I'm writing this in the pause between din-din and show time. So it may be overly brief.
After leaving the kids at my sis-inlaw's, (thank you Aunt Lynnie) Ellyn and I headed south on the ol I95. The trip to Burlington was pretty quiet. Stopped at Coach in Freeport for Ellyn, had lunch at Three Tomatoes in Lebanon (good pizza), tried not to kill the stupid lady in the BMW who didn't understand the point of cruise control, and fought crazy winds up through the stunning mountain vistas.
We checked into the Windjammer and had a rest before venturing out to meet a friend for drinks. If you are ever in Burlington, check out the Vermont Brew House and try the Burly Irish Red, YUMMY! We also had dinner before we headed to the club (also very yummy). When we arrived at Nectar's/Metronome, Jesus VaNacho, was still doing sound check so we had to chill at Nectar's for a bit. Eventually, we wandered up, got out tickets and staked out a booth near the front. Eventually Aya and Bryan wandered in and we chatted a little before, Jesus VaNacho took the stage. They were a very talented group, but don't seem to have an identity. During one of the early songs I leaned over and said to Bryan, "Psychedelic Country?" There just wasn't a consistent vibe to the show. Well executed, but all over the place. Then they simply went TOO LONG!
The Posse showed up about 3 songs into the opening set. They were in full force for sure.
After a brief intermission, the boys took the stage. Their energy was amazing. I can't believe how tight they are, spending about a month opening for GPN has paid off. Scott, Benny and Bryan were playing off each other like they were breathing. Amazing, drum duo by Steve and Matt. The syncopation on Machine Gun (Hendrix tune) was f@#%ing unbelievable. Blues and Lasers owned that stage and that club, despite the late hour. I do recommend, if you plan on attending a Blues and Lasers show, that you bring ear plugs. The boys like it LOUD!!!
Set list (thanks to John Carr for filling in my blanks):
Drone In A Othermen I Ain't Changing Who Do You Think You Are? Fallen Friend Home Funk W.N.W.G.D. 22 Times Devil Wrapped Around Me Machine Gun Encore: Give It a Try
So one of my employees tells me I have to check out this game called Peggle. So I downloaded the Steam client and tried the demo. I am now a little bit addicted. Just a little. Right now they are offering Peggle Deluxe for a mere $4.99. You should try it, you'll like it. Bwhahaahhahha!
This post by Bob Lefsetz is a good read and is right full of a little something Steven Colbert would call truthiness. I hope all you young musicians out there are paying attention.
JamBase has posted an article about my favorite band (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, in case you're not paying attention) and their soon to be released live EP. Skowhegan was a great show, I may have to break down and download itunes for this one.
Since I've started using the Netflix streaming option on my xbox 360, I've noticed a curious thing. I will start out with great speed and video quality, then after an hour or so, I start having problems. Even though I have the 3mbps tier, I end up with the show stopping and a message telling me that my connection has slowed and they're adjusting the quality. This ends up happening a few times until I have unwatchable video. I couple this problem with the complaints I've been hearing from other heavy users and I start to see a pattern. I think that Fairpoint may be pulling a Comcast and restricting the bandwidth for heavy users. I could be wrong, but I am getting closer and closer to paying the extra $10/month for Time Warner to get the speed I need.
As I'm loading up my media player with guitar greats, I once again realize how short sighted the labels really are. I use Rhapsody's all you can eat buffet subscription service. This allows me to load up my and my wife's media player for the cost of a CD a month, also to access the service from any broadband/net capable device. To my point, there are some tracks which don't fall under the purview of this deal. They are accessible as only 30 second snippets to tease you into dropping the 99 cents on them.
The only thing I can figure, based on which tracks end up in this category, is that the labels are trying to protect what they view as high value properties. This is understandable, yet short sighted. Many people will just ignore those tracks, especially when exploring new artists. If I can listen to all but one or two tracks off the album, I'm probably gonna do it. Then if I really want those, I may decide to buy them (hasn't happened yet).
So let's say I buy it. Now they get their share of the 99 cents, once. However, if those tracks are ones I really like and keep on my player for months to years at a time, they will get a small but regular revenue stream out of me, that may turn out to be a larger sum.
Now we come to the "wait a minute" section. "What if you don't keep the tracks, then they don't get the revenue?"
True, there is a gamble that I will think the music is crap (and a lot of it is). However, if I pay my near buck a track, I'm gonna tell my friends how much crap it is and to avoid it. If it's just part of my large buffet, I'll delete it and forget it. Conversely, if I like it and keep it, I'll tell other people how great it is. Then they may download it at Rhapsody, or pay up at iTunes, or even buy a shiney disc. Now instead of avoiding the track, I'm micro paying for it, promoting it, and getting the label additional users.
I'm sure the labels will tell you, I'm just a whiny person who doesn't want to pay for music. Not so, I'm someone who has a disturbingly large number of shiny discs, that I paid way too much for in college. I'm someone who doesn't want to steal music, therefore I have a subscription service so I can explore new artists and back catalogs of my faves. I'm someone who will tell anyone who will listen, how great an artist is. To the labels I say, if you're worried, I won't like your music and want your money up front, maybe you should produce better music.
One of my favorite little internet birdies told me that this show was finally up on archive.org. Woot! I know Tom and Matt will be especially pleased to hear this news.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival, 9/13/08, Fredericton N.B. 1 Treat Me Right 06:53 2 Ain't No Time 03:59 3 Mystery Train 07:29 4 Sweet Hands 06:13 5 Stop The Bus 06:44 6 Here's To The Meantime 04:32 7 Ah, Mary 05:20 8 Pain In My Heart 07:08 9 Joey 06:29 10 Sugar 06:25 11 Paint It Black 08:31 12 If I Was In Paris 05:34 13 Watchin You 12:56 14 Angel Band 02:16 15 Big White Gate 06:26 16 Down By The River 12:51
The weather this week has just plain sucked, and my business has sucked accordingly. Now this is our prediction for the next day and a half. BAH!
Today Partly sunny this morning...then mostly cloudy with a slight chance of snow this afternoon. Little or no snow accumulation. Highs around 20. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of snow 20 percent.
Tonight Snow likely in the evening...then snow...sleet and freezing rain after midnight. Snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches. Ice accumulation of up to one quarter of an inch. Early lows around 20 then temperatures slowly rising. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
Friday Snow...sleet and freezing rain. Total snow and sleet accumulation of 6 to 10 inches with the highest amounts north and west of a Caribou to Baxter State Park line. Ice accumulation of up to one quarter of an inch. Near steady temperature in the mid 20s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph...becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation near 100 percent.
I enjoyed the Demo, but it looks like I won't have to bother with the full game. Since the embed seems as dodgy as an Big Three CEO, check it out here.
According to Gamerpolitics.com a conservative christian investment firm as put out a "dirty thirty" video game buying guide for the holidays. Apparently, there are "homo-erotic" undertones in the blood fest "Army of Two." In other words, it's not the violence, it's the man on man love that is wrong with the game. Riiigggghhhtttt! Dumb-asses.
They also take on the moral corruption in other games. I'm glad someone is looking out for my kids, otherwise I would have to.
On November 15, 2008, Blues and Lasers opened for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at The Independant in San Fransisco. CrowArtists was there to record it. (Gee I wonder who that is?)
I just bought Guitar Hero World Tour. I needed a new guitar, as the RB1 and the GH Explorer were both acting up and causing problems. Since it was only $30 more the GHWT guitart with the game than just the Rock Band 2 guitar, it seemed an easy decision. It's quite fun, especially in a group.
I must say, that just because Yahtzee's friends don't want to sing, doesn't make me a lush or a pissant. Although, I am sure some of you will argue that point.
There is a reason why greed is one of the mortal sins. It leads people to totally disregard the welfare of self and others in the pursuit of money and things. There is no better example of this than those people in Long Island, who ended a man's life so they could get better deals. To them and to Walmart, who hosted Jdimytai Damour's death, I say "F#@K YOU YOU GREEDY F#@KS!" I am disgusted with our consumer ways, which often leads to some self disgust, but this is on a whole new level of putrescence.
You gotta love the way this CNN story spins the "positive" news of good sales for Walmart, for that-F#@k you CNN.
I know some of you already receive the Lefsetz letter, for those of you who don't, I recommend this particular post as a great primer on how to truly succeed in today's music biz. There are some bands, I can think of, that are following these precepts pretty well. Letsetz Letter - The Tribe
"Railing against P2P, complaining that your music is being stolen, putting FBI stickers on your CDs, none of this enhances your bond with your fans, none of it adds members to your tribe. Think about the tribe first! The label’s tribe is the stockholders, not the music listeners. Do not associate your interests with theirs."
I have some friends who are lucky enough to live in Vermont and get to see my other friends in action. Jan and Gary captured these videos a couple of weeks ago, and have been posting them to Vimeo.
This PvP (Scott Kurtz) posits an interesting question. Can we gadgetize the reading experience enough to make non-readers take interest. Even though Brent is most often the "tool" in this comic soap opera, he is also the tool of truth. He says the dickish things that people don't want to hear. In this case, I agree with him. You are either a reader or not.
By non-readers, I don't mean people who are illiterate. I mean people who are capable, but would rather not. They read just what they need to complete the task at hand. These are the folk who are happy with the movie or audio book. There is nothing wrong with these people. They just don't get pleasure from reading; readers, on the other hand, do
Once in the reader camp there are gradations of skill and interest. My friend Phil is a voracious reader. In fact if you told him he couldn't read anymore, he'd be as hard to deal with as 10 yo boy with out his Game Boy. I'm probably about average. Most of my reading is related to work and news but I do love a good book, when there is time.
Some of you may remember that I posted about a series of pornos based on the huge MMORPG World of Warcraft. That one post has brought me so very many new views from all over the world. I'm telling you, never underestimate the power of horny gamers and the perceived hotness of female Night Elves.
I enjoy Malcolm Gladwell's work. I find it insightful, well written and easily related to. This article came to my attention through "The Lefsetz Letter" (subscribe). I highly recommend you take the time to read it.
As an only child, it is often assumed that I have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. Thanks to my parents, that just isn't the case. Anytime I started to think that way, I was always put back in my place, i.e. you work for what you get, life isn't fair, and the world doesn't revolve around you (I have since found that bed-spins temporarily negate that last one).
These are lessons that seem to be non-existent in many families around our country today. I feel that I am observing a generational devolution of the ability to overcome. Whining to mom and dad to fix it, is not a survival trait. I feel that Gladwell's notion of disadvantage as advantage is spot on. Our national fixation of giving children every advantage, and thing, is leading us down a path where so many people don't know real success.
The point in our society where a C became the teachers fault and was just unacceptable, therefore making self-preserving teachers change their scores, is the point where we went off the rails. If Joey doesn't know that he can get C's or even fail, he has no idea what it means to succeed based on merit. He won't develop those skills that are necessary to overcome roadblocks to success. In fine we are raising entitled kids, who have no idea what it means to struggle for what they have.
I fear for those people and what life will mean for them in the future I see coming. It seems quite possible that our national heyday has passed, and in that new world, the old insider ties that protect them won't matter. It will indeed be those who faced failure and disadvantages that will be most equipped to succeed.
You may also notice that she mentions that they are headed into the studio. I have it on good authority that they will be working with the same people responsible for the recent Blues and Laser EP. I can't wait.
I know many of you are already quite aware of the massive suckage that is Walmart (aka Wally World). I avoid shopping there as much as possible, but sometimes they just have what you need at prices you want to pay.
I went out this morning, cause I hate the crowds of people that play out their Springeresque lives in the aisles of this retail giant. All was quiet, as most of those folks don't get up that early.
I picked out my various body cleansers and moisturizers, as well as looked at some possible Christmas presents for the kidlets. When I arrived at the front, all the lines were backed out to the ends of the aisle. You see, Walmart is very good at making sure they have just enough people working cash, to barely handle the customer flow. I understand that they need to control costs, so I'm cool with being a couple people deep. What pissed me off, after waiting in the line for over 5 minutes, the dipshit, turns off his light and says to the person in front of me, we all need to find another line cause he has to go.
After briefly staring in disbelief (the rule is, if the light is on when you get in line, you get served), I determined that no other line was opening to handle the people in my line. I wandered to the other side of cash register bank to find they were all full to the brim with overflowing carts and slow cashiers. I began looking up and down the 26 lines to see if one may open up soon. I then noticed a light come on back where I was. I rushed back, trying to save myself 20 minutes of standing in line. When I got there, it was the same little puke that kicked us out of his line. Muttering obscenities to myself, I dropped my basket and walked out.
Rite Aid had what I needed for a little more money. So Walmart can keep its suckiness to itself. Until I give up and have to go in for something. *sigh*
Dammit, Dammit, Dammit! David Tennant will not return as The Doctor when the series returns in 2010. I guess we better enjoy those specials that are coming. Dammit!
I'm still laughing after having read this piece and watched the video for this story. Apprently PeTA sent Ben and Jerry's a letter asking them to consider using human breast milk instead of cow milk in their ice cream. Yep, go ahead and check it out if you don't believe me.
A lot of the pundits are saying this election is over. Even the evil genius Karl Rove has declared Obama the victor. I thought that seemed a little odd, so I have only one explanation. Admit defeat so they can win. The theory goes like this: if we all think the election is a lock, we won't bother to vote.
The DTV conversion is coming. If you have any friends and relatives (not just old people) who are technologically disinclined, plan on going to their house and setting things up. Trust me, it will be faster and easier than trying to explain it to them.
K. Cortez has posted that Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will be broadcast live on iClips tonight at 7:30p CST (8:30EST). He also mentioned a chat over on his This Is Somewhere. As a side note, you should go into iClips early incase you have issues, you can sort them out, before GPN hits the stage.
I first found Adrien's work due to her fantastic photos of Grace, Scott, Matt, and Bryan (some Jen too). Since then I have spent sometime perusing her site. She is quite the talented lady. It also seems that I missed meeting her in Northampton.
So thanks to my mother's back issues, I got to replace her on the stage for tonight's senatorial debate between Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME). It was interesting, it was informative (I know hard to believe), and my ass is still numb. The damn thing was televised so I felt obligated to keep still and look pensive. Only allowing furative nose scratches when I was sure the camera was on the person asking the question.
Overall, they both did well, but I will give the edge to Collins, she's on home turf being a good County Girl. I have issues with both candidates, but I will probably go Collins, because she is a moderate and has Maine's people as her focus.
Well 2/5's of them anyway. It seems that Blues and Lasers has a gig opening for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in San Fransisco on November 15. Only problem is, starving musician, doesn't pay well. Benny and Steve need some help to get there. Enter the lovely and talented Jenn Crowell who will be performing a:
Benefit to get Blues and Lasers to San Fran! Come to the Monkey Bar on October 30th and donate money towards the cause. Jen, Steve Sharon, and Benny Yurco will play their original songs from 5:30-7:30pm at the Monkey Bar Come, hear some great acoustic music, and help Blues and Lasers across the country!
If you can't be there, you can go to her site and donate. While you are there, take note of her CD Release party on December 6.
Have I mentioned that Jen Crowell's album, Cold Front, is really f'n good and that you should buy it? Until recently, the purchase of said album was damn near impossible. However, thanks to modern technology you can buy it on her website. Go now. What are you waiting for?
Check out this post Specious Riches, it outlines what the different candidate's tax plans would do for the people of Bangor. It's an informative look at how we will all be effected by each plan.
That is the vibe I am getting from people who keep sending me emails. Here are a couple from yesterday.
---------------and-------------------
An archeological team, digging in Washington DC , has uncovered10,000 year old bones and fossil remains of what is believed to be the first Politician.
“Right now we have a lot of new songs that we're working on. Hopefully we'll be in the studio early next year. I usually write songs and bring things to the band, and then we all collaborate when necessary. Whenever we write together the songs go on these crazy little journeys and end up sounding different than I thought they would. That proves we are a band and each member contributes.”
October 9th started with a 5:30 am alarm, to assure my participation in putting away freight at the restaurant. As I made my way to work, I thought to myself "this is going to be a long day." Quite simply I was right, it was a long day, but it was also a great day. After quickly completing my work, I headed home and finished packing and preparing for the 8.5 hour drive ahead of us. Upon Mom's arrival we headed south on our way to Northampton, MA. I won't bore you with all the details of the drive, but to say, the music and conversation was good and the traffic was bearable.
After settling into our hotel, we headed downtown to meet Jan and Gary of who are fellow members of the Potterville Posse street team. After driving around downtown for 20 minutes looking for parking, we finally found a good spot around the corner from the venue. We stopped into Zen (where I would try Sushi, for the first time, the next day), and said hello to K. Cortez and his lovely wife. We then had a lovely meal with J and D. I had a roast pork pannini that was quite tasty. While gnoshing we had a visit from Van, who is one of the more intersting characters in the GPN story. I won't tell you his story, as it is his to tell.
The Pearl Street Ball room is a decent facility. The staff was quite friendly, which was a nice change from other places. After getting our tickets and heading up stairs we said hello to Nicole, GPN's merch master. While talking we also checked out the new shirts and such. Alas, the one I really wanted only came in medium and large, still it was a sweet shirt.
Van, Jan and I had a good bit of conversation while waiting for the show to start. We talked about the economy, music (duh) and a bet I would like to make with Grace. They both informed me it was a bet I would lose. To which I said, "it would be worth it." No, I won't disclose the nature of the bet ( I didn't get to make it, she took off to see Dr. Dog after the show).
The opening act was The Farm. I don't really know what to say. They had some great moments, but overall I was bored. They did an interesting thing; they all took a turn playing the various instruments. I say interesting, because I am not sure it was entirely successful. The three members of this band are very talented, they just need some honing. They definitely needed some microphone coaching, I could barely understand anything they sang or said. Their music reminded us of early Floyd and sometimes Wilco.
After an unusually long intermission, the Grace Potter and the Nocturnals took to the stage with a palpable sense of energy. The music was, as always, amazing. I love the way they seem to feed off of each other and the crowd.
The setlist courtesy of Van: Stop The Bus Meantime Ah MAry Ain't No Time Ragged Company Treat Me Right Mastermind Apologies Sugar Paint it Black Paris Cortez>NBTW>Cortez ////////////////////// Jet Airliner w/ Benny Yurco
The "holy shit" moment of the evening was a special shout out to K. Cortez, who runs the amazing blog This Is Somewhere. I apologize for the audio and the fact that I ran out of memory and didn't get "Nothing But the Water" and the reprise for "Cortez the Killer".
Benny Yurco (from Blues and Lasers) joined the band for the encore. It was great watching the interaction between him and Scott. They surely enjoy playing together.
After the show, we hung around talking to K. Cortez, Van and Sparky (Grace's dad). While they continued to chat, I wandered over to retrieve a package I had left with Nicole. I went back and presented K. with a special gift of a limited edition Blues and Lasers DVD that I worked on (thanks to Danado for starting the whole thing off with her video). He and his wife then went back stage and flushed out Scott so I could give him his copy. I also gave Benny, Steve's copy (Benny had already snagged K. Cortez's). While Scott was talking to the others, Aya (The Leaves) came out to say hi (she gives good hugs)
While we were all chatting, Bryan treated us to an impromptu Theramin performance. I also gave him his DVD. Van got us back stage so I could give Matt, his and Grace's DVD (she ran off remember). We chatted a while longer and then we all took off so the band could crash. It was a great night and a good time was had by all.
I am being adventurous and trying out Google's newest toy, Chrome. First impressions are simply, yep it's a browser and yep it's better than Internet Explorer. I also will say that Firefox meets both those standards as well. The neat thing about Chrome is that each tab runs indepenently so a crash on MySpace doesn't effect your last minute Ebay auction grab. I'll continue to play with it for a while and see where things lead.
So I finally took some time to read the "About the Band" section at the official "Grace Potter and the Nocturnals," site. I received more than a few good chuckles. It is obvious that they wrote the bios themselves and had a good time doing it. I encourage you to give them a read and receive another little peak into their personalities.
Grace:"test-driving hybrid cars and pretending she can afford one, realizing she can't, leaving the car lot quickly, glancing at miffed salesman in rearview mirror."
Matt: "Nickname - Cado (inspired by my deep love for avocados)"
Bryan: "In my freshman year of college I picked up the bass guitar - loaned to me from my philosophy professor (how's that for fate?) (I don't believe in fate for the record) (I am all about scientology though) (not really, I hate Tom Cruise's acting).."
Scott: "Scott Tournet was born in the deepest, darkest part of northeastern Albania during the great floods of 1976. To stay safe, Scott's family had to live in trees during his infancy. To make the harsh conditions bearable, the family would sing songs while playing rudimentary instruments made from the trees during the breaks in the storm."
The thing about being sick all weekend, I wasn't paying attention to the media, so I just found out. The man was an amazing actor who found his way into some great roles. One of his best would be in Cool Hand Luke.
I love Kevin Smith films. They have some of the wittiest dick and fart jokes ever put to film. Anyhoo, his new film is, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno." I can't wait to see it. For a red band trailer (naughty word) just click here.
Remember when I mentioned that Scott Tournet sat in with Shawn Mercer and the Boondock Blues Band at the GPN show at Unity College. Well Shawn has posted some of the set on his MySpace player. There are two tracks that include Scott's skills, please give them a listen.
Another blogger gushing about Grace and the boys. Just in case you thought I was the only one who drinks the Kool-Aid.
"A thumping four-man solo, the drum jam got the small and hot crowd really into it for the first time that day. A little more of the whole “playing instruments” things happened before the band ditched them yet again to line up at the edge of the stage for some audience clap and stomp along. Though the song was certainly jam-length, the soul swagger kept the faux-medley together, separating of them from the legions of aimless Grateful Dead knock-offs whose association does the Nocturnals a disservice."
"There is a sense of an imminent success that we have not had yet. We all have to carpool up to Burlington and can't pay for a dog sitter so the dogs come on the road, but there is a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the amount of energy and support that we get from our fans, and new fans, and people who don't even know us and are just interested and ready to make those connections, it really fuels us … it's very rewarding when it does pay off."
My friend, Goggle Alert, brought this entry from LiveDaily to my attention. It's a nice piece of Farm Aid and happens to have two full paragraphs dedicated to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. Always nice to see them get the press they deserve. Still wondering how I am going to handle having to share them with the rest of the world, when they blow up.
"Grace Potter and the Nocturnals got a chance to play to an audience worthy of their collective talents. Coming from the same Vermont countryside as many of the farming activists who populated the "Barn Yard," a communal information encampment beside the stage area, Potter not only prettied-up the main stage, but added some home-grown intelligence to a farm-information panel later in the day.
The Nocturnals revved-up the house with "Nothing But The Water," a secret weapon of a tune they normally reserve for their encore that features a killer a cappella opening and ends with a full-band drum solo, gathering all four members around the kit flailing away."
