I’ve been meaning to make this post for several months now It just took me a while to get around to it. (Or to get a “round tuit” as my mother used to say…never did figure out what a round tuit was, but wouldn’t you know it, they sell them on online.) Anyway, already off topic.
Last December I started turning my living room into a home theater room. It was a big project, but it turned out nice! It’s wonderful to be able to watch a movie on my own 150″ screen. It has almost all the benefits of being at a movie theater, without the drawback. Plus a few advantages such as pause, rewind, subtitles, light control, etc.
I was going to put a picture of a kitty, or a T-Rex on the screen, but I didn’t get around to it.
The wall of my home theater screen all taped off and ready to paint. The screen is 150″ diagonal, I could have gone 170″, but then I wouldn’t have room for the speakers on the side, and the electrical plugs at the bottom would have been in the way.
Okay, title is a lame reference to an catchy Blue Oyster Cult song…but it somehow seemed appropriate. You can almost feel the heat coming off those candles. And, yes, There ARE 38 of them. I’ve been saying that I’m 62 this year…since I’ve decided to count backwards. It’s been a birthday full of surprises, one worth remembering!
100 Year Picnic, one of my favorite independent bands has released their newest full length release, Tales of a Modern Splash. The album is full of great songs; multi-layered and perfectly textured, each song has it’s own story to tell.One of my favorite songs on the new album is Looks Are for Free. It, like a few other songs on the album has properties that remind me of the Beatles, though to call Jeff Greeneberg and Edwin Pierce another John and George would be to misunderstand their motives. 100 Year Picnic’s music is mostly based around their families that they both love and tolerate, and this can be seen in their songs.Another favorite from the album is Isolation, an alt country ditty that paints a picture of a run down yard and a neglected relationship. The chorus is full of truth:
She said, you and your isolation,What are you trying to escape from,Can’t stand to walk away,So let me back into your life,It takes two to make one wrong thing right.
Don’t miss the song, Come On. It’s about living life to its fullest. It’s wonderful. I’m sure that I’ll have Tales Of A Modern Splash on my mp3 player quite a bit this year.BTW: one of my all time favorite songs is also by 100 Year Picnic, It’s called Mary Faye Tucker. It’s the story of an annoying sales-person selling resort timeshares.Enjoy! Life’s a 100 year picnic…
I was sadly mistaken that I would have my ‘93 Pathfinder forever. Actually, I still have it, but just upgraded to this new ‘08 Toyota Yaris for my daily commute. The color is said to be “olive mist”. To me is just a nice shade of green. I like green. Some people would even say I look good in green. At 35 miles per gallon, I’m saving over $100 a month in green gas money and I’m living a little more green to help the environment. I didn’t go for anything fancy. It has just about manual everything…locks, windows, breaks…I like simple. Together I hope we have many happy miles going down life’s highways.
I just finished reading The Penal Colony this morning. I started reading it Wednesday and had a difficult time putting it down. It’s a fast read and a great story. I’ve been simultaneously reading another book, but this one clearly held my attention. The great thing about this book is that the author, Richard Herley only asks you to pay him if you enjoy the book. I sent him my payment a few minutes ago. It came out to about $2 U.S.
Here is the book synopsis from his website:
It is 1997. The British government now runs island prison colonies to take dangerous offenders from its overcrowded mainland jails.
Among all these colonies, Sert, 25 miles off the north Cornish coast, has the worst reputation. There are no warders. Satellite technology is used to keep the convicts under watch. New arrivals are dumped by helicopter and must learn to survive as best they can.
To Sert, one afternoon in July, is brought Anthony John Routledge, sentenced for a sex-murder he did not commit.
Routledge knows he is here for ever. And he knows he must quickly forget the rules of civilized life.
But not all the islanders are savages. Under the charismatic leadership of one man a community has evolved. A community with harsh and unyielding rules, peopled by resourceful men for whom the hopeless dream of escape may not be so hopeless after all …
The story is one that fascinated me from the start. With the state of the prison system in the U.S., I have naturally wondered what would happen if convicts were placed on an island to work things out for themselves. This is a fascinating study into human nature and the nature of civilization in a vacuum. It also makes one grateful for many significant and insignificant luxuries we live with each day.
As for the writing and the story, you can’t ask for more. Mr. Herley is a writer in charge of his craft. The plot progresses steadily and the characters are developed carefully and expertly. I like a story that has deep and meaningful characters.
Again from the website, a note about age appropriateness:
The Penal Colony is exceedingly violent, although the worst is not so much described as alluded to. It also deals with homosexual rape and other matters which are best left to an adult sensibility: the book is not suitable for children.
This statement makes it sound worse than it is. Truly, this is not a kids book, but Mr. Herley handles the situation in the book with careful sensibility. Nothing is said for the shock factor as much as to paint a clear picture of what would probably be.
I bought Pillars of the Earth before I knew that is was Oprah’s Book Club pick for January…honestly! But I’m not sorry I did. It’s a great book full of all the elements of a great story. Ken Follett finished it in 1989, and it’s popularity has been growing for years through word of mouth.
Ken Follett has long been fascinated with the cathedrals of Europe, but it takes a work of genius to make others fall in love with those same ideas through the use of fictional characters in the middle ages.
He spins a wonderful tale of hardship and passion. His characters are truly believable; all have strengths and weaknesses and no one is perfect. Certainly, some are closer to perfection than others, but he doesn’t hide people faults and short comings. Maybe that is what I like best. The book also makes me thankful for everything we have in our modern age, especially the things we take for granted like food, security, compassion and reinforced steal.
I can’t put my finger on who Helio Sequence remind me of, but that is a good thing. I suspect it is because they have a unique yet familiar sound that is immediately appealing. There is something very Flock of Seagullsish about the title track, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. And close to the end of the album in Broken Afternoon you can hear Bob Dylan’s influence. It’s very beautiful and very transparent.
But my favorite song on the album is the first track, Lately. Listen to the song and think of each line as a fib, as if the singer is trying to convince himself that his words are true. It’s a very powerful song.
Helio’s lyrics are understandable, literate and interesting with enough vagueness but not too much to be meaningful.
This is my favorite album so far this year. I won’t be surprised if it ends up on my 10 best for the year.
Artist: The Helio Sequence
Album: Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Label: Sub Pop Records
Download: Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Linked from their website…go check it out.)
Cornelius is the stage name for Keigo Oyamada, a highly creative Japanese artist who chose his name in homage to the movies of Planet of the Apes.
His newest album, Gum, is ears candy with nutrition, not just empty calories. It has the depth to satisfy the heart as well as the ear. It’s a fascinating journey, or as I like to see it, as enjoyable as a day at an amusement park.
Cornelius, by nature is experimental, but he provides just enough traditional pop/rock footholds to make the album approachable, even if you have never heard him before (assuming you are in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary).
As someone who has spent time in Japan and enjoys Japanese Pop/Rock and even the use of hard to understand and sometimes nonsensical English, this album doesn’t strike me a cheesy like so many uses of Japanese English. The use of English, Japanese, and in some cases voices for sound’s sake are reasonable, interesting and fun.
Every song on this album is enjoyable. My favorite is “Music”, both the English and Japanese versions, remind of me Manhattan Transfer. Kling Klang is as Zen as it gets. Linked here as an mp3 download is “Gum” the title track that I really wonder if the Japanese sounds mean something in code as they switch from one ear to the other. Listen and see what I mean.
Ten Story Relapse has been a indie favorite of mine for a long time. They just put this video on Youtube. It’s a great song with a great message from their newest album, Antidisestablishmentarianism. Yeah…that’s a mouth full. Enjoy.
It’s a tribute to all things vague and undefined…to all the times you find yourself saying “stuff” and “thingy” when what you really mean is “whatchamacallit” and “doohickey”. So sit back and enjoy the yada yada yada.
Welcome to jamesb.com, home of Face the Music: sharing the best independent, unsigned and podsafe music I can find. & NavelCast: An entertaining introspective podcast featuring story telling, music and musings.
I was sadly mistaken that I would have my ‘93 Pathfinder forever. Actually, I still have it, but just upgraded to this new ‘08 Toyota Yaris for my daily commute. The color is said to be “olive mist”. To me is just a nice shade of green. I like green. Some people would even say I look good in green. At 35 miles per gallon, I’m saving over $100 a month in green gas money and I’m living a little more green to help the environment. I didn’t go for anything fancy. It has just about manual everything…locks, windows, breaks…I like simple. Together I hope we have many happy miles going down life’s highways.
I just finished reading 
I bought 
I can’t put my finger on who Helio Sequence remind me of, but that is a good thing. I suspect it is because they have a unique yet familiar sound that is immediately appealing. There is something very Flock of Seagullsish about the title track, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. And close to the end of the album in Broken Afternoon you can hear Bob Dylan’s influence. It’s very beautiful and very transparent.
