good show old chap

It's not often you get to see your name in lights next to someone like Shawn Mullins. But this past weekend I had the privilege of opening for Shawn at The Variety Playhouse here in Atlanta. It was a good hometown crowd, about 900 or so showed up. I played some songs, sold some CDs, signed some CDs and tickets, and met a bunch of great people who will inevitably come to every show I ever play...hopefully. One of the highlights for me was meeting the incomparable Francine Reed backstage. Check out this amazing performance. Notice the amazing glasses and early 90's dress. That's just awesome.

stream o' conscience (ness)

They say an apple a day keeps the- you know, but I haven't eaten an apple in quite sometime and have similarly avoided the doctor as well. One explanation for someone in my "Millenial" post gen-x situation is a lack of health insurance and/or a lack of fresh fruits in our diets. Not to say that I haven't been sick. I just don't like doctors or medicine or dentists for that matter. I figure God gave us an immune system that has worked pretty well without modern medicine since way before I was born and will continue long after if we're all still here . (in my best apocolyptic tone) But don't let me seem so cynical as to not accept help now and again from an Emergen-C packet. Maybe it's the new apple? If it'll keep me from having to locate and pick out a healthcare provider and then declare my allegiance to a doctor until he says something weird about my sister looking good when its actually my girlfriend and he was being a little too hopeful. Then I have to go and change my doctor and the only name on the list is someone named Dr. Stab, which will work out great next time I have some sort of surgery. And realize that it doesn't end there. The next miserable failure is when it comes time for billing and the 7th level of hell surfaces to earth. Apparently Satan has taken control of the medical billing industry. You never get the right bill, if you ever get the bill at all. Then you're on the phone with the x-ray people wondering why your insurance didn't cover your bill and they tell you that your doctor, x-ray and that sucker that you get for "free" are all billed separately and that you should take a number and get in a phone line that wraps around the earth 4.5 times. So I will politely say no thanks and go eat an apple. (which will inevitably have a worm which makes me feel sick and have to go find a doctor who helps complicate my class-action lawsuit against fruit)

urban ninjas

Let it be known that YouTube is just plain fun.



...and apparently Spider-Man is Russian.

musical variety hour

three words: over...the...rhine

and a few more words:
I saw Over the Rhine play last night at Eddie's Attic and it was astounding. You simply must check them out. Amazing voices, jazz arrangements and solos, smoky and subtle and so freaking good! Not to mention (though I am mentioning) I witnessed the most amazing drum solo I've ever seen last night. To top it off, Rosie Thomas (of Sufjan Stevens fame) opened the show. I still can't wrap my head around her tiny, shrill talking voice and her warm, buttery singing voice. Is she faking it? I won't be the one to pass blame. People need their angle, shtick and so forth. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

To keep with the musical thematics, here is a great video of one of my favorites, Andrew Bird, in a Blues Cluesesque kids show:

Andrew Bird as Dr. Strings

at the movies

I'm no critic officially. I do, however, dabble in the practice of putting my beliefs, opinions and nonpoint-based ramblings into readable forms forcing the happenstance viewer to figure out if I'm worth further pursuit. So given I have only a few words before you will undoubtedly say, "no mas," I will be decidedly short-winded about a few movies I saw this past weekend.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford:
This movie was very well acted by the likes of Brad Pitt and especially Casey Affleck. Who knew the little brother was better? Well he just is. It was a long movie and quite slow at parts. It seemed very matter of fact which was refreshing for a period, westernish production. No glamour, no glitz, but often some guts. A nice dose of reality about our history's icons always goes a long way. Go see it, but don't expect Tombstone or Young Guns. Casey Affleck is superior as a punk kid who whines and takes crap from everyone. He plays it so well you might imagine he's like that in real life. You'll see that there's another side in the next topic.
3 of 5 stars

Gone Baby, Gone:
Absolutely amazing! I applaud Ben Affleck for his directorial debut and immediately forgive him for his past choices (Gigli, Dare Devil, shall I go on?). This film is deep and hard and touching and challeging. The ethical and moral dilemmas alone keep you tossing and turing, but the performances (namely and once again, Casey Affleck) are stunning and captivating. Casey shows the tough side of his chops, manning up to guys twice his size on the mean streets of Boston. He is as authentic a Bostonian as Mark Wahlberg or Matt Damon have ever been. I expect great things from this kid and eagerly await his next project. But back to the movie; go see it. You will thank me. Seriously...I expect a thank you.
5 of 5 stars

a question of science?

Last night I saw a Discovery Channel special on "The Search for Noah's Ark". I love that kind of history/myth stuff because its just that; unsolved. Not unlike Unsolved Mysteries starring Robert Stack. His film noir trench coat always made it seem like he was in the thick of it; and I, with him.

Back to the point, the hour-long special noted many geological findings, creationist psychobabble (as they put it) and evolutionists facts (as they put it). They actually gave more credit to a meteorite theory for a flood than an actual, God-sized miracle. I'm not going to debate facts or theories, though some are absurd, intriguing or just funny. I would like to point out that the so-called "liberal" view of this account and most biblical accounts are in fact very conservative and restrained in what they allow to be possible (and therefore, true in their opinion). It would be a much more liberal (all-inclusive view) and quite liberating to actually believe that these wondrous and hard to imagine stories/miracles could have actually happened. I suppose I would just rather not hear people associate secular world views with a liberality that only comes from looking at all possibilities; no matter how skeptical we want to be.

But I digress.

The truth is out there.

(cue the music)

(roll the credits)

(and cut)

in one widget, out the other

The first time I heard the term widget my conscience immediately streamed Star Wars...Ewok...The Battle for Endor...Willford Brimley...Quaker Oats...and for some reason I feel the urge to check my blood sugar. (Thanks Liberty Medical) I seemed to be mistaken at the time, but now have a firm grip on all the concepts of widgetry, both for good and evil, however asinine their uses may be. I can now successfully bounce a ball on my screen without ever having to worry about my rotator cuff injury from the '89 playoffs. It was then I decided never to pitch for the Cubs again; stupid Giants, you think you're sooo big and bad. For the record Don Zimmer does not look any better in person, but Ryne Sandberg does.

Would I be wrong in assuming that their is such a thing as a Nidget? And would it be way cooler with more street cred than it's faux-urban counterpart? If so, it's the Nidget for me.

It should be noted that I'm working on a "little application" (my designated p.c. term for widget) for an unnamed cruise line as my debut project in the working world. I have written a little song and dance to go along with my crash course in the travel industry. It shall be posted later this week for your enjoyment.

In other news, I had four shows in three days last week. They went well. So well in fact that I will post a link to download the Eddie's Attic show in it's entirety soon enough.

In the meantime, here's some amazing stop-motion animation for the purists out there:

Verde: Traviata

Moviekiss (The Lite Brite Video)