[ Saturday, June 18, 2005 ]
Soul for your soulJust got back from a wonderful evening of music from Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, Ben E. King and Lloyd Price, four R&B legends whose combined presence was almost too much for my soul-loving spirit. They all sounded great, and Butler and Chandler in particular were almost too good to be true; Chandler's version of "Rainbow," his huge R&B hit that basically failed to cross over to the white charts, was the highlight of the evening. There were some surprising covers - Lloyd Price did Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop," the combined group did Sly's "I Want To Take You Higher" - and some great performances of signature songs. A really nice night, in front of a surprisingly diverse audience. (The show also helped convince me that Jerry Butler's "He Will Break Your Heart," written by Curtis Mayfield, is one of my current favorite songs.)
On the box right now: Alvin Youngblood Hart, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. Mr. Hart, a.k.a. the fuckin' man, returns from a couple years off, following the acoustic blues of his last record with an extended attempt to blow out your amplifiers. Guitars for days, and grooves 'til doomsday. Rock on.
Peace...
Dove With Claws [10:19 PM]
[ Friday, June 17, 2005 ]
Officer FriendlySo, in the class I'm taking right now, there's a girl who sits behind me that apparently thinks we're chums. Not that I have a problem with making friends with classmates, nor do I even think this person is particularly unlikeable, but step 1 of getting to know each other has progressed directly to step 3 or 4, the unsolicited asking of awkwardly direct questions. Four days ago, it was "Hey, do you have any gum?" Three days ago, it was "Hey, who was it that won that one battle we talked about yesterday?" Two days ago, it was "Hey, did you understand anything he [the Professor] said the past two minutes?" And today, my absolute favorite, right at the beginning of class: "Hey, do I smell? Seriously, do I?"
At some point, I'm hoping to learn my new friend's name. Since, otherwise, this relationship is headed nowhere quickly.
On the box right now: Foo Fighters, IN YOUR HONOR, Disc 1. I've realized over the past year or so that I really like the Foos, and their new album is too long, but with some great moments. "No Way Back" is one of the great windows-down crankers of the summer so far.
Peace...
Dove With Claws [3:20 PM]
[ Thursday, June 16, 2005 ]
No, I don't wanna do datFar be it from me to complain (hey, stop laughing), but I've got a little too much on my plate right now. I've got about 3000 pages about Irish history to read in the next three weeks, and I've got a bunch of midterms to grade for a professor. On top of that, I've got class three hours a day, and then of course there's my famed inability to say no to hanging out with pretty much anybody. (I was actually able to turn down our friend John - see his blog on the left - but that was only because I had to meet with somebody else on what might be called "business.")
So, off I go to grade more tests, and then at least 40 pages on the Irish potato famine, and then a possible late-night meeting with my advisor, and then a partridge in a pear tree, and then...As the Bottle Rockets say in one of their many great songs: "I gotta get up, gotta go to work, then I come home and I gotta go to bed because I gotta get up, gotta go to work, and then I come home and I gotta go to work because..."
On the box right now: TIGHTENING IT UP: THE BEST OF ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS. Houston's soul brother #1 demands that you do the tighten up! Do the tighten up!
Peace...
Dove With Claws [7:53 PM]
[ Tuesday, June 14, 2005 ]
Say what?The following is something I heard a professor say to a lecture today: "Don't touch the fucking cookies!" Now, before you get out all bent out of shape (I know how you get), in context this statement both made perfect sense and was entirely inoffensive. But, out-of-context, it's a real killer-diller.
All of a sudden, I've become busier than shit. Today, I left my apartment at 7:45, and didn't get home until 5:30. At least I've got tonight to catch up on some reading I've gotta do for class, because tomorrow I have the same daytime schedule, plus a guitar lesson at 6 and jam session at 8. That's life in the big city, I guess...
On the box right now: J.J. Jackson, BUT IT'S ALRIGHT. This guy was a one-hit wonder, with the fiery soul track "But It's Alright," and I found a disc of his stuff at Strictly Discs, maybe Madison's best independent music retailers (sorry, B-Side). It's pretty righteous stuff.
Peace...
Dove With Claws [4:36 PM]
