//oakland, calif.
//age 33
//home
//email
//about
//last.fm
//message
//permanent mp3s





//tour photos
//the daily photos



(!)ad sandwich chronicles
(!)korovieva
(!)road noms
(!)listen missy
(!)daily irkutsk
(!)youlookgood
(!)melodynelson
(!)catbirdseat




Blogger: The One-Man-Company


© 2000-2010


:: 1.19.2001 ::

(listening to: Jets To Brazil: Four-Cornered Night)

This album doesn't get any better the more you listen to it. Its release was a very sad day. I'm glad I didn't have to buy it, thank god for minidiscs and Napster.

At work again, still no computers, still no work we can do. I've wasted almost two hours already that feel like two days. I've already become bored playing with my little yellow bouncing ball.

Eitzel was weird last night. We got to the show and were relieved that it was a seated show, meaning they put out little tables in the middle of the floor with chairs around them, so there was no standing for hours, no jockeying for position, no craning of necks to view Mr. Eitzel in his little black beanie. Miss Rodeo America suggested getting a bottle of wine, the perfect idea for a show where you have a table to place glasses on. Went to the bar, returned with a rather decent '98 Merlot from somewhere in France, two glasses, and a big grin on my face.

For Stars opened the show with a couple new songs, played two of my favorites from their second album ("Blue" and "Sorry"), and a couple good ones from their first record. I must admit, the new songs are very strange, some are very low-fi and bluesy, while the rest were loud and clumsy. However, hearing them live did make me appreciate the wonderful things they did with the vocals on recordings, Carlos' voice sounds better doubled and backing itself than it does alone on stage.

But of course, noboy can match Eitzel's voice. It's so loud and present, completely unavoidable. He started out with two acoustic guitar songs with a piano player backing him including a great full piano version of No Easy Way Down. The songs were great, he apologized for his voice and continued to sing beautifully. His new band came out consisting of Kristen from his previous band on keyboards/piano/and sometimes bass, some guy who was overly into himself wearing a smart suit and smoking the entire time with that "hey, look at me! I'm smoking on stage! None of you lowly audience folk can smoke in here, but I sure can! I'm on stage!" look on his face, and a mediocre DJ guy running the drum machines and using a Prophecy sparingly. The show was good, but the acousit/lo-fi stuff was definitely the best part. The drum machines didn't loop up quite right, and I had seen most of these songs perfomed with his old band and they sounded much better then. What more can you ask for? I guess I can ask for another show, since he's coming back on March 3rd to play Noisepop with Bright Eyes.


(10:19 AM) :: (link)


:: 1.18.2001 ::

(listening to: Failure: Fantastic Planet)

Today was the dullest day ever dreamed up by anybody. We're having these rolling blackouts in the state since they can't generate enough power to keep the hordes of yuppies happy with all their appliances, so the power cut out today exactly at 10:00 and stayed off until 11:30. There was absolutely nothing to do at work. Then, when the power did come back on, all our computers wouldn't come back up, so there *still* isn't anything to do. In my tradition of making lists (I'll stop with this disclaimer soon), this is what I did today at work:

  • Played with my little yellow bouncy ball for two hours, throwing it down on the ground and launching it up into the air and tossing it up against the wall and catching it.
  • Ate an entire loaf of sourdough bread by picking it at.
  • Consumed 4 jelly candies by sucking on them until they were gone.
  • Took a walk.
  • Walked around in circles in a specific course around the floor of the warehouse, making sure I only stepped on the black or blue tiles.
  • Counted out syringes and put them into little baggies for quick retrieval later.
  • Washed my hands constantly, it was something to do.

So *now* the IT guy here teaches me how to login to the Internet server without going through our (broken) main server. Why couldn't he have informed me of this hours ago! I was in the middle of an update too, right when the screen blanked out.

So we're going to see Mark Eitzel and For Stars tonight. I'm hoping the power stays on, kinda. I think it would be kinda nice to have all the lights shut out to see if Eitzel would play an all acoustic set with just a drummer, forcing everyone into a hush so that they could hear his voice without amplification. It should be a nice event at any rate, we plan on arriving early to reserve a balcony seat.

I've got some updating to do over there to the left, some new music has arrived, some more films have been seen. Adios.


(4:37 PM) :: (link)

(listening to: Bright Eyes / Son, Ambulane: Oh Holy Fools)

Same story-line from me: everything to say, no time to say it. Played some really fun music last night, it got my blood pumping and my foot tapping pretty quickly. I think I did pretty well playing some of the slower stuff, it was amazing to play with a different group of people and still be able to catch changes and tempo changes without looking up. I had a tad of a difficult time coming up with parts for some of the faster/louder songs, I'm not used to playing them. This calls for research.

It was strange being in the city so late at night (and not being at a show). I wandered around looking for food, finally settling down for a turkey sandwhich and some split-pea soup. Shit, too many people around.


(9:43 AM) :: (link)


:: 1.17.2001 ::

Again, lots of good stories from today. Lots of pretty landscapes with frost and water and glistening leaves. Lots of horses, and swiftly moving rivers. Later, of course.

Hurrying out the door to play with this band for a bit. It should be fun, I haven't played with a band in two months. Actually, two months exactly since my band broke up. Off I go now, and I'll leave you with this email that I got today:

i was on the internet today trying to prove my mother wrong about if the walls of jerhico fell in or out. anyways i came upon your log writing. i don't know who you are or where you're from. but i can't help my curiosity. all i can figure is that you are american....perhaps from kentucky, male, a lover of music, in university. actually this may not even get to you because i think this could be the wrong e-mail but i'm sending it out anyway. i don't even know why i'm writing you but i am and here it is for you to read which you are. if you want to tell me who you are--why you're writing i'm interested to know. if not i hope this little letter offered something different in your usual day

That letter *did* offer me something different in my day. Thanks for sending it, it gave me something to think about as I sat in horrendous traffic, gracefully zoning out to Bola (thanks, brother), and staring intently at the clearness of the lights and the hills and the bridges.


(5:29 PM) :: (link)


:: 1.16.2001 ::

(listening to: Bonnie 'Prince' Billie: I See A Darkness)

Not talking to anyone all day does weird things to my mood. Not necessarily sad things, more like somber things. Somber is a good word. I ate an entire bag of gummy bears and now my stomach is turning, but I can spit further than I've ever been able to before. My spit is colorful. Enough about my spit.

I think I'm going to catch the only showing of Hard Day's Night tonight, it's at 7:15 downtown, so I'm sure they'll be pint drinking beforehand. I haven't checked my email in two days. I might take a nap. I might implode from work related boredom. I can't wait until I turn into the magical delivery boy tomorow.


(3:57 PM) :: (link)

(listening to: Boya: Soup)

The tension here at work is thick and hurtful. I got in multiple arguments with people yesterday, and now nobody is really speaking to anyone else, so we're all just walking around like zombies trying to act busy.

I really want to eat dinner here sometime. We saw it on a walk the other day, and it looked incredibly fantastic, although the menu wasn't posted outside. Classy, nonetheless.

I still haven't seen A Hard Day's Night in the theaters, but I think I have a date with Miss Rodeo America tonight. Perhaps, perhaps.


(9:46 AM) :: (link)


:: 1.15.2001 ::

(listening to: Ride: Carnival of Light)

Some people do the stupidest things. I lauged out loud at this site today at work for a few seconds before I realized that everyone around me could hear me.

Today's lunchtime activity consisted of looking for a date in "Other Areas of Kentucky." Needless to say, there are lots of buffed, tattooed, and fugly military men waiting to be had. If you don't like that, it looks like mulleted dorks are your only alternative.


(3:56 PM) :: (link)

(listening to: Placebo: Black Market Music)

Oops. I messed up the file extension on the MP3 of the Week, it should work now, but I'll fix the rest when I get home.

Playing some music with my brother and another friend tonight..it should be good. I haven't touched an instrument since before Christmas. Maybe I'll bring my MD recorder with me...


(9:27 AM) :: (link)


:: 1.14.2001 ::

New MP3 of the week, I'm so good. This Bright Eyes song is one of the two songs I've been near-obsessed with this past week. The other I'll put up next week, but I have to try and figure out how to get MP3s from my Minidisc.

Just watched L.A. Confidential again, really good movie. Time to put on another movie. Goodnight.


(10:26 PM) :: (link)