1. Beat It - Michael Jackson
2. Get In The Van - Umphrey’s McGee
3. Dive In - Dave Matthews Band
4. Past Life - Mile Marker Zero
5. The Moon Is Down - Explosions In The Sky
6. Always With You - Divide & Kreate
7. You Enjoy Myself - Phish
8. Death Whispered A Lullaby - Opeth
9. Rain - The Beatles
10. Red - King Crimson
Song Of The Month
Rain - The Beatles
Just before 6:00 pm on Saturday, eleven hours into what would become an eighteen-hour work day, we pulled up to the Candlewood Inn in Brookfield for a very quick breakdown job. The sun was beginning to set on what had proved to be the warmest day we’ve seen this June. I stood on the back of the truck as we waited for a few things to be moved around, and looked out at the lake. The sweat had stopped dripping down my face and matted my hair down to my head. I looked out over the lake, imagining the cool waters.
I wanted to dive in. I wanted to leave everything I was doing and swim. I imagined throwing off my shirt, shoes, and socks, and taking a running leap off of the dock nearby.
To the left of me, a group of bridesmaids from the wedding that had just ended were talking and laughing. An older couple sat at a table, his hand in hers, as he sipped on a drink. On the lake, a boat slowly rode past, audible but not loud enough to disturb any of the picture-taking that was going on close to the shore. A slight breeze whisked through, cooling me off a little.
I looked up again at the lake, at the sunset was reflected in the water, at all the people around. The truck started back up and I got in, riding away.
I really wish I’d taken the dive when I had the chance.
Yeah. I’ve been swamped again and I haven’t posted at all. I apologize. I’ll try and start back with the regular posts next week.
Sorry about that folks. I dropped the ball last week thanks to getting used to my new job. While the work is not nearly as bad as I expected it to be, it is time consuming and when I do make it home at the end of the day (usually well after midnight), writing is the last thing on my mind. I’m going to try and keep this from happening, but I can’t make any promises as my schedule changes very frequently.
Not really much new. The past couple days have been quiet, with exception that I got a new job on Tuesday. I start tomorrow. Expect some stories either this weekend or Monday when I’ve recovered from everything.
I bought my first Dave Matthews Band album since 2002 with the release of Big Whiskey and The Groogrux King. I had lost pretty much all faith in the band after the lackluster Everyday, and the re-release collection that was Busted Stuff, and the complete failure Stand Up.
I’m finishing up listening to the album for the first time now, after hearing some cuts from friends in the past few weeks, and I’m very impressed. Dave and crew feel like they’ve got a renewed sense of who they are as musicians following the death of LeRoi Moore last summer. I’m not going to write up a big review of the album yet because I’d like to give it more time to sink in. This is really the first time I’ve listened to the band with more than a passing ear in a long time, and I’m enjoying it, but I want to let my brain process the notion that yes, I just heard a really great Dave Matthews album.
Friday night, Mike and I went to see the new Sam Raimi flick. Going into this movie, I was interested to see what Raimi would do after the debacle that was Spider-Man 3, but rest assured folks: Drag Me To Hell is an instant classic.
After taking a class on the horror writing this semester, it was fun to see a master put all of these tricks to good use. The clever camera angles, the cheesy humor, and the top-notch gross outs were all done in such a way that the movie would have been missing something if they had been left on the cutting room floor. It also seemed to me that after what was clearly the interference of studio heads during his last film, Raimi took charge entirely over this picture and made it exactly how he wanted it to be done. There were many points where I could have seen a big wig jumping in and saying “do this here” or “add this gore there,” but the reigns were entirely in the hands of Raimi, and it was incredible.
The movie is not without flaws though. The ending was slightly predictable, though not unsatisfying, and I would have preferred a more believable male lead than Justin Long. He seemed uncomfortable for a good portion of the film, which was especially noticeable when he and star Alison Lohman shared one of their first scenes together. The special effects were excellent through out the film, with the exception of the “anvil scene.” Without giving away any spoilers, it seemed as though that one scene could have been shot 20 years ago and the effects would have looked the same. Keep an eye out for it when you see the film.
Overall, Sam Raimi has proven himself the king of the comedy-horror mashup genre. While many of the summer films coming around these days have not tempted me to spend my money - I’m looking at you, Terminator: Salvation - Drag Me To Hell was worth every penny spent. Here’s to hoping he continues this trend with the upcoming Spider-Man 4 and other possible horror-style films.
1. Time Turns Elastic - Phish
2. Acid Food - Mogwai
3. The Keeper - Mile Marker Zero
4. Words - Umphrey’s McGee
5. Hummingbird - Wilco
6. It’s Gonna Be (Alright) - Ween
7. Sedi Donka - Chris Thile & Mike Marshall
8. Echoes - Pink Floyd
9. Señor Mouse - Al di Meola
10. Cavern - Phish
Song of the Month
Sedi Donka - Chris Thile & Mike Marshall
I want to record a short EP of covers, similar to Rainy Friday Night, but a little longer and with more production. What does more production mean? More than just acoustic guitar and vocals. Probably at least adding in some drums, bass, keys, kazoos, jew harps…etc etc. That kind of thing.
Anyway, here’s where you guys come in. I am already sure of two songs that I want to record, but the EP is going to be six-seven songs.
So…what other songs should I record? I’m not going to spoil the track list until I have at least basic demos of the songs recorded, but I want some suggestions. A lot of you have heard me play and sing, but if you haven’t, I’ve included a clip below from Rainy Friday Night so you can get an idea of what I want to do. Leave your suggestions in the comment area below, and in a few weeks, when the demos are started, I’ll post another update.
Norwegian Wood (Rainy Friday Night, 2006)
For those interested, I have a Twitter as well. I post pretty regularly, thanks to the power of text messaging. If you want to follow, the link is below.