I know I've talked about this to a number of people already, but last weekend the Indie Rock concert at Gundlach Bundschu Winery was a complete treat. True Music Media was providing sound, so we got their early to set everything up and get sound checks done. I had no idea about what the bands would be playing or really even about the location. The winery has a great outdoor stage and hillside for picnics and all manner of events. We were essentially set up when the bands arrived and let us know that they had had the misfortune of being robbed of all their equipment just before their gig at the Bottom of the Hill in SF the previous Tuesday night. They had only been able to replace their guitars and this concert would only feature the singers with guitars. This made things easier for us on the sound side, but was obviously a disappointment. I think it was a blessing in disguise personally given what transpired over the course of the evening.
My partner in True Music Media, Richard, had said it would be a great show and I've come to know that while our tastes in music do diverge in several places, his recommendations are often spot on. The three artists for the concert were Nik Freitas, Maria Taylor, and Jonathan Rice. After a brief sound check the musicians went into the wine cave where they had some food and a space to relax before the concert started. We wandered down that direction shortly after they went there. I like looking at the wine cave spaces, as each one is unique. This one was two long and narrow passageways. What struck me immediately once we were inside and could hear Nik and Maria playing their guitars, was that the acoustics were phenomenal. I only stayed the length of one song and then went back up to the concert area, partly because to stay any longer I probably would have cried. I knew then that it was going to be something special.
Nik opened and played a wonderful set. Maria came on next and likewise had a great set, with her younger sister and Nik accompanying her on several songs. Jonathan Rice was the headliner and with his fantastic stage presence and showmanship really earned that role. As a resident of Napa Co. I thought it was great when he slipped up with a couple Napa references in front of the Sonoma crowd and he handled their "corrections" really really well. All of the music was far beyond anything I had expected and a huge portion of that for me personally was that it was so stripped down. I do not think it would been nearly as moving if they had been backed by full bands creating a wall of sound that would absorb and likely overshadow the beauty that shone through last Saturday.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
WSJ OpEd piece about efficiency and team work (exhibited by the government) that is worth a look.
An article on the ease of buying another human being.
My friend Zelda in NY.
A sculpture by an artist who known as "Bodymilk"
Stave by icurmtHeaded
Wings by impishimpi
A recent piece by ReggieNoble2
Knotted by Supdog
1459 by TelefunkenU47, using the same source as ReggieNoble2
a piece by Tesseractor
An article on the ease of buying another human being.
My friend Zelda in NY.
A sculpture by an artist who known as "Bodymilk"
Stave by icurmtHeaded
Wings by impishimpi
A recent piece by ReggieNoble2
Knotted by Supdog
1459 by TelefunkenU47, using the same source as ReggieNoble2
a piece by Tesseractor
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Round two: More movies....
In the Realms of the Unreal: This documentary of Henry Darger takes it's title from the 15,000 page novel Darger wrote detailing the history of a parallel universe that was far more real to Darger than this one. He was extremely reclusive and, by all indications, just as extremely misunderstood. The extent and breadth of his collection of writing and artwork is all the more impressive in that he was entirely self taught. It is also a story of intense loneliness and personal isolation. I wish there had been more - 81 minutes seemed to only scratch the surface of a fascinating soul.
Jumper: This was purely an escapist fantasy. One I'm sure almost all little boys (and I'm sure many girls as well) have had about being able to teleport. Oh, the adventures you could have! Oh, how easily greed/selfishness would pervert that ability. Oh, the moral dilemmas one could get into. Throw in Paladins, whose singular purpose is to hunt you down and exterminate you since you are an abomination in the eyes of God, turmoil in your family regarding abandonment issues, and what is supposed to pass for a love story, and you have the basis for this film. The first user review on IMDB pretty much sums up my experience.
Raising Victor Vargas: A young Latino 'stud-in-his-own-mind' gets called out after being caught romancing "Fat Donna" and has to find a way to get his street cred back. The object of his attention and hope of redemption as a ladies man is a young JLo lookalike. He must also deal with issues with a younger brother and sister and their grandmother at home. A reviewer on IMDB said it was the type of film you could watch and do a crossword puzzle at the same time. I found this a very accurate description and actually wrote a couple checks while watching it myself. There was something lacking, something that made it difficult to connect with Victor. Another reviewer on IMDB, Mike Palomino, was able to put into much more eloquent words, what kept me from fully engaging the characters here.
I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous): A French film by director Gaspar Noe (who did Irreversible, which I mentioned in round one) that once again shows him to be an incredibly talented filmmaker, but also again with a story of intense despair, violence, and depravity. Think of a darker more intense version of TAXI DRIVER, which has many similarities. The tension is very high throughout as transitions between and within scenes are marked by a gunshot. You keep waiting for the pot to boil over and the unthinkable to happen (and the mind can think of a LOT of unthinkable things this man would be capable of). I would hope that if I got to the Butcher's state of mind, someone would have the courtesy to have me committed or kill me to put an end to my misery and the danger to everyone around me. Both of these two films by Noe are works of cinematic art, if you can get past the grisly outlook on life and depression inducing subject matter. Worth seeing, but be prepared to confront the worst of the world (which is becoming more and more common unfortunately).
Russian Dolls (Les Poupees russes) UPDATE: I tried again and did get to watch the last 40 minutes. The disk did have a glitch which prevented me from watching two chapters in the middle, but I felt I had enough context to move on without them. And like I said before, this has all the little bits that made me enjoy the earlier film, L'Auberge Espagnol, or a film like Amelie. And that is not just because Audrey Tautou is in all three. It is the type of film that I'll suddenly notice I've been smiling for the past 15 minutes. I like that feeling.
Next round will be books....
In the Realms of the Unreal: This documentary of Henry Darger takes it's title from the 15,000 page novel Darger wrote detailing the history of a parallel universe that was far more real to Darger than this one. He was extremely reclusive and, by all indications, just as extremely misunderstood. The extent and breadth of his collection of writing and artwork is all the more impressive in that he was entirely self taught. It is also a story of intense loneliness and personal isolation. I wish there had been more - 81 minutes seemed to only scratch the surface of a fascinating soul.
Jumper: This was purely an escapist fantasy. One I'm sure almost all little boys (and I'm sure many girls as well) have had about being able to teleport. Oh, the adventures you could have! Oh, how easily greed/selfishness would pervert that ability. Oh, the moral dilemmas one could get into. Throw in Paladins, whose singular purpose is to hunt you down and exterminate you since you are an abomination in the eyes of God, turmoil in your family regarding abandonment issues, and what is supposed to pass for a love story, and you have the basis for this film. The first user review on IMDB pretty much sums up my experience.
Raising Victor Vargas: A young Latino 'stud-in-his-own-mind' gets called out after being caught romancing "Fat Donna" and has to find a way to get his street cred back. The object of his attention and hope of redemption as a ladies man is a young JLo lookalike. He must also deal with issues with a younger brother and sister and their grandmother at home. A reviewer on IMDB said it was the type of film you could watch and do a crossword puzzle at the same time. I found this a very accurate description and actually wrote a couple checks while watching it myself. There was something lacking, something that made it difficult to connect with Victor. Another reviewer on IMDB, Mike Palomino, was able to put into much more eloquent words, what kept me from fully engaging the characters here.
I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous): A French film by director Gaspar Noe (who did Irreversible, which I mentioned in round one) that once again shows him to be an incredibly talented filmmaker, but also again with a story of intense despair, violence, and depravity. Think of a darker more intense version of TAXI DRIVER, which has many similarities. The tension is very high throughout as transitions between and within scenes are marked by a gunshot. You keep waiting for the pot to boil over and the unthinkable to happen (and the mind can think of a LOT of unthinkable things this man would be capable of). I would hope that if I got to the Butcher's state of mind, someone would have the courtesy to have me committed or kill me to put an end to my misery and the danger to everyone around me. Both of these two films by Noe are works of cinematic art, if you can get past the grisly outlook on life and depression inducing subject matter. Worth seeing, but be prepared to confront the worst of the world (which is becoming more and more common unfortunately).
Russian Dolls (Les Poupees russes) UPDATE: I tried again and did get to watch the last 40 minutes. The disk did have a glitch which prevented me from watching two chapters in the middle, but I felt I had enough context to move on without them. And like I said before, this has all the little bits that made me enjoy the earlier film, L'Auberge Espagnol, or a film like Amelie. And that is not just because Audrey Tautou is in all three. It is the type of film that I'll suddenly notice I've been smiling for the past 15 minutes. I like that feeling.
Next round will be books....
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