Digre Blog

2009-09-16T18:21:00.000-05:00

An email I sent to my musician and musically enabled friends:

The Hendrix gtr tone on Red House is just so fabulous.

Play the tune and pan all the way left (or right, depending if you're facing east or west) and crank the shit out of it. Just guitar.

This tone is so loud and crunchy. I really miss killer distorted gtr. This modern distoctavoninatoratorfuze pedal, studio stuff is so stale.

196x was 40 years ago. And this tone still blows doors.

Band of Horses

2008-10-10T20:32:00.002-05:00

The Band of Horses, Cease To Begin is the best record of this year.

There are a lot of great records out there, but this band, this record has not been topped.

Smart, emotional, deep and thin.

I plan to burn out on the band as the world turns on to them.

If you love music, do yourself a favor.

It is a night record, maybe a bru-skeee chilling in your garage.

Shit this is good.

Oliver's first dance

2008-08-19T19:46:00.007-05:00

Quite unexpectidly, Oliver fired up his first dance 4 days ago. I thought I would use this post to capture a general log of his favorite tunes, related dance moves and perhaps a few videos.

So far the prospects look great. But before I continue, I must acknowledge that Oliver see's live music 1 to 2 times a week. He's been to huge festivals and many block - neighborhood type events, plus let's face it, his parents are music fiends and Oliver was in fact conceived at a new years 3 day Widespread Panic in Hot-Lanta weekend of mayhem, so the odds are in his favor.

#1 first dance ever - Ac/Dc, Girls Got Rhythm, off Highway to hell, we're talking Bonn Scott 1979 - truth is I have not heard that tune in 7 years, it happened to roll through on shuffle - and now I have it playing often. A sign that my son has taste?

That same evening he ignored ABBA and Saturday night fever (sue's attempts at firing up more dance)

#2 dance - Bob Marley Could You Be Love, here I have a video, mom jumped into frame and sorry Sue, you were out danced. That kid got moves. Oliver stopped dancing once some modern crap came on.

#3 dance - grateful dead, Shakedown Steet, truthfully this was a Phil Lesh show i had just attended. Yippin and yelling huge baby smiles - me not him. Here he displayed his skills at 'holding on to furniture and shakin that a$$.'

To be updated

Blogs are Destorying the Internet

2008-08-13T11:22:00.004-05:00

All blog sites, blog posts and reader comments should be removed from existance. I will concede this blog for the sake, and dire need to continue the existance of the human race.

Some supporting FACTS

Attempt to do some legitimate research - work related - and you'll soon find that too many blog sites simply regurgitate official postings. A recent search on MCE (MS Media Center) yielded these results. Note how 90% of the posts contain the same exact press release. Other results do not appear until the 3rd results page.

I now feel compelled to copy text that someone else has written, just so I have something on my blog. But I won't.

Vi-va le Blog Resistance - hoi

less rules , more k-os

2008-08-08T22:21:00.002-05:00

Life would be 'more simple' with less rules and way more k-os

so you're still overseas...

2008-07-08T17:01:00.007-05:00

truly, you're still overseas - I think that is great. I don't miss it at all. Not the diving, the varied cultures, not the utter chaos that comprises mere existence. Jeez, and not to mention the countless new experiences and growth that comes with the ex-patriated life.

Instead, let me tell you what I have on tap - music - as in live living-organisms playing instruments for you - well rather,. my musical pleasure. Because you still live overseas and you can't get this there. So back to me.

I live in an area uniquely positioned between Chicago and Denver - on the 'logical route' tour map. Did you know that logical routes used to be and still is - a significant negotiating point for bands touring the US. "we're playing new jersey and the next night in LA and the next night back in new York... Give me more money. Back to me...

More major acts and up-and-coming acts pass through here, it's near mind boggling. Last thursday I had the choice between DJ Tiesto (which I was interested in as it reminded me of Egypt), a local going major alternative act, my brother thumbing some delta blues, Stone Temple Pilots, UK Billy Bragg and Rush. This is literally how it is every week, this is not an aboriginal-nomadic vision but living live music reality in the land of 14,987 lakes, and more importantly, let's get back to me.

So, after a long holiday weekend spent poolside at a backyard pool party - with 2 young children per adult and a major PA and 24x7 karaokee mic ready for the taking, see there is even more music, man does it ever stop here. No. No sir it does not stop. I mean i am talking a big ass PA, with 2, yes 2 wireless mics. But back to me.

Live music is cool and you are not. You life altering experiences, soul expanding views and low cost rent - Slags.

taking my car to the moon

2008-06-24T21:46:00.003-05:00

I did not know that 'I'm taking my car to the moon' meant that you were going to drive it 250,000 miles - the distance in miles to the moon. I would like to thank ben woolman for that info. I have heard others say that before, but I just thought they meant they were going to some hot make out with your chick spot or something - yes with their cars Jess.

So back to me and my car - where we belong. I am driving my car to the moon. 250k miles baby.

Let this post serve as the first in a series of delightful adventures.

GEO Prizm LSI 1993 1.6liter - yeah bet you wish you had that gas mileage now, and no car payments for over 10 years. Suck-a.
Rip on my car a few years ago, who's laughing now - me everytime I fill up and have 60 bucks more than you in pocket.

Out

can I ever get off tech?

2008-06-17T12:41:00.005-05:00

I really want less technology in my life. I mean I'll do the computer thing at work. That I can tell myself I'll tolerate but after work, i'm hard pressed to even read email. A glaring statement for a technical dude.

The above tells why my personal website has not been updated for 9 months. I pay 15 bucks a month to have a website, you'd think I'd use it. Afterall, I have a new child, I've moved 5 times in 13 months, 3 continents and 3 countries, graduated school, got married... I mean this is a lot of stuff ...and I bought a house and have been to lots of concerts. But no the website and email go unanswered. Great scuba dives, great Canada stories but still no email or websites.

I'd rather be outside than inside any day of the week... Any weather.
I'd rather talk to people than type on a computer.
Rather walk than run.
Rather kayak than swim.
Rather dive than kayak.
Rather drink than go thirsty.

So tell me why then - am I writing this blog from an iPhone...

The Family Picture

2008-06-13T15:39:00.003-05:00

Oliver was reaching about 8 months and the crab-apple tree in the backyard was about to bloom. Spring was upon us.

I returned home one day and found that Oliver had a new shirt. We've never had to buy him a new shirt before - he has nephews that have graciously donated clothes. So what's up I say?

It's family picture time. Sue wants one in front of the tree.

The weather's perfect and I begin re-arranging the deck, move the table over here, grab a 'woot' card-board box, adjust it, grab the digital camera, set the quality to its highest setting. Test a few shots with the delay-time feature - as that always takes a few 'test' to truly get it right.

Change clothes, sue has a blue theme going.

And off we go. 160 time delayed pictures. 160 x 10 second timer = 1,600 seconds / 60 seconds = 26 minutes of waiting for that little red light to flash.

In all each picture probably took a good 30 seconds, re-adjust Oliver, try a new position, get a new toy, distract him, reposition him.

As the law of nature has it, anytime Oliver looked great. Sue or I did not.

Sue found one picture she liked, but she wanted to call my brothers wife and see if she could snap some pics. the next day she arrives and rattled off a good sixty pics. And lo-behold we have our very first official family picture. Enjoy