still no muse

Thu, 1 Oct 2009 23:27:14 -0700

summer came with a vengeance and it did the opposite of making me want to dispatch.

i remain, still, in that frame of mind.

maybe fall will succeed in spotting my evasive inner wordsmith. in fact, i feel a little prose coming on about my new and very amply-proportioned spider tenant. he’s so massive, i’ve taken to having little conversations with him, expecting he’s fully capable of understanding every word i say - and perhaps knows a few other languages as well...

bloomin’

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:44:38 -0700

well, nothing like a four-month hiatus to prove i’m no “blogger”! i blame twitter. any tasty morsels i got (they are very rare), i send out in chirps and tweets.
and, well, let’s face it...i’m not that interesting.

only green lake news i have to share is the appearance of yet another new type of duck i haven’t spotted here before: the bufflehead. needless to say, it made my day because i just can’t get me enough waterfowl! every time, it seems, there’s something new and captivating out there.

another rare and glorious moment to celebrate: today’s 10-day forecast for seattle has a sun in every day, which is unheard of....i don’t understand it...but i’m sooooooo pleased. the end of winter bodes well for the return of whitbob to the outdoors and the return of her will to dispatch.

flops and finds of sxsw

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:40:12 -0700

HITS:
Dan Auerbach • Elvis Perkins in Dearland • Cold War Kids • Okkervil River • Blitzen Trapper • Republic Tigers • Delta Spirit • Camera Obscura • Heartless Bastards • Langhorne Slim •
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

FINDS:
Janelle Monae • Blind Pilot • Dear and the Headlights • Black Joe Lewis • Akron/Family • Deer Tick

FLOPS (and/or didn’t live up to the buzz):
Harlem Shakes • Ra Ra Riot • Dirty Projectors • K’NAAN • Vivian Girls

undocumented floaters

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:53:09 -0800

we’ve got some newcomers to the lake this winter...and they’re lookin’ good. lookin’ real good. the guys pictured above are never close enough to shore so that you get a good fine look at them, but even out a ways, you can spot their fan of head feathers and the male’s white crest on the side of his head. known as the hooded merganser, these guys are spectacular swimmers. in fact, i’ve found it hard to get to know them because they spend so much of their time diving and staying under water. they certainly spruce up the middle of the lake, though!

the second group of cute and cuddly foul to grace our little lake this winter are the american wigeons. there’s a big group of them that move around the lake and they’re smaller than the resident mallards. you’ll notice their small round heads and short bills, but most distinct, is the male’s head with its beautiful green and the ivory stripe that goes down the center of the forehead and continues on the bill. i’m so taken with these little guys, but good god are they skittish! i’m hoping one of these days they’ll start watching the crows, ducks, squirrels and geese not give a hoot about all the people and chill out, but so far, if you even start to get near this group, they totally freak out and fly away en masse.

welcome winter

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:08:20 -0800

i’ve been waiting patiently for the past few weeks, but last night i finally got my wish: snow has come to seattle at last! i enjoyed the first of the snow flurries during the annual luminaria around the lake. it picked right up where the christmas ships left off and i can safely say i’m 100% in the christmas spirit. the night came complete with decorated canoes and kayaks on the lake, hundreds of people and their dogs decked in christmas garb and bands and carolers serenading us as we walked around the lake in the falling snow. i closed out the evening with the methodist church choir’s rendition of ‘silent night’.
it was a grossly perfect holiday night.

and this morning, like a kid on christmas morning, i woke with a start and jumped to the window. and there was the winter wonderland that still tickles this native californian. despite a very short night, i couldn’t help but get bundled up and head out to the sunlit snow garden. it was still pretty quiet at 8:30 in the morning so i didn’t have to worry too much about others witnessing my total inability to walk on the icy path. i continuously struggled - despite my vibram soles - and would lurch suddenly in one direction or another, never actually falling, mind you - and then i came to realize that there was a fairly steady trickle of runners zipping by me in their tiny running shoes...never once seeming to have any trouble on the sheets of ice. how could this be? and what is wrong with me? i saw it happen all the way around the lake and all i can conclude is that i have a winter walking impediment. everyone else can cruise like gazelles without a care. where’s the tension? the lurching??
i guess just call me tiny tim.

how much do you love bacon?

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:57:54 -0800

our girl, katie, came through for us at work and tested a recipe we had read about on bacon today ... the mysterious and intriguing “bacon brownie”. we were all terribly curious, but katie finally took the bacon by its desert potential and put an end to the mystery. mark allowed me to capture his bacon brownie experience, which he described as “interesting”. not bad. not amazing...but still pretty good. basically, the desert has texture issues more than taste issues. the bacon, no matter how crispy you make it, suffers when incorporated into the batter for baking. we all decided it would be ideal if the brownies and the bacon could be cooked separately and then layered on the plate. that way, there’s no bastardization of bacon’s hallowed crispiness, but you still get to indulge in the holy matrimony of bacon and chocolate.

sweet, sweet music in austin

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:53:34 -0700

Austin City Limits music festival 2008 - THE WRAP

Friday:
M Ward - I was pretty excited to see this guy do it one more time like he did in Chicago, but sadly, this time was not so great, due mainly to the fact that he was performing on a small stage in a tent with chairs. The crowds could not move in and the tent proved to be extra hot and acoustically challenging. I still wait to magically run into these guys in a small cowboy bar where the experience would be unmatched.
Bobby Bare Jr. - Performing on the small, out-of-the-way BMI stage, Bobby brought his own special sauce and served it up right to a perfectly uncrowded, dancing audience. I quickly coined him my fleshy little love troll. He’s gritty, but he likes the lovin...”Come give us hugs,” he said. “We like love. We’re into it.” He sounded good. He was funny and happy to make us dance. Any trip to Texas is enhanced by some Bobby Bare Jr.
Hot Chip - I had only known the great reviews about Hot Chip’s live performances before setting myself up in front of the main stage Friday afternoon, and holy hot chip, were they right on. A pack of not-so-attractive, very dorky Brits, these guys are high on the character scale and through the roof on peppy dancey party pants making. Not normally my kind of music, they’re absolutely my style for live, dancing spirit. They brought some capitalized “f-u-n” to the start of the festival.
Ryan Bingham - and so begins sexy cowboy ogling. This guy is
a Texas native and his singin’ voice is so gravelly, you’d swear it’s
wearing its own pair of dirt-encrusted cowboy boots and has been
raised on nuthin’ but cigarettes and whiskey. Add a gee-tar to that
and you’ve got yourself a fine specimen. Suzanne and I were happy
to dance to his country songs and wished we had a ranch and a
bonfire to which we’d bring him.
The Swell Season - The sun had set, the stage lights were low and the piano was open. Glen Hansard looked past the thousands of faces in the crowd, caught my eye and sat me down for a talk. “Whitney,” he said, “The heart is nature and the mind is culture. And never shall the two agree.” He told me about his struggles and how sometimes you really can get yourself - in the most round-about way - to the place you want to be. The whole set was intimate and thoughtful and, thanks to the witty candor, never boring.
The Mars Volta - These guys rock. It was loud. It was dancing. And it was exactly how you want to simultaneously close out a full day of music and get yourself pumped for two more.

Saturday:
Old 97s - Oh, Rhett Miller, why do you insist on making me swoon in
public? Old 97s were just as they always are. I don’t get tired of them,
so that works out just fine. I’m not a huge fan of their latest album,
which makes this particular tour not as much fun, but they always play
the handful of my favorites and frankly, Rhett could start singing
insurance-commercial jingles and I’d still be happy to watch.
The Fratellis - First time seeing these guys and I was hoping for a more lasting impression than what I walked away with. Honestly, I can’t really remember the details of their set, but I remember thinking they were pretty fun. Day two was disturbingly hot, so that might have something to do with it. Searching my heat-addled brain, I think I was generally entertained by their Scottish popiness and would gladly give them another go.
Drive-By Truckers - Drive-by Truckers story time is my favorite story time. They performed strong and energetically despite the heat and we had a great dancing time. But my favorite part was all talk. Patterson Hood, the lead singer, walked us through - with the help of a recurring drum beat and some backup guitar - his story behind “18 Wheels of Love” and how his mama fell in love with Chester, the trucker. I tell you what, that man can tell a story! About as good as he can sing one.
Robert Earl Keen - No surprise with Mr. Keen. He played all the favorites and aptly ended the set with “The Road Goes on Forever” (and the party never ends)
Mason Jennings - It’s possible my little Mason is a bit of a God lover, and I am prepared to forgive him of his growing tendency to insert that situation into his songs because the man obviously has a good sense of humor and knack for pairing the right lyric with the right melody to get right on in my heart. He put on a good show despite being in the crossfire of the main stages on either side.
The Black Keys - They may be only two strong, but boy can they fill up a pretty large park with fans and big, fat, bluesy rock. I sat on the sidelines during this show (guiltily so) but the heat finally got the best of me and I knew I’d be seeing them the next day at the Stubb’s after party. Even from my crappy listening spot, they were strong and made me love them so much more.
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - The most formal of the performances and no surprises. They did draw a surprisingly large crowd, especially considering they were up against Beck. We stayed for the first few songs, felt content and headed cross-park for the ultimate show.
Beck - It was a challenge to get across the park and penetrate the absolutely enormous crowd to catch even a tiny glimpse of Beck. But, Suzanne and I are nimble and very motivated, so we managed to worm our way forward and enjoyed one of the best shows of the festival. Beck’s versatility and uniquely stoic showmanship made it totally entertaining and diverse. He swung from ballads to electronica. From the early 90’s to futurama. He had tens of thousands of people at the end of his puppet strings and he made us all dance madly. Then he made us quite literally mad when he ended the show 15 minutes early and didn’t come back out for an encore. It was the highest high followed by an unexpected low. You’re hot shit, Beck, but you can’t cheat fans out of an encore.

Sunday:
Gillian Welch - Went here with Suzanne. I’m not a huge fan, so it was a perfectly enjoyable set of lady country songs. I have limited needs in this department and my quota is filled by Neko Case and Patty Griffin. The high point was when she brought out Allison Krauss and they sang “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby” a cappella.
Neko Case - So happy to get some Neko time. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her live, possibly not since four years ago at ACL ’04. She started out a little uncomfortable (I’ve suspicioned that she’s not totally at ease with performing live) but after four or five songs, she loosened up and joked with the crowd about orcas eating babies...chuckling that babies are tasty delicacies. Performance-wise, her voice still grabs you in your bones and sways you back and forth.
Okkervil River - Audrey has successfully infected
me with Okkervil River fever. (I had just seen them
at the Showbox the week before and have plans
to marry bass player, Patrick Pestorius...oh,
Patrick...) It was great to see them again, this time
in their hometown of Austin, and you really can’t get
enough of these guys live. Will Shef has a gripping
voice and an on-stage intensity that is totally addictive. He sings with his whole self and, as a viewer, you’re instinctively invested and thankful to him for giving you 100%. And when you’re not wrapped up in Will singing to you, you giggle with instant delight watching Travis lovin’ life on drums.
The Raconteurs - This show was like watching
surgery as art. Everything was so clean.
Instruments wielded like scalpels that cut with
precision and intent. It’s pure rock ‘n roll and it’s
a treat to be in the presence of people who do it so
well. Jack White was apparently performing with a
slipped disc in his neck and yet, he cut no corners
and he performed deliciously. They had the big screens playing in black and white and that little detail echoed the perfect choreography of the act. The fact that they felt the need to control the screen presentation only re-emphasizes these guys are serious about their art.
Black Angels & Black Keys - After party @ Stubb’s - I was extra excited to get a viewing of The Black Angels while in Austin because they were not on the ACL lineup. Sad, though, that they played a terribly short set and the acoustics weren’t perfect for their brand of throbbing, gooey, psychedelic rock, but happy to have the bonus show. Black Keys were the headliners and they were fantastic. The two of them hold nothing back and make you wish they could travel with you through life creating the soundtrack of your days.
The experience of being out back at Stubb’s listening to good music on a warm evening was a welcome change to the crowded & dusty city of Zilker Park and it made me excited for SXSW. March and another musical venture in Austin can’t come too soon!

the many mysterious faces of leaf

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:43:01 -0700

this is no green lake post. no sir. because this kind of craziness is only found in remote jungles - like one might find, perhaps, on the washington coast. as audrey and i hiked our ozette triangle, we came across what we have determined is either the work of somebody highly creative or highly bored or highly psychotic. either way, it was pure delight and we got a little giddier and a lot more into our CSI schtick with each new sighting. it took our professional-grade eyes to spot them all, and here’s how it went:

i want to be able to do this

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:20:18 -0700

wouldn’t it be so wonderful if you could just bob upside-down in the water? i watch these guys with envy every time i walk around the lake.

why o why can’t i have that floaty pivot point?
why o why can’t i have a bum that looks as cute as those?

i’ve tried to capture the glory that is upside-down ducks for a while now, but i seem to only go out when they’re napping or cruising. finally, i ventured out during mealtime, and it was duck butts galore.
simply magical.

stick a (pitch)fork in ‘er

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:25:15 -0700

well, this one isn’t about the lake outside my door...instead i headed east 4 hours via alaska airlines into the sweaty summerland (torture chamber) of chicago. my friend audrey hosted me and showed me how the hipsters of chitown do it, and more specifically, how they do summer music festivals. it was great fun learning a new city, but ultimately, i was there for the music, pitchfork music festival that is...and this is my wrap:

Sat. July 19
fleet foxes - these laid back, proud-to-be-hippie-hipster men from seattle certainly delivered in the talent department. there is no denying that these kids have nailed the vocals. when you’re baking in the hot sun and surrounded by scantily clad music goers, these guys transport you back to the days of the harmonic rock ‘n roll of CS&N. unfortunately, though, i was looking for a little more pep. something that would invite the wind to swoop in and dance around with you. i do love them, but not for the big outdoor venue when i’m hungry for a little unexpected transformation on stage.

vampire weekend - so, i tried to push aside my visceral dislike of these guys live. i have the cd, i agree that they’re peppy and fun to listen to when the shuffle coughs them up, but i can’t squelch the deep-seated, unmitigated need to shove them down a flight of stairs. they basically regurgitated the cd on stage without any sort of stage presence or willingness to introduce some creative license with the performance. as far as i’m concerned the hype has no legs...much less, fangs.

ruby suns - i like these guys, but not because of their performance on sat. unfortunately, they were victims of the pitchfork “B” stage curse. sound was terrible and always competing with the stages across the way. it’s possible that sometimes they’re a little too “worldly” for me, but, i’m still working on being a fan.

flatstock - i took the hold steady performance time to go peruse (and purchase, of course) the awesome work of the flatstock poster show artists. there were some great folks there and a lot of talent.

animal collective - these guys closed out an otherwise B / B- day...and totally turned it around. they started out a little slow, but quickly gained momentum and just rocked their performance. the lights and mixing were in perfect sync and the energy on stage was totally infectious. the lead singer wore a red hat that bopped around the stage like a little red read-along ball. the keyboardist sported a headlamp, which offered it’s own little light bop. great closer.

Sun. July 20
(extra extra extra hot)
les savy fav - oh big man with fire. hilarity. nonsense. costumes. girth. oh how we love to watch you skip jiggle and dive around the stage, tim harrington! i don’t know how many bands could get me crazy dancing in full sun and satan’s sweat bath, but l.s.f. did the job. it was crazy rockin’ fun and i danced gleefully the whole way through.

the dodos - great show. they took the intensity down a few notches from l.s.f. (or i would have died of heat stroke) but they still were having a good time on stage and gave a solid performance. i particularly enjoyed the tambourine artfully duck taped to one of their feet. that’s technology at work right there.

m ward - i was curious (read skeptical) how he was going to sound in the big outdoor venue, but our scratchy-voiced troubadour pulled it off and then some. he laid down the unique vocals in true m ward style, but with his band, he served up a hearty side of country that got the kids moving. i’d love to get them in a small country bar.

bon iver - little justin would be the example of the beautiful voice and haunting sounds not suited for the B stage. he was fighting (and losing) against Spiritualized across the way and the open air really didn’t contain his sound like it needs to be held. i most certainly will set out to see them again in a smaller indoor setting.

spoon - was pretty much spoon. i’ve seen them live a few times and they’re exactly spoon every time. they don’t blow my mind, but they’re surely better live than just popping in the cd. i danced and gave them the hearty applause they deserve.

(photos from the weekend are here)

now i get to see three of these guys again this coming weekend at capitol hill block party :)
no rest for the music at heart.