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Ok. It's turkey day, and I finally took a few moments to make some phantasy phish picks. This should be interetsing, as its the first time that I've tried to use the limited length of a 4 show run to leverage my score. They better not play Yem twice.

Set I Opener: Wilson
Set I Wildcard: Guyute
Set I Closer: Run Like An Antelope
Set II Opener: Down With Disease
Set II Wildcard: Free
Set II Closer: David Bowie
Encore: Tweezer Reprise
Wildcard: Mike's Song
Cover: Fire
One-timer: You Enjoy Myself
Tie-break: 75
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:54 AM

 
11.22.03 - Northern Lights, Albany, New York
Set One: Intro > Prowler > The Fuzz, Mail Package, Ocean Billy, E.T.I.*, The Haunt > Kashmir jam, Wife Soup, Out of Order, YYZ
Set Two: Miss Tinkle's Overture^ > Resolution^ > Dr. Feelgood^, All in Time^, In A Silent Way**, Last Train, Kimble, Uncommon, Nopener
Encore: Space Funk Booty$, Pay the Snucka
Notes:
* first time played, Blue Oyster Cult
^ with Vinnie Amico of moe. joining Andy on percussion
** a JFK speech about peace in the Cold War was played over the PA; for the 40th anniversary of JFK's assassination
$ dedicated to Michael Schlafman

11.21.03 - Colorado Brewery Music Hall, Danbury, Connecticut
Set One: Nothing Too Fancy$, Divisions$, White Man's Moccasins, #5, Push the Pig, Heart and Soul
Set Two: Intro* > Syncopated Strangers** > "Jimmy Stewart" > Last Man Swerving, Sweetness > Peter Gunn/Every Breath You Take theme, Hangover, FF, Thin Air
Encore: In the flesh > Nopener
Notes:
$ played for Bret
* the Univeristy of Notre Dame fight song was played over the PA, and the band slowly began to jam along
** with Norwegian Wood jam

11.20.03 - The Middle East, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Set One: Slacker , Visions of Parin > Phil's Farm, The Stranger, Water > Dump City, Andy's Last Beer
Set Two: Ocean Billy, Nothing Too Fancy > Nopener, Black Water, Blue Echo? > "Jimmy Stewart" > 2nd Self > 13 Days > Nothing Too Fancy, Roulette, Mail Package
Encore: Kabump > Bad Poker^
Notes:
much thanks to Kevin
Groovetrust opened
^ just Jake
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:34 AM

 
My entire week has been skewed by potential awesomeness at the forthcoming UM shows. For some reason, I'm fixated on the Danbury show. It will likely be the latest show, and most physically challenging show as It will follow a low sleep night. I expect to have little difficulty getting 6-7 hours after that show, making me rather fresh for Albany. I also expect that show to be THE show of the run. I have no reason, but they rocked the house the last time they played there.
Hopefully the Boston show goes well. Galactic will be in town, causing trouble no doubt. They'll draw too many folks away, but I hope that there'll be a late night sit in. There probably won't be, but I'd like to see Stanton jamming with the Umph. Kris can share the kit or steal Andy's thunder.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:20 PM

 
How does time slip away so thoughtlessly? I'd like to write some elaborate piece about William Carlos Williams and found art poetry. How I'd like that to influence my jingle jangle prose. What about some Hegelian essay about social contracts, and the expectations that are implicit within that contract and those expectations that or neither implicit nor explicit within it but provide limitless source of conversation for gossips and the self-esteemless. Unfortunately, I squander my moments working, looking for work, watching the tubule, and doing laundry.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:08 PM

 
Take the A-train to Divided Sky, which is again the greatest song in the world!

work work work bee bee bee

Must find job, and not groove to surprisingly good phish from 1988. Why did they officially release such a comparatively crappy show? Go Zoo!!! 9/24/88 Amherst College!!!!

In other news (or rumors) buzz seems to indicate a potential spring Europe tour. Do I need to get cracking on getting a passport? The great thing about following Phish is that they tell you where to go.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:39 PM

 
One rocking Water (moe.) is tearing its way through my brain. Last night, I should have finished listening to the blistering Orpheum version but decided that sleep was more important. Now the song has taken up residency in my brain. Residency!

Yesterday was quite interesting. We ended up beginning with a Harvard Grad student (un)organized tour of the Sam Adams brewery. The tour was less of a walk and see, and more of a lesson in the history of Sam Adams and a bit about the brewing process followed by an enjoyable tasting. There are a large number of buildings at the facility, but we only toured one which was simply a copper tanked micro-brewery with a few more fermentation and finishing tanks. The tasting was fun and came with a free 7 oz glass. We sampled the flagship Boston lager, winter lager, and an experimental chocolate bock. It was good, robust and malty with chocolate notes on the finish. It avoided the cough-syrupiness that courts most of the bock's that I've tried.

After the tour we walked to Doyles, (on the recommendation of Sam Adams). It's an Irish pub, that I was hoping would be the pub from Boston Public (it may be it's inspiration but its not the exterior). Instead, it's the Irish pub that was sued for interior pub shots in Mystic River. It's older than fenway, and was just as good with its reasonably proceed pub fare.

Our wanderings continued through Jamaica Plain and Brookline villages. I'd never seen Jamaica Pond before. It and the adjacent mansions were nice.

the evening brought us to the School of Rock. Once I got past the terrible things that were being done to the educational system, this movie rocked: Bill and Ted style.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:24 AM

 
I haven't been doing my pensive, expository exercise of late because my new temp job has me away from a computer and on my feet all day. When I get home, I look for work and relax by the tube. Here are some interesting facts about the last week.

1. After no more than 5 minutes commuting in Massachusetts, I was driving in the breakdown lane. (This is legal during rush hour.). This was not a conscious decision on my part, it just seemed like the right thing to do. The facts that my lane disappeared and that my exit was less than half a mile away were contributing factors.

The new Umphrey's McGee song "The Package" is about me. Except, that instead of the mail man bringing me the wrong shit, it's the UPS man who is not bringing anything. And, everybody who knows anything about Umphrey's McGee knows exactly what's in the package.

3. I like most of the people I work with, except for one kid whose dad must have gotten him the job. He just talks back to people, thinks he's witty and more intelligent than he is, blah blah blah. A like how he changes the cadence of his voice whenever he drops a 50 cent word, like conundrum. I also enjoyed pointing out that Tammany Hall was in New York, not Chicago.

4. In a pointless effort to get hits, I will mention that I have not seen the Paris Hilton Sex video. Ooh Look !!!!!!!!!! Ebayness.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:29 PM

 
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13608615_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-BRITS-IN-A-FROTH-ABOUT-HUMBLE-WIDGET-name_page.html

the brits have declared the widget to be the most important invention of the last 40 years. Yay.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 5:55 PM

 
moe. 11/7/03 Orpheum Theater - Boston, MA
Set I: Okayalright, Gone, Nebraska, McBain, Hi and Lo> Head
Set II: Bring It Back Home, Bullet> Enter Sandman> Bullet> Kyle's Song, Time Again> Water> Plane Crash
Encore: Crab Eyes

Note to self, when you make a rule regarding Mexican food and shows you ought to follow it. Mexican food, like jamband shows is only good if there is the potential for it to be bad. It is also difficult to get fully into the music when there is an uncomfortable rebellion in your tummy.

With that said, I was thoroughly groovin by McBain, which I am unfamiliar with - although it is an obscenely good progressive tune. Checking its phantasytour stats, it seems to be new from moe.down. I will say that his instrumental reflects an Umphrey's McGee influence with its dueling guitar crescendos and grooving inerds. The Hi Lo > Head segue got me bouncing around. I realize that it's a common pairing, but they nailed that structure arising from oozing space thing. The second set highlights were Enter Sandman sandwiched into an open noodly Bullet and the Water > Plane Crash. The intervening jam was the most "out" improv of the evening.

One interesting thing I noticed, was that the band had a distinctly different sound with each set. The first set had a saturated tube amp, Crazy Horse vibe. I think that's an interesting outgrowth of their recent Halloween metal exposure. Al's long claimed Neil as an influence, it's nice to hear that a bit more in moe.'s sound and improv. I'm really enjoying less structured soloing and more atmospheric leads right now, so the whole Neil Young thing is really connecting with me. The second set was more bright and precise, a more typical moe. sound. I still dug it, but not as much as the fact that moe. is able to pull off different sounds in one night. I'm waiting for UM to start doing this. They have their metal shows, their space shows, and their funky shows. It will be most excellent when they can switch it up by sets. Oh, in other UM news: the word on the street is that Vinie Iwini was spotted at the Chicago primus show last night, and said that he'd just been meeting with Les setting up a Claypool (project unidentified) / UM tour. They must have impressed the hell out of him at High Sierra.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:06 AM

 
Dear SCI Ticketing,

When selling tickets for an east coast band, like The Assembly of Dust, please program your system to start selling tickets at the correct American time. The fans of the east coats band likely live on the east coast, and do not want to do business on your incorrect Colorado time. Just think. If you cued up your system, you could see that everything was selling nicely by 10 am, your time, and you could spend the rest of the day skiing, or trying to imitate Trey - whatever it is you do out there.

Thanks,

Ben
posted by Ben at (0) comments 2:06 PM

 
I have new years plans. The Assembly of Dust is playing for two nights at Club Liquid (soon to be opened) in Manchester. It should be a lot of fun, and both evenings will cost less than one night of Phish. Also, the band is limiting the event to 250 tickets. Which is very cool, as they can draw two-three times that any given night.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:08 PM

 
I have given up on my sweet db.etree.org cd cover utility. It is gone, and not to return. I've settled on this uninspired, but simple utility to print copious coverage so that I may again make sense of the pile of CDs in my room. http://www.aczone.com/tools/cdinsert/form.html
posted by Ben at (0) comments 4:17 PM

 
I am the red wheelbarrow floating upon a skyless cloud. Vague image a Salvador Dali revival fuel my minds eye, overlaid too well with the sharp - soft lit, dying bulb, reality. My pc speakers hum, the only failing of my old Altec Lansings - probably a grounding problem. I'm listening to REM - Up, a record that no one really got - not even me, but it seems a bit dreamy and hopeful now.

I was channel surfing, and I caught part of an M2 special on REM. It was some sort of concert from someplace that I felt that I should recognize, but did not. In my defense, the cameras were moving around too much for me too see anything but Michael Stipe's pink apache unibrow. The stage set-up was similar to the UP tour, lots of neon opulence - but it was a bit more low key. The selected clips showcased the band members on their traditional instruments, which delightfully were unchanging. Mike Mills on a beat up fender, and Peter Buck on an elegant, modern, semi-hollow Rickenbacher. I love Ricks, and I love teles. They are the greatest electric guitars ever. Ok, I like Languedoc's too but those don't really count as a type of guitar. How many people have them? Here's my short list: Paul and Trey. Maybe Mike has one too, I know he has a bass.

Anyway the performance had a bit more of a Seattle influence than the Blossom show I saw last time around. The Pacific Northwest mixes well with Atlantic Southeast. The supporting musicians, weren't captured much by cameras, but seemed lower in the mix (a comment which neglects the drummer) and more understated, a condition, which indicates remarkable improvement from the last tour. I don't know if they were the same crew, or different. They didn't include Skerik, the one musician that I can name that I want to play with REM. It's just another reason to get the Tuatara cds, when I have money. Peter Buck wasn't enough motivation, but my increasing affections for Skerik's saxophonics coupled with recent concert footage of Peter Buck in a definite state of on-ness is almost enough to overcome my current financial status. Maybe if I get insurance money for the auto break in... Also, Michael Stipe didn't appear to be having an on night. I don't think that he liked the cameras. Bill Berry was, as a bassist ought to be, solid.

Anyway, I would like to point out that while I enjoy seeing REM performing live on TV, that I thought the producer's attention span was far too short. Cameras jerked around far more than necessary, and there wasn't one close-up of an actual instrument. Now, on the other hand 60s style 2 minute shots of a guitar with a soloists fingers is a bit dull. I like a happy medium, which I hope will be presented in the forthcoming UM DVD.

In other videophonic music thoughts, I recently saw the video for Dave Mathew's Grave Digger. I admit I like the tune, and it's even better with the string intro that was left off of the radio edit. It almost says, yes I know that I'm just recreating Eleanor Rigby as a more haunting tune. I wonder if Dave, like Paul, used real names plucked from tombstones. The video certainly seemed to indicate that. It's all well and good. If the youth is not listening to the Beatles, the greats ought to be recycled for them. I may have to pick up the cd too. Similarly, one of the CDs on my list contains a tune oft played on The River that borrows extensively from Penny Lane. It’s a good tune, nonetheless.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 2:21 PM

 
I hate poetry.

I'm not saying that there's no art in it. I actually enjoy some finer poetry, and would like to read more if it. Just like It'd like to make myself do sit-ups everyday. An exercise of different sorts. Unfortunately, sit-ups require a clean floor and poetry requires a metronome of patience.

I'm happier squandering my time., or writing awkward forced garbage that spews forth in uncontrolled, but loathed emotions. In high school they were tragic love poetry, unrequited and beautiful. It was a sour poetry seeking validation, trying to consecrate a dream. There were others, too, but the vitriol I have for poetry was earned by one. Volumes of limitless exposed agony. She said I'd make a fine romance novelist. I lent her my books. They were lost... I want the hard bound collection of OSC stories back...

I want my mind back, concentration, and work ethic. I want some measurable way to accomplish something. I want to finish that loose end from my thesis project, that I ignore always prioritizing the ill-defined, immeasurable pursuit of employment. I want the job,.

I want garden canoe rides with parasols and chamber music. I want fancy Italian dinners at the places that inspired sterile macaroni gardens with wine, and time. I want to bend the universe to my whim and cast dreams into reality.

I I I

Its an ego tripping, cracking a shell and venting steam. What is there? Where is peace?

I know that I've found it, and will find it again... but there are moments.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:00 PM

 
All I see lies without
Distant, distracting me
With photos and phone calls
Old School Umphrey's McGee

Purpose and poetry
Are lost in smoky winds
Replaced by abstraction
Groggy time dilation

Its a forced regurgitation.
A brick wall mind lapse of pounding Beethoven keys
Where are the jobs? Rising GDP riding waves of poverty
Is futility the fire in which we are all to burn?

Monster.com.Careebuilder.com.Medzilla.Com
Signs of the beast,. Hopeless dreams.
Its not an external validation trip, if I want the chance to contribute
Mt. Isolation; car break in - loss

Dennis Kucinich, why are you with Ani DiFranco?
Who, but me, would recognize her in the post grunge-beauty
That is so well suited to her form.
Conservatives is languid and lawless. Or is it fierce and flawless.

Why must Howard Dean seem smarter than thou, yet hide his yalie rage.
He is a Yankees fan. Dumb fuck. At least, Kerry is claiming Sox fandom
Half jokingly, to have built his character. A stint in Vietnam didn't hurt.
Wesley Clarke treis to hard not to be a jerk, or a republican.
His one gesture is slillier than my own.

Joe Liberman, you tied yourself down with two cement shoes
One named all, the other Gore. That spotlight was too costly
I agree with you more often than not, but your past is a bore.
Hop in your ad-wrapped car, and drive straight to the platform

I can follow your every move.
Track set lists, listen
and share in the groove
But the future I plan
Is distant, gossamer Japan

Focus, focus - Zen and the art of banging your head against a brick wall.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:40 PM

 
Aah Tenacious D. What can't they do.... http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Music/11/04/music.tenacious.reut/index.html
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:23 AM

 
"The charge of vanity is the last resort of little wits and mercenary quacks, the vainest men alive." - John Adams
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:07 PM