**eastward movement is included

20061016

{ WHEN THE MOON IS ROUND AND FULL ... }

whoever said too much of a good thing obviously wasn't a twenty-something music snob living in portland. i suppose i could give a terribly wooden play by play of the day's events, but i owe it to my six or seven dedicated readers to put a little more effort into the ... ehhh ... effort. does that mean i'm trying to hard?

although i may be guilty of burning the candle at every possible end at the moment, seeing as i'm foolishly dividing my time between a handful of exhausting outlets, i will never regret spending lots of cash of live music. furthermore, if i ever backpedal on the subject, an intervention will absolutely be in order.

saturday was, in a word, superb ... not just musically, either. yes, mizzou was upset by the the fundamentalist christian movement otherwise known as texas a&m, but it was a small chip in the armor in an otherwise fabulous day. the cards were all in place ... no office work. the sky was cloudy. the agenda was empty. sweet people to hang with. let's do this.

michael and peter, two of sara's boys from kc {how many pembroke hill graduates now live in the northwest?} who now proudly reside in seattle came down for the weekend to put in some serious face time and stir up some trouble. they successfully defied the pembroke stereotype, {interpret as you wish} had considerably respectable taste in the fine arts and the nighttime mini-series circuit, and collectively possessed a pleasant sense of humor. basically, they straight up got it done. maybe everyone from kansas city is just that fantastic ...

anyway, the day started off with coffee and brunch at Genie's in southeast, followed by meandering around the pearl district to see Bullseye Glass' incredible gallery and a Chinese faux-antique store. it's pretty hilarious how entertaining it can be to sit on old lawn furniture made from recycled bicycle tires, giggle at anatomically correct Chinese mannequins and reminisce about the totally played {but forever irreplaceable} kansas city scene. saturday was also the fourth consecutive day i hadn't consumed any coffee {long story} yet was somehow was able to communicate on a level above simple moans and grunts. needless to say, the copious amount of caffeine thundering through my bloodstream had me tweaking out to levels previously thought unthinkable. basically, i felt incredible.

since we all had our pretentious pants laid out, ironed and ready to wear, that evening sara took us all to an emerging artists showing at the Bullseye warehouse. i failed to mention she works {answers the phone and fills the coffee machine} at the warehouse in southeast portland. they supply high-end glass to glass artists. needless to say, the job has proven to be as inspirational as a fall out boy concert.

so, free drinks? free finger food and meat snacks? an open invitation for corbin to run his mouth and embarss both himself and his innocent friends about the craft and composition of fifty different gorgeous pieces of glass artwork? ehhhm ... yes please! unfortunately, sara's promise of free booze proved to be ostensible, much to our disappointment. the thought of having to tactuflly stuff ourselves with chicken teryaki skewers, pickled portabello mushrooms and a basket of baked pita chips without a plastic glass of $8 wine is just flat out bogus. then again, when you have an employee of the company hosting the party in your corner, you pick yourself up and make some lemonade. and when i say 'make lemonade' i mean you steal unused nametags off the entry table and put the newly pocketed "1 drink" tickets to good use. smiles all around.

next thing i know, i'd been taxied to berbati's pan for the much anticipated act of the night, The National. i had really built this show up in my mind which typically results in a terrible letdown. typical. anyway, i hung out at the bar, drank a few guinessexes, read the mercury, worked on my posturing ... typical.

these three guys who called themselves the mobius band opened for the national. comparisons? well, if spoon was a little more synth-y and decided to grow some hipper facial hair, they'd still make more money than these guys. regardless, i was pleasently surprised. interestingly enough, two of the members reminded me quite a bit of both konnor ervin and brian mcguire, two of kc's finest gentlemen. the bassist, ervin's doppleganger, possessed a similar cool demeanor and stage presence that typically drives the ladies up the wall, but without the bulging man-bicepts. mcguire's doppleganger had a similar swagger and confidence. suddenly i felt transplanted back to the record bar on westport road, listening to the sweet sounds of dr. woo. this was the sort of nostalgia that i need {therapy?} from time to time.

so the national ... eh, kicked ass. it was nice to see intensity from the outside looking in for once ... what i mean is, the dynamcy of the show is simply based on their vascillation between a meditative 'hands away-esque' approach to a punch-you-in-the-face rocker like mr. november. i needed a break for a few hours from self-imposed self-deprication and self-doubt.

finally, if anyone wants to see one of the most beautiful things in the world, do yourself a favor and watch for carlos beltran belt a home run. the other night versus the cardinals he crushed a homer to left center. replay after replay allowed the viewer to watch how calmly his eyes followed the ball all the way to his bat and then fly 400 feet into the bleachers. watching beltran hit strikes me as a feat of brilliance, although i'm not sure exactly why.

questions ::

1. how many more politicians are going to profoundly exclaim, "this race isn't about left versus right, democrats versus republicans; it's about right or wrong" with such alacrity and self-richeousness before someone finally steps off their hypocritcal soapbox and says something they really believe?

2. does it bother anyone else that wal-mart says they're going 'organic'?

3. does anyone really know what 'organic' is anymore?

4. the more i think about it, the royals/cardinals world series has to be the least compelling matchup on a national scale. in '85 did anybody care when the state of missouri hosted the series? i doubt it.

5. is it ridiculous that i still read the kansas city star every morning?

and, finally a picture ... because a blog without a picture just isn't the same.

fish. in studio. workin' it.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

1- I do not work in a 'warehouse' and 'filling the coffee machine' is not part of my job description (unless, of course, it's to appease my own afternoon caffeine cravings) you were correct, however, in describing my job as 'as inspirational as a fall out boy concert.' sooo stealing that one.

2- um, i believe i scored you guys 9 free drinks...so the offer of free drinks was in no way entirely 'ostensible'

3- i have spent the last 20 years defying p-broke stereotypes. word.

so there's that

sloring said...

quit putting up studio pics, you're making me cry...

go mets!

sloring said...

and i will get you some coffee beans soon...

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I take myself too seriously most of the time and I am trying to do that less. I remind some people of Woody Allen. I occationally indulge in the weekend camping trip. I adamantly support the Kansas City Royals baseball club. My identity is wrapped up in a few simple things, most of which are continuously displayed on this here blog.

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