a break

Lately, if I'm not waking up to horrible, sad, scary news at 6:48 every morning when the alarm goes off (perhaps I should switch from NPR to the River or something), then I'm receiving it from beloved friends and family. It's been a very tough week. (What's with those people with "Life is Hillarious" bumper stickers. Where does that come from? I mean, sometimes it is, but god--look around you. That is a very harmful credo to live by.)
So please, don't think of me as crass or inconsiderate if the following post contains pure fluff. Just gushes of fluff. Stuff I think of at work and write on small scraps of paper that accumulate at my computer at home. If you're not in the mood, don't read it.

1) Who has heard Frank Padellaro's ad for "Bottle of Bread", the Shelburne Falls restaurant? It's a damn King Radio full-on production, and I sure recognize the voice ordering food at the end of the ad. It's very good. I gotta get to that place.

2) When I'm doing the library routes, I pretty much always have my Rio on shuffle--I got about 3800 songs on it. I've made 2 playlists for my wedding--"dance" and "background" and everytime something comes up that seems promising (say, The Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #3" or Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer") I put it in the appropriate playlist.
I've read that 2 of the most requested wedding songs are The Police's 'Every Breath You Take" and Elvis Costello's "Allison". This is proof that most people don't listen to lyrics--both of those songs are bitter-as-hell, post-breakup songs. Why stop there? I think my wedding song will either be Roy Oribson's "Crying" or the old country tear-jerker "She Thinks I Still Care" (best version: Michael Nesmith).
I'm kidding. I kid.

3) On the River, someone referred to the Strokes as bringing back the garage-band sound. Though I know what he means, it's wrong--few people in NYC have a garage. Garage Band refers to more suburban bands. The Count Five for example. Or The Mean Wyoming.

4)(stop me if I've posted this before) I was thinking about an old Stop and Shop memory: Paul Simon's "Kodachrome" was playing. I was working in the frozen foods.
You know the part at the end when it goes double time and all spastic? (Mamadon'ttakemyKodachrome..) There was a mother and kid (about 6 yrs) walking down the aisle. When the double time part started, the mom continued down the aisle, but the kid stopped, focused in on the music, and started dancing all crazy to the song. It was awesome. The mom realized her son wasn't with her anymore, looked back, saw her son dancing, and walked back and grabbed him by the arm and led him back to their shopping carriage. What a drag. What would you have done?
a)what the mom did (boo!! hiss!!)
b) danced with the kid (please don't--not in public)
c) said "hey Disco Stu, come on. When we get home, I have that record--you can dance to it in the kitchen. You'll love 'Late in the Evening' too".

5) I've heard the new Stones single "Rough Justice" now enough times to have an opinion. First off, I've heard 2 people I respect immensely say it's good. I was surprised. I've heard some I repsect just as much say it's crap.
My take: listen to it back to back with say, "Rocks Off", the first song off 1972's Exile On Main St. It stands up.
The production, however, is as shiny as a new mall. Bleh. If you're singing blatantly about sex and drugs and rock and roll, it's just so unbecoming if everything has a shiny coat on it. Exile is a great album, because it sounds like the tape reel was dropped in a puddle of mud on the way to the duplicating facility. And it sounds like the producer may not have been totally in his right mind when mixing.
Don't get me wrong,I like a shiny sound, but not shiny like a new mall or a new car--I like shiny like a clear night sky. Like a meteor shower. The Stones did that on "Satanic Majesties Request".

6) Ning, I'm having computer problems too--can't tell if it's the computer or the DSL.

7) This summer, my self-pitying mantra to people who asked me what I was up to musically was "my stock is going down" because I had weeks on end w/out anything.
Ta Da, it's back up. Within the last two weeks, there's activity with The Fawns (two amazing gigs--Boston and Noho--on consecutive nights. Never sounded better);
The Figments (new album to be recorded in early October plus a remastered, re-ordered version of the never-quite-released "Broken Time" (2000) will be available soon with all new artwork. And we're opening for the Ware River Club's final gig in November);
Mike Flood (Henning and I are the rhythm section on his new album--we began recording last week. And Scott Hall's genius is to ask two guys who generally don't "jam" to play somewhat jammy tunes. It's been a great time. Floods songs are something else.)
And again I find myself drumming for Don Lennon. A show in Boston soon, followed by more to be announced. His new album is now available. It's his fourth and it's great.
donlennon.com will give you all the info.

8) Thanks to all those who came out to the Katrina Benefit at the Elevens. It was very successful. The Steamtrain reunion was last minute, and, well, not our best show, but still a good time. I also got to play a couple Spoils songs with Al Johnson+Kurt Fedora.

ok. I can now throw away those scraps, and proceed to be scared shitless of the screeching noises coming from my yard--it sounds like a sped-up recording of a child screaming, mixed with a cat fight. I heard it before and thought it was coyotes--but I'm near downtown. Anyone know?