Thoughts On A February Night

It's a cold February night and I am listening to the Go Betweens and messing around with a hopefully better events calendar for School for the Dead and the rest of the Rub Wrongways Catalog as well as other friends.

I'm terribly sick of winter at the moment, though this morning I still enjoyed stomping on the icy edges of the glaciers that lead me through my commute. You can pretend you are Godzilla if you want while busting huge chunks off and sending them spinning down the road-side rivers. Go for it.

This morning, Shelfie was back. Shelfie is the tiny gray and white cat that lounges in the sun on the shelves of our backyard fence. I could see her through the fogged up bathroom window, she was stretching lazily, scanning the yard for squirrels and birds.

I'm totally new to the Go Betweens. Max and Tony have been pushing them on me and I must admit, I am pleased with what I hear so far.

I saw some live music this past weekend. On Friday, Lesa and I braved the frigid cold tundra that lines Rt. 91 North between Northampton and Greenfield. We drove up to Turner's Falls to the delightful Rendezvous to see our good ol' pals, Spouse, play a show. We listened to early Pink Floyd on the way. Cirrus Minor complimented the broken branches and the barren wilds of the route.

Spouse was excellent as always. They filled the room with energy and warmth. Before them was The Cheater's Club, whose mellow electronic sound was the perfect gateway from Syd Barrett to Jose Ayerve.

On Sunday we braved the crushing crowd at The Basement for the final installment of the Happy Valley Showdown. If I hadn't found a safe perch on a window sill above the shoulder to shoulder bodies, I would've been miserable. But from my vantage point I was able to peer out over the heads and take in the bands, like some kind of crouchy old vulture.

This was a battle of the bands of sorts, although it was run in a very friendly way that created comradery rather than animosity between the bands. I wished the Novels had won, and I wasn't alone. The room went silent when they were called out as second place. OF course, it's hard for me to be impartial being such a fan and a friend. But all is well and really, aren't we all winners, just for being Americans all the time?

Am I the only one who keeps thinking that the Go Betweens is Lloyd Cole in disguise? I didn't think so.

Folks, we've got a brand new record coming out soon and I have the feeling that it is pretty good. It's called "A Telephone Built For Two" and it is arriving about four years late.