that came out in mid-May, makes me laugh, sometimes weep, and always swoon. It fully engages me, that creative masterpiece of an album.

In the spirit of inspiration, music, pursuit of passion and doing what you love, I announce a Wilco appreciation week. With 6 studio albums under their belt*, I think I will look at one album a day. The weekend can serve as, perhaps, a Wilco-inspired, art producing collective – open to all that care to produce art and share it – inspired by Wilco. Or something…

The present members of Wilco are:

(The 2 original members)
Jeff Tweedy – lead singer and guitarist
John Stirratt – bassist

(and the gloriously talented additions)
Nels Cline – guitarist
Glenn Kotche – percussion
Pat Sansone – multi-instrumentalist
Mikael Jorgensen – pianist

and YOU, the listener

*not including their live album, and Mermaid Avenue’s collaborations w/ Billy Bragg, collaboration w/ minus 5, and various EP’s.

Filed by darby at 12:17 am under Arts
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I was wondering what was happening with Ms. Arundhati Roy of late, because I adore her storytelling, commend her brave activism and eloquence, celebrate her beauty and truth, and hadn’t heard much about her lately. So, intending to find out, the intertubes delivered much more than I anticipated.

First, Roy is the award-winning author of The God of Small Things, one of the most poetic novels ever written. I had read somewhere that she ruminated on the story and wrote one page a day, never revising it after that page was written. Ever. Crazy, huh? And this prose…I tell you…’tis glorious. I remember, too, reading a Q&A with Ms. Roy which gave the impression that she may never write another book. I am delighted to discover she has recently announced the beginnings of her second novel.

And the news just kept getting better, more mysterious, and intriguing, as Google served up more tidbits relating to Ms. Roy as I searched. Sometime in 2006, the webmaster of resistinc.org, Geoff, received a film with an anonymous note that read:

Feel free to pass this on to others who you know will be interested in its relatively unique content and perspectives (either by copying this DVD, dubbing to VHS, by dissemination through internet download, holding private screenings etc). Using the technology of this information age you have the freedom to be as imaginative as you like in the different ways which you can choose to make this accessible to others.

Geoff said that, “after seeing the film, we felt it was very important, cool, and overall just a fantastic piece of work. So a couple months ago, weroy.org was created to assist the efforts that others put forth in getting this free documentary seen by the citizens of the world.”

The film is described* as “this…unusual kind of underground production. An anonymous sympathiser has edited a video recording of Roy’s speech over 64 minutes, interspersing an impressive array of archival footage to illustrate themes and specific historical events. Contemporary music overlaid throughout the piece shifts the mood and quickens the pace. The result is a visual essay rather than a traditional documentary, perfectly suited to its creator’s intentions, which is to spread the anti-imperialist, social justice politics of Arundhati Roy everywhere.”

It is a free documentary, created by the anonymous filmmaker named “Anon”. He speaks of his inspirations of the film beyond Arundhati Roy’s speeches and his process, among other very human, emotional, and intellectual topics. His statement, “News is now really only a business – and that means big trouble for everyone,” pretty much sums it up, if a complex and engrossing film like ‘We” is only to be summed up. You can view ‘We’ through many different providers. I encourage you to do so. It is outstanding, poignant, and important. Long live truth, passion, activism, and the people’s use of the intertubes.

*on the weroy.org site, no credit was provided of the speaker

Filed by darby at 10:29 pm under Arts, Docu Potent
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I discovered the Bohemian Girl on the “interwebs – that series of tubes” a couple of months ago. She had commented over at Nothing But Bonfires (yet ANOTHER fantastic woman-made blog/art) regarding music. It just so happened that I was thinking the same thing, and before you know it, an online friendship began. And I am better for it. Not only does BG speak the truth, her truth, and universal truths, but she is an artist living her dream and shining light by way of example.

And I am a bit blown away right now, because as we had agreed to trade some music mixes, I have JUST received – like, minutes ago – this bundle of joy that you see above, and it is wonderful and gorgeous. Just to touch the paper and see the artistic love that went into this…It definitely helps me to raise my own bar in how I ever send CD’s to anyone again, because not only did I get amazing compilations of music I know and love and much that I am soon to discover for the first time (oh, joy!) but handmade artwork to hold the treasures. Wow. Thank you, oh talented and generous Bohemian Girl. Rock on!

Filed by darby at 3:29 pm under Arts, raves
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It was overcast tonight, but the frogs didn’t mind. They have a full Saturday night jam goin’, and they literally take turns solo’ing. (how does one write that word?) Anyway, I tried to record it with the handy and super-cool Edirol R-09. Man, you should hear it…and I really wish you could…I really tried, but apparently did not get close enough to the lagoon. Next time…

Enjoy the lunar love!

Filed by darby at 10:27 pm under Arts
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This view of the moonrise is seen most every night from our couch. Of course, I removed me back side to take the picture. I know it’s ambitious, but it really only took a sec… I love the green of the tree and blue of the night sky. Do you see the lone star?

***UPDATE***Well, it seems that the full moon is not officially until Saturday evening, June 30th. My bad. More pictures to come Saturday night.

Filed by darby at 8:35 pm under Arts
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Coming away from Austin after this years South by Southwest left me with so many experiences, to the point of sensory overload. My intention at the time was to write a synopsis of the 10-day extravaganza, which I never did. After SXSW, while talking to good friends about what stood out, I found that I kept mentioning the film, Crazy Sexy Cancer.

I am so happy to learn that TLC Life Lens has picked up this film, which will air as the first documentary in their Life Lens series in August, 2007. From the Crazy Sexy Cancer website:

In 2003, 31-year-old actress/photographer Kris Carr was diagnosed with a rare and incurable cancer. Weeks later she began filming her story. Taking a seemingly tragic situation and turning it into a creative expression, Kris shares her inspirational story of survival with courage, strength, and lots of humor.

Kris Carr, the filmmaker, was at the (premiere) SXSW screening, and it was the first time she actually viewed the film, as the editing had just wrapped the week before. During a brief Q&A after the film, this dynamic, gorgeous, vibrant, and funny woman shared more of herself than she already had by documenting her healing process.

Having been engrossed (again) with the ideas and philosophies of healing and alternative therapies for cancer recently, I am overjoyed that this film can now be shared with the masses. Kris had stage 4 cancer, and with no traditional methods (the big 3 being surgery, chemo, and radiation), has healed herself with nutrtition, love, acceptance, and many other things that she can tell you about much better than I can. Check out this amazing film in August if you are able. And let’s all go forth and HEAL, O.K.?

Filed by darby at 9:07 am under Arts, raves
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The “lobby” at Union Station Hotel, Nashville, TN

As I sit in our hotel room on a hot Saturday afternoon in what was once the Union Station railroad terminal that opened in 1900, I have images of Jim McGuire’s Nashville Portraits series running through my mind, fresh from viewing them an hour ago. The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, where the Nashville Portraits are on display, is just next door, making it a rather convenient situation. Housed inside an historic 1930’s art deco building built originally as Nashville’s main post office, our love of this periods architecture was also quenched.

Below is one of the images from the exhibit, taken in 1975, of a young Guy and Susanna Clark. To get an even better feel for these two classic characters, indulge yourself with the amazing film about Townes Van Zandt, entitled Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt.

Friday night in Nashville brought me a bit of Dinosaur Jr. and The Black Keys (from Akron, Oh…Go Zips!) at City Hall, which accentuated the same show seen Thursday night in Atlanta. The Black Keys ripped it, ever fine-tuning the possibility of damn good two-person bands.

In between sets, David and I wandered over to The Station Inn across the street, sometimes touted as the worlds most popular bluegrass club. We caught a couple of short sets by Blind Corn Liquor Pickers from Kentucky. While their picking was wonderful, I am sad to report that they might opt for an alternate lead singer, in lieu of their newest member, Beth Walker. I don’t want to be mean here, but it was literally painful to listen to her at times. I applaud people following their dreams, and it takes courage to even get on stage, so props to Ms. Walker for that. Still, the vocals were ill-suited to the incredible sounding music behind them.

Saturday evening brought us to Opryland, which is exactly what you think it to be if your image includes families of church-goin’ Americans, sandals with socks, and cheese fries. It was Jim Lauderdale, one of our favorites, that brought us there, though. Unfortunately, there seemed to be some mixed information as to when he was going to play, so he only played one song. We decided against waiting over two more hours in the oppressive heat to catch his next set, but am sure we’ll see Jim again.

Which creates a perfect segueway to our Saturday night show at the Douglas Corner Cafe. The night started with the kindness of a stranger, Shannon Cain, who offered us a seat at his AWESOME table (all the seats were taken, with not much room to stand anywhere, so this was, indeed, an appreciated gesture, and we gladly accepted.) Unbeknownst to us, Chris Masterson (of Son Volt fame) opened, accompanied by the incredibly talented and beautiful Eleanor Whitmore on violin, mandolin, and vocals. Truly amazing and mesmorizing. Next up was Bruce Robison, another incredible singer/songwriter, also accompanied by Ms. Whitmore.

Interestingly, I just learned that Jim Lauderdale “discovered” Bruce, connecting Bruce to his publisher, helping to kick-start Robsion’s ability to sell his songs to Nashville. It seems this is a path many take, including Lauderdale himself. While Bruce’s sister-in-law, Emily Robison of the Dixie Chicks, helped to make his song “Travelin’ Soldier” a hit, many other Nashville artists are eating up his writing, helping to provide a lucrative career for the talented Robison. And I love it when great musicians get paid.

All three of the nights performers hail from the incredibly musical state of Texas, and I am sure make routine rounds in the cojointly musical state of Tennesee. Although Nashville is better known for its cheese covered popular country, it is fully oozing with amazing music of all types, sans the cheese, and offered us an incredibly musical weekend.

Filed by darby at 10:43 am under Arts, travel
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The back of the postcard reads – “Based on research of seven fascist regimes including Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. The Bush/Cheney regime exhibits all of these traits. Work to stop them while you still can.” -Lawrence W. Britt of Syracuse Cultural Workers

I bought this postcard a couple of months ago at the bookstore Maloprops in Asheville, NC. I also just returned from Asheville a couple of days ago after seeing incredibly inspiring music by The Nightwatchman and Ben Harper. The message is clear. We must all rise from our slumber and become awake, and remain awake. And fight for justice.

The highlight of the evening, for me, was The Nightwatchman joining Ben for an electric rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War.” The Asheville audience was more than receptive, and it seemed some of the older fans were well aware of the roots behind this powerful song from one of our masters of poetry. The Nightwatchman ripped the guitar to beautiful shreds, at times with his teeth, a la his Rage Against the Machine days. Tom Morello, a.k.a. The Nightwatchman, may very well lead us into our much needed revolution, one man and woman at a time.

Masters of War
Come you masters of war
You that build all the guns
You that build the death planes
You that build the big bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

You that never done nothin’
But build to destroy
You play with my world
Like it’s your little toy
You put a gun in my hand
And you hide from my eyes
And you turn and run farther
When the fast bullets fly

Like Judas of old
You lie and deceive
A world war can be won
You want me to believe
But I see through your eyes
And I see through your brain
Like I see through the water
That runs down my drain

You fasten the triggers
For the others to fire
Then you set back and watch
When the death count gets higher
You hide in your mansion
As young people’s blood
Flows out of their bodies
And is buried in the mud

You’ve thrown the worst fear
That can ever be hurled
Fear to bring children
Into the world
For threatening my baby
Unborn and unnamed
You ain’t worth the blood
That runs in your veins

How much do I know
To talk out of turn
You might say that I’m young
You might say I’m unlearned
But there’s one thing I know
Though I’m younger than you
Even Jesus would never
Forgive what you do

Let me ask you one question
Is your money that good
Will it buy you forgiveness
Do you think that it could
I think you will find
When your death takes its toll
All the money you made
Will never buy back your soul

And I hope that you die
And your death’ll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I’ll watch while you’re lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I’ll stand o’er your grave
‘Til I’m sure that you’re dead

-Bob Dylan

Filed by darby at 1:10 pm under Arts, Politics, raves
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I have been making a bunch of mixed cd’s lately, which reminds me how much I love the process of mixing songs and being a DJ. As a natural (over) analyzer, I put a ton of thought into my mixes. Too, overthinking is destructive, because the audience must feel the mix, above all else. Finding the balance between the two, a dance where both intellect and emotion lead at different points, is key. Just as John Cusack’s character in High Fidelity (a great soundtrack, BTW), ruminates on the art of the mix, I see myself with my good friends, passionately debating the ingredients of an outstanding compilation.

Personally, I think it is fairly simple:

• Start off strong, literally. Almost always, the first track should be upbeat (in tempo) and incredibly strong in its demand of the listeners attention.
• Tell a story. Picking a theme helps stay true to the plot. (Note: Genre and mood can equal theme).
• Ensure cohesive mood changes and song order. The order of the songs seems to be almost as important as the songs themselves.
• Finish emotionally. This leaves the listener wanting more.

Back in the day, I used to make a mixed tape for a specific person, and would never give that same mix to a different person. Now, I have been using themes, rather than making a mix for a specific person, breaking my own rules of yesteryear of never duplicating a mix. New times require new rules.

The hours it took, though, in making a mixed tape, remember? To cue up the chosen song (rewind, stop, fast forward, stop, fast forward more, stop, rewind, almost there…), see if it flowed well into the next, repeat the process until the exact song was found for the exact slot, and on and on, was painstakingly laborious. It was all we knew, though, and making a mixed tape was an act of love. And getting one…well, that created a special bond. It allowed us to speak through music without passing a note in study hall. Now, someone makes a mixed CD and it’s a nice gesture, but doesn’t seem to hold the same weight as the mixed tape. Ahhh, the good ole days.

Which brings me to the point of this thought process; How cool would it be to get paid to make mixes? People do, ya know. This is now officially my dream job. I daydream of working with directors like Sophia Coppola and Wes Anderson in the pursuit of the stellar soundtrack. I always like to shoot for the top, ya know?

Filed by darby at 1:55 pm under Arts
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I have definitely morphed from an almost fully wild single creature to a tame and domisticated partner. This is evidenced most obviously by the sheer joy coursing through my veins right now due, soley, to the completion of our kitchen with the installation of our stone countertops. Make that – near completion. We still need a couple of finishing touches, like a cooktop hood, glass-tiled backsplash, pendant lights, and a cabinet finish or two, but you get the idea.

To aid you in your visual quest, I give you the before and after’s. The pic’s are presented from left to right; the one on the left, the before, and the one on the right, the after, from the same vantage points. Can you believe the difference? How SWEET is the after?

This post is getting awfully spiritual, what with the allelujah’s, possessed spirits, and the sweetness of the here-after. Plus, all the working to become complete, ever knowing that it will never be complete. Hmmmm. Maybe new kitchens are representative of Buddha. All the peace and serenity and calm and enlightenment and stuff…

Filed by darby at 8:15 pm under Arts, raves
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