This is perhaps a chapter in a book I may try to write. Again, this is a draft. Let me know what you think!
In the early days before everyone had discovered the power and evil of the human mind, everyone stayed the same. Also, everyone always said what they meant, just as evolution had not been willed into existence yet, the 'secret' had not yet been invented. People even wrote what they felt on their naked bodies: "I feel sad," "I feel happy," "I love you, why don't you love me." Everything was transparent. Until one day a man named Pantalones (after all, it was a name first) heard his wife's friends saying bad things about his wife.
Pantalones could not bear to tell his wife, for he knew she would be hurt, however he could not confront his wife's friends for he knew he shouldn't have been eavesdropping on their conversation. So he kept it inside, something he didn't even know people could do. His suppression did not come without its consequences. It physically hurt him every day. It was so hard to keep inside that Pantalones began covering his legs and his privates with animal fur to give himself an extra layer to contain it all. This had never been done before.
Now Pantalones was a very handsome man and his prowess with the women of the first village in the world was coveted by all. So naturally, it wasn't long before other men on Pangaea began to wear leg coverings. They called them Pantalones.
Pantalones continued to cover himself up until he could no longer breathe for fear of uttering his secret (of course he did not know what a secret was at the time).
One day, Pantalones collapsed dead. The first death ever in the first village in the world.
And thus, the secret was born, along with clothing, along with death.
Once somebody figures out how to do something, it isn't long before everyone knows how to do it.
Soon, people figured out how to keep secrets without suffocating themselves and dying (but the clothes stayed, for they rather liked the style). Boys began to keep their love for girls a secret all their lives. The secrets got so big and so difficult that these boys could not bear to look at these girls. For the first time in the first village in the world, people began to want to get away.
And thus, Pangaea was subconsciously willed apart, creating the continents.
The secrets got so unbearably big that these boys wanted to forget about these girls and they discovered, hidden deep within their minds, the idea of change.
And thus, evolution was willed into existence.
Plants and animals began to change, humans began to get bigger and lose body hair (for they were always self conscious about that). Soon the boys realized that not even change could conquer love, but it was too late. Secrets, clothing, death, continental drift, and evolution had been born. And you can never really take anything back entirely.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Floating Monologue...
This is a monologue I'm working on that I haven't found a place for yet,the protagonist is a young boy. I realize it's quite long, but if you can get through it, I'd like to know what you think?
I heard once that every time you sneeze, your heart stops. So, at the end of life, if everyone added up all the time they had spent sneezing, and if the definition of dying is your heart stopping, I wonder how much of our lives we would actually spend being dead?
I asked my piano teacher that question one time. He thought it was depressing, that was before I thought things like that were depressing. he told me that it wasn't worth thinking about, that made me sad. People who think that there are things that aren't worth thinking about always make me sad.
I read a lot more than most kids I know. The most recent book I read was "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. When I took it back to the librarian, she asked me how I liked it.
"I liked it."
"And what did you get out of it?" She was always asking what people got out of things.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't know, the old man defended the fish for two days straight and came home with a carcass, I don't know."
I couldn't decide if that made me sad or happy.
In the drawers of the desk that my keyboard is on, I keep my writing. I'm always writing. I try to write poetry, but it never turns out the way I want. I think I'm either too literal, too bland, or too dumb, maybe it's a little of all three.
Anyways, my spirals are all full of writings, most begin as poems but then transform into letters. I write letters to whoever the poem is about, I guess I'm not good at articulating my feelings. I keep drawers and drawers of unsent letters, all written on paper.
I feel guilty for using so much paper, just like I feel guilty for buying new sweaters at department stores, or like I feel guilty for eating at big restaurants and staying in hotels. Everything we build is built on areas that used to be nature, and as our cities get bigger, nature gets smaller. That is scary. Especially because of photosynthesis, which I learned about in biology. We need plants to turn our carbon dioxide into oxygen. The human population is growing, putting out more carbon dioxide, and the plant population is getting smaller, putting out less oxygen. Eventually, we are all just going to run out of breath. Running out of breath is definitely a problem for me, but so is figuring out what to spend my remaining breaths doing.
We live in a neighborhood in the hills above the city by a lake. Sometimes I go for walks late at night and stand at the top of the hill. I look out over the lake and towards the lights of the city. I like to pretend that the lake is the sound and that I am Jay Gatsby looking for a green light.
Light is another thing that pollutes. In the city, we only see the brightest stars, so I didn't realize how many stars there were until two summers ago in the mountains of New Mexico. I went camping with my Mom, Dad, and my brother. I had never seen so many stars, and now that I know they are up there, I miss them when I'm here. On the last night there was a meteor shower and my brother and I snuck out of the tent and down to a nearby clearing where we laid on our backs for hours watching the comets. Comets are strange because they can be so destructive, but are so beautiful. Comets show the fury and the beauty of the universe.
The Universe is another thing that confuses me. I think it's interesting how everything is shaped in circles: the planets the stars, the orbets, comets. A circle is the only shape with no beginning or end, and in order to find the circumference of a circle you have to multiply by pi, which is the only number that doesn't end. The fact that there are things that have no ends and that our universe is full of them makes me think that God exists.
Living in the city, my ears are constantly full of the sound of traffic. I have gotten to the point where I just tune it out. Traffic has become the soundtrack of my life. At night its OK because I just pretend that the sound of traffic is really the ocean outside my window. Then I dream of whales and I fall asleep.
I once read a book about humpback whales and their mating rituals. When a male humpback is looking for a female humpback he begins to sing a song as he swims, and he sings and sings and sings, not stopping until he finds a mate. I like that he sings, I like that he finds a mate, but most of all I like that he continues to swim while he looks for his mate instead of giving up, or stopping and waiting for his mate to come to him. Maybe its a bit sad that most of my romantic inspiration is drawn from the mating ritual of the humpback whale.
I like girls and I like the idea of a girlfriend, but I wind up spending most of my time alone. Sarah told me once that my ultimate goal should be to be comfortable being alone. A life spent being permanently comfortable is one of the saddest things I've ever thought about.
I heard once that every time you sneeze, your heart stops. So, at the end of life, if everyone added up all the time they had spent sneezing, and if the definition of dying is your heart stopping, I wonder how much of our lives we would actually spend being dead?
I asked my piano teacher that question one time. He thought it was depressing, that was before I thought things like that were depressing. he told me that it wasn't worth thinking about, that made me sad. People who think that there are things that aren't worth thinking about always make me sad.
I read a lot more than most kids I know. The most recent book I read was "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. When I took it back to the librarian, she asked me how I liked it.
"I liked it."
"And what did you get out of it?" She was always asking what people got out of things.
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't know, the old man defended the fish for two days straight and came home with a carcass, I don't know."
I couldn't decide if that made me sad or happy.
In the drawers of the desk that my keyboard is on, I keep my writing. I'm always writing. I try to write poetry, but it never turns out the way I want. I think I'm either too literal, too bland, or too dumb, maybe it's a little of all three.
Anyways, my spirals are all full of writings, most begin as poems but then transform into letters. I write letters to whoever the poem is about, I guess I'm not good at articulating my feelings. I keep drawers and drawers of unsent letters, all written on paper.
I feel guilty for using so much paper, just like I feel guilty for buying new sweaters at department stores, or like I feel guilty for eating at big restaurants and staying in hotels. Everything we build is built on areas that used to be nature, and as our cities get bigger, nature gets smaller. That is scary. Especially because of photosynthesis, which I learned about in biology. We need plants to turn our carbon dioxide into oxygen. The human population is growing, putting out more carbon dioxide, and the plant population is getting smaller, putting out less oxygen. Eventually, we are all just going to run out of breath. Running out of breath is definitely a problem for me, but so is figuring out what to spend my remaining breaths doing.
We live in a neighborhood in the hills above the city by a lake. Sometimes I go for walks late at night and stand at the top of the hill. I look out over the lake and towards the lights of the city. I like to pretend that the lake is the sound and that I am Jay Gatsby looking for a green light.
Light is another thing that pollutes. In the city, we only see the brightest stars, so I didn't realize how many stars there were until two summers ago in the mountains of New Mexico. I went camping with my Mom, Dad, and my brother. I had never seen so many stars, and now that I know they are up there, I miss them when I'm here. On the last night there was a meteor shower and my brother and I snuck out of the tent and down to a nearby clearing where we laid on our backs for hours watching the comets. Comets are strange because they can be so destructive, but are so beautiful. Comets show the fury and the beauty of the universe.
The Universe is another thing that confuses me. I think it's interesting how everything is shaped in circles: the planets the stars, the orbets, comets. A circle is the only shape with no beginning or end, and in order to find the circumference of a circle you have to multiply by pi, which is the only number that doesn't end. The fact that there are things that have no ends and that our universe is full of them makes me think that God exists.
Living in the city, my ears are constantly full of the sound of traffic. I have gotten to the point where I just tune it out. Traffic has become the soundtrack of my life. At night its OK because I just pretend that the sound of traffic is really the ocean outside my window. Then I dream of whales and I fall asleep.
I once read a book about humpback whales and their mating rituals. When a male humpback is looking for a female humpback he begins to sing a song as he swims, and he sings and sings and sings, not stopping until he finds a mate. I like that he sings, I like that he finds a mate, but most of all I like that he continues to swim while he looks for his mate instead of giving up, or stopping and waiting for his mate to come to him. Maybe its a bit sad that most of my romantic inspiration is drawn from the mating ritual of the humpback whale.
I like girls and I like the idea of a girlfriend, but I wind up spending most of my time alone. Sarah told me once that my ultimate goal should be to be comfortable being alone. A life spent being permanently comfortable is one of the saddest things I've ever thought about.
Monday, November 9, 2009
An Evening on My Bicycle
Yesterday, having the day off and being without obligations for the evening, something unusual for me, I decided to take a bike ride. I have had a lot on my mind lately and had woken up that morning thinking of my boyhood home, my day beginning with a desire to return to that hill of faded footprints of my youth. Where this desire came from is unbeknownst to me. I began to pedal and within half an hour was out of the city and into those rolling hills of my past. The power of the mind is an incredible thing; what is oceans away in memory can be but miles away on your bicycle. Though I have not set foot on the property since the summer of 1998, there was a sense of comfort that came over me as the valleys unfolded and that brick house of my childhood became visible at the top of the hill ahead. When I got closer and the hill was in full view, I stopped at the bottom and gazed upward.
I remembered eating vegetables straight out of my dad’s garden, I remember my mom pushing me on the swings. I remember 4th of Julys spent catching fireflies on the wooden deck my dad built by hand, staring down into the city below, the reflection of fireworks rising and falling in my thick glasses. That was before I knew there was any real hurt in this place, before I knew relationships fell apart, before I knew death, before I knew what it was to fall in love with a girl, to be broken, to be elated, to be overcome, overwhelmed. I remembered when it was enough to take walks with my dad, go swimming with my mom, and build forts with my brother until our parents read us to sleep.
I’m a man now, house, and I have been a lot of places since I left you. I’ve traveled oceans, climbed mountains, seen foreign lands. I’ve even started bands and played for lots of people. Mom and Dad split up a while ago, but you should see them now, they’re both doing so well. My little brother is bigger than me now, and he’s smart and handsome and he has so many friends, I’m so proud of him. I’ve fallen in love with girls since I left you, house, and it hurts sometimes and it aches right now but it makes me feel alive. I’ll be honest house; I’ve had some bad times since I’ve left you. I’ve cried and sulked, I’ve had days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, had times when I felt like my friends left me and I felt like I had no control over anything. Sometimes I feel lonely, house, but I’m doing OK, no, I’m doing great. It’s been a good life so far and when I feel bad I know it will always get better because I never, ever give up. I’m grown up now house, I’m alive and ready for the future. Maybe I’m not ready just yet but I’m getting closer. I’m going to be OK, house. I will see a lot more things before I’m done here, but I will never forget you. You were the setting of the first chapters in the book that is my life. I’m still writing that book and there have been some sad and scary parts, but it’s a good book and it’s going to have a happy ending and it couldn’t have happened the way it did without you. Your view helped me become an artist, your wide open spaces taught me to run, your bright stars and distant coyote howls taught me how to dream. Thank you, house on the hill.
I took in the view of the sun setting over the distant city where I wander alone daily, turned around, and rode out of those hills pregnant with memory and back into the city, back to my doorstep, back to my room. Sometimes I want to be a boy again, want to know what it is to be simple, but there is no retreating now. For now we push onward, onward through the breaking waves and the unforgiving storm, onward through the sleepless nights and the relentless days. The tranquil sea of childhood memory is behind us, and the future is ours.
I remembered eating vegetables straight out of my dad’s garden, I remember my mom pushing me on the swings. I remember 4th of Julys spent catching fireflies on the wooden deck my dad built by hand, staring down into the city below, the reflection of fireworks rising and falling in my thick glasses. That was before I knew there was any real hurt in this place, before I knew relationships fell apart, before I knew death, before I knew what it was to fall in love with a girl, to be broken, to be elated, to be overcome, overwhelmed. I remembered when it was enough to take walks with my dad, go swimming with my mom, and build forts with my brother until our parents read us to sleep.
I’m a man now, house, and I have been a lot of places since I left you. I’ve traveled oceans, climbed mountains, seen foreign lands. I’ve even started bands and played for lots of people. Mom and Dad split up a while ago, but you should see them now, they’re both doing so well. My little brother is bigger than me now, and he’s smart and handsome and he has so many friends, I’m so proud of him. I’ve fallen in love with girls since I left you, house, and it hurts sometimes and it aches right now but it makes me feel alive. I’ll be honest house; I’ve had some bad times since I’ve left you. I’ve cried and sulked, I’ve had days when I didn’t want to get out of bed, had times when I felt like my friends left me and I felt like I had no control over anything. Sometimes I feel lonely, house, but I’m doing OK, no, I’m doing great. It’s been a good life so far and when I feel bad I know it will always get better because I never, ever give up. I’m grown up now house, I’m alive and ready for the future. Maybe I’m not ready just yet but I’m getting closer. I’m going to be OK, house. I will see a lot more things before I’m done here, but I will never forget you. You were the setting of the first chapters in the book that is my life. I’m still writing that book and there have been some sad and scary parts, but it’s a good book and it’s going to have a happy ending and it couldn’t have happened the way it did without you. Your view helped me become an artist, your wide open spaces taught me to run, your bright stars and distant coyote howls taught me how to dream. Thank you, house on the hill.
I took in the view of the sun setting over the distant city where I wander alone daily, turned around, and rode out of those hills pregnant with memory and back into the city, back to my doorstep, back to my room. Sometimes I want to be a boy again, want to know what it is to be simple, but there is no retreating now. For now we push onward, onward through the breaking waves and the unforgiving storm, onward through the sleepless nights and the relentless days. The tranquil sea of childhood memory is behind us, and the future is ours.
Monday, November 2, 2009
The Weary Visions
Often I find myself wondering what those thoughts and visions are that come to your head just before you sleep. Every night when I’m lying in a state of drowsiness and semi-consciousness I picture something each time I close my eyes, something totally unrelated to anything I have done or seen over the course of the day. Last night I closed my eyes in an attempt to give in to sleep, that lackadaisical predator that eludes me so, and I saw a great chocolate cake. I opened my eyes again, then closed them and saw a black two dimensional figure being electrocuted under a hanging lamp. I saw more, but I could not remember the rest. I want to know what everyone in the world thinks about just before they go to sleep, and then create an all-encompassing piece of artwork inspired entirely by those weary visions, I could call the art piece ‘The Weary Visions‘, and it would include a painting, a song, a movie, and a book if an author greater than myself could find a plot.
Monday, October 5, 2009
ACL Day 3
Day 3: Rodeo Day
Three days, two ruined pairs of shoes, two boxes of film, hours of back pain, and a load of mud-drenched laundry later: worth it. I arrived a little after noon today to find a thick layer of mud covering every square inch of Zilker Park. The entire festival smelled like a rodeo, this impression was furthered as I watched festival staff literally spreading hay out over the mud in hopes of making it more manageable; no such luck. I accepted that this was the last day my shoes would see and headed to the AMD stage to catch the remainder of local favorites Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears.
Though I am an Austinite and it is perhaps sacrilegious, blues is not my forte. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Joe and the Honey Bears. In the spirit of James Brown, they played an energetic and very accessible brand of blues and R&B and delivered it with an authenticity that few can. I am a sucker for horns and harmonica, and both run aplenty in the bands gritty tunes. It was a nice way to start my day, and after a few minutes I got used to the rodeo stench and forgot that the park smelled at all.
Black Joe was followed by the much anticipated B-52’s. From the first note of the first song, it was apparent that age had not slowed the group a step. The band gave everyone what they wanted to see, playing their most popular songs and donning their colorful retro garb. “Hello Austin, here’s a lesson in ancient history’ front man Fred Schneider informed the audience before erupting into ‘Mesopotamia.’ Yes, the song is about history, but one could not help but think that Schneider’s comment had a double meaning. The set was enjoyed by young and old alike, dancing to every song. Yet you could almost see the thought bubbles hanging among the rising clouds of smoke over the audience: ‘Rock Lobster…Rock Lobster…’ and then it happened. The song was greeted with a roar from the crowd and a mass shouting of the lyrics. With their performance, the B-52’s solidified my vote for band of the day.
That is not to say that the rest of the day was a letdown, quite the contrary in fact. The Arctic Monkeys took the stage next, and while the group’s new long hairstyles may not be their best yet, the new album is. The band played an energetic set, complete with everyone’s favorite songs and Alex Turner’s wry social commentary. It’s hard to believe these gentlemen are only 23.
Passion Pit (the band that started as a Valentine’s Day present), may very well be the best Valentines day present ever. This band is just fun, and Michael Angelekos’s playful falsetto prompted the crowd surfing of a fan dressed in a green spandex suit, like Charlie from ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’ Seeing green man crowd surfing made the show all the more entertaining. My best ACL costume award goes to green man, congratulations green man.
Everyone wants to know what Jack White is going to do next, which is why I weaved my way through groups of mud-caked dancers (kind of creepy) and to Livestrong stage to see the latest of White’s wildly successful side projects. The Dead Weather delivered an hour of unrelenting southern psychedelia with White keeping the beat on drums. It did look like four very, very, very confident rock stars but this is neither surprising nor offensive when you consider who is in the super group. The Dead Weather closed their set with Jack White giving the audience what they’d all been hoping for and coming out from behind the drum set to shred on the guitar. Of course the guitar playing was fantastic, but did anyone see Jack White’s white pointed toe leather boots? This man has the best taste in footwear. Best ACL footwear goes to Jack White.
Girl Talk was essentially a party. Being as how Greg Gillis writes no songs and plays no instruments, it’s interesting that he’s achieved this level of success. I think it’s probably because he does it the best. He does a good job of picking samples everyone knows and making the show very participatory, almost a sing-a-long. Though I had trouble shaking the feeling that I was at a Frat party, which is uncomfortable for me, I saw what was enjoyable about Girl Talk. More importantly, I saw someone in the crowd flying the Texas ‘Come and Take It’ flag. To this person, I give the award of best ACL flag.
I left after Girl Talk. I’ll leave Pearl Jam to the other 40,000 of you to tell people about. While the stink may fade, the mud may wash away, and the newly sodded grass probably got trampled to death, the memories of ACL 2009 will live forever.
Three days, two ruined pairs of shoes, two boxes of film, hours of back pain, and a load of mud-drenched laundry later: worth it. I arrived a little after noon today to find a thick layer of mud covering every square inch of Zilker Park. The entire festival smelled like a rodeo, this impression was furthered as I watched festival staff literally spreading hay out over the mud in hopes of making it more manageable; no such luck. I accepted that this was the last day my shoes would see and headed to the AMD stage to catch the remainder of local favorites Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears.
Though I am an Austinite and it is perhaps sacrilegious, blues is not my forte. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Black Joe and the Honey Bears. In the spirit of James Brown, they played an energetic and very accessible brand of blues and R&B and delivered it with an authenticity that few can. I am a sucker for horns and harmonica, and both run aplenty in the bands gritty tunes. It was a nice way to start my day, and after a few minutes I got used to the rodeo stench and forgot that the park smelled at all.
Black Joe was followed by the much anticipated B-52’s. From the first note of the first song, it was apparent that age had not slowed the group a step. The band gave everyone what they wanted to see, playing their most popular songs and donning their colorful retro garb. “Hello Austin, here’s a lesson in ancient history’ front man Fred Schneider informed the audience before erupting into ‘Mesopotamia.’ Yes, the song is about history, but one could not help but think that Schneider’s comment had a double meaning. The set was enjoyed by young and old alike, dancing to every song. Yet you could almost see the thought bubbles hanging among the rising clouds of smoke over the audience: ‘Rock Lobster…Rock Lobster…’ and then it happened. The song was greeted with a roar from the crowd and a mass shouting of the lyrics. With their performance, the B-52’s solidified my vote for band of the day.
That is not to say that the rest of the day was a letdown, quite the contrary in fact. The Arctic Monkeys took the stage next, and while the group’s new long hairstyles may not be their best yet, the new album is. The band played an energetic set, complete with everyone’s favorite songs and Alex Turner’s wry social commentary. It’s hard to believe these gentlemen are only 23.
Passion Pit (the band that started as a Valentine’s Day present), may very well be the best Valentines day present ever. This band is just fun, and Michael Angelekos’s playful falsetto prompted the crowd surfing of a fan dressed in a green spandex suit, like Charlie from ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.’ Seeing green man crowd surfing made the show all the more entertaining. My best ACL costume award goes to green man, congratulations green man.
Everyone wants to know what Jack White is going to do next, which is why I weaved my way through groups of mud-caked dancers (kind of creepy) and to Livestrong stage to see the latest of White’s wildly successful side projects. The Dead Weather delivered an hour of unrelenting southern psychedelia with White keeping the beat on drums. It did look like four very, very, very confident rock stars but this is neither surprising nor offensive when you consider who is in the super group. The Dead Weather closed their set with Jack White giving the audience what they’d all been hoping for and coming out from behind the drum set to shred on the guitar. Of course the guitar playing was fantastic, but did anyone see Jack White’s white pointed toe leather boots? This man has the best taste in footwear. Best ACL footwear goes to Jack White.
Girl Talk was essentially a party. Being as how Greg Gillis writes no songs and plays no instruments, it’s interesting that he’s achieved this level of success. I think it’s probably because he does it the best. He does a good job of picking samples everyone knows and making the show very participatory, almost a sing-a-long. Though I had trouble shaking the feeling that I was at a Frat party, which is uncomfortable for me, I saw what was enjoyable about Girl Talk. More importantly, I saw someone in the crowd flying the Texas ‘Come and Take It’ flag. To this person, I give the award of best ACL flag.
I left after Girl Talk. I’ll leave Pearl Jam to the other 40,000 of you to tell people about. While the stink may fade, the mud may wash away, and the newly sodded grass probably got trampled to death, the memories of ACL 2009 will live forever.
ACL Day 2
ACL DAY 2 started with Mutemath. With a new CD and a single on Twilight (embarrassing, but don't forget Thom Yorke and Ben Gibbard are on the next Twilight soundtrack), buzz about the New Orleans rockers is bigger than ever, playing an energetic and highly enjoyable set. Besides, it’s hard to be bad when your lead singer plays keytar.
Next was Grizzly Bear on the Dell stage. This band has blown up over the past year, and being one of Radiohead’s favorite bands surely can’t hurt. With such a rapid ascent into the big leagues, had Grizzly Bear completed the jump from venue band to festival band? The set began a little awkwardly, partly because the band was forced to move towards the back of the stage by the rain, but before long Grizzly Bear looked quite comfortable. Soon, their watery guitars and backwoods-Beach-Boys harmonies began to further saturate the already soaking Zilker Park.
By the time Grizzly Bear finished, it was pouring rain. I had an umbrella, but it was doing little to keep my bag dry. I caught rumor of ponchos being sold at the general store and became involved in the Great Poncho Stampede of 2009. People were literally jumping on each other to buy ponchos. When the ponchos sold out, the store started giving away their trash bags. I dangled over the counter with about 40 other people in hopes of a trash bag, but informed that 200 trash bags were dispensed in less than two minutes. It was nearly a riot.
Riot? Sounds like a job for Flogging Molly! Making my way to the AMD stage, the sudden abundance of kilts and mohawks heralded Flogging Molly nearby. “This is a dry day in Ireland!” Dave King informed the audience. Flogging Molly’s set was true rock & roll, drawing from Float and other albums. Rain fell hard on the band and the stage, but that did not deter them from flipping off the audience and inciting an odd but workable combination of mosh-pits and Irish jigs throughout the park.
By the time I got back to the Dell stage, my shoulders were aching, my spine was collapsing, my knees were buckling from sheer exhaustion, and then The Decemberists took the stage. Colin Meloy and company performed their new CD The Hazards of Love in its entirety, curing all of my ailments and replenishing the essence of my being. This album is one of my favorites of the year, but seeing it performed live is to see it in an entirely new way. It felt like watching a play, and was in no way over the top. The Decemberists did not use or props or excessive costumes. If this performance was play-like, it was Shakespearean; the dialogue is so rich there is little need for props and minimal need for costume. The set was delivered smoothly, passionately, and with much acclaim from their adoring audience.
Ghostland Observatory closed the evening with a light show that Daft Punk would be proud of and the stage presence that made them a hit. Though I don’t think it quite measured up to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs closer the night before, I found myself dancing just the same. Aaron Behrens has some of the best stage moves I have ever seen, he puts on a clinic for aspiring frontmen.
Onward to Day Three!
-Aaron Miller
Next was Grizzly Bear on the Dell stage. This band has blown up over the past year, and being one of Radiohead’s favorite bands surely can’t hurt. With such a rapid ascent into the big leagues, had Grizzly Bear completed the jump from venue band to festival band? The set began a little awkwardly, partly because the band was forced to move towards the back of the stage by the rain, but before long Grizzly Bear looked quite comfortable. Soon, their watery guitars and backwoods-Beach-Boys harmonies began to further saturate the already soaking Zilker Park.
By the time Grizzly Bear finished, it was pouring rain. I had an umbrella, but it was doing little to keep my bag dry. I caught rumor of ponchos being sold at the general store and became involved in the Great Poncho Stampede of 2009. People were literally jumping on each other to buy ponchos. When the ponchos sold out, the store started giving away their trash bags. I dangled over the counter with about 40 other people in hopes of a trash bag, but informed that 200 trash bags were dispensed in less than two minutes. It was nearly a riot.
Riot? Sounds like a job for Flogging Molly! Making my way to the AMD stage, the sudden abundance of kilts and mohawks heralded Flogging Molly nearby. “This is a dry day in Ireland!” Dave King informed the audience. Flogging Molly’s set was true rock & roll, drawing from Float and other albums. Rain fell hard on the band and the stage, but that did not deter them from flipping off the audience and inciting an odd but workable combination of mosh-pits and Irish jigs throughout the park.
By the time I got back to the Dell stage, my shoulders were aching, my spine was collapsing, my knees were buckling from sheer exhaustion, and then The Decemberists took the stage. Colin Meloy and company performed their new CD The Hazards of Love in its entirety, curing all of my ailments and replenishing the essence of my being. This album is one of my favorites of the year, but seeing it performed live is to see it in an entirely new way. It felt like watching a play, and was in no way over the top. The Decemberists did not use or props or excessive costumes. If this performance was play-like, it was Shakespearean; the dialogue is so rich there is little need for props and minimal need for costume. The set was delivered smoothly, passionately, and with much acclaim from their adoring audience.
Ghostland Observatory closed the evening with a light show that Daft Punk would be proud of and the stage presence that made them a hit. Though I don’t think it quite measured up to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs closer the night before, I found myself dancing just the same. Aaron Behrens has some of the best stage moves I have ever seen, he puts on a clinic for aspiring frontmen.
Onward to Day Three!
-Aaron Miller
Austin Chronicle Blog Oct. 2nd
The Bright Light Social Hour
The votes were cast, the people spoke, and to the victor went the spoils! The Dell Lounge Sound and Jury contest announced its Top Five a few days ago. The winner? One of my two favorites: The Bright Light Social Hour, who lay waste to every stage they set foot on. See them today at ACL Fest at 11:45am.
On Wednesday, September 30th at Antone’s, the competing bands battled it out for a slot at ACL Festival. Also competing was The Bubbles, who pulled off an impressive come-from-behind climb to land a spot in that Top Five, ex Polyphonic Spreeite Andrew Tinker, electro-dancemeisters Mobley, and Denton’s OK Sweetheart. Every band brought their A game to that show.
The Other Side of Music
Austin's young music is getting a lot of attention right now, but what about young music businesses and entities? The growing number of young bands with young listeners in Austin opens up a new demographic full of possibility. Several business-minded young people in this town have seen the frontier that is the new Austin music scene, and are rushing to make their claim. Here are a couple of their organizations:
- Bold & Zesty Productions began in 2008. The brainchild of Colin Jenkins and Zoe Cordes Selbin, Bold & Zesty markets itself as a full-service booking, management, and event production plus PR firm. The company has raised awareness and fostered good feelings around town by supporting causes near and dear to Austin’s heart like The Yellow Bike Project. Last March, B & Z threw a benefit concert for Yellow Bike drawing prestigious Texas bands like Oh No Oh My and The Tastydactyls. The event received a lot of attention from local press and drew an impressive crowd.
Since then, B & Z has specialized in boutique events, like intimate indie acoustic showcases and campfire sing-a-longs. B & Z events are incredibly well-attended, and it is easy to see this company headed in a similar direction as Transmission Entertainment and Fun Fun Fun Fest.
* Last winter, a group of five students from Akins High School traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to take third place in an international music business competition sponsored by Blastbeat Ltd., a philanthropic organization designed to introduce the concepts of music business to high school students. After going their separate ways, the five regrouped to form the Vagabond Collective, a record and production company targeting Austin’s up-and-coming young indie bands. Vagabond – founded by Cory Green and Ricky Valenzuela – is currently working with Cory Dennis, another young entrepreneur and owner of Indie Fort Recording Studio, in the production of Mother Falcon’s debut EP. Vagabond also made their mark as a production company, booking artists like Danny Malone and Tony Scalzo of Fastball at events, and raising over $1000 dollars for Invisible Children at a successful benefit last summer.
Independent companies like these really solidify a scene and can ignite the next musical craze – think Sub-Pop in the grunge days. Pay attention to this group of people, they have their sights set on putting the young Austin scene on the national and global map.
The Daze Straightjacket Hymns (2009)
Once you get around the fact that this album is essentially a clinic in musicianship, Evan Butts’ lyrical sophistication offers a whole new level of appreciation for Straightjacket Hymns. Butts displays great talent as a lyricist, narrowly avoiding clichés with a brilliance so subtle it’s difficult to pick up on. My personal favorite track is “In a Day,” a watery tune with lovesick lyrics that read like Petrarchan poetry. The album is ripe with radio-friendly singles like “Blizzard Woman Blues,” a short but sweet track reminiscent of the White Stripes and Black Keys. The Daze show impressive musicianship throughout the album, often ascending into long musical interludes,that don’t deter from the accessibility of the music. Though it is no secret where The Daze draws their influences from, they make it their own, and deliver it with honesty. With a silver screen appearance in Bandslam under their belt and Rick Del Castillo as their advocate and producer, it would be no surprise if Straightjacket Hymns served as a breakout for these Austin rockers.
-Aaron Miller
The votes were cast, the people spoke, and to the victor went the spoils! The Dell Lounge Sound and Jury contest announced its Top Five a few days ago. The winner? One of my two favorites: The Bright Light Social Hour, who lay waste to every stage they set foot on. See them today at ACL Fest at 11:45am.
On Wednesday, September 30th at Antone’s, the competing bands battled it out for a slot at ACL Festival. Also competing was The Bubbles, who pulled off an impressive come-from-behind climb to land a spot in that Top Five, ex Polyphonic Spreeite Andrew Tinker, electro-dancemeisters Mobley, and Denton’s OK Sweetheart. Every band brought their A game to that show.
The Other Side of Music
Austin's young music is getting a lot of attention right now, but what about young music businesses and entities? The growing number of young bands with young listeners in Austin opens up a new demographic full of possibility. Several business-minded young people in this town have seen the frontier that is the new Austin music scene, and are rushing to make their claim. Here are a couple of their organizations:
- Bold & Zesty Productions began in 2008. The brainchild of Colin Jenkins and Zoe Cordes Selbin, Bold & Zesty markets itself as a full-service booking, management, and event production plus PR firm. The company has raised awareness and fostered good feelings around town by supporting causes near and dear to Austin’s heart like The Yellow Bike Project. Last March, B & Z threw a benefit concert for Yellow Bike drawing prestigious Texas bands like Oh No Oh My and The Tastydactyls. The event received a lot of attention from local press and drew an impressive crowd.
Since then, B & Z has specialized in boutique events, like intimate indie acoustic showcases and campfire sing-a-longs. B & Z events are incredibly well-attended, and it is easy to see this company headed in a similar direction as Transmission Entertainment and Fun Fun Fun Fest.
* Last winter, a group of five students from Akins High School traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to take third place in an international music business competition sponsored by Blastbeat Ltd., a philanthropic organization designed to introduce the concepts of music business to high school students. After going their separate ways, the five regrouped to form the Vagabond Collective, a record and production company targeting Austin’s up-and-coming young indie bands. Vagabond – founded by Cory Green and Ricky Valenzuela – is currently working with Cory Dennis, another young entrepreneur and owner of Indie Fort Recording Studio, in the production of Mother Falcon’s debut EP. Vagabond also made their mark as a production company, booking artists like Danny Malone and Tony Scalzo of Fastball at events, and raising over $1000 dollars for Invisible Children at a successful benefit last summer.
Independent companies like these really solidify a scene and can ignite the next musical craze – think Sub-Pop in the grunge days. Pay attention to this group of people, they have their sights set on putting the young Austin scene on the national and global map.
The Daze Straightjacket Hymns (2009)
Once you get around the fact that this album is essentially a clinic in musicianship, Evan Butts’ lyrical sophistication offers a whole new level of appreciation for Straightjacket Hymns. Butts displays great talent as a lyricist, narrowly avoiding clichés with a brilliance so subtle it’s difficult to pick up on. My personal favorite track is “In a Day,” a watery tune with lovesick lyrics that read like Petrarchan poetry. The album is ripe with radio-friendly singles like “Blizzard Woman Blues,” a short but sweet track reminiscent of the White Stripes and Black Keys. The Daze show impressive musicianship throughout the album, often ascending into long musical interludes,that don’t deter from the accessibility of the music. Though it is no secret where The Daze draws their influences from, they make it their own, and deliver it with honesty. With a silver screen appearance in Bandslam under their belt and Rick Del Castillo as their advocate and producer, it would be no surprise if Straightjacket Hymns served as a breakout for these Austin rockers.
-Aaron Miller
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