Limehouse Outlaw

I'm a big fan of The Wolfgang Press, and in fact so much so that I've been trying to find anything by the, now solo, members of the band.  I got both 'Mud Black,' and 'Press/Delete' by Geniuser, but Limehouse Outlaw is proving to be more difficult.  Impossible, in fact.  It's called 'Homegrown,' and it's just not for sale anywhere. There are three songs from it on MySpace, so I'm going to link to them here.

I Disar'm 

Wake Up Late

Grimm Creeper

There are also six other songs here. 

I'm Super Happy With This Week's Caption

I just got really disappointed with the three finalists that beat out my 'made entirely of steel' caption, and just like that I came up with another that really deserves it's day in the sun.  Tell me, should I not be proud of what I came up with for this week's caption?

UPDATE: I was fully prepared to see my submission beat out by a bunch of crap, but there were actually a couple of pretty good finalists.  They were...

"I'll go see what's holding things up." Submitted by Lelee Brandt, Salisbury, Conn

"If I told you how I did it, it wouldn't be magic, would it? Submitted by David Wohl, Rock Hill, S.C.

"It won't fall until we're not around to hear it." Submitted by David Cavallo, Eden Prairie, Minn.

I still feel mine was better than any of these though..

On A Kids In The Hall Marathon

          I was alarmed to see that they're taking Kids In The Hall off of Netflix at the end of the year.  Luckily I've got about a week left, and I figured I should be able to finish this last season if I kick it into a marathon.  So I have been, and I just came across this sketch which I absolutely loved.  Take a few minutes and watch this.  It really kept me in stitches.

Each Day We Work

Top Ten Albums Added To My Collection in 2013

          I added quite a few new albums to my collection this past year, and after being quite disappointed with the top ten list I heard on NPR, I decided to make my own.  However my list will be of my favorite purchases this last year from any time period.  I picked up some really fantastic stuff, so here it is in no particular order.

The Charlatans UK - Simpatico (2006)

         I bought a bunch of discs by The Charlatans UK this last year, and was pretty astounded how they were just really good, one after the next.  But this one really stands out.  I wish I could describe what it is that works so well on this release.  I think it's the hooks.  It's pretty standard Rock-N-Roll, which is kinda rare these days, I guess, but the melodies just curl up into the right positions in your ear.  It's got lots of energy as well.  I catch myself singing and shouting along all the time.

Standouts: Blackened Blue Eyes, For Your Entertainment, Muddy Ground, Road To Paradise, The Architect, Sunset & Vine

Minus The Bear - Menos el Oso (2005)

          It's fair to say that Minus The Bear has been my biggest find of 2013.  And there's a bit of an interesting story to it.  When I'm down at The Depot setting up the place with Jay, we'll send music up to the line-arrays and really rock the house.  We sorta take turns, and a while back I asked Jay to play some favorite he had discovered through our venue, and what he chose to play was some Minus The Bear.  I was intrigued enough to pick up a disc, and then this one, Menos el Olo.  It's hard on the ears at first.  It's plenty loud, and should be listened to loudly.  But this was one of those cases where repeated listening yielded real results.  Once I got more familiar with the fairly complex rhythms and melodies, I realized that this was really, really good stuff!  I find myself wanting to group them with progressives of the classic years like Pink Floyd or Rush.  Maybe even a little Yes.  However, they do have a pretty unique muse, and maybe it's their dedication to it that makes them work so well.  

          Then they came back to The Depot, and I got to see the show from the perspective of the monitor mixer.  (On stage standing a few feet away) and that was something else.

Standouts: The Game Needed Me, Memphis & 53rd, El Torrente, Hooray, The Pig War, This Ain't A Surfin Movie

The 5th Dimension - Greatest Hits On Earth (1972)

          Now, of course, this music is not for just anybody.  It's only a half-step removed from what might be called Elevator Music.  (I guess you have to be of a certain age to even know why that would even be considered an insult.)  I bought this one looking for a particular cut of 'One Less Bell To Answer,' but was astounded to find so many other great songs on this disc.  Most of these tunes had been drifting somewhere just below the lower regions of my subconscious for pretty much all of my life.  So hearing them in the flesh has been a real thrill. And then there's a couple that already seem indispensable, like 'Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes.'  This is mellow music meant to take you 'Up, Up and Away.'

Standouts: (Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All, One Less Bell To Answer, Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In, Save The Country, Love's Lines, Angels and Rhymes, Up, Up and Away

Ivy - In The Clear (2005)

          I've had 'Apartment Life' by Ivy for many years, and have always loved it.  I only got a bunch more from Ivy this past year, and the best of the bunch was 'In The Clear.'  There's some really catchy tunes on this one, and songs like, 'Four In The Morning' and Tell, Don't Tell' have some real power. My favorite on the disc, however, is a pulse quickening toe-tapper called 'Keep Moving.'  I'm not sure why, but the Album Art is perfect for this disc.

Standouts: Keep Moving, Tess, Don't Tell, Four In The Morning, Ocean City Girl

Jon Anderson - Animation (1982)

          I had this on cassette way back when, and have a memory of listening to it in the hills of Hong Kong.  It has been impossibly expensive to get on disc, but I finally did get it as a download on a free trial offer type deal.  I have to say that I was right to remember to get it again after all these years.  There are some real gems on this thing.  In particular is a cut called, 'Surrender' that continues to send rivers of shivers across my skin, and I would be lying if I didn't admit that it has literally brought me to tears during maybe a dozen listenings.  

Standouts: Animation, Surrender, All In A Matter Of Time, Unlearning (The Dividing Line), Much Better Reason

Gretchen Parlato - The Lost And Found (2011)

          Gretchen Parlato has such a nice voice, and she uses it in such a very sensual way. Her music is lilting jazz, and it's easy to get lost in such relaxed piano riffs and lush percussion.  There's one cut I really love called 'Better Than,' that makes me feel as if my heart were about to stop beating.  In songs like 'Winter Wind' and 'How We Love' she takes us with her on such ascending crescendos that we are left limp and spent afterward. Gretchen Parlatos's music is meant for the very best of times.

Standouts: Holding Back The Years, Winter Wind, How We Love, Better Than, All That I Can Say    

Beck - Modern Guilt (2008)

          'Modern Guilt' follow a string of great albums by Beck. It was somewhat of a tossup between this one and 'The Information' as to which Beck album I'd choose from the two I bought this year.  There's so many good cuts on each.  'Modern Guilt' is a little more even I suppose, however there's some real gems on 'The Information,' so it's hard to choose.   

Standouts: Gamma Ray, Chemtrails, Modern Guilt, Youthless, Walls, Replica   

Catchers - Mute (1994)

      I had this disc something like fifteen years ago when it came out, but it was lost or stolen or damaged somewhere along the way, and this year I finally replaced it.  What a great album this is! What is it about those Scottish bands? (I could've included Belle & Sebastian's 'The Life Pursuit' in this list.) Is it the harmonies?  Is it the melodies?  Good lyrics too.

Standouts:  Beauty No. 3, Apathy, Country Freaks, Worm Out, Hallowed, Sleepyhead, La Luna

Rickie Lee Jones - The Evening Of My Best Day (2003)

          Should I be surprised at another fantastic album by Rickie Lee Jones?  Probably not.  This one's a real winner!  From the opening notes of 'Ugly Man' I knew this was going to be another great disc from one of the greatest artist of my lifetime.  Rickie Lee Jones is so good at blending real jazz influences into very accessible morsels that are palatable to anyone, but that are like liquid toffee to those that can hear it. Like me.

Standouts: Ugly Man, Second Chances, Bitchenostophy, It Takes You There,  Mink Coat At The Bus Stop  

Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach - Painted From Memory (1998)

          I can't believe how much I've been enjoying this collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. It's a perfect musical marriage. What I sense is that Elvis Costello was able to tap into that golden vein of beautiful and richly sad melodies that is called Burt Bacharach, that to the best of my knowledge hasn't been around in a long time. Would I be inaccurate to say that this represents something of a revival for the old master of mellow.  I certainly can hear him in there, and it seems like an old friendly voice from so long ago.    

Standouts: Toledo,  I Still Have That Other Girl, This House Is Empty Now, Such Unlikely Lovers, The Long Division, God Give Me Strength

*********

UPDATE:  Alright, I knew this was going to happen.  I've come up with at least two more albums I acquired this last year that simply must be mentioned.

Jefferson Starship - Gold (1979)

and

Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66-'86 - Classics

...and I guess all I have to say about them is that each has several unbelievably great songs on them.

UPDATE:  I know I'm being ridiculous, but I've gotta include another one that I forgot. 

Patricia Barber - Cafe Blue (1994)

This stuff is pure liquid honey!

#409

First I came up with this.

I shoulda got wise when his last words were "Up, Up, and Away."

Then I got this one.

Put his feet in a block of sponge?  What was I thinking!?

But I'm happier with what I finally ended up with.

Here Goes Another Try

UPDATE: This is a good example of just knowing that my own caption beats the crap out of ANY of these supposed finalists.  I'm starting to think that they're just picking 'em at random. Read mine, and then compare to the three below.

New Yorker Caption Contest Again

I came up with this one pretty quick and I initially wasn't very happy with it, however after sitting with it for a while, and not coming up with anything else, I have to say that I'm liking it more and more.

A One-Word Caption This Week

But then I figured out the wording for the other idea I was following.  What about this?

"My God!  The 3 things I wished for!  A plumber, his bag, and a wrench!"

It's still wordy, and actually that's what I was thinking about when I came up with the one-word caption, and I guess that's going to have to be good enough.

Update:  BOTH of my captions were far better than any of the finalists.

Got The Ickiness Factor Working For Me in this Caption Contest

Getting a Good Caption With A Difficult Illustration

Might have a bit of luck with this one.  I think the illustration is such a challenge that most people won't come up with anything.  I sure wasn't, until this one popped into my head.

Update:  I take it back.  There were two really good submissions in the finalists announced this week.  I would have been really proud of either of these.

"I look like five bucks."

or

"Oh my God, it's finally happened.  I've turned into my forefather."

New Yorker Caption Contest #403

Got Written Up in The School Newspaper

I had the first concert in the Free Concert Series I'm promoting at The Salt Lake Community College, and a guy from the school newspaper showed up and did a short story.  You can see it by following This Link.

Tried Another One

I just thought of an alternate caption.  How's this?

"How do I feel!? I feel like they should've tried a Safety!"

You know, I wasn't sure I'd be able to come up with anything for this Caption Contest, but here I go with another alternate.

"If you're going to insist on so-called 'Football Therapy,' you could've at least warned me I was picking a losing team!"

No.  That one's too long.

Paying a Government that's Not Even Open

I just want to take this opportunity to note that as I struggled to barely make a thousand dollar payment to the IRS for my quarterly taxes today, the government I paid it to has been taken hostage by a bunch of rogue bigots who have been the beneficiary of the last few decades of Republican gerrymandering, allowing them disproportionate power in representing that section of society that is small-minded, self-centered, and heartlessly cruel.  These immature, irresponsible liars that dress up as patriots would rather cause suffering to millions and shutdown our government than admit they've been wrong and allow Obamacare to be the real success it ultimately will be.  And yet I paid anyway.

I also want to note that while children are being denied Headstart programs that would allow their parents to work and contribute to society, our military spending has been made exempt from the shutdown.  You can imagine how pleased I was to read in a recent Daily Beast's article  how we've invested 5 billion dollars in a camouflage pattern for their clothing that I myself couldv'e designed in an afternoon. The cherry on that cake?  5 billion wasn't enough! They had to scrap the pattern and start all over!  And yet I made my tax payment today anyway.

I need also mention that the government I paid today has just been caught red-handed spying on me and my fellow citizens with an alarming lack of respect for our privacy, and rather than accept the need for change, their response is to attack those that exposed it.  Immature and irresponsible! And yet I paid anyway.

I paid my taxes today despite a hundred reasonable excuses not to, and I did it because I have the resolve and discipline to PAY WHAT I OWE, even though those Tea-Party congressmen in the government that I paid don't!

The New Yorker Caption Contest #400

Oh Damn!  I think I just came up with a better one.  How's this?

At projected revenue rates, we'll be able to break ground on our new office next year.

Caption Contest #399

I'm not certain I'm happy with the punctuation.  Maybe this should have been all one sentence.

Update:  I think I just got it.  It is two sentences.  I just broke it at the wrong place.  It should've read...

"Now very slowly step back two paces.  

And over one."

...right?

Now that they've announced a winner, I'd be remiss if I were not to point this out....

...which is worded far worse.

Another Cartoon Caption Attempt

Castaway On The Moon

I just had to make a post here saying...What an absolute triumph of a movie!  It's rare to find such a simple film that works so well.  I absolutely loved it.  Don't let the fact that it's Korean with subtitles dissuade you.    Don't miss it.  It's only on Netflix a few more days.

Jon Anderson - Surrender

I finally got Jon Anderson's 'Animation' album back into my collection recently, and there's one song on there that I think should be required listening for all.  It's called 'Surrender,' and it's been sending massive goosebumps across my body, and has even brought me to tears more than once.  Here it is on YouTube.

Not A Big Baseball Fan

Dead On Analysis from Mary Roach

I was listening to this week's Radiolab, and I just had to stop and link this piece of the story.  They are interviewing author Mary Roach about her research on The Afterlife, and as she was so elegantly concluding her thoughts, I was realizing that she had come to much the same conclusion I have concerning the question of life after death.  So if you'd like to know how I feel on the matter, you can just listen to Mary Roach.  Especially in her conclusions.

It's called Beyond The Grave.

This One Came Out Well

I was stumped on this one for a while, but then I realized it worked well with the old 'mother-in-law' bit.

Jon Stewart At His Finest

The Link for the SLCC Community Music Project

This is a link for local Artists/Bands to submit demos for our Community Music Project.

The SLCC Community Music Project

Another Try

A Landmark Day For Me

It all just sort of fell into place for me tonight.  The Spazmatics were playing The Depot for the ComicCon Party, but we only got the gig by giving them a really sweet deal.  That meant we only had one guy (Wes) to run both the house sound, and and monitors as well.  So I asked him if I could run monitors for him tonight, and he agreed.  He set all their levels at sound check, and I was only asked to make one slight adjustment during the show, nevertheless it quite clearly represents a landmark for me.  I can now say that I ran monitors for the Spazmatics at The Depot!  Whooooo Hoooo!

Trying again

New Yorker Contest #393

I have been having so much trouble with my P.C. lately, and call me superstitious, but the real trouble began when I bought an iPod.

Another New Yorker Caption Contest

I think I'll come up with a better one later, but it's late, and I just went with this.

Beck's Song Reader

I'm about to start Fall semester, and for my project in my Music Production Group, I've ordered Beck's Song Reader, and it just arrived full of sheet music.  I've been working pretty hard since then trying to decide which songs I am going to arrange and record for my class. Here are versions of six songs I've chosen for my project.

My favorite is called 'Title Of This Song,' most people have been doing it too slow.  The best version I could find is by Amy Regan.  She got that R&B thing right.  

I was blown away by Royal Canoe's version of 'We All Wear Cloaks.' (Having trouble linking it normally but the link below should take you there.)

We All Wear Cloaks - Royal Canoe


Next is another exciting challenge called 'Rough On Rats.'  I love this performance of it by the Portland Cello Project.  I see it as a smoky lounge-like song.  Maybe with a hint of Tom Waits.

I also really like this one called 'Why Did You Make Me Care?" by Hey Ocean.  If fact they really nailed it.  I can only hope that mine will be as good as this one.

No one seems to be doing what I want to do with 'I'm Down." This one I think will work best as a hard driving funk piece ala "Youthless." I hope to get some Trip Hop influences in there as well.  The closest I could find was this one by Got A Girl, but it's really not what I'm hoping for. (Once again I had trouble with the link.)

I'm Down - Got A Girl

And this is the one that seems to get 'Don't Act Like Your Heart Isn't Hard." the way I'd like to do it.

Once we get some of theses songs put together next semester, I'll post them here.

Another New Yorker Caption Contest

Sometimes figuring out the caption is little more than a matter of figuring out what the hell is going on in the illustration.

Star Trek Enterprise

It's been a long time since I've been so blown away by a television series as I have been for the series I just finished. Star Trek Enterprise

I mean, you've got to tip your hat to The Next Generation, which really redefined the genre.  There was a lot of good stuff on that series, and I loved Data and all.   But while The Next Generation was a little bit saccharin and sanctimonious, the Enterprise series was nothing short of a hoot!.  It has been an absolute fun ride. And too short at only four seasons. (It challenged Bush/Cheney sensibilities right at the height of that hysteria, and probably made a lot of people uneasy.)  One of my favorite moments is shown in the image below.  It's kind of hard to tell, but he's riding a tether between two starships at warp 5 right out in the open.  I literally let loose with a Yeeeehhhaaaawww!!!!!

I do have one big complaint though, and I know how geeky this is going to sound but I'm going to say it anyway.  In Season 3, nearing the climax of the Xindi crisis in The Expanse, Capt. Archer steals a warp drive from a ship of innocent explorers.  Okay, fine.  The fate of the Human Race depended on it, but what bugged me was that when the crisis was resolved, he did nothing to return the stolen warp drive back to the crew that was now limping home at impulse on a journey that would now take them several years. Returning the warp drive seemed the least they could do, and not doing so reflected especially poorly on the character of Human Beings.

Caption Contest

I really like this cartoonist.  I usually come up with good ones for his drawings. This is what I  got for this one.

New Yorker Caption Contest #389

This one seemed brimming with possibility, but this is was all I could come up with.

I'll bet I think of something better later.

*****

Yeah, hear's another one.

"Hate to tattle, but the chef was picking his nose."

New Yorker Caption Contest #388

I got this one right away.

-------------------------------------------

Later

I was so disappointed with the finalists on this one.  The judges and each of the finalist missed the fact that it's the doctor speaking.  Not the golfer!  None of their captions even makes sense with this illustration.  How disappointing.  

Long Live Rock & Roll

Gotta see Kids In The Hall

Blue October Has A Song Called Overweight

Sometime last year Blue October came through the club where I work called The Depot. I liked what I heard enough to pick up a disc by them that has a cut on it that I have really come to love.  It's called Overweight, and if you read along with the lyrics, it'll surprise you when it suddenly moves you to tears.  This is one song that gets the crescendo right! I think the final verse is inspired.

Here's the video.

Another New Yorker Caption Contest Submission

I think I might have pulled the trigger too quickly on this one.  I'm not sure I worded it very well.

Great Advise From A Veteran Sound Engineer

I just watched this video on YouTube.

As I hope to learn sound engineering skills, I found his advise enlightening, wise, and easy to comprehend.

This Artificial Heart Began Beating on It's Own.

I was watching this PBS program and had to take a picture of the screen.

This Heart was grown in a laboratory, and when fed oxygen and stuff, it began beating!  All by itself!  Tell me that isn't stunning.

This Week's Caption Came Quickly

When I first glanced at the illustration for this week's Caption Contest it seemed completely open ended.  A doctor talks to a dog.  He could just about be saying anything.  Then I looked a little harder, and I have to say that no other caption than the one I came up with, would now seem appropriate.  Look at the seem in the dog's neck.  It's a costume.  And then, sure enough, there are fleas scattered around. The obvious caption is as follows...

Okay, it's my blog so I'm going to indulge in pointing out what makes this caption work.
I think it's because it opens the door to so many other unanswered questions.  Such as...

Does the man inside have fleas, or it it just the dog-costume that does?
And if it's just the dog-costume that has the fleas, then why are the fleas attracted to it?
Is the dog-costume made from the hide of an actual dog?
And if not, could fleas be fooled into making a habitat of the costume's fabric?
But the over-riding question of course is,
Why doesn't he just take the dog-costume off and be done with the fleas?

Perhaps a more profound and disturbing question is,
Why is he wearing the dog-costume in the first place??
Is this man employed to wear this degrading costume?
Could catching fleas be a part of a Worker's Compensation claim?

You see what I mean?  The questions just keep rolling on out.
I had myself a good giggle. But my final question is,
What is it with that doctor's nose?