Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Makes No Sense at All: Hüsker Dü on Good Company


I wish there were more footage of the grandmas in the audience moshing.
Link courtesy of Eli A. Want Out.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Bands, Beer, Barbarella and Crepes

I met my pal Phil at the Crepe Place in Santa Cruz Sunday and had a few beers...


...while Lucero rocked a sweaty kinda Memphis-influenced straight-up rock and roll...


...and openers Black Joe Lewis killed it James Brown Style...


...simultaneously, Jane Fonda got her space sex freak on in Barbarella on the bar TV...

That's a good night.

Friday, May 15, 2009

...and we're back...


Battered and bruised, but usually no worse for wear, my beloved EXS-600 finally succumbed to my errant boney ass cheek. RIP Good buddy...thanks for (capturing) the memories.

I've been camera-less since a little sit-and-crunch incident with my trusty digital camera back in March, but last night I stopped at the Fry's sleeper cell in Campbell and got a new one. The larger-screened, more feature-laden, higher megapixely and, incidentally, cheaper EX-S5. I'm hoping I come to like it as much as it's mango-hued predecessor. Here's a picture of it and some test shots from this AM:


The macro setting seems to like the wisteria, but then again who doesn't?


This is a wood carving someone did of our former neighbor cat Lupe. I think it says she's wanted for the murder of birds and other small animals. I miss the Lupe.

So far, so good...many more pics to come!


The new Casio EX-S5 at about actual size, on my screen anyway.

Too coincidental


I have to admit I harbor a loathesome contempt for Pearl Jam. Despite being from my hometown, I could never get past Eddie's mouth-full-of-shit vocals. When he did the soundtrack for 'Into the Wild' a couple years ago and actually started singing, well, I relented a bit. And maybe I've grown a little less snobbish about things--but probably not...I still can't listen to 'Ten' without wretching.

Anyway, he covered an obscure song called "Big Hard Sun" by Indio for 'Into the Wild' that I'd come to like back in my college DJ days...so I had to give him props for that...and the rest of that album is pretty OK too. On his (or Pearl Jam's) latest vinyl 7" release--a 2008 Christmastime single that shipped out this week--he covers John Doe's "The Golden State" with Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney--the original of which I just put on a mix for a friend a couple weeks ago, which seems too much of a coincidence, particularly on the flipside of a song called 'Santa Cruz'...which would make a perfect soundtrack for my thoughts as I pedaled my bike over the hill from San Jose this morning on Bike to Work Day. Add to that blog mistress Heather Browne's musings on coming over the Hill (I know, I know--Valley Go Home) and it all seems too much of a coincidence. Not to mention the fact that half the Santa Cruz Skateboards logo is on the record sleeve.

But blah, blah, blah....you can listen to both songs here on Heather's excellent music blog I am Fuel, You Are Friends which takes its title, incidentally, from a Pearl Jam lyric.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Transfixed



I know this may seem 'SO last month'--old people stop me on the street and ask me if I've heard of Danny MacAskill as I slip a pedal and gouge my shin (again). But I just can't not post it as I'm sure I account for fully one half of the 4.3 million views. And this coming from a guy who can watch about 15 minutes of a New World Disorder video before I'm numb to it, amazing as it all is.

I love the style, creativity, photography and music. Inspiring indeed.

(And yes I am well aware of how extra weak it makes the below video look).