tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106853062024-02-18T23:16:50.311-05:00aaron's blog<br><br><br>A blog discussing what's going on in my life and in my mind.
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Previously, I offered thoughts on personal, local, national, and world issues -- politics, travel, books, sports, and more. Photos too. <br><br>But these days, it's mostly just music.
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<br>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comBlogger507125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-26087710088967654302020-07-11T08:36:00.000-04:002020-07-11T08:36:59.568-04:00Three Thoughts About Hamilton1. Our family watched Hamilton a week ago (what better program to watch on the 4th of July?!), and still the songs are in my head. Stating the obvious, Hamilton is an amazing piece of musical theater, and thus far it is the best cultural thing my daughters have introduced me to (through their endless listening to (and singing of) the soundtrack, even though I was only up for listening a few dozen times). <br />
<br />
2. Hamilton is musical theater, not history. As history it is flawed on many levels. I won't link to articles, as you should google "historical inaccuracies in Hamilton" or something along those lines and start your own investigation (it's good for you). In your investigation, you'll see errors of several types. First, there are the simple chronological inaccuracies -- for example, <span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span>Philip's duel happened after the Election of 1800, not before. Second and more significantly, there are inaccuracies that advance the story but which are partially or completely fictitious. For example, Burr and Hamilton weren't friends and rivals for all those years -- there's no evidence they knew each other prior to the end of the war when they both were lawyers in New York. Also, the Election of 1800 was far more complex than portrayed by Hamilton (it started with Burr being Jefferson's running mate, not opponent), and while Hamilton helped broker Jefferson's victory, his wasn't the decisive vote (heck, because he wasn't in the House of Representatives, he didn't even have a vote) -- it was Rep. Bayard from Delaware (it's ok to say "who?"). A third type of inaccuracy involves the omission of facts to portray Hamilton in a better light. Perhaps the most noteworthy is the whole penniless immigrant characterization that occurs throughout the play (</span></span></span></span><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span>aided by his being portrayed by a POC)</span></span></span></span>, which, together with the noting of his involvement with an anti-slavery organization and his friendship with John Laurens, <a href="https://www.history.com/news/alexander-hamilton-slavery-facts">obscures Hamilton's more complicated relationship with slavery</a>. [Ok, I lied -- one link]. Fourth, there's the matter of how the portrayal of Hamilton is affected by Miranda's choice of source material -- Ron Chernow's book is quite popular, but it's also controversial among historians.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span></span></span></span></span><span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span>3. If your kids are old enough to watch Hamilton, they're old enough to learn about the play's historical shortcomings. Share what you learn about the actual history with them (or look them up together) -- critical thinking is one of the most valuable gifts you can give your children, and for me it's the best way I know to repay my daughters for introducing me to Hamilton in the first place.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span>Bonus thought -- Today is the 216th anniversary of the Hamilton-Burr duel. Hopefully your research will lead you to understand why the Election of 1800 wasn't the principal reason behind a duel that occurred nearly four years later. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span dir="ltr"><span class="_3l3x _1n4g"><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-37115489260482120832017-12-17T10:11:00.000-05:002017-12-17T11:46:48.375-05:002017 in MusicI can't help myself -- once again I've assembled my favorite albums of the year, headed by what to me was a clearcut winner, <i>Antisocialites</i> by Alvvays. I've also put together a <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/argo0134/playlist/7w0wAxY4wBVZn3trxzN3lC">lengthy Spotify playlist</a> filled with favorites from those albums and others. Without further ado:<br />
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<b>Honorable mention (in alphabetical order)</b></div>
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Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the Alps</div>
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Julie Byrne - Not Even Happiness</div>
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Cayetana - New Kind of Normal</div>
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Jen Cloher - Jen Cloher</div>
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The Districts - Popular Manipulations</div>
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Ron Gallo - Heavy Meta</div>
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Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway</div>
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Ha Ha Tonka - Heart-shaped Mountain</div>
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Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Navigator</div>
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Valerie June - The Order of Time</div>
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Kacy & Clayton - The Siren’s Song</div>
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LCD Soundsystem - American Dream</div>
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Jessica Lea Mayfield - Sorry is Gone</div>
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Mondo Cozmo - Plastic Soul</div>
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Moonrise Nation Glamour Child</div>
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Kevin Morby - City Music</div>
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Mountain Goats - Goths</div>
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Offa Rex - The Queen of Hearts</div>
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Anders Parker - The Man Who Fell From Earth</div>
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David Rawlings - Poor David’s Almanack</div>
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Son Little - New Magic</div>
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Stars - There is No Love in Fluorescent Light</div>
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Susto - & I’m Fine Today</div>
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Sylvan Esso - What Now</div>
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Yawpers - Boy in a Well</div>
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<b>Top 25</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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25. J. Roddy Walston & The Business - Destroyers of the Soft Life</div>
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24. Aldous Harding - Party</div>
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23. Trevor Sensor - Andy Warhol's Dream</div>
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22. Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm</div>
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21. Broken Social Scene - Hug of Thunder</div>
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20. The Sadies - Northern Passages</div>
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19. Richard Edwards - Lemon Cotton Candy Sunset</div>
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18. Ryan Adams - Prisoner</div>
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17. Sean Rowe - New Lore</div>
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16. San Fermin - Belong</div>
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15. Tristen - Sneaker Waves</div>
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14. St. Vincent - Masseduction</div>
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13. Jesus and Mary Chain - Damage and Joy</div>
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12. Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile - Lotta Sea Lice</div>
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11. Palehound - A Place I'll Always Go</div>
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10. The War on Drugs - A Deeper Understanding</div>
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9. Dan Auerbach - Waiting on a Song</div>
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8. Conor Oberst - Salutations</div>
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7. The National - Sleep Well Beast</div>
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6. Diet Cig - Swear I'm Good at This</div>
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5. Big Thief - Capacity</div>
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4. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound</div>
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3. Laura Marling - Semper Femina</div>
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2. Chuck Prophet - Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins</div>
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1. Alvvays - Antisocialites</div>
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aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-39125860921770716742017-06-04T17:18:00.000-04:002017-06-04T17:21:12.211-04:00What to Do About RateBeerI've been a member of RateBeer for over 15 years, and I was for quite some time a major contributor to the site as one of the leading volunteer administrators. Over the years I've pulled back considerably from involvement, but it's still been the site where I enter my beer ratings, and what I use to look up beers and places.<br />
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Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) is the parent company of Budweiser, and has long been accused of <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-abinbev-doj-antitrust-exclusive-idUSKCN0S623R20151012">anti-competitive practices</a>. It's the reason why I refuse to buy any product they make, including beers produced by the many breweries they've purchased in recent years (e.g., Devils Backbone, Wicked Weed, Elysian, and Goose Island). <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/05/here-are-all-of-ab-inbevs-craft-brands.html">Their acquisitions</a> have been targeted such that the breweries are in most regions of the country (nothing yet in the Midwest), with various areas of specialization and style strengths. I'm not anti-big beer, I'm anti-ABI. <br />
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Friday's announcement that RateBeer had sold a minority stake to a subsidiary of ABI hit me like a ton of bricks, and while I've made a couple of posts on FaceBook about it, I've still been coming to terms with it, and what my response should be. With 48 hours to digest everything, I'm pretty sure that I now know my full response.<br />
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<u>What concerns do I have about the announcement?</u><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>It's eight months late.</b> The deal went through in October, and only when <a href="http://goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2017/6/2/ratebeer-zx-ventures-acquisition-minority-stake-anheuser-busch-inbev">an article</a> was about to be published about what had happened did RateBeer finally acknowledge that ABI was already working with the site. There's no telling how long the silence would have continued without that outside discovery. I don't buy the claim that the delay was "because the two sides wanted to get 'points on the board' to prove the value of the partnership without the 'disruption' of making it public." I mean, perhaps that's also true, but there are far greater benefits of silence, including:</li>
<ul>
<li>ABI access to the data without anyone getting upset and potentially leaving (as users are now contemplating doing); </li>
<li>No potential walkout of brewers from the big beer festival RateBeer holds in January; </li>
<li>No association of the change in the Terms of Service last Fall with the corporate investment; and of course </li>
<li>No scrutinizing what's going on at the site for the time folks were unaware.</li>
</ul>
<li><b>It's a huge conflict of interest.</b> Consumer Reports is wholly independent for a reason -- would you trust their reviews of dishwashers if Maytag were a minority investor? It's slightly different here, because the users provide the reviews, not RateBeer. But given that RateBeer compiles the data, and decides how to weight the data, certainly the potential exists for shenanigans, and I'd feel that way if <i>any</i> brewery acquired a stake in the site. I don't think they ever would do something illegitimate given the backlash that would follow if it ever came to light, but to say it looks bad is putting it mildly (and brings into question every shift in data weighting going forward). For similar reasons, I'm not as concerned as I originally was that ABI already may have an option to buy a majority stake/sole ownership -- I believe it's in their best interests to present RateBeer as majority-owned and operated by an independent entity, as I believe it's in their best interest that ratings continue to pile in. Which brings me to... </li>
<li><b>What's in it for ABI?</b> Lots of speculation on the RateBeer forums on this one, some even suggesting that it's simply a way to make money. For me, I think it's pretty simple. Joe Tucker, a friend and the person behind RateBeer, states, "The API is being expanded so journalists, other breweries, industry watchers, as well as app makers, academics, scholars and researchers will have better access to the same data that ZX [the ABI subsidiary] has access to." I take this to mean that ABI is helping to improve the data the site produces, in exchange for making all that data publicly available. RateBeer data isn't going to help ABI on its core Budweiser brands, because RateBeer users aren't interested in those brands (and routinely pan them). Instead, I expect that ABI wants the data to assist in making greater penetration in the craft brew market. With its numerous acquisitions, ABI is uniquely situated in the marketplace to take advantage of the information gleaned from the site's data, and I feel this is why ABI bought its stake. Further, I suspect that ABI has little concern with sharing the data with non-commercial interests, or even with competitors that aren't as well situated (especially when ABI had an 8-month head start on accessing the data). To say that the data is available for everyone isn't particularly meaningful when no one else possesses remotely equivalent resources to utilize the information within the data.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<u>So what am I going to do about it?</u><br />
<br />
I've given this a lot of thought over the last 48 hours or so, and consistent with my approach of not buying any ABI products, what I've decided is that I'm not comfortable providing any help whatsoever to ABI's desire to expand further into craft beer. This makes continuing to enter ratings on RateBeer problematic. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as finding another site for my ratings, because my existing ratings aren't readily transferable, I'm used to rating beers in the RateBeer format, and no other site has the information as readily able to be compiled as RateBeer (there's a reason why I've stayed with RateBeer all these years). Perhaps as importantly, what's to stop ABI from making an acquisition of another ratings site? <br />
<br />
So with no good alternative to RateBeer, and discomfort with continuing to use Ratebeer, I'm left with the solution of taking my ratings private and independent, just like I was before I joined RateBeer. It's not that big of a deal -- the primary reason for entering my ratings has always been to compile my ratings, and these days it's not so hard to do so in your own file accessible from anywhere you have an internet connection.<br />
<br />
As I'd like to have all my existing and future ratings in one place, fortunately RateBeer lets you compile your ratings. And even though it does so in blocks of 1000, and the data is wonky as Hell, it's about as good as I'm likely to get. So I've downloaded my old ratings, am in the process of cleaning them up and converting them into a single file, and will enter new ratings into that file. <br />
<br />
Goodbye RateBeer, and good luck to Joe and all the folks still active over there. I'm fortunate to have made many friends through the site, and over the years have connected with many of them on Facebook and in real life -- I look forward to seeing you/them in the years to come.aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-81051007355390072722016-12-28T06:07:00.002-05:002016-12-28T06:34:24.874-05:002016 in Music<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What's lazier than not posting on a blog in over a year? Making the post a list without any additional explanation. Yep, here's my list of best albums in 2016, a Top 25 + 25 Honorable Mentions. Bonus is a link to my Spotify playlist of some of my favorite songs of 2016. The irony of my devoting dozens (hundreds?) of hours to deciding what albums and songs make the cut, only to just throw the "winners" out here when I'm done, is not lost on me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25. Outer Spaces</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> - </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Shedding Snake</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">24. Escondido</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walking With a Stranger</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">23. Matthew Logan Vasquez</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Solicitor Returns</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22. Lumineers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">-</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleopatra</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">21. Okkervil River</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Away</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20. Matt Kivel</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Janus</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">19. Haley Bonar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Impossible Dream</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">18. Shovels & Rope</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> - </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Little Seeds</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17. Robert Ellis</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s/t</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16. Little Green Cars</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ephemera</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15. Andrew Bird</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are You Serious</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14. Frightened Rabbit</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Painting of a Panic Attack</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13. Sunflower Bean</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Human Ceremony</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12. King Charles</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gamble for a Rose</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. Angel Olsen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Woman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. Mudcrutch</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. Michael Kiwanuka</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love & Hate</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. Villagers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where Have You Been All My Life?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. Brian Fallon</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Painkillers</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. The I Don’t Cares</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> - </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Stab</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Quilt</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plaza</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Car Seat Headrest</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Teens of Denial</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Adia Victoria</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;">-</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beyond the Bloodhounds</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. David Bowie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blackstar</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Nada Surf</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> -</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You Know Who You Are</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avett Brothers - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">True Sadness</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brian Jonestown Massacre - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third World Pyramid</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Felice Brothers - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life in the Dark</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fruit Bats - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Absolute Loser</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hiss Golden Messenger - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heart Like a Levee</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ray LaMontagne - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ouroboros </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lucius - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good Grief</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Junius Meyvant - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Floating Harmonies</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MONEY - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suicide Songs</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Golden Calf - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perfume Brute</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh Pep! - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stadium Cake</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Esme Patterson - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Were Wild</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Iggy Pop - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post Pop Depression</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Record Company - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give It Back to You</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daniel Romano - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mosey</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PersonA</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shearwater - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jet Plane and Oxbow</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Suffers - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s/t</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tedeschi Trucks Band - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let Me Get By</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vandaveer - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Wild Mercury</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Various - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Day of the Dead</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weezer - </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The White Album</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whitney - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Light Upon the Lake</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Woods - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">City Sun Eater In The River Of Light</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wussy - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Forever Sounds</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Aargo0134%3Aplaylist%3A2GDWhMWAUyA7hNuVWEptxl" width="300"></iframe></span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-20180117720334140572015-12-15T16:55:00.000-05:002015-12-15T16:58:03.602-05:002015 in MusicIt's really quite simple -- listen to about 500 albums, sift and sort them, putting them in the "maybe," "definitely," or "forget it" pile as you come upon them, and then as the year winds down, enter a mad rush to somehow quantify just how much each one is liked or loved relative to all the others, at least among the top of the list, all the while being introduced to albums you need to check out courtesy of other best of year lists. Identify a top 25, plus 25 honorable mentions, post it, and forget about it. Take a few weeks off, then start anew with the candidates for the list next year.<br />
<br />
I couldn't quite pull it off this year, as I'm left with 29 honorable mentions, and find myself incapable of culling the list any further. <br />
<br />
Here are the Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order) --<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*American Aquarium - Wolves</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Arcs - Yours, Dreamily</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blitzen Trapper - All Across This Land</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mal Blum - You Look A Lot Like Me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Blur - The Magic Whip</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bop English - Constant Bop</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Born Ruffians - RUFF</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Leon Bridges - Coming Home</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Buxton - Half a Native</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
City and Colour - If I Should Go Before You</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Phil Cook - Southland Mission</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
El VY - Return to the Moon</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Eskimeaux - O.K.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bill Fay - Who Is the Sender?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Fraser A. Gorman - Slow Gum</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*The Mountain Goats - Beat the Champ</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Murder By Death - Big Dark Love</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Israel Nash - Israel Nash’s Silver Season</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - s/t</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Josh Ritter - Sermon on the Rocks</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
River City Extension - Deliverance</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Roadside Graves - Acne/Ears</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Stone Foxes - Twelve Rooms</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is the Kit - Bashed Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Toro y Moi - What For?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Widowspeak - All Yours</div>
<br />
And the Top 25:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*25. Matthew E. White - Fresh Blood</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A5OGJgAhcBPAUIHX5x47eDK" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>24. Decemberists - What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0K0WhguFHBracRbeSzZgvR" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*23. Hey Rosetta! - Second Sight</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A74HRZpyREqP6ewrLtFA5ug" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*22. The Districts - A Flourish & A Spoil</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A07ZwJWFc3I8MmeQ8rsg0x6" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>21. Avid Dancer - 1st Bath</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A00o2aYxVmM8G30PTED0eFJ" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>20. Rhiannon Giddens - Tomorrow Is My Turn</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A2dHKdmxoivYnUBg01aPGDg" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>19. DMA's - s/t (EP)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0zbc12ZzHWkfA0IjsVbWV9" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>18. Brown Bird - Axis Mundi</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1Br1pBqY2XH6L3cQpNUFLY" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>17. Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1foB2t5YmfC6PxIC31g5Cp" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>16. The Helio Sequence - s/t</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0ruNAWUz8Q8iqoj5TG7Q82" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>15. Lucero - All a Man Should Do</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A18YIhIenlEsfJD0DQKow4u" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*14. Waxahatchee - Ivy Trip</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0Q31RwMIh0WOxqJDa0F31q" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*13. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A2uRTsStAmo7Z2UwCIvuwMv" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>12. Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0U8DeqqKDgIhIiWOdqiQXE" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>11. Mikal Cronin - MCIII</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0Gd8BpEE1vdccvXMllOWGK" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>10. Sleater-Kinney - No Cities to Love</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1l7gMbzE7RRAdYddJSfM5B" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>9. John Moreland - High on Tulsa Heat</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1NvW80mVflSphrro6oWLuP" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>8. Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A4DL8KCLfnDpUQRyDR5dKvt" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>7. Ryley Walker - Primrose Green</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A5HhvfDkoM2a0oghjW8aJNf" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>6. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A1WBps8cIMT6LYVq5rYh5ze" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*5. Lord Huron -Strange Trails</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A3yoNZlqerJnsnMN5EDwwBS" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>4. San Fermin - Jackrabbit</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7wheDkby3KC7dzOeIhZT7z" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>3. Belle & Sebastian - Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A3Gy0FCDIx9MoliXd3YcTBt" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*2. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A2A8IKX257C4hJaYUHMhLP7" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>*1. Lady Lamb - After.</b> This is the album I have to stop myself from screaming out when I hear it through my headphones. This is the artist I saw twice in 2015, completely blown away each time. This was the obvious choice for my album of the year, and I'm not sure why it took me until December to realize it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Aalbum%3A0Mc1ucYOcKdSqgVR5lvnlV" width="300"></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Asterisks denote bands I saw live in 2015.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Finally, here's a mammoth 175-track playlist featuring some of my favorite songs of the year (limited to one per artist): </div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Aargo0134%3Aplaylist%3A3cMxRMIF74o7N7ZwWv30eU" width="300"></iframe></div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-73797182136636047862015-04-08T07:34:00.000-04:002015-04-08T07:38:43.059-04:00Three Things that Made the Matthew E. White Show Last Night Great1. They served up an excellent performance, but they didn't play the album version of the tunes -- an all-male lineup with two lead guitars, a bass and drums means no piano, horns or backing female vocals. But instead of that limiting their selections, the band reinterpreted and jammed (something that rarely happens when a band is backing an album that's only been out for a month), and did so to great effect -- there was some great musicianship up there. As White said when telling about his albums for sale, "I think they're great albums, but don't buy them thinking they're going to sound like we sound tonight" (paraphrased). He was right, on both counts.<br />
<br />
2. It was the last night of this leg of the tour, so they were in excellent spirits with good banter and an awesome vibe. <br />
<br />
3. I was "that guy" up front. For some reason no one was standing around me in the very front (like I usually try to be) for the first half of the show, so it was just me up there, dancing and jamming to the tunes. Between songs early on, White said he liked the way I had my own space up there, and my own angle to see the band. Later, he pointed to me and said that even though the band had highs and lows, I was bringing it every song. LOL -- if only he had known I was singing and dancing along to prevent my back from tightening up, and so I could stay awake after having been up since 2:30 that morning.<br />
<br />
There are so many great bands to check out at Shaky Knees next month, but if the schedule allows it, I'm looking forward to seeing this band again.<br />
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<br />aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-28275515523589877452015-03-29T21:28:00.000-04:002015-03-29T21:28:00.995-04:00Emelia, The Keyboard, and MeEmelia has a great ear for music. For as long as she's been able to talk, she's been able to recognize music she's heard before. Even covers. So for a very long time, I've encouraged her to take music lessons. We never forced her into taking them -- I figured that if she was made to take them, she'd grow to resent taking them, much as I had when I was a kid. There were drawbacks to this approach -- when she was five, she asked for, and received, a ukelele as a souvenir. On the ride home, she picked at it and sang out the alphabet as accompaniment, declaring that she could play the ukelele. Sadly, that's been the ukelele's high point, as it was strummed more times on that car ride home than it has in the succeeding three years combined.<br />
<br />
Last December, I brought up the subject of lessons again, and she "gave in." She wanted to make sure, however, that she didn't have to perform in front of anyone. I told her to pick her instrument, and after a bit of back-and-forth, she selected the piano. We have a curbside special of a keyboard that I came across around the time she was born, so as far as I was concerned, she made a fine selection. We signed up for lessons in January, and as we ended up with a late afternoon Thursday slot, we've made it work so that I sit in with her during the lesson. Steven, the instructor, is absolutely great with her -- he's generally very positive and I've yet to see him lose his patience, even when she starts plinking while he's trying to talk to her. I sit in the back, taking notes on what songs she's supposed to learn, and things to look for/work on as she practices.<br />
<br />
During the week, she and I go over her assignments -- maybe once a week she practices on her own, but the rest of the time I'm there with her. Sometimes she gets frustrated, but we work through the parts that challenge her, and so far at least, by week's end she pulls it together. I may not be as patient as Steven is, but I seem to be doing ok. I tell her to stop saying she's sorry when she makes a mistake -- that she only needs to apologize if she's goofing off/not listening/not trying. I'm sparse with my praise, but she understands that when I say it's good, it's significant. And I'm able to let her know when she's made enough progress during a practice even when she's not all the way there.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">My approach seems to gibe with her. </span>She doesn't dread practice, sometimes asking me when we can work on her assignment, and other times playing her assignment on her own after we've gone over it earlier in the day. Without prompting, she has repeatedly thanked me for encouraging her to take lessons, and has said that she loves playing the piano. When in Florida last month, rather than being shy and uncomfortable with playing in front of her grandmother, Emelia called her over so she could perform for her.<br />
<br />
It's only been a few months, and of course she'll likely get sick of the piano, lessons, practice, everything. But I'm enjoying not being there yet. My daughter has a tendency to keep working on things she's good at rather than tackle things she isn't -- at some point, I'm going to have to use her experience with the piano as proof that she can get good at something even when she starts off knowing nothing about it.<br />
<br />
I have to be honest -- when trying to anticipate the things I'd most enjoy about being a parent, it never entered my mind to think piano practice would make the list. It's nice to know that a middle-aged man can keep learning too.aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-18565919249884757402014-12-16T20:15:00.000-05:002014-12-17T10:15:43.053-05:002014 in Music, Part 2It's funny how much I agonize over a list of top albums. Ask me in a month and the sequence would be different -- I'd be wondering what I thought was so wonderful about a couple of them and why I put three of them as low as I did. Meanwhile, a couple of albums I don't know about at the moment would be clawing their way onto the list (despite my having reading gobs of end-of-year lists in a futile attempt to head off such an eventuality). Ask me in two years and it would go well beyond such minor tweaks -- I'll be bored with an entire sub-genre represented here and one I reject right now would demand its presence in my 2016 look back at the albums of 2014. And so, even though I <i>know</i> that this list is just a snapsnot of my brain, one that's unable to stand the test of time, I nevertheless spent weeks weighing every ranking, every inclusion and rejection, as though there's a <i>right</i> answer. <br />
<br />
With that caveat, here are my Top 25 Albums of 2014:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5FuNPmcCwj-yC5QwL-YzdESvZC5XVoe4QQL1-2xp0OPfjXL97LmjZFZ7mpdd4S5eqlT5ewdUJdjG95MWZC2vc7uMn7FH80AF6xkZvwSs2pX-SU_VGXQzDQh2d-9HgoO-5Tj3/s1600/2014+1-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV5FuNPmcCwj-yC5QwL-YzdESvZC5XVoe4QQL1-2xp0OPfjXL97LmjZFZ7mpdd4S5eqlT5ewdUJdjG95MWZC2vc7uMn7FH80AF6xkZvwSs2pX-SU_VGXQzDQh2d-9HgoO-5Tj3/s1600/2014+1-25.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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1. Strand of Oaks -- HEAL</div>
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2. St. Vincent -- St. Vincent</div>
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3. Ben Howard -- I Forget Where We Were</div>
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4. The War on Drugs -- Lost in the Dream</div>
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5. Conor Oberst -- Upside Down Mountain</div>
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6. *Woods -- With Light and with Love</div>
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7. *St. Paul & The Broken Bones -- Half the City</div>
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8. Lydia Loveless -- Somewhere Else</div>
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9. Hozier -- Hozier</div>
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10. Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s -- Slingshot to Heaven</div>
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11. Hurray for the Riff Raff -- Small Town Heroes</div>
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12. *Drive-By Truckers -- English Oceans</div>
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13. Beck -- Morning Phase</div>
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14. Field Report -- Marigolden</div>
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15. First Aid Kit -- Stay Gold</div>
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16. Hard Working Americans -- Hard Working Americans</div>
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17. Jeremy Messersmith -- Heart Murmurs</div>
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18. Real Estate -- Atlas</div>
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19. Ty Segall -- Manipulator</div>
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20. The Donkeys -- Ride the Black Wave</div>
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21. La Sera -- Hour of the Dawn</div>
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22. Sean Rowe -- Madman</div>
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23. Ex Hex -- Rips</div>
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24. Jenny Lewis -- The Voyager</div>
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25. The Bones of J.R. Jones -- Dark Was the Yearling</div>
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<br /></div>
* -- Artist I saw in 2014<br />
<br />
I finish my year-end summary by sharing a playlist with over 11 hours of my favorite songs of the year (as I self-imposed a limit of one song per album, the list leaves out plenty of tunes I loved). You'd think that a 172-song playlist would pretty much cover things, but I wish it were a bit longer, as Spotify doesn't have the rights to a couple of tunes that otherwise would have been included -- "It's Over" by Ty Segall and "Compassion" by Lucinda Williams.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:argo0134:playlist:1s5rpBwZLpo9XrmGyZ3UZ2" width="300"></iframe><br />
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May 2015 be as wonderful musically as 2014 has been!aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-66936101187667112472014-12-14T15:13:00.000-05:002014-12-14T15:13:40.054-05:002014 in Music, Part 12014 offered up a handful of fantastic albums, together with an incredible number of very good ones. It was far easier for me to identify my 10 favorites than to figure out the next 15 -- over 40 different albums moved in and out of my Top 25. Albums that I thought were Top 10 mid-year slipped out of the Top 25 by year's end. Albums with a couple of songs I absolutely love dropped considerably if the rest of the album didn't measure up. With so many worthy albums, I decided to lengthen my list beyond the length I normally do. In fact I'm doubling it. But for those albums outside the Top 25, I'm sticking with an alphabetical list -- trying to rank within this group proved far too difficult. Here are the albums ranked between 26 and 50:<br />
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Ryan Adams -- Ryan Adams</div>
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Damon Albarn -- Everyday Robots</div>
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*The Apache Relay -- Apache Relay</div>
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The Autumn Defense -- Fifth</div>
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*Andrew Bird -- Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of...</div>
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Black Lips -- Underneath the Rainbow</div>
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*Benjamin Booker -- Benjamin Booker</div>
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Centro-matic -- Take Pride in Your Long Odds</div>
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EELS -- The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett</div>
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Fear of Men -- Loom</div>
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FREEMAN -- FREEMAN</div>
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The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger -- Midnight Sun</div>
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Greyhounds -- Accumulator</div>
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*Hiss Golden Messenger -- Lateness of Dancers</div>
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Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings -- Give The People What They Want</div>
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King Tuff -- Black Moon Spell</div>
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Mimicking Birds -- Eons</div>
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The New Basement Tapes -- Lost on the River</div>
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Pixies -- Indie Cindy</div>
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Damien Rice -- My Favorite Faded Fantasy</div>
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*Roadkill Ghost Choir -- In Tongues</div>
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Angus & Julia Stone -- Angus & Julia Stone</div>
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Sun Kil Moon -- Benji</div>
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*Tweedy -- Sukierae</div>
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Sharon Van Etten -- Are We There</div>
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* -- Artist I saw in 2014<br />
<br />I also want to say how fortunate I was to make it to <a href="https://www.songkick.com/users/argo0/gigography">so many shows</a>. In 2014, I went to one festival on my own, another two with my family, and 15 other concerts. My favorite sets were offered up by Charles Bradley, Courtney Barnett, Frank Turner, Drive-by Truckers, and Michael Franti.</div>
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<br />
So between the albums and the shows, this has been a heck of a year for me musically. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Part 2 of my year-end summary is coming soon...</div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-39346693231593294112014-07-28T19:11:00.002-04:002014-07-28T21:13:24.377-04:00My 10 Favorite Sets from Floydfest 2014<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">
The 10 sets of Floydfest 2014 I most appreciated (in order of hearing them):</div>
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<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwfV7eA_3bM" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Driftwood</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;"> -- A band I'd never heard of, one of three On the Rise bands I absolutely loved, did great covers of Dylan's "Tombstone Blues" and Townes van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die," and plenty of their own stuff. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
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<div>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqgHosrqJ8o" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Michael Franti and Spearhead</a> -- If you aren't bopping (at the very least!) when he's performing, odds are you're suffering from paralysis. Just so much fun to be at a set like that, probably my favorite set of the weekend. I really wish the girls had been able to be at that one with me.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWS84qCoGKo" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">The London Souls</a> -- Caught this set immediately following Franti, and was able to get a spot right at the stage. Straight up sound from a time machine from 1968, loud and unabashed classic rock, reminding me how much I used to love that kind of sound, the music of my youth. Awesome!</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idqSLw6ju0s" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Swampcandy</a> -- On a small stage, this two man band that I'd never heard of wailed some great foot-stomping blues while Hannah and I danced in the back.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A-1OQ_zrNY" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Annabelle's Curse</a> -- Same location as Swampcandy, and same unknown (to me) status, but this time it was a well-integrated 5-piece band whose male lead singer that evoked a happier version of Conor Oberst for me.</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxYLaF8Na5s" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Grandpa's Cough Medicine</a> -- They were a decent enough self-described outlaw bluegrass band, but running into someone I hadn't seen in 30 years while waiting for them to start is what made this set so memorable. </div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMzEQqJT5Xk" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Donna the Buffalo</a> -- I'd heard of them and I was pretty sure their easy-going jam sound would be in my wheel house, but I'd yet to hear them. Well, I'm glad I finally got the chance, as they were great live from my vantage point right in front of the main stage. I tried playing them for Kathy on the way home, and while it was pleasant enough, they sounded much better live. </div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pagKDjv-Hg" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Pigeons Playing Ping Pong</a> -- a Phishish band recommended by someone I met at the Fest, they had a good funky bass line and were tons of fun. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l81fhYZOMkk" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite</a> -- they put out one of my favorite albums of 2013, and didn't disappoint live. Ended the pre-encore set with a great version of "When the Levee Breaks."</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKTXJUYiAT4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Carolina Chocolate Drops</a> -- the last set I got to see, in all its Appalachian roots glory. I saw it with Hannah at the main stage, and got her to dance with me after promising that a pizza lunch would follow. </div>
</div>
aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-35571588462264136762014-03-24T01:08:00.000-04:002014-03-24T12:19:08.969-04:00Drive-By Truckers and Blitzen Trapper<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite my use of earplugs, my ears are still ringing from a great Drive-By Truckers show. I wasn't even going to see them on
their trip through town. I had seen
them, and I wasn't sure I could afford to go. Saturday night's show
sold out, but for whatever reason last night's did not, so when I decided that I could swing it, I went right
up and bought a ticket before the doors opened. </span></div>
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</div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
settled into the second row of people in front of the stage and began
waiting. It wasn't too long before someone struck up a conversation,
having recognized me from last summer's Floydfest. It's funny how that
works out sometimes, and we ended up hanging out for the rest of the
evening. With the set running to about 12:30, he even gave
me a ride home, which was right on his way. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
opening act was Blitzen Trapper, a band I'd been meaning to see for a
few years but circumstances had until that point prevented me. They
turned in a solid hour-long set that had a surprising number of extended
versions and jams. They opened with "Fletcher" and played songs mostly
from the last two albums. A couple of classics worked their way in
too, "Wild Mountain Nation," "Texaco," and (thankfully) "Black River
Killer." On the third take they cranked out a great version of "Street
Fighting Son," and they closed with a solid cover of "Good Times, Bad
Times."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As for the main course, it was my third DBTs
show, and easily my best. It's funny how memories come back, but only
once they started playing did I remember that I didn't especially enjoy
the previous two shows. The first one was shortly after Shonna Tucker
had left the band, and while the replacement bassist was competent, the
band didn't sound tight -- it was still adjusting to the change. The
second time was at Floydfest 2012, and I wasn't able to get into the performance. That's not to say it was the band's fault -- I was on the side in bleachers late in the afternoon of a sunny day, my then 5- and 2-year olds
were hot, bored, and tired, and due to their presence I was cringing every time Patterson Hood
cussed (a frequent occurrence). Having had those experiences, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I guess it was no wonder that I hadn't been as eager to see them this time as I should have been.</span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/drive-by-truckers/2014/930-club-washington-dc-13c2114d.html">The set</a> had a
lot of the new album, "English Oceans," and was bookended by two of its
tracks, "Made Up English Oceans" and "Grand Canyon." In between was a
whole host of classics, including "Tornadoes," "Carl Perkins' Cadillac,"
"Let There Be Rock," and a cover of Warren Zevon's "Play It All Night
Long." I chuckled at what I considered to be more than coincidence when the first
track from the new album, "Shit Shot Counts," was followed by
"Buttholeville." The band was rocking and raucous, and played a near 3-hour set that lasted into the
next morning, briefly taking time out just past midnight for the
audience to sing Happy Birthday to Patterson Hood, a welcome to his
50s. While we were singing, I just kept thinking how odd it was for him to be giving us such a
wonderful present when it was his birthday.</span></div>
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<br />aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-83125505381966779452013-12-19T20:15:00.000-05:002013-12-19T20:15:01.042-05:00The Year's Best Music - 2013Another year containing a paucity of posts, but have no fear -- I would never skip out on the highly anticipated publication of my favorite music of the year. Compiling this list was possibly the hardest it's ever been due to the fact that this year there was an excess of excellent albums. I was fortunate to see 9 of these artists in concert this year, and I have tickets to see two more of them in January. <br />
<br />
In addition to my Top 25 albums, I have compiled a spotify playlist that includes a track from each of my top albums, together with some of my favorite songs of the year (limit one per artist). That playlist can be found <a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/argo0134/playlist/1vfuKzmaOpZIbi8LML8yFJ">here</a>.<br />
<br />
25. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SC1t2MSRL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SC1t2MSRL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Moondoggies -- Adios I'm a Ghost</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
24. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WAsX5yemL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WAsX5yemL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ivan & Alyosha -- All The Times We Had</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
23. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515iuXLJnwL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515iuXLJnwL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Head And The Heart -- Let's Be Still</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
22. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41c45FP-OIL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41c45FP-OIL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typhoon -- White Lighter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
21. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T23bw-snL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41T23bw-snL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
20. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41a61HywNPL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41a61HywNPL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Marling -- Once I Was An Eagle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
19. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514yhJS3pcL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514yhJS3pcL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lone Bellow -- The Lone Bellow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
18. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51exoKhqKkL._SY300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51exoKhqKkL._SY300_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside -- Untamed Beast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
17. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VNrzQEj3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VNrzQEj3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T. Hardy Morris -- Audition Tapes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
16. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41pNHSnGAYL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41pNHSnGAYL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The National -- Trouble Will Find Me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
15. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OEqHqSwbL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41OEqHqSwbL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trixie Whitley -- Fourth Corner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
14. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uy38gmnnL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uy38gmnnL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kopecky Family Band -- Kids Raising Kids</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
13. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61LZBxVLLML._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61LZBxVLLML._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frank Turner -- Tape Deck Heart</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
12. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51w8AyuAncL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51w8AyuAncL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jake Bugg -- Jake Bugg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
11. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61k1vB30uUL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61k1vB30uUL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neko Case -- The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, <br />
The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
10. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UODLZcCTL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UODLZcCTL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Bradley -- Victim of Love</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
9. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/611J4NLeasL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/611J4NLeasL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron & Wine -- Ghost on Ghost</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
8. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dp0nxPTmL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dp0nxPTmL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite -- Get Up!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
7. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ckyzwJvbL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ckyzwJvbL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frightened Rabbit -- Pedestrian Verse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
6. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IO-Zu7w3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IO-Zu7w3L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kurt Vile -- Wakin On A Pretty Daze</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
5. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XOft6HznL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XOft6HznL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low -- The Invisible Way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
4. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61873Fux0eL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61873Fux0eL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yo La Tengo -- Fade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
3. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QIpVLOrmL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QIpVLOrmL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingsley Flood -- Battles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
2.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EHYgaIM4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41EHYgaIM4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jason Isbell -- Southeastern</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
1. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vJUz4v5iL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vJUz4v5iL._SL500_AA280_.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phosphorescent -- Muchacho</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-41988995679933030232013-07-28T15:27:00.001-04:002013-07-28T15:57:44.913-04:00Epic Summer Update -- FloydfestUnfortunately we weren't able to ride out the weather and enjoy the last two days of Floydfest. We woke up yesterday morning to a leaky tent and a forecast of rain for at least the next 24 hours. Given that the girls would be cold and miserable, and we decided the best course was to head home and dry out for 36 hours before resuming our road trip (next stop: Lancaster, PA). <br />
<br />
I most hated to miss Michael Kiwanuka, Blitzen Trapper, Trampled by Turtles, and Ben Sollee (I only caught about 10 minutes of one of Sollee's sets and was planning to catch a full set later), but there definitely were some highlights in those first couple of days. The back-to-back of Spirit Family Radio and Langhorne Slim & The Law to kick off the festival Thursday afternoon was awesome -- I was right at the front for those. After dinner, Emelia joined me for an evening just the two of us. First up was the Gogol Bordello set -- it was wonderfully frenetic, and Emelia had a great time with it -- dancing for part of the time and bouncing on my shoulders a little left her delighted. Not surprisingly, her favorite tune was "Stop Wearing Purple." We next went to the hula hoop place and hung out there a little bit -- the proprietress had befriended Emelia last year, and Emelia loved seeing her again (and again) this year. We then walked around some, taking in the strange (to her) sights that start coming out in the evening -- last year Emelia was generally in bed by dark, so she delighted in seeing the funkier side of FF.<br />
<br />
On Friday, I took in both sets of Jason Isbell, fully enjoying both performances. The first was on the porch stage, a very small and intimate setting -- I got there early and was able to sit in the third row for it. It was just Isbell, and he played a number of quieter tunes, and finished with a lovely cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho & Lefty." For the second one, on the main stage, I moved up to the front, and ran into my Turntable friend Lua -- I had first met her in person at last year's festival. It was great seeing her again, and we both took in a fantastic full-band set from Isbell. Lua had been expecting just to take in part of the show, but was wowed by Isbell, whom she didn't know especially well before the set. It didn't hurt that accompanying Isbell was a musician that she knew and who was filling in (or just now joining the band, something Isbell indicated when Lua asked him during the merchandise signing after the show) as the second guitar. <br />
<br />
All-in-all, a shorter and less wonderful event than I would have wanted, but I/we still had a great time while we were there. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiZ4DTqjegSnKt2CFh5BqloULiEJcW8hhQaarilcqSJn8jmIE4rQIsxI5Pl_f4pYGAwABbxrrj_7C4s94UmKdGUC0cvxOWqgMkBIZlj7GnjTNZEQv83UcEZjhvZHadugniL15/s1600/P1020241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZiZ4DTqjegSnKt2CFh5BqloULiEJcW8hhQaarilcqSJn8jmIE4rQIsxI5Pl_f4pYGAwABbxrrj_7C4s94UmKdGUC0cvxOWqgMkBIZlj7GnjTNZEQv83UcEZjhvZHadugniL15/s320/P1020241.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emelia's Hoop Tower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzfU28vmxdeIdOtKJAHEwBpFPRUAO3TjMK7VLM-6Rep8TOdctFiK_KvKaFwkMQwGYROdU9oMVWL-PXKHajOrwBManf6jgxYe3IWBHPvzmhweulUnC7KaUcwCvZYH2N5DLxLWa/s1600/P1020256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzfU28vmxdeIdOtKJAHEwBpFPRUAO3TjMK7VLM-6Rep8TOdctFiK_KvKaFwkMQwGYROdU9oMVWL-PXKHajOrwBManf6jgxYe3IWBHPvzmhweulUnC7KaUcwCvZYH2N5DLxLWa/s320/P1020256.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love is all you need</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMdkQ3pucMfCyBiRjoJeeZdgSGiTs4VPENfUnlBV9L8JtNpOt0GIQc4OId7z_SAcr92U73_B2bKtrE_00T5Ldn_aSJbavDlN0s9XqBmd3hb_x2_aMDcZyDemjZB1PASDv4qtR/s1600/P1020261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLMdkQ3pucMfCyBiRjoJeeZdgSGiTs4VPENfUnlBV9L8JtNpOt0GIQc4OId7z_SAcr92U73_B2bKtrE_00T5Ldn_aSJbavDlN0s9XqBmd3hb_x2_aMDcZyDemjZB1PASDv4qtR/s320/P1020261.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All dressed up at the Children's Universe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqoEQItzZTj97T9gPq2f8gnKnNEIz00BYmtIBc8s1-4mDMHKrE_71IouuBEzRtQlMhmr3NHFyHEadCWbwMUpMFqhC2uc9EhfXXx3CoJKC5qtmOHY_TrouUS8rnPrfiIVYv4Zu/s1600/P1020275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBqoEQItzZTj97T9gPq2f8gnKnNEIz00BYmtIBc8s1-4mDMHKrE_71IouuBEzRtQlMhmr3NHFyHEadCWbwMUpMFqhC2uc9EhfXXx3CoJKC5qtmOHY_TrouUS8rnPrfiIVYv4Zu/s320/P1020275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting feathers in her hair (as of this moment, they're still around)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOdU__IZ-gGhmIMz4oooiiuOW-7rIpGT_NwHd9P6RAxdUZeN_SaY_txMwXzCK2IEIjPs6g3vuj2rOAf8A15b4ZAs_AcEuY8KaOjyWN1Lf96jaRkqCgmFJfNfD-H-C6iRqZFCZ/s1600/Summer+13+-+FF+Family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOdU__IZ-gGhmIMz4oooiiuOW-7rIpGT_NwHd9P6RAxdUZeN_SaY_txMwXzCK2IEIjPs6g3vuj2rOAf8A15b4ZAs_AcEuY8KaOjyWN1Lf96jaRkqCgmFJfNfD-H-C6iRqZFCZ/s320/Summer+13+-+FF+Family.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family during a more contemplative moment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-80969253291073475832013-06-19T18:02:00.002-04:002013-06-19T18:21:37.550-04:00Epic Summer Update 1 -- MUSIC!!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We're just getting started on our summer, and it's kicked off with a feast of music. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A week ago Thursday, my friend Tom and I went to see The National. We tailgated some beforehand, as the rain rolled into the area. When we went into Merriweather, we found our seats -- in the center of row 9, i.e., great location! But then when the opening band, The Dirty Projectors, started up, we started to worry some. They sounded awful -- the bass overpowered everything, lots of distortion. We went outside and on the speakers outside of the tent it sounded much cleaner. Not that we enjoyed it any more -- the harmonic dissonance (or whatever you want to call it) of the the band's vocals didn't appeal to either of us. When The National finally took the stage, we were relieved to hear that the acoustics were excellent, despite what we heard from the opener. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And the show was fantastic. I would have preferred more songs from Boxer than we heard, and I didn't think much of one of the new songs, Fireproof, but no real complaints. The closing trio of Mr. November, Terrible Love, and acoustic </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks was the highlight of my evening. Evidently it's a common close-out for them, but as I hadn't seen them before, I was delighted.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/6485_10151635425244723_774180882_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/6485_10151635425244723_774180882_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The National (photo by Tom)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This past weekend, we finally made it up to the <a href="http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/">Clearwater Festival</a>, a music festival on the Hudson River, created by Pete Seeger to restore the Hudson and keep it clean. Our friends Kim and Larry have been pushing us to join them for years, but in the past we'd always had a conflict in our schedule. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Saturday our families went up there (our friends have two children as well), hung out in the back of the main stage area, and took the kids on little trips around the festival to see other attractions. We also met up with friends of Kathy from back home, who also came for the festival. The acoustics were great, even as far away as we were, but because I wasn't really able to see anyone, in many ways it didn't really feel like we were at a concert. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Non-musical aside: Later in the day, while
the kids were playing at the beach, I was hanging at our base camp, and
a lightning bug landed on my arm. And started crawling along my arm,
and hand, and fingers. After around 20 minutes, I
jokingly named it Sparky. And when my family returned, I told Emelia
that we had a pet firefly. Since our dog Nora had died in January, we had been
petless. We're planning to get a dog at the end of the summer, when we
stop traveling, but I had it in me to joke about having Sparky the
firefly be our pet instead of getting a dog. And Emelia jumped right on
board with that idea. She loves bugs of all varieties -- in
fact, she was a pillbug for Halloween! Kathy sent me to
get dinner for the family, so I let Sparky climb onto Emelia's arm, and
away I went. I know I should have seen it coming, but I didn't -- upon
my return Emelia was sobbing in Kathy's lap because Sparky had flown
away in my absence. I mean, it was inevitable that Sparky would leave
at dusk, but poor Emelia hadn't thought about it (and of course, I
hadn't thought about what that inevitability would do to Emelia). Until
I returned, Emelia had been doubly burdened, because she thought I'd be
mad at her because Sparky flew away while in her care. Kathy and I
both did what we could to assure her that Sparky would be happier there
where it lived, among its brothers and sisters, but it took quite a
while to ease my daughter's mind. Needless to say, Kathy has threatened
to kill me if I ever do something like that again.</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sets I saw that day, in whole or in part -- </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Judy Collins</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Antibalas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lone Bellow</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David Bromberg Quintet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Acoustic Hot Tuna</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mavis Staples</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday we got a sitter to watch the four kids, and it was just the adults. Kathy really enjoyed the down time that came from not having the girls around. Needless to say, we took in a lot more of the music, and also set up closer to the stage. It also was far easier to go to other stages to see other acts. In addition, I got to meet in real life one of my turntable.fm friends -- fun! The musical highlight of the day was seeing Jason Isbell, whose new album, <i>Southeastern</i>, is one I've been listening to constantly since before it came out last week. A special bonus was having Patterson Hood, frontman of the Drive-By Truckers (Isbell's former band), join Isbell on stage, and then having Isbell return the favor during Hood's set. Between those two sets and the closing performance by Son Volt, I was treated to a great afternoon of Americana.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONwfBbuMoSQW6GFG4w2zUSsozZWDZUsjtu0FADNkbuPOShC7qFVLfmojrD2m4vQRDlwB_vGR9ZnAMGoGjWYhyphenhypheniY_J4MQcMo9KvtDHhza7w2fcqiQPw7EwYIbTqnnYL0jPVcGy/s1600/P1010986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgONwfBbuMoSQW6GFG4w2zUSsozZWDZUsjtu0FADNkbuPOShC7qFVLfmojrD2m4vQRDlwB_vGR9ZnAMGoGjWYhyphenhypheniY_J4MQcMo9KvtDHhza7w2fcqiQPw7EwYIbTqnnYL0jPVcGy/s1600/P1010986.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isbell (L) joining Hood (R) during Hood's set</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sets I saw on Sunday, in whole or in part --</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Buffy-Sainte Marie</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pete Seeger and Lorre Wyatt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vieux Farke Toure</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason Isbell</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Patterson Hood Band</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Acoustic Hot Tuna and Pete Kimock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keller Williams and The Travelin' McCourys</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Son Volt</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCnJomnNPWx9B6R9lQr5o1CAP7Nb6duepPGZ_7VQDGhAISZShoxLZdAuVwh7Wr79SkZwSsIuNt5It_SlTeL7rlanHpwNUwKfIjHl7mDd9FoVEwczfsCFZ-DrPXMV6nHcvpAf2/s1600/P1010995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCnJomnNPWx9B6R9lQr5o1CAP7Nb6duepPGZ_7VQDGhAISZShoxLZdAuVwh7Wr79SkZwSsIuNt5It_SlTeL7rlanHpwNUwKfIjHl7mDd9FoVEwczfsCFZ-DrPXMV6nHcvpAf2/s1600/P1010995.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing on Sunday at Clearwater</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We drove home on Monday, and after dinner I went out to one more show, this time with Mike Doughty opening for Low. I got there right before the doors opened, and plopped down in the middle of the third row. I was pretty beat from the weekend, but I'm very glad I went -- Low was fantastic. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surprisingly, t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hey also were happy -- frontman Alan Sparhawk isn't known for being warm, but he really did warm up and engage with the small crowd that saw them. As for Doughty, I like how he sounds, but unfortunately, his songs lacked variety stylistically, and so got fairly boring all too quickly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My next show isn't for another few weeks, which is a good thing, because I could use the rest. Not that I'm getting any -- the next part of Epic Summer kicks off tomorrow morning with a 6:10am flight out of BWI.</span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-78356079863662317392013-06-01T06:25:00.000-04:002013-06-01T06:29:03.547-04:00Epic Summer<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The best summer of your life is supposed to take place sometime in your childhood. You’re off all summer long, going swimming most days, you have a great time at summer camp, and your parents scheduled an amazing 10-day vacation that included going to the beach &/or the mountains &/or an amusement park. Maybe it’s when you’re six, or perhaps when you’re 13 (right before you’re supposed to make money during the summer), but at whatever age it does occur, it’s unquestionably during your youth. It isn’t supposed to happen during the summer you turn 45.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid--9527ea6-ff2d-77a8-c78e-dc2fe13c03e6" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But why shouldn’t it? Kathy’s been a Stay at Home Mom for the past two years and will be going back to work in the Fall. In the future, the kids are going to want to do their own thing, and Kathy’s time will be limited by work. I’ve accrued lots of leave over the years, and I can’t imagine a better time to take a chunk of it. Accordingly, I have dubbed this summer Epic Summer©, and we will be spending it camping, beaching, mountaining, flying, reunioning, amusement parking, music festivaling, swimming and....</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Epic does it look? In April the parents of one of Emelia’s classmates invited us to join them for any weekend over the summer at their family place on the Jersey Shore. We had to turn them down because the only weekends we had left are the ones that you need every so often to do things like laundry (Kathy is hoping to go up there with the girls during part of a week when I’m working, but I’m skeptical that she’ll pull it off). It’s at the point where this weekend and next are the last consecutive weekends we have at home until September.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Thursday before Memorial Day weekend is when we kicked things off. On that day, Emelia and I drove to Mt. Catoctin for a school overnight trip, spending quality time and sleeping just the two of us in one of the screen-only cabins (we shared a bunk bed). We loved being there and with each other -- we made meals together, did activities organized by her teachers, read a book to each other, told a story I had written together at the campfire, and much more. We overcame the adversity caused by her too-tight water boots irritating her foot enough that she couldn’t walk for a few hours. The heavy rain was kind enough to come just as we were turning in and leave before we got up. The cold weather behind that front made the morning chilly, but couldn’t dampen our spirits, particularly with Emelia’s foot feeling ok again.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfbAjXr-BUS05KWUzUOJr8SkI7Tz4H9jghKTd-9fZztOEArj72I4mF9rfgPasgtg3K8Tc0vgawcEGwwTcBKuKBO31Qs_5IQmoQgjk2_FK-PHah_JKUx649Jh8enCqBKj_1bRZ/s1600/P5230285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfbAjXr-BUS05KWUzUOJr8SkI7Tz4H9jghKTd-9fZztOEArj72I4mF9rfgPasgtg3K8Tc0vgawcEGwwTcBKuKBO31Qs_5IQmoQgjk2_FK-PHah_JKUx649Jh8enCqBKj_1bRZ/s320/P5230285.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emelia Hard at Work Mapping the Goon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">We left Catoctin just before Noon on Friday, racing back to Capitol Hill to get Kathy and Hannah, and load up the car to go camping at Cape Henlopen State Park, just north of Rehoboth, in Delaware. The beach traffic made the trip long, and the strong winds we found upon our arrival made setting up camp more than a little difficult -- we had to enlist Emelia to help set up the tent, because the wind made it more than a two-person job. Once we got past those two challenges, however, we had a great time. We were in a group of 30+ campsites set up by a work acquaintance -- mostly families, with plenty of kids Hannah’s and Emelia’s ages. Common dinners, campfires, and hanging out, but plenty of time for our nuclear family to do things by ourselves. We went to the beach briefly a couple of times in the unseasonably cool (but very sunny) weather, and did a nature walk as well. We had a great time, and figure to return next Memorial Day weekend, hopefully even bringing other friends along.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGao59cxXBZ9zSVF5o2mdpxfPnsLCFct1IMPE17Dt1MB2sGS25X7ErlJZgYfQ_7D4OcnjmwGfpThk7tLJjojhHp7ODxieSmVgyyXXzbC0Kd5eipJsEG2WNtu2JKk2yd-Y9ufRT/s1600/P1010845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGao59cxXBZ9zSVF5o2mdpxfPnsLCFct1IMPE17Dt1MB2sGS25X7ErlJZgYfQ_7D4OcnjmwGfpThk7tLJjojhHp7ODxieSmVgyyXXzbC0Kd5eipJsEG2WNtu2JKk2yd-Y9ufRT/s320/P1010845.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two Sweet <strike>Peas</strike> Girls in a <strike>Pod</strike> Hammock</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Things are quiet the next couple of weeks. I’m going to a concert (The National with The Dirty Projectors opening) this Thursday, and Emelia’s last day of school is the following day, but that’s about it. After that, however, here are how things are shaping up:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 14-17 -- drive to New York for the </span><a href="http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/lineup/headliners/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clearwater Festival</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 15 & 16) with friends</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 17 -- see Low in concert (Michael Doughty opening) (just me)</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 20-26 -- fly to Minnesota for Kathy’s college reunion, plus a couple of days to enjoy Minneapolis</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 4 -- drive to Raleigh to visit friends</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 6 -- drive to Hilton Head for our annual trip with my side of the family (my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews), at a </span><a href="http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p158141" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">disgustingly over-the-top amazing house on the beach</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (thanks Mom and Dad!).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 7 -- My 45th Birthday</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 10 -- My sister gets married</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 13-14 -- drive back home via Raleigh</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 18 -- see Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside in concert (just me)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 23 -- see Bob Dylan, My Morning Jacket, Wilco & Ryan Bingham with family and friends</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 24 - August 11 -- Roadtrip</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 24-29 -- </span><a href="http://lineup.floydfest.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Floydfest</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, camping at a music festival on the Blue Ridge Parkway</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">July 29-August 1 -- Lancaster, PA for Dutch Wonderland and other local activities</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 1-3 -- Visit someone TBD as we head North</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 3-10 -- Stay with friends at a very rustic cabin in Central Maine</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 10-11 -- Head back home</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 16-18 -- Campground Brewdown in Central PA. Likely but not certain.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 19 -- Presumably Hannah’s first day of school</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">August 31-September 2 -- Labor Day weekend camping at Big Meadows with friends</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">September 3 -- The official end of Epic Summer©. Emelia’s first day of school, Kathy’s first day of work</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>
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aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-79517842219900496652012-12-26T07:14:00.000-05:002012-12-26T07:14:46.092-05:00My Top 25 Albums of 2012This has been an amazing year in music for me. What with seeing New Mutltitudes, Langhorne Slim, The Lumineers, Josh Ritter, Bruce Springsteen, Samantha Crain, William Elliott Whitmore, First Aid Kit, Damien Jurado, and Sharon Van Etten, in addition to dozens of artists at FloydFest and another handful at Silopanna, I've seen more live performances this year than any other year of my life. <br />
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And of course, there were so many great albums released this year. While I knew many of the artists with new albums, I found many of the albums through blogs to which I subscribe, and many more through my friends on TurnTable. I got a bunch of them, and listened to many others thanks to the wonders of Spotify. This excess of access made it much harder to narrow my selections down to 25 albums than it was in previous years. In some ways, ignorance is bliss, as I remember not too long ago I felt that a Top 10 list was sufficient. Regardless, here are my favorite 25 from 2012.<br />
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25. Field Report -- Field Report<br />
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24. Avett Brothers -- The Carpenter<br />
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23. Andrew Bird -- Break It Yourself<br />
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22. The Lumineers -- The Lumineers<br />
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21. Bob Mould -- Silver Age<br />
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20. Beth Orton -- Sugaring Season<br />
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19. Matthew E. White -- Big Inner<br />
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18. Kathleen Edwards -- Voyageur<br />
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17. Leonard Cohen -- Old Ideas<br />
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16. Punch Brothers -- Who's Feeling Young Now?<br />
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15. Chuck Prophet -- Temple Beautiful<br />
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14. Lee Fields & The Expressions -- Faithful<br />
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13. Of Monsters & Men -- My Head Is An Animal<br />
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12. Langhorne Slim & The Law -- The Way We Move<br />
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11. Jay Farrar, Jim James, Anders Parker, Will Johnson -- New Multitudes<br />
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10. Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound<br />
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9. Heartless Bastard -- Arrow<br />
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8. Bruce Springsteen -Wrecking Ball<br />
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7. Anders Osborne -- Black Eye Galaxy<br />
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6. Various Artists -- Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan<br />
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5. First Aid Kit -- The Lion's Roar<br />
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4. Otis Taylor -- Otis Taylor's Contraband<br />
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3. Damien Jurado -- Maraqopa<br />
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2. Patterson Hood -- Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance<br />
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1. Alabama Shakes -- Boys & Girls<br />
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Here's a playlist with a song from each of these albums:<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:argo0134:playlist:4RP9gxt2w7pLuYiqldwdTK" width="300"></iframe><br />
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Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order): ALO -- Sounds Like This; Black Prairie -- A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart; Cold Specks -- I Predict A Graceful Expulsion; David Byrne & St. Vincent -- Love this Giant; Dr. Dog -- Be The Void; Dr. John -- Locked Down; Craig Finn -- Clear Heart Full Eyes; John Fullbright -- From the Ground Up; Great Lake Swimmers -- New Wild Everywhere; Michael Kiwanuka -- Home Again; Lord Huron -- Lonesome Dreams; Plants & Animals -- The End of That; Shovels & Rope -- O Be Joyful; Sonny & The Sunsets -- Longtime Companion; Sharon Van Etten -- Tramp<br />
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Lastly, while I didn't include live albums in my top 25, I wanted to give special mention to my favorite two live albums of the year -- Live From Alabama by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; and Everybody's Talking by the Tedeschi Trucks Band.<br />
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aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-55866846093272978952012-11-19T07:30:00.000-05:002012-11-19T09:25:54.367-05:00The End of an EraIn DC United's last game of the season, they tied at home. Because they lost the aggregate score 4-2, they don't advance to the MLS Cup. Given that they hadn't been to the playoffs in a few years, I consider it a fine result to get as far into the playoffs as they did. It was particularly impressive that they made it one game away from the championship game despite losing their best player to injury for the last few weeks of the regular season (and all but 29 minutes of the playoffs). <br />
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Even though the future looks bright for United, I have made the difficult decision not to renew my season tickets for the first time since 1997 (I had a half-season plan that year). In my cost-benefit analysis, I decided that the costs have gone up and the benefits have gone down to the point where it doesn't make sense to renew. Costwise, ticket prices keep going up, and with Kathy not working and Emelia now attending a private school, the ticket plan is now a significant amount of money for me.<br />
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Benefitwise, we traveled a lot this year, which resulted in not being around for a lot of games, and we plan to do more of the same next year -- I just don't see myself going to enough games to justify a full-season, or even a half-season, ticket plan. But there's also another reason, one that I hardly noticed until recently -- I miss my family when I go to games. The obvious answer would be to bring them along -- Emelia had a great time at the game she went to this year, enough so that her attention didn't flag and we didn't have to leave early. The problem, however, is that United rarely plays day games. This is consistent with what I believe to be United's business model, i.e., their target audience is young singles. Until yesterday's playoff game, United had not scheduled a home game for before 5pm. And only two games started between 5 and 6pm. I feel confident that this approach is one developed by DC United rather than being an MLS policy -- when I looked at this year's schedule, I saw that six regular season road games started before 5pm. United's policy wasn't much of a problem when I was a childless middle-aged adult
going to games, but it is a problem for families with children, a
demographic to which I now belong. So while I'd like to take Emelia regularly, for the most part the games are just too late for her. <br />
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All told, I'll still go to games, but not as many. Friends will have extra tickets now and again, and I'll keep my fan club membership (Screaming Eagles) active so I can buy tickets through them. Hopefully, some of the games I go to will be early enough that I can take Emelia, or even Hannah.aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-16260631064303613992012-05-31T06:53:00.001-04:002012-05-31T07:25:15.768-04:00A Happy EndingWe had to punish Emelia last week.<br />
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At the parent-teacher conference on Monday, Emelia's teacher told us that Emelia wasn't listening to any of the other adults in school, just the teacher. And even then, it was a struggle. So we talked to Emelia about it afterwards, while the family was driving me to work. And I followed up with it on Tuesday, when I walked Emelia to school.</div>
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So we were rather surprised when later on Tuesday the teacher called Kathy, and said that Emelia was misbehaving and being disruptive. And even more surprised when the teacher called Kathy a second time, because Emelia was still acting up. Kathy spoke with Emelia on the second call. It didn't matter -- Emelia remained awful for the rest of the day.</div>
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We threw the book at her, at least as much as we were willing to do given that she's five. She wrote an apology (her words, our help with spelling) that she delivered the next day; and was placed on two weeks of no dessert and no video. </div>
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Kathy was the one who set most of the punishment, but it didn't take long before she was contemplating making exceptions. I wanted us to hold firm -- at the time Kathy handed down the sentence, she had told Emelia that she wouldn't have s'mores while we were camping, even though her friend (and everyone else) would. I reasoned that if Kathy was going to make that a feature of the punishment, it wouldn't do any good to remove it. Kathy ultimately agreed, so we didn't make exceptions.</div>
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During the first week of punishment, the teacher reported that Emelia was behaving well at school. At home, Emelia also behaved well, and didn't complain about the punishment. She even reminded Kathy that she was on punishment a couple of times when Kathy forgot. During camping, she sat around while everyone else ate s'mores, and didn't complain at all. </div>
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In short, she was great for the whole first week, including Tuesday, her first day back at school after the long weekend that included an overall lack of sleep.</div>
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Tuesday evening, we ended the punishment after one week, making clear that we ended it because of her good behavior and because she didn't complain. The point had been made, and Emelia responded positively. We didn't see what more a second week of punishment would accomplish. </div>
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On Wednesday, with the punishment lifted, Emelia's teacher said Emelia was excellent during the day, and at home she was great too. </div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-77386601183145903292012-05-14T20:49:00.000-04:002012-05-15T21:34:06.235-04:00Another Letter to Emelia and Hannah<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weekends like this past one will hardly be a blip in the girls' memories when they're older, so I thought it best to try to capture it for them. Because in my mind it truly was a special one -- making a special weekend doesn't require a special trip or (much) special planning. All it requires is special people.<br /><br /><b>About the girls, May 2012</b><br /><br /><i>Emelia</i>. Emelia at five is fiercely independent, except when she isn't. She's engaging, snuggly, and determined, but also she has trouble accepting things that aren't how she wants, be it with her peers or her parents. She has a strong sense of justice, usually centered on how she's being falsely "accused" of misbehaving. In sum, she's very much how she's been for the past two years, except wiser, more stubborn, more eloquent, and more creative. And even more delightful, if that's possible.<br /><br /><i>Hannah</i>. Hannah is three months past her second birthday, her happiness that never flagged in the past now tinted occasionally by bouts of two-ness. Still, strangers regularly come up and tell us what a happy child she is. She's talking up a storm, loves to jump and do all sorts of physical activity, and she generally can't be left unattended. She's no longer napping every day, and Kathy especially isn't happy about it. She loves balls, dolls, and vehicles. <br /><br /><b>The weekend</b><br /><br /><i>Friday</i>. Kathy, Emelia and Hannah headed up to College Park after school to visit with Shizuka, Kaz and Michiko (Eric was away) -- I Metro'd up there after work to meet you for dinner and a little hanging out, before I took the car back to tend to Nora, leaving the three of you to have a sleepover. I stayed up too late on TurnTable, and from what I hear, Emelia and Kaz also stayed up pretty late, chit-chatting away, best friends just like their Moms. Still, I was up the next morning before Kathy called for me to head up for a bagel breakfast.<br /><br /><i>Saturday</i>. Up there, play and good times continued around a delicious bagel breakfast. After breakfast, Kathy, Hannah and I made a trip to the nearby REI, then came back to grab Emelia and all of us headed home. Lunch at home was followed by Hannah's (and my) nap. We woke Hannah and </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">away we went to a Street Art Festival down at Yards Park. Actually, the girls' highlight was less the festival and much more the fountain and little pool, where I think they both would have stayed had I not pulled them away so we could see what we (I) came for. Truth be told, however, there wasn't much that interested us in the festival. The one exception was a troupe of acrobats that Kathy and I enjoyed, but Emelia and Hannah were pretty bored. Emelia eventually turned to performing her own acrobatics, far more impressed by what she could do than could the members of the troupe. After that we headed home for a simple dinner and an early bedtime for the girls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Rather, an early bedtime for Hannah. After dinner I reminded Emelia that she wanted to make a Mother's Day cake for Sunday, so we set to work on that. Mother's Day is not traditionally known as a cake holiday, but last year we inadvertently started a tradition -- since I had a special grown-up surprise birthday party for Kathy three days earlier, we assuaged Emelia's feeling of being left out by making a Mother's Day cake. She remembered it well this year and wanted to make one again. Both before and during the making, Emelia must have referenced the "surprise" about 100 times, always making sure Kathy didn't know what we were up to. Emelia's bedtime followed the baking.<br /><br /><i>Sunday</i>. I woke up early, and Emelia followed quickly (as did Hannah when Emelia got up). I got some milk for Hannah while Emelia and I set to work with the frosting and sprinkles. Being clueless about such things at the time I purchased the cake mix, I quickly discovered that devil's food cake crumbs off very easily if you apply frosting, so I ended up having to do that, even though we both wanted Emelia to have the honors. Instead, she got to put the sprinkles on. I left her to spell out "MOMMY" with them, or "MOM" if the letters got too big, but even that was a bit too optimistic. Let's just say that I was able to perform a salvage job so that the "O" wasn't a solid block of sprinkles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kathy came down and opened Emelia's card and my present, a 16x20 canvas collage of the girls using photos from last month's beach trip. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After poking around for a bit, I was going to suggest we go to the Arboretum, but Kathy beat me to it. Great minds and all, at least that's what I tell myself (and her). We enjoyed walking a lot with the girls, and only had to carry Hannah a little bit at the end. Sadly <a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/556158_3684525603141_1575165648_32910232_1624514438_n.jpg">Hannah</a> didn't want to let us take photos of her, but we snuck a couple in. And <a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/546357_3684525003126_1575165648_32910231_831184267_n.jpg">Emelia</a> got a couple of <a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/559480_3684527763195_1575165648_32910234_531949727_n.jpg">Kathy and me</a> -- she liked taking the photo of us kissing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kathy decided she wanted lunch at Franklin's, so that's where we went. Again Kathy and I were in harmony, ordering the same beer and meal -- it's like we were celebrating our anniversary a few days early (the 16th). Back to the house afterwards, for naps for Hannah and me. I slept, but no luck with Hannah. Kathy was a bit frazzled when I came downstairs, so I grabbed Emelia and we walked to the grocery store. When we got back, we got the house ready for the return engagement of Shizuka and the kids, this time with Eric in tow. A nice dinner was followed by the surprise cake, which was well received by all, much to Emelia's delight. Our dinner guests didn't stay too late, and we put the girls as soon as the company left. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A busy weekend gave way to a quiet evening, as Kathy and I relaxed in preparation for the week. So ended a wonderful Mothers Day weekend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Caveat</i>. Were there low points in this amazing weekend? Of course -- it's too recent to wipe those clean via the nostalgicator. Still, they were relatively small and insignificant compared to the multitude and intensity of the high points.</span></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-15964862816178522022012-04-28T20:10:00.000-04:002012-04-28T20:19:40.050-04:00The Race is OnNow that Romney's nomination has become a certainty, we've got about six months ahead of us where the two candidates engage in a race to the bottom. As the saying goes, the only ones certain to lose this race are the American people. Liberal friends have recently asked me about my previous statement that I plan to vote for a third party candidate rather than "risk" a Romney presidency. And while I understand their fear, I feel that keeping Obama for another four years is a disaster in its own right, and a campaign slogan of "The Less Disastrous" candidate doesn't sell me.<br />
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There's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-just-say-it-the-republicans-are-the-problem/2012/04/27/gIQAxCVUlT_story.html">a new opinion piece</a> that unequivocally puts the blame on the dysfunction in government squarely at the feet of the Republicans. And as far as it goes, I have no qualms with its assertions -- in Congress, the Republicans are determined to be obstructionist and unreasonable. But I've seen folks point to that article as a defense of Obama's record, and I think that's ridiculous. The Obama Administration has the power to do many things. Many of the things he has done (or failed to do when he could do them) are abominable.<br />
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Suppose there was no limit on how many terms a president could serve, and W not only ran but won re-election in 2008. And suppose that he's running for office again in 2012, and in the past four years, his administration:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/27/patriot-act-extension-signed-obama-autopen_n_867851.html">Signed into law</a> an expanded Patriot Act that goes beyond how awful it already was before 2008;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-debt-talks-obama-offers-social-security-cuts/2011/07/06/gIQA2sFO1H_story.html">Participated</a> in <a href="http://my.firedoglake.com/scarecrow/2011/09/02/deficit-hysteria-win-gop-congress-and-obama-white-house-succeed-in-stopping-jobs-growth/">the deficit hysteria</a> that keeps us in a long-term recession;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/02/27/the_obama_doctrine">Greatly expanded the use of drones</a>;</li>
<li>Greatly expanded <a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/153397/obama_administration_continues_to_abuse_state_secrets_privilege_to_cover_up_misdeeds">the use/abuse of the state-secret argument</a> in cases and FOIA requests;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104045.html">Advocated for</a> and <a href="http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/president-obama-signs-indefinite-detention-law">signed into law</a> indefinite detention; </li>
<li><a href="http://www.salon.com/2011/05/16/whistleblowers_6/">Escalated the war on whistle blowers to unprecedented levels</a>;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/attorney_general_holder_defends_execution_without_charges/">Claimed the right to assassinate Americans (and exercised it)</a>;</li>
<li><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2011/09/02/310929/president-obama-backs-down-on-ozone-standards/">Backed down on environmental regulations</a>;</li>
<li>Created <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-money/2011/09/09/would-obamas-payroll-tax-cut-hurt-social-security/">precedent in attacking revenue for Social Security</a>, and <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20077452-503544.html">proposed changes to Social Security</a> that would ensure poverty for millions of retirees (arguably to prevent millions of retirees from having even greater cuts to the Social Security), instead of, you know, working to make <a href="http://www.epi.org/publication/raising_cap_on_social_security_tax_best_way_to_fix_shortfall/">simple and effective fixes to Social Security like raising/removing the contribution cap</a>;</li>
<li><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/11/obama-lgbt-white-house-contractors-lgbt-discrimination_n_1419148.html">Backed down on a ban on contractor discrimination</a> based on sexual orientation;</li>
<li><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/10/supreme-court-struggles-with-strip-searches/">Advocated the use of strip searches</a> for minor offenses; </li>
<li><a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/04/26/obama_justice_and_medical_marijuana/singleton/">Did not go after the illegal use of torture or prosecute Wall Street/banks for their malfeasance, but did step up attacks on medical marijuana</a>.</li>
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Some of these are more important than others, but this record is awful -- I would never consider voting for Bush with that record behind him (and I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty -- these are just the ones that come to mind, and so they're slanted toward more recent events). Yet these are things that Obama has done (follow the links) -- not Congress or Republicans, but Obama. That the name and party behind those in/actions is different gives me no reason to reconsider my position. Nor does the fact that in some instances Republicans have proposed even more radical things. Even the fact that Obama can both nominate federal judges and serve as a check against such radical proposals is inadequate given how awful he's been without Republican involvement.<br />
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Of course I've focused on the bad, and it's only fair to consider the good he's done. Sadly, many of the good things he's done are qualified successes. The two unqualified things I give credit for are signing into law the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and nominating Justice Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. The stimulus bill was a lot better than nothing, but it was still <a href="http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/how-did-we-know-the-stimulus-was-too-small/">too small and poorly designed to get us out of the recession</a>, and its effect was dampened by deficit deals he later made. Health care reform was a lovely idea, but the law that got enacted is <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2010/04/author_author.html">from a template from the very conservative Heritage Foundation</a>, and keeps getting watered down. Leaving Iraq is a good thing, if you overlook that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/21/iraq-rejects-us-plea-bases">the Obama Administration tried to stay longer</a> (ironically, it was bound by an agreement made by Bush that the Iraqis wouldn't budge on). The Dodd-Frank Act may be an improvement over the status quo (or not, I'm honestly not sure), but what it mostly did was <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21547784">create confusion</a> and give industry a chance to <a href="http://my.firedoglake.com/masaccio/2012/04/09/sec-thinks-arithmetic-is-hard/">negate its effect</a>.<br />
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I have a couple of individuals I'm considering voting for. But I can safely say that the person I'll decide on isn't the nominee of a major party.aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-5011402574382213252012-04-12T20:34:00.004-04:002012-04-13T14:02:00.054-04:00ChangesKathy stopped work in June to be a full-time stay-at-home Mom, and we started living on a budget last April in anticipation. Suddenly, the money we were permitted to spend on ourselves was restricted significantly. It had never been limitless, but we've always been fairly responsible to the point that we never really felt restricted. We feel it now.<br />
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And so my trips to buy new beers have dropped off -- hard to keep to a budget when a stop at <a href="http://www.statelineliquors.com/beer/beer.htm">State Line</a> eats up all your money for a month. And even though I spend far less per visit to one of my favorite bars than I do at State Line, those trips have tapered off too. To be honest though, that started in earnest when I went on a diet at the first of the year. </div>
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At the same time as I've been cutting back on beer geekery, I've been undergoing (as Kathy put it) my once-a-decade move to a new online community. In the '90s, it was jumbalaya, a community of people who like playing boggle. In the '00s, it was ratebeer, a community of beer geeks. In both these instances, I've made a number of friends that extended beyond the virtual into the real world. </div>
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And now, I've discovered <a href="http://turntable.fm/">turntable.fm</a>, a music site where you dj for others in a chat room. I'm finding new music, and meeting folks who enjoy the same music I do. Given that I love music but had given up on radio long ago, this is a wonderful discovery. And let's face it, listening to music in a chat room costs no more than one's internet connection, whereas there's only so much enjoyment one can get talking about new beers without spending on the beer itself.</div>
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And so instead of spending on beer as much, I'm now spending on concerts. I spent about the same at each of two shows in March as I would have for a night at a bar. And while I can't remember a single beer I had the last time I went to my favorite beer bar, I expect the great memories of the last show I attended, <a href="http://www.langhorneslim.com/">Langhorne Slim</a> at Iota, will be with me for quite some time. </div>
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I haven't stopped there either -- my passion has resulted in our summer plans including a trip to a <a href="http://www.floydfest.com/">music festival</a>. We'll see how it goes with the whole family camping at a four-day music fest, but fingers crossed it's the beginning of a family tradition.</div>
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This isn't about a rejection of beer -- I'll still drink and rate beer as the opportunities arise (and for the fifth year in a row, we'll still be doing at least one camping beer weekend). I would love to try more beers and go to a bunch of shows, but the budget and the time isn't available. And at this point in my life, to the extent I have to choose, I'm choosing music over beer. </div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-51837857735138355222012-03-25T08:48:00.000-04:002012-04-26T18:40:50.825-04:00She Doesn't Deserve This Shit<span style="background-color: #fcffee; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">On March 15, the teacher's aide in Emelia's pre-Kindergarten classroom asked Emelia to move, and when she explained that she was allowed to sit where she was, the aide picked up Emelia by the arm and moved her to where he wanted her to sit, leaving a bruise where he grabbed her.</span><br />
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The weekend following the incident was one of concern and anxiety, as we heard nothing from our inquiries and complaints. On Monday the 19th, I went to the school alone, because if the aide remained in the classroom, we weren't going to let Emelia go. Fortunately, the assistant principal told me that the complaint was being handled, and that while it was pending, the aide would not be in the classroom. I called Kathy to let her know that she could bring Emelia after all.</div>
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The teacher has been ecstatic since the suspension started. Only after the incident did we learn that (1) there was an injury-causing incident with another student last semester; (2) the aide allegedly has been bullying the teacher in addition to the students; and (3) allegedly the aide has been doing very little in the classroom, leaving the first-year instructor to do almost everything. Last Monday Emelia told us about her day in far greater length and detail than she ever has. On Tuesday night Kathy noticed that Emelia wasn't grinding her teeth in her sleep.</div>
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Kathy and I have established three priorities in our efforts to deal with this incident. First, that he no longer be in Emelia's classroom, and we seem to have achieved that objective. In conversations with the teacher, she has indicated that the principal has let her know that regardless of the outcome, the aide would no longer be in her classroom. Second, that he no longer be at Emelia's school. That issue has not been resolved yet, but we are hopeful that the investigations (District school board, criminal, and Child Protective Services) will result in this happening -- meeting this objective is made more likely given that the incident was witnessed by the school's visiting artist. Third, that he no longer be employed in a position, inside or outside of DCPS, that places children in his care. I don't think this will happen, but we are doing what we can to achieve this objective as well.</div>
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Once we learned that the aide would no longer be in the classroom the anxiety that we have been feeling mostly went away. While we can't help but question why the aide was in the classroom despite the problems the school was made aware of previously, at least there has been no serious injury to anyone. </div>
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For what it's worth, this is the second incident we've had with a teacher at Emelia's school. Last year, while Emelia's class was between teachers, the substitute decided to make an example of Emelia after she had an accident by making her stay in her pee-soaked clothes all day long. That teacher is no longer a substitute for DCPS. </div>
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Two teachers in less than two years -- hopefully, there won't be any others.</div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-18367540785847964882012-03-18T15:03:00.000-04:002012-03-18T20:13:33.720-04:00A Letter to Emelia and Hannah<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYFi3GLrJkf8RRNd7E0AzSKf2MeW23gG8cht8FJVUPBmC1hwyTte7O8IMt2D2WUFrl8UNF5fNZmIrtgwlwYcD3FgxCIph5sowWtm9KILPA7mcGrcR8JI8FI4T-eYhKzoxgooz/s1600/IMG_3303.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5721315476030964626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYFi3GLrJkf8RRNd7E0AzSKf2MeW23gG8cht8FJVUPBmC1hwyTte7O8IMt2D2WUFrl8UNF5fNZmIrtgwlwYcD3FgxCIph5sowWtm9KILPA7mcGrcR8JI8FI4T-eYhKzoxgooz/s320/IMG_3303.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">We take photographs for all sorts of reasons, but mostly to capture a moment in time. In this post, I will try to capture a moment in time of roughly 72 hours. It's not about the family, though everyone is part of it; instead it's about your father, as he is at age 43, an age that probably means little to you personally when you'll read this, but also an age/time in my life that you'll have scant memories about me as a person. I can't say that these are typical days -- I think it might be the first time since we've become parents that I went out three days/nights in a row. To Hannah I apologize -- you're only two at the time these events transpire, and so even as our interactions are wonderful, they're not particularly memorable, or more accurately, distinctive for purposes of this letter. As such, Emelia features more prominently than you do in this letter.<br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This has been a winter of no winter. I had used my heavy coat for three days of the entire winter. It was in the 40s on Saturday, but in the 60s on Sunday, and the 70s and 80s Monday through today.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">On Saturday night, I went to DC United's season opener, a game that ended in disappointment because despite getting outplayed, the scoreless draw was in reach until an added-time goal sent the team to defeat. In the stands we engaged in gallows humor to pass the evening, a sadly too familiar past time at United games these past few years. Still, it was nice to be with the gang again after the five month offseason, even though I have little to do with them outside of United games.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Sunday morning as we were adjusting to Daylight Savings we all went to visit Sharon, Gary, Andrew and Declan for breakfast, a visit that was pretty enjoyable. When Hannah showed signs of needing her nap, I drove everyone else home, and headed to a beer tasting. I had just lost 19 pounds from a diet I went on at the start of the year, and this was my first local tasting in several months. Between cuts in my personal budget and my waning interest in beer gatherings/ratings, this was something of a treat. While there I watched FSU defeat UNC to give the team its first ACC championship. And I tried a lot of beers and ate way too much food. A beer tasting doesn't involve a lot of volume -- most beers I only drank a couple of ounces, so that the 35 or so beers I drank was about a six-pack of volume -- that's a sizable amount, but not so much when the consumption was spread out over 7 hours. As with the soccer match, it was enjoyable even though I'm not close to any of the other attendees. Where once I had close ties to some of the local beer geeks, the ones I've cared about have moved or moved on, and the current regulars generally aren't people that I'd ever do something socially with outside of tastings.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I got home at a decent hour -- Kathy was still up, and we chatted a bit before we both went to sleep. Alas, at 12:30 or so, Hannah woke up because her pacifier fell out. Kathy responded to it, I woke up when she went to attend to Hannah, and I never could fall back asleep. Two hours of sleep on the night left me pretty tired the next day. I had had visions of going to a concert on Monday night, but lacking sleep and a ticket to the sold-out show, I gave up on that. At 4pm, however, I was offered a ticket, and went to </span><a href="http://argo0.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-multitudes.html" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">an amazing show</a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">. Back around 11, I still stayed up another hour or so because I was so pumped up from the show. Six hours of sleep left me in pretty bad shape in light of the sleep shortage the previous night as well.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of walking Emelia to school. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">We both were enjoying the fantastic weather on the walk. As is often the case, our conversation was all over the place. It started with my trying to convey how wonderful the concert experience was, and Emelia claimed to completely understand, because she's five. I told her that we would go to Floydfest that summer, where I looked forward to sharing some music experiences with her. At some point the conversation shifted to dreams/goals, and Emelia informed me that she intends to marry her best friend (for the past two weeks), Timothy. I asked what happened to Jonah, as she had said she was going to marry him just a couple of weeks ago. Emelia explained that when our families had last gotten together, Jonah indicated that he probably was going to marry someone at his current school, so Emelia had set her sights elsewhere. And it made sense to me that she would select Timothy because Kathy had just recently explained that she was married to her best friend. Emelia had been changing her designated best friend quite frequently, and I couldn't help but wonder whether/how Kathy's statement was coloring Emelia's perspective.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">On my way to work afterwards, I had a most unusual experience. As I was leaving the L'Enfant Plaza metro station, a man was going down the up escalator. He stopped a little in front of me, and I walked past him. A few seconds later a second man was walking down the up escalator, and he was completely naked. He had a shirt or something loosely covering his genitals, but that was about it. I have no idea what was going on, only that I had no interest in trying to find out. His shoes and the rest of his clothes were at the top of the escalator, unable to follow the conveyor as it slid underground. </span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Tuesday at work (yes, I was working amid all these activities), we released a big item that I had worked on for a couple of years. I had a bit of pride in completing it, but the greater feeling was one of relief. It was a challenging, difficult, and often frustrating process, and I was glad to leave this portion of the project behind.</span><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><br style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;" /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Tuesday evening, when I got home, Kathy was set for us to enjoy the nice weather to go to Lincoln Park for a picnic (Emelia's idea). I was beat and not up for it, and Hannah was showing signs of being tired too. Still, I did my best to rally and we went. Hannah insisted on holding both Kathy's and my hands on the walk over, and got upset when we weren't doing that. At one point she threw herself to the ground in a decidedly two-year-old way; unfortunately she's more used to the floor at home, and hurt herself on the harder surface. After a few cries she rebounded, and we got to the park a couple of minutes later. We stayed there for a few minutes, but it started to rain, so we hurried back home and ate the rest of the picnic on the living room floor. Hannah went to bed shortly after that, and with that, the 72-hour window into my life has elapsed.</span></span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-31878496519106815642012-03-15T17:28:00.006-04:002012-03-15T21:53:20.354-04:00New Multitudes<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/427385_407960779219026_157513780930395_1916689_112687350_n.jpg" style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 450px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/427385_407960779219026_157513780930395_1916689_112687350_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span>After two hours of sleep on Sunday night, there was no way I was going to go to the Birchmere on Monday to buy a scalped ticket to the sold-out New Multitudes show. My craigslist posting in search of a ticket had yielded no responses, and between my exhaustion and the likely fruitlessness, I was giving up.<br /><br />Then at 4:00pm, I got a text asking if I was still interested, and my fatigue was washed away by the adrenaline my body started producing -- I was going to the show!<br /><br />Things kept getting better once I committed to going. The seller wanted $50, but I got there before he did and someone outside was selling a ticket for face ($30), so I jumped at it. I spotted a single seat in the middle of the room, directly in front of stage right -- perfect. In response to my asking if the seat was available, I got a response that it was, but that I should be warned that the conversation was going to be about beer.<br /><br />Bobby Bare, Jr. offered an entertaining opening set, mixing his songs fairly evenly between the depressing and the absurd, occasionally serving up songs with a healthy heaping of both qualities.<br /><br />As for New Multitudes, let me start off by telling <a href="http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/new-multitudes-jay-farrar">who they are</a>, because the name isn't familiar to many people yet. For that matter, if I had recognized the name early enough, I probably would have bought a ticket before it sold out and saved myself a lot of anxiety. Billy Bragg and Wilco plumbed the Woody Guthrie archives a decade ago to compose songs from lyrics that evidently had never been set to music, resulting in the highly acclaimed <i>Mermaid Avenue</i> albums. Now, in honor of the centennial of Guthrie's birth, a different set of musicians have released a different set of Guthrie lyrics they've set to music. New Multitudes consists of Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket), Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt), Anders Parker (Varnaline), and Will Johnson (Centro-matic). Despite my long-held appreciation of the music produced by the first three of those men (nothing against Johnson, I'm just not familiar with his music), I had never seen any of them perform.<br /><br />The first half of the show was a live performance of the 12 songs on the New Multitudes album, in the order in which they appear on the album, with virtually no dialogue. Each performer led the band for three songs. Johnson was mostly behind the drums, but on the occasions he stepped out from there to take the lead, Parker squeezed his rather large frame into the small space on the stage for the drummer. Meanwhile, Yames mostly played bass, and Farrar stayed on guitar. I'd only played the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Multitudes-Farrar-Johnson-Parker-Yames/dp/B005VR9AT4/">new album</a> a couple of times prior to the show (I purchased the deluxe version, which includes 11 additional songs performed by Farrar and Parker, further diluting my familiarity with the new album). At times the compositions didn't involve all four band members, leaving one or two of them to stand uncomfortably idle for a couple of minutes. Still, their evident comfort with each other during the songs where they all performed overcame those awkward moments. Highlights of this set included the Johnson-led "Chorine My Sheba Queen" and the Yames-led "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD-9d2SU-IU">Talking Empty Bed Blues</a>."<br /><br />Something that surprised me in this portion of the show was the expansion of the album versions in several instances, with the resulting jams leaning toward garage/psychedelic -- the live version of Yames' "My Revolutionary Mind" particularly stood out in this regard. Regardless, the differences from the album were quite enjoyable, giving me a further appreciation of the songs. At some point during the show I remembered that the collaboration between the musicians began as early as 2006, so that even though the songs are new to the audience, no doubt ideas have continued to percolate and be passed among them in the time since the songs were arranged.<br /><br />Once the band had played the 12 songs from the album, they took a short break, after which each member came out to do a solo acoustic tune. For me, the highlight of the show was when Parker played "Song," off the 2001 Varnaline album <i>Songs in a Northern Key</i>. I've loved this album for many years and had hoped he'd play something off it, though I thought the odds were rather slim -- what a delightful surprise! I was silently screaming along as Parker played -- it was all I could do not to sing along to probably the quietest song on the night. For Americana, "Song" is a fairly electric song, but Parker's stripped-down acoustic version added a staccato element that gave the song a greater sound of urgency than the original.<br /><br />Their solo acoustic numbers complete, the entire band came back out for five more songs. Each man led one of the first four songs from his own catalog of songs, before the band closed with Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty." This was the band at its integrated best, particularly for Son Volt's "Bandages & Scars" and the Guthrie tune, the latter transformed into a sprawling 12-minute tune that had the band leave the stage one at a time, until finally Johnson was along on stage pounding the drums with a fierce intensity and backed only by the feedback playing throughout the final song.<br /><br />All told, it was one of my favorite concerts ever, and it left me so pumped that after coming home I still needed another hour to settle down enough to drag my exhausted self to sleep 24 hours after I'd last awoken.</span>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10685306.post-7150345856438018762012-01-01T08:53:00.000-05:002012-01-01T08:55:10.301-05:00My Top Albums of 2011<div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6290382004808635"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2011 was a revelatory year for me musically, thanks to </span><a href="http://turntable.fm/"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">turntable.fm</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">. For those who don’t know, </span><a href="http://turntable.fm/"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">turntable.fm</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> is a website at which people play music for each other in a chatroom. That quick and dirty description doesn’t capture the effect it’s had on me. In the five months since I first checked it out, I’ve been introduced to a wealth of great music that I never would have discovered, including several of this year’s favorites. In addition, I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of the people that comprise the community there. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Without further ado, here are my Top 25 Albums:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">25. William Elliott Whitmore -- Field Songs</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">24. Tedeschi Trucks Band -- Revelator</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">23. Steve Earle -- I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">22. The Jayhawks -- Mockingbird Time</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">21. Gillian Welch -- The Harrow and The Harvest</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">20. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit -- Here We Rest</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">19. Iron and Wine -- Kiss Each Other Clean</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">18. Deer Tick -- Divine Providence</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">17. Old 97’s -- Grand Theatre, Vol. 2</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">16. The Mountain Goats -- All Eternals Deck </span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">15. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside -- Dirty Radio</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">14. Gary Clark Jr. -- The Bright Lights EP</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">13. Wye Oak -- Civilian</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">12. Low -- C’mon</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">11. Charles Bradley -- No Time for Dreaming</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">10. Middle Brother -- Middle Brother</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">9. Abigail Washburn -- City of Refuge</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">8. Ivan & Aloysha -- Fathers Be Kind EP</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">7. The Low Anthem -- Smart Flesh</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">6. Wilco -- The Whole Love</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">5. Dawes -- Nothing Is Wrong</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">4. Drive-By Truckers -- Go-Go Boots</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">3. Fleet Foxes -- Helplessness Blues</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">2. Frank Turner -- England Keep My Bones</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">1. The Decemberists -- The King Is Dead</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">To hear tracks from these albums, in addition to other tunes I’ve enjoyed in 2011, you can check out </span><a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/argo0134/playlist/73mxKZfDpzq7iPLeJpDaQI"><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">this Spotify playlist</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.</span></b></div>aaronhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09699987312832577978noreply@blogger.com