deep sea diver @ neumos: review

The perfect analogy occurred to me on Friday night at Neumos in Seattle watching Deep Sea Diver blow

5 questions that will shape season five of breaking bad

**Warning this article is basically one big spoiler.  If you’ve not watched all four seasons of B

event: deep sea diver @ neumos May 18th

  Loyal readers of the website will be familiar with the band name Deep Sea Diver.  Their outs

 

deep sea diver @ neumos: review

May 21, 2012 in events, music, things

The perfect analogy occurred to me on Friday night at Neumos in Seattle watching Deep Sea Diver blow the flesh right off my bones.  Many years back I saw a picture taken in the Florida Everglades of a fourteen foot burmese python, with the tail and hind legs of an alligator literally bursting-out from inside.  This is Deep Sea Diver, the alligator.  They are exploding fourth from their container.  The band seems to big for its confines, to big for Bandcamp, to big not to be the headliner.

Let me start off by saying that I did not cover Ravenna Woods, though I actually really dig their music.  I attended the show with my eight months pregnant wife and DSD’s set was about all I was going to get out of her.  She was a real trooper for making it that far.

The evening started off beautifully with the Portland duo Pure Bathing Culture.  Both members, Daniel Hindman and Sarah Versprille are also members of the Sub Pop band Vetiver, to which they are vaguely similar and welcomely different.  They performed a dimly lit and mysterious set that sent the blood coursing through my veins in a very satisfying way.  Good music is a visceral experience that slaps all your senses across the face, and PBC had me reliving experiences all over the map.  I immediately remarked to my wife that they felt reminiscent of the Eurythmics (of which I am a genuine fan).  Beyond that this band is sensually unique.

If you didn’t get out to Neumos and watch these guys I’m tempted to say, tough shit, they’re probably on their way home.  But a little birdie told me that they have a an EP coming out this Tuesday May 22 on Father/Daughter records.  You’ll want to check it out.

Technically Ravenna Woods was the headliner, but to me it felt like everyone in the room was there to see Deep Sea Diver.  You should know DSD by now, they’ve been featured on this website a number of times, including an interview with front woman Jessica Dobson.  In its first week of release their debut full-length, History Speaks was the number one album on Bandcamp.  And chances are that Dobson has graced your television set over the last few months thanks to her gig as the touring guitarist with The Shins.

History Speaks is without a doubt one of the years best albums and I have practically worn out the grooves on my album already.  Until now I’d never seen them live, and I couldn’t have asked for more.  I waited until the last minute to write this article, hoping for a better word to use, but DSD just plain rocked.  They were surprisingly energetic considering that it was their second show of the day, having played earlier for KEXP.

They covered my old favorites (not really old but I’m so familiar with them now it feels like I’ve known them forever) and bestowed upon us a pair of brand spankin’ new ones.  They hit quick and hard with my personal favorite Keep it Moving which devoured my heart, and kept everyone frothing at the mouth until the finale, fan favorite, You Go Running.

Dobson really impressed by transitioning from guitar to keyboard and back again within the same song.  It was enough to make me say, “oh come on!  Spread that talent around to us.”  But don’t let me sell the rest of the band short, these guys, John Rains, Michael Duggan and Dobson’s husband Peter Mansen, are truly top notch.  They blew the walls down at Neumos.  I didn’t open this piece with a meaningless analogy: DSD is writhing inside the skin of a foolish python.  Its scaly skin bulging/expanding/stretching, until the last cells can no longer hold together and Deep Sea Diver bursts fourth.  It’s absolute carnage of guts, and outer skin- thudding drums, haunting keys, shredding guitars and blood pumping bass.

If it hasn’t already happened, then the time is very soon that we’ll all be intimately familiar with DSD.  Perhaps while opening for The Shins this June, or maybe while taking the stage at Bumbershoot Labor day weekend.  If you read this article and still haven’t bought their album on Bandcamp then do it now.  It’s also available in stores at Easy Street and Sonic Boom records in Seattle.  And don’t forget to read and listen to my interview with the very talented Jessica Dobson, in itunes or right here.

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5 questions that will shape season five of breaking bad

May 17, 2012 in television, things

**Warning this article is basically one big spoiler.  If you’ve not watched all four seasons of Breaking Bad, then you may want to skip this article and read it once you’re all caught up.**

Breaking Bad isn’t just a good show it’s a great show.  Certainly the best currently running on television and possibly the best of all time.  Even those who don’t like the show have to admit that it’s well done, from the acting to the story and even it’s impeccable pacing.  This summer AMC will air the fifth and final season of Breaking Bad, and my hope is that many of its as yet unanswered questions will be addressed.

Since the beginning Breaking Bad has done a marvelous job revealing information to the audience.  It rarely gives us superfluous details that won’t be used as foreshadowing, or help bring context to a character.  Flashbacks serve multiple purposes and rarely is anything ever wasted.  It’s not uncommon for most shows to give a deluge of details in the pilot episode needlessly.  Breaking Bad holds onto important information and doles it out like an IV drip (one of my favorite writing tips from playwright Jose Rivera) one fact at a time.

Knowing that season five will be the last is a hint that any important questions we have for the show, most likely will be answered.  The season four finale was different from one, two, or three, in that it didn’t end with a cliff hanger.  With a few exceptions it was all wrapped up and neatly packaged, yet knowing that we still had one more season to go, left me with more questions than ever.  What will happen in the next season?  How will it all end?  I’ve come up with five questions that deal with the past, present, and future, all of which I believe will play an important role in how the final season unravels.

 

1.  Will Walter White die?

Okay, this is the most obvious question, but also the biggest, which is why I put it here first.  The shows creator Vince Gilligan has said from the beginning that they’re going to take Walt from this impotent family man and turn him into Scarface.  That progression has been beautifully constructed over four seasons, but in the end can we still root for Scarface?  I don’t think we can, and thus Walter has to die, Bryan Cranston (Walter White) holds this belief as well.  The question within a question becomes, how?  Will he be killed by someone, or will his cancer return?  Walt’s death will be painful to watch regardless of his Scarfaceness, it just seems to be the most logical end.

2.  Why did Walter leave Gray Matter?

This question might seem less obvious to the casual viewer, but an important one if you’re as dedicated as me.  What we know is that Walter founded the company Gray Matter along with Elliot Schwartz, and for reasons unknown he left both Gretchen (Jessica Hecht) now Elliot’s wife, and Gray Matter behind, and eventually ended up teaching high school.  There have been subtle hints that suggest that it might have something to do with receiving proper credit for discoveries, but that’s speculative.  This was a turing point in Walt’s life that has been largely unexplained, perhaps with good reason.  I believe that Gray Matter (Elliot and Gretchen) will play some important role in season five.  Just what that role is I’m not sure, but I wonder if the morals of Elliot and Gretchen will be tested.

3.  Where’s Mike?

Alright, Gustavo Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) menacing henchman, otherwise known as Mike (Jonathan Banks) is probably still in Mexico recovering from his gunshot wounds.  That’s obvious.  With the death of Gus and the assumed destruction of his empire, Mike is suddenly a little out of place.  It’s a given that he’ll reenter the story, otherwise he never would have been shot and Walt would have blown him up in the nursing home.  The real question is, what role will he play?  Vengeance doesn’t seem likely, his relationship with Gus always felt more financial.  If you’re expecting him to help Walt, I’d guess again, those two have never got along.  My belief is that he and Jesse will align, Mike might even fill the void that Walter leaves at some point.

4.  Will Hank Catch Heisenberg?

Or, will Hank (Dean Norris), Walt’s DEA brother-in-law discover that Walter White is the blue meth making, black hat wearing Heisenberg?  It’s been the cat and mouse game of the entire series, how close will he get to discovering Walt’s alter ego?  By the end of season four he’d put an astonishing number of pieces of the puzzle together, at some point he’s got to realize that Walt fits the final hole perfectly.  Then the real question becomes, what will he do with that information?  Will he turn Walt in, or will he try to protect him?  Walt has had an ability to convince people to help him, even when they know better.  My guess is that as season five draws to a close Walt will be pursued from all sides by just about everyone, Hank might work both to protect and stop him.  In the end Walt is Jesse’s mark.

5.  Will Walt come clean to Jesse?

Walter has a lot to atone for, but his most heinous acts have directly impacted his partner Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).  Walter was present the night Jane died and didn’t help her, then poisoned the son of Jesse’s girlfriend.  It might not seem that important, but Walt’s admission of these acts would be devastating to what’s become his most important relationship.  Walter has acted selfishly time and time again towards Jesse and yet he’s always been forgiven.  These admissions would surely end that relationship and gain Walt yet another enemy, one that knows all his secrets.  Yet again, it’s inevitable that this will happen, how this effects the story is a mystery.

 

There you have it, my top five questions that will shape season five of Breaking Bad.  There could be others like, what happened to Ted Beneke?  Will Jesse or Walt ever get tied to their murders? Or Will Walter Jr. find out who his did really is?  The five I chose I believe will determine the course of events in the final episodes the most.  Vince Gilligan has wasted very little when it comes to story and characters, nothing is arbitrary.  Expect the questions to play an important role and pay off handsomely.

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event: deep sea diver @ neumos May 18th

May 16, 2012 in events, music, things

 

Loyal readers of the website will be familiar with the band name Deep Sea Diver.  Their outstanding debut full length History Speaks was released last February.  Readers will also be familiar with the name Jessica Dobson, as the front woman of DSD as well as touring guitarist with The Shins.  She’s also been featured on our website as a secretly-important person, check out the profile here, and the podcast here.

Since their album History Speaks was release the band has been furiously working behind the scenes, packaging and shipping vinyl, replenishing Sonic Boom and Easy Street Records, preparing to release the album as a compact disc, working on new songs, etc.  But they’ve been noticeably absent from the stage, as Dobson has been out on the road with The Shins.

Thanks to a break in the tour Deep Sea Diver will be appearing at Neumos along with Ravenna Woods.  Almost immediately they’ll be back on the road opening for The Shins in June.  So if you want to see this awesome band, this is your last chance for some time.

A quick side note: (maybe not so quick).  Don’t buy your tickets online (if you can avoid it.  Etix is a pretty crappy company, you can buy tickets in person at Moe Bar (next door to Neumos).  It seems that Etix is still responsible for those tickets but this way you can avoid their insane convenience charge.  I bought my tickets there with some difficulty as the bartender couldn’t find the show under Deep Sea Diver.  Someone from Neumos assisted and informed him that the show could be found under the headliner, Ravenna Woods.  On his way out of the room, said helpful person exclaimed, “Deep Sea Diver is way better.”  No offense to Ravenna Woods, but DSD is un-fucking-believable.

The show is this Friday May 18th at Neumos in Seattle on Pike and 10th.  Doors open at 8pm.  Be there or totally miss out on an amazing night.  History Speaks is available for download or  Vinyl at bandcamp, sonic boom records, and  easy street.  And on compact disc June 1st.

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maurice sendak, oh please don’t go-we’ll eat you up-we love you so!

May 15, 2012 in books, things

maurice sendak, self portrait with his greatest inspiration mickey mouse

That very night in Max’s room a forest grew.
                              -where the wild things are

When I was little my bed could become anything.  It was a ship sailing the salty seas miles from home.  It was an airplane soaring high above the clouds, licking the suns surface and slicing into outer space.  It became a hut in the middle of the dark amazon rain forrest, a vicious tribe of cannibals on one side, a blood thirsty jaguar on the other.  My bed was rarely just a bed, who wants to sleep in something so basic and simple.  The mind of a young child is imaginative all on its own, but books like Maurice Sendak’s can light a fuse to a rocket that bursts and showers the ground with sparks for a lifetime.

Last week Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of thee of the most provocative books from my childhood, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and Where the Wild Things Are, passed away.  By all accounts he was prepared for his eventual death, for decades it seems.  Until a few years ago, when Where the Wild Things Are was released on film, I knew relatively little about him.  I had no idea he was gay, that his books were controversial, or that the Wild things were based on his relatives, I didn’t even know if he was still alive.  Until that time all I really knew was that he was the common thread of three books that stoked the fire of my imagination for twenty something years.  Over time I did learn quite a bit about him.

There are just a handful of people who’s artistic influence inspires me every time I sit down to create.  Even fewer have managed to inspire me for as long as I can remember, perhaps that honor belongs just to Sendak.  I remember knowing and loving Where the Wild Things Are so much that I thought that was the only way to write a book.  I don’t remember a time before, Max sailed a vast ocean and tamed the wild things on a foreign shore.  I was never frightened, all his work intrigued me, it felt very real, and I wanted to meet those terrible beasts myself.  On more than one occasion I tried my hardest to will tall trees to sprout from my bedroom floor and vines to fall from the ceiling.

When the Spike Jonze adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are hit theaters a few years back, it suddenly became very cool to claim a relationship to Sendak’s work.  People who could hardly remember or didn’t even read his books, were claiming him to be a lifelong inspiration.  But you can always tell the truly inspired from those who were just jumping on the bandwagon.  Take a look at the work of Stacey Rozich, whose illustrations immediately appealed to me because they felt so much like that of Sendak’s.  For years I have been blatantly ripping off images and ideas from Maurice for my own writings.  A room would become a jungle, beasts would appear amidst the daffodils in a quaint garden, night time adventures would be had, and journeys would be undertaken, and fears would be tested.  Only in my stories, characters never returned to their own bed, and there was never a hot dinner waiting for them.

It occurs to me that perhaps the best way to honor a man whose life’s work has inspired your own so much is not to mourn his loss, but rather to honor and celebrate that which he created.  Not only through my own artistic endeavors, but by continuing the sacred tradition of the bedtime story.

In just a few short months I will welcome my first child.  I’m excited for all the things we will do together, and everything she will experience with me for the first time.  I can’t wait to help shape this adorable little human being, even if she renounces me in her teen years.  I’m probably most excited to read her bedtime stories, the way my mother did for me.  Outside Over There, when a band of Goblins steal Ida’s sister and she goes on a rescue mission to get her back.  In the Night Kitchen, when Mickey takes a nigh time adventure into a kitchen to discover how the bread is made while we sleep at night.  And Where the Wild Things Are, that place where my imagination was born.  Where Max tamed the beasts, then left them.  I can only imagine that Maurice Sendak boarded that private boat bound for uncharted territory, and now walks amongst the creatures of his own imagination as king.

Thank you Maurice, we never met, but you gave me the most valuable gift that anyone can give.

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song of the week: father john misty ~ this is sally hatchet

May 10, 2012 in columns, music, song of the week, things

photo by: emma garr

Alright call me a liar, because here is yet another article on Father John Misty.  In all fairness I did say in my Monday Neumos recap:

I promise that unless Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) puts out another album or releases another heavy video, I will put a three month moratorium on FJM articles.

The video for this beautiful and haunting song is pretty awesome and very heavy… therefore I’m talking about it as my song of the week.  This also (completes?) a trilogy of videos for Josh Tillman as his rockstar moniker Father John Misty.

The truth is that I am heading out to Vegas tomorrow for a last hurrah before baby Jackson arrives in August.  I’ve been incredibly busy trying to keep up with the news of the week, editing some great interviews from Lindsay Schief, Angelo Spencer, and The The The Thunder, and on top of all that I’m preparing to head out to Sasquatch in just a couple weeks.  I promise this time that I will expand my horizons and will institute a moratorium on FJM articles.  Next week I have some great articles brewing on Maurice Sendak, NBC and why they are determined to fuck with it’s only good shows, and Deep Sea Diver’s show at Neumos on May 18th.

This is Sally Hatchet, is by far the darkest song on Father John Misty’s Fear Fun and no surprise that it turns out the craziest and most grim video of them all.  On the album in sides right in between the quirky fun of Only Son of the Ladies Man, and the poetic country flavor of Well, You Can Do It Without Me.  It provides a quick departure into some rather ugly places before you head back down the road on your journey full of magic mushrooms.

Unlike much of Fear Fun, This Is Sally Hatchet builds upon itself, swelling into an evocative use of strings.  On Monday at Neumos, it was at the climax of this song that he absurdly laid the mic stand gently on the stage and marched off stage like a true rockstar, an excuse to step outside for a minute before power housing his way through the remainder of the set.

I am now a firm believer that Josh Tillman is (or going to be) a rock star.  He certainly feels like one, and once the rest of the world finds out who he is he will definitely be one.  The rock world has been missing a character like this for a long time, not since Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, or David Bowie has the world of rock music seen a male persona quite like this.

The video for This is Sally Hatchet is not for the faint hearted, but it is still an intriguing video.  It makes me want to see him make a whole film, almost.  Readers who’ve watched all three videos will also note his complex relationship with women.

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garden update: make your own garden fresh mint tea

May 9, 2012 in columns, garden project

Tea’s are expensive, a nice organic herbal tea can cost upwards of $10 at the grocery store, but you can make your own tea from home grown plants.  Last year I made my own delicious lavender tea.  This year I’m harvesting mint for tea, and I’m going to show you just how to do it.

First off, there are more than a dozen varieties of mint, all of which off a slightly different taste.  Obviously mint tea comes in many varieties, but in every case the process is still the same.  You can by mint starters at any nursery or in many grocery stores this time of year.  You can even find it growing wild.  For the purpose of this article, I’ll be using what I think is spearmint.  I’m not positive, because I found it semi-wild.

step 1.  Collect or grow your mint.

As I said before, you can buy starters at the store or find it wild.  My mint came from an unplanted portion of my moms backyard.  I pulled the large stalks out from the roots and replanted them in a pot in my own garden.  Be aware that all mint is considered a weed and my motto for weeds is “where there’s a will there’s a way.”  Unless you can remove the entire plant and root and all from the ground it will continue to grow and spread like untreated herpes (perhaps the only gardening blog you’ll ever read to mention mint and herpes).  Be prepared for it to take over where ever you plant it.  I chose a large pot that I didn’t mind devoting to mint.  Also make sure that you’ve got plenty of mint growing before you start cutting, little starters from the store won’t do and will just end up killing the plant.

step 2. Dry the mint.

You can make mint with freshly cut leaves and that can be tasty as well, but if you’re like me you want to have a constant supply that you can pluck from a canister and add to a teapot. For this you’ll want to dray the leaves first.  Cut a series of 6-7” stalks with nice large leaves.  Wash and dry the leaves to remove any dirt or unwanted bugs.  Ideally you will have a herb drying rack or in my case, a converted clothes line I bought for a few dollars at Ikea that works like a champ.  Hang the mint upside down and wait a week or until the leaves are completely dry and brittle.

step 3.  Remove the leaves

The easiest and most brainless step of this incredibly simple process. Remove the dried leaves from the stems.  You can probably do this by running your fingers from one end to the other.  If you get a little stem in there it’s not the end of the world, but it’s the leaves you want.

step 4.  Storage.

Take the whole leaves and place them in a sealable container.  You can crush up the leaves if you like, just remember that crushed leaves could slip through the small holes of a strainer or tea ball.  I chose to leave my leaves as whole as possible.

step 5.  Enjoy.

Some will tell you exactly the temperature, just how much of the leaves to use, and how long to steep.  I just boil the water and a conservative amount of leaves to a tea ball (a little can go a long way but you’ll figure out just how much you like to use over time) and steep until the water turns a light brown to medium brown.  It’ll get darker the more mint you use.

There you have it in five beyond easy steps, (I probably could have combined a few too).  I’m sure you can spice things up and add little extras to the leaves, but they are tasty completely natural.

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father john misty @ neumos: review

May 8, 2012 in events, music, things

Are you tired of me talking about Father John Misty yet?  I promise that unless Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) puts out another album or releases another heavy video, I will put a three month moratorium on FJM articles.  This of course will take effect after the following article.

I sat on getting tickets to this show for weeks and weeks, I’m not sure why.  I suppose I felt that if the show sold out before the day of then it just wasn’t meant to be, that’s a stupid thing to say but I was mixed partly too because my wife who always attends these shows with me was out of town that night and I would have to go by myself.  Needless to say the night before the show it wasn’t sold out so I bought tickets.

A quick side note on the company etix.  This is a shitty company.  The tickets were fifteen dollars, by the time everything was said and done it cost me $19.75 thanks to a $4.75 convenience fee.  Had I bought them directly at the venue it would have been cheaper.  Etix job is to sell tickets online, why do they need to charge you an extra fee.  Imagine buying a song from itunes and being charged a convenience fee for buying from the itunes store.  Then after your purchase they tell you how you qualify for a $20 rebate if you call a 1-800 number.  I looked it up and discovered that basically they con you into signing up for some kind of subscription that costs something like $17 a month.  Avoid them if you can.  Sorry for this side bar, I just want everyone to be aware of these guys.

It was Tillman’s appearance on David Letterman that really sold me on the idea of going to the show.  He looked like some crazy hybrid of Neil Diamond and Jim Morrison.  The clean refreshed look of Diamond in a slick black suit, but the slinky moves of Morrison.  I couldn’t help but think that anyone who watched David Letterman that night was surely wondering, who is this gentleman with the powerful voice?  I got the tickets and went.

I was going to skip the opening act, Har Mar Superstar, I was going to the show by myself and didn’t want to stand around all that time.  In the end my insatiable need to be early to events led me to Neumos at 8:40.  I ordered a Red Stripe and kept my tab open before remembering that I was there alone and a.) I had no designated driver and b.) found a prime position on the balcony that I would need to relinquish to get another.  Ultimately I was glad to have arrived in time to see Sean Tillmann (no relation to Josh) as his alter ego Har Mar Superstar.

He could be Ron Jeremy’s brother, chubby, balding, and full of intense sexuality.  He entered the stage layered like it was sub-zero outside, so I should have expected that by the final song he would be wearing only his rainbow striped skivvies and pink socks.  Everything about him feels like a put-on, he’s got dance moves like Timberlake and touches himself like he’s a sex-symbol.  But then I guess anyone is a sex symbol as long as they and the audience believes it.  And they did believe it, the ladies up against the stage couldn’t get enough of that chubby, hairy body.

That’s only half the story, because the other half is that of some really great music and a surprising voice.  If Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder were to have a child (a medical marvel) and push out a short, white, overweight, hairy, little man, Har Mar would be it.  We’re it the early 90’s he might have received the Milli Vanilli treatment, which would have been a travesty, because his stage presence is… full of confidence.  Everything about him makes you think your being pranked, but it’s not a joke, it’s actually really good.  As an extra treat, Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) played drums.

Ten minutes before FJM entered the stage the club filled with a think mist, it was an early peek at Tillman’s humor, an impossible blend of bravado and self deprecation.  This wasn’t the Neil Diamond from David Letterman, this was full on Jim Morrison.  He was so natural up there that I wondered what he’d been doing behind the lonely drum set of the Fleet Foxes all these years (his solo work not included).  There was no questioning what the crowd was there for, Father John Misty Set the house on fire.

I don’t know if the show sold out, from my perch atop the balcony, all I saw was a sea of people… okay, Neumos isn’t that big, maybe a lake of people.  I felt lucky to be there among a few hundred people, not long from now he’ll be filling the Greek Theater.  He was built for a place like that, his voice echoing throughout Griffith Park.  Neumos could barely contain him.

Tillman is a desperately passionate singer, he gestures with all his lyrics, in a way that you can tell that each one is deeply personal and important.  His blood is all over the songs, I wanted to see the rockstar I pictured while listening to his album Fear Fun, and I wasn’t disappointed.  He came unpackaged, unwrapped, unhindered, unhinged, and pled for help.  He alluded throughout the night to his severely guarded solo efforts, and joked not-so-lovingly about being inaudible at the Crocodile, where he was also a dishwasher for a time.  To me Fear Fun was about him taking off the armor and going for it in front of the audience.  Just like jumping out of a plane, that scary kind of fun.

Everything about his stage presence was enduring.  His dancing, his commitment, his showmanship, his between song banter.  The peak was his truly heartfelt dedication of Fun Times in Babylon to Sub Pop, who you could say helped make the evening possible by producing his record.  The song is like a youth fantasy leaving everything behind and going to the big city.  My wife and I did this four and a half years ago and had this song existed back then it would have accompanied us in our U-haul to Los Angeles.

It was a wonderful night, I only wished that my wife and future baby could have been there to share it with me.  When you go to a concert by yourself, you feel awkward about everything you do, how you hold your beer, the way you stand, and rock to the incredible music of Father John Misty.  Check out his tour schedule here, he may be coming to a city near you.

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bob’s burgers are delicious

May 7, 2012 in television, things

There’s no one reason for why it took me over a year to give the animated series, Bob’s Burgers a chance.  On paper I love the show, quirky animation, and the voice talents of some of my favorite comedians, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Jon Benjamin among many others.  Both Eugene and Kristen pled to their Twitter followers to show their support for the show, in hopes of being picked up for a second season.  It paid off, Bob’s Burgers is currently in the middle of a second season.  As for me, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago when Netflix added the show to Instant Streaming that I finally decided to give the show a try.  My assessment: it might just be one of the funniest animated shows running on television.

I’m a fan of animated comedies, The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park, King of the Hill, but in the last few years they seem to have gone stale.  The Simpsons are sadly on their last leg, the characters and stories look and feel tired.  The Family Guy has always teetered on the edge of clever and lazy, but South Park was right when they said that the nonsensical jokes were created by manatees pushing around idea balls.  Speaking of South Park, it has pretty much shocked everyone, now it seems we’re watching them try to shock themselves.  And though King of the Hill was relatively rich until the very end, it’s been off the air for a few years now.  There are other animated series floating in the television ether but who the hell understands what’s going on in Aqua Teen Hunger Force?  And how many times does Seth MacFarland have to remake the same show before we all call bullshit?

Bob’s Burgers seemed much more promising than all the aforementioned series, and I genuinely wanted to like it.  My fear was that it wouldn’t be funny, so I avoided it.  Why if I love all the actors attached would I not give it a chance?  Despite funny voice actors many animated comedy’s just  fail to be funny.

I’ve been guilty of making myself like something simply because I wanted to like it even when it really wasn’t that great, when it comes to Bob’s Burgers the praise is completely genuine.  It avoids the common trap of forcing the shows greatest asset, the voice talent, into a awkward rhythm.  Instead it allows the actors to set the rhythm.  Jon Benjamin (Bob) rolls through his lines like he’s half drunk, though he tends to be the voice of reason.  Eugene Mirman (Gene) is like the weird chubby kid from elementary school who is borderline Aspergers.  Kristen Schaal (Louise) is the oddball (all things are relative) and severely over dramatic in the most enduring way.

I don’t mean to short sell the other regulars Dan Mintz, John Roberts, Larry Murphy, and the many others who lend their voices to the show, I’m just not as familiar with their body of work.  Like everyone else, the show lets them do their thing, by working together and using the pacing that comes naturally.  When the rhythm of an animated show is off you can’t always tell just what’s wrong, but you know that something just isn’t right.  Bob’s Burgers sounds good even when you close your eyes.

The stories are simple and fit into the standard sitcom structure, they’re not breaking any new ground here.  There are little twists here and there to keep things fresh, but you’re not going to watch the show for the story.  The voice acting is brilliant and the characters are truly enduring.  It should be noted that Bob defies the modern convention of the Idiot Dad.  He doesn’t always make good choices but he’s not a buffoon which is a relief after twenty plus years of Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, and every dad on South Park.

Unlike South Park or Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers doesn’t try to be crude or shocking just to be crude or shocking, in fact it’s really not much of either.  It can be a little crass at times, usually in service to the story and done very well.  It lies somewhere in between the Simpsons and the Family Guy.

I’m so glad I gave the show a try, I’m generally my own worst enemy when it comes to finding new things to like.  Somewhere I’ll get the impression that I won’t like something and refuse to give it a chance to prove me wrong.  In an age where the adult animation appeals mostly to those with a bong on their coffee table, or those who’s taste in humor is akin to a box of hamburger helper, Bob’s Burgers is like a Kobe beef steak.  If you’re a vegetarian or don’t know much about meat, look it up and you’ll understand just how delicious Bob’s Burgers are.

I’m sorry for that last sentence, it really felt good at the time but the more I thought about it the more it felt like the final line in The Importance of Being Ernest: I’ve now realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being earnest.  It’s bad, it’s really bad and I apologize for putting you through that.  Just watch Bob’s Burgers, it’s currently in the middle of its second season on Fox.

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side project saturdays ~ shana cleveland and the sandcastles

May 5, 2012 in columns, music, saturday side projects, things

We’re starting a new column for Saturdays only.  I won’t say every Saturday but some Saturdays we will do a little write up on a side project from one of our favorite secretly-important people.  The definition of side project is a little loose since many musicians play in multiple bands, and though for them it may be a side project for someone else it may be their only project.  For the most part when I talk about side project I’m talking about a band that someone is involved in outside of the band their most known for.  Neil Young was best known as a solo act, but he did spend time on the side with Buffalo Springfield, a more traditional side project.  While Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young was a side project for him, it was already a well known and established band without him.

Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles

 

The PNW’s The Curious Mystery, is a modern version of a 1960’s psychedelic band, merging the tonal qualities of subdued and relaxing Eastern music with the western rock.  They are truly a Northwest prize, who’s been touring the country spreading the word of their awesomeness.  Their 2011 album We Creeling built beautifully off their debut Rotting Slowly.  I saw them perform last year at NW Folklife and loved their stage presence, their ability to rock hard and sooth you with sensual melodies is second to none.

Shana Cleveland the front woman for the Curious Mystery has been involved with a number of side projects but perhaps my favorite is: Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles, a neo-Americana folk band.  I found them some time last year while researching a song of the week for the Curious Mystery, and was blown away.  Oh Man, Cover the Ground, is a perfect album for a cold and nasty Northwest day, of which their are many.  I found myself listening to it on repeat last year during a weekend in a foggy and damp weekend in the San Juan Islands.

Despite being recorded rather low rent on a simple reel-to-reel, it sounds surprisingly well polished and at the same time just low tech enough to give it a completely organic feel.  The Sandcastles are more traditional than say The Curious Mystery, far less psychedelic and much more relaxing and earthbound.  In my recent conversation with Angelo Spencer we got talking about landscape music, the term is pretty undefined and largely subjective but the Sandcastles are my idea of the perfect landscape music.  Images of long isolated road of the American West are conjured.

As far as side projects go Shana Cleveland and the Sandcastles are a pretty little gem.  You can buy their album through bandcamp on tape, compact disc, and mp3.  Perhaps even more exciting, you can watch them live at this years NW Folklife festival.

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garden update: challenge yourself

May 2, 2012 in columns, garden project

“If all you ever do is play it safe in your garden, you’ll never get the satisfaction of accomplishing something really great.”            -a carrot from a fever dream

When it comes to my garden, I’m not afraid to try something crazy (gardeners crazy) and grow a new fruit or vegetable that I know nothing about.  I can’t tell you how enjoyable it is to enjoy a tasty edible from your garden, especially when it was something that you really had to work hard at and figure out.  As silly as my initial mistake with the garlic was, their challenge will prove all the more rewarding when harvest time rolls around.

Last year I could have stuck with only simple things like carrots, lettuce, and herbs, but I decided to risk it and grow onions, broccoli, and cucumbers as well.  It didn’t all work out, and that’s okay, merely unlocking their mystery was enough for me.  I knew that I would get a second chance next year to apply what I’d learned.

A year later, I’ve learned a considerable amount concerning the art of gardening.  Yes, I’m still going to be playing it safe with lettuce, chard, and tomato starters (I just don’t want to risk not having these) and I know it’s cheating.  Instead I’ll be putting the bulk of my efforts toward something really challenging.  Cucumbers, eggplant, and bell peppers.  Aside from finding all three delicious, I couldn’t tell you a thing about how they grow.

I could have bought all three as starters, there was just something alluring about the seeds.  They come in these little paper envelopes, often, no bigger than a spec of dirt.  Yet with some dirt and water they will grow into something amazing and tasty.  There’s a kind of mystery surrounding just how they become the vegetable I know so well from my dinner plate, and I like unlocking that mystery.

Now is the time to get that garden started.  Aside from transplanting a few lettuce starts, I’m all set for another bountiful year.  I’m growing all the usual suspects from last year, minus the artichoke and chinese cabbage, then add in garlic, eggplant, bell peppers, rainbow Swiss chard, and a trio of herbs.

I also wanted to make a special note of just how much my green beans have grown, from just a couple short weeks ago.  Last year they didn’t reach this point until July.

Check back next week as I walk you though the ridiculously easy process of turning your mint into delicious tea.

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