Read the Goober Diary Archives
Read the Blog
Apr.
8, 2004: News, Views, & Armchair Reviews
A few weeks ago, I got to perform at the Stitching Stars Storytelling Festival in Athens, GA. I cannot even tell you how much fun that was! I went to the festival as an audience member last year and knew it would be great, though the level of talent made me worry about my own performance. I've been telling little stories onstage for years in the context of my shows, but I'd never done a whole set of storytelling before, and I wasn't sure how it would go. However, it went just swimmingly, and I had a fabulous time. The audience was a combination of staff (librarians and volunteers) and Athens locals, and they were possibly the best audience I've ever had. It was the kind of audience who want what you have to give, who want to like you, who make you feel completely comfortable so that you can take risks and do your best work. To tell you the truth, March was a stressful month for me, and it was lovely to end it on such a positive note. The only thing I wish had been different: I wish it had been better attended. I know the folks who put on the festival did a great job of promoting it; they plastered the town with fliers and got an article in the Athens Banner-Herald (featuring yours truly), but they were competing with the sunniest, nicest day in weeks, and from what I saw when I went downtown for dinner, everyone in Athens chose to spend the day outside. I also wonder if people see the word "storytelling" and assume the event is for children or just don't understand what it means. A storytelling festival like this one is like theatre or like stand-up or like a concert, and anyone who likes any of those things would love it, but I wonder if people know that. I wonder if they just picture a stuffy librarian reading out loud and decide to skip it. I hope that's not the case. All of you locals are officially on notice: go to the Stitching Stars Storytelling Festival in Athens next year. It was awesome last year, it was awesome this year, and I have no doubt that it will be awesome in 2005. They put on a great event, so let's give it some love.
The next big event in my life after the storytelling festival was my sister's wedding shower, which made the actual wedding seem all too soon and all too real! Even though Lee and Tom have been together for over ten years, I am still excited and nervous for the wedding. I have to buy shoes and get my bridesmaid's dress altered! And hope I don't gain or lose weight between the altering of the dress and the wedding itself. I love Lee and Tom so much, I can't wait to share this day with them!
The shower was lovely; Steph and I decided to host a tea party, complete with scones and cucumber sandwiches (thanks to my godmother, Mary), which was great fun. How often does one get to go to a tea party these days? I got the idea from my old friend, Moria, who went through a tea party phase when we were in high school. Once, she made us all come to her tea party dressed as characters from Alice In Wonderland. (I put on a green sweater, tied three pair of shoes around my neck at varying heights, and went as The Caterpillar.) Anyway, the tea party we threw for Lee was not quirky like that; it was elegant and lovely, and there was much dainty sipping. It was exactly the kind of girlie shower I'd had in mind when we started planning. My dad, good sport that he is, donned his tuxedo and played butler, serving us finger sandwiches on silver trays. I can't wait to get the pictures so that I can put them into the wedding scrapbook.
Some of you know Christo Harris of the band Orange Hat, and some of you don't. Either way, he's a funny guy, and you might get a kick out of this interview.
CD Reviews: Since I just had a birthday, I've got lots of new music to listen to! I tend to go months and months without hearing anything new that I really like and then suddenly get five new CD's that I love; this is one of those times. Ready? Here are all the CD's I love right now:
Paul Melancon - Camera Obscura: I know I've mentioned Paul Melancon before, but seriously, y'all, check out this CD. I'm cheating by including this one because I bought it myself, and I bought it before my birthday. But I can't not put it on the list of CD's I love in April 2004 because I'm still listening to it all the time. I love his voice - it's a "God's gift" kind of voice - and his songwriting and musicianship. Why isn't he famous already? Is it a format thing? Maybe he's not angry enough. There's one station at least that I know plays tracks from this CD: Radio Kira on Live365.com. Give it a listen.
Song that gets stuck in my head: "Hey, California"
Song that also gets stuck in my head: "King Sham"
Mindy Smith - One Moment More: I saw Mindy Smith open for Nickel Creek at the Variety Playhouse last month. I thought she was good, but I probably wouldn't have bought the CD, and that would have been a mistake; I'm really glad Derik bought it for me. She's got one of those country voices that rings out, clear and strong, and her live show was pretty good. But the really great thing about this CD is that she and the other people who worked on the record have done an excellent job with the arrangements; they are not too country, not too cheesy, not to adult contemporary. They've struck just the right balance. She's not one of my favorite lyricists, but she knows how to set a phrase inside a melody, and that's what matters most. This is one of the CD's I've been wearing out at work.
Song that gets stuck in my head: "Come to Jesus"
Favorite song on the CD: the hidden track, a cover of "Jolene" by Dolly Parton
Leslie Berry - Was It Blue?: Leslie is a friend of mine, and we have an in-joke that we are starting a trend by both using question marks in our album titles. I thought I had Leslie pegged as an artist, but I am amazed by this new record! The writing, the piano playing, and the production values on Was It Blue? seem to me to have gone way beyond anything she's done before, and the album contains a wider mix of styles and voices than her previous CD's. The "story" style of her songwriting combined with her piano playing often leads people to compare her work to Broadway musicals, and that influence is still very much here (like me, she's a bit of a cheesemeister - or is that cheesemaestro?), but she's veered more into Tori Amos territory in her piano playing, and her lyrics have become much more direct. She's using electronic keyboards and beats more, too, and it's a great addition, spicing things up without making her sound like a pop star wannabe. Towards the end of the album, she tries her hand at traditional Celtic music and ends up sounding like a cross between Enya and Sarah McLachlan. I'm psyched for Leslie, and I hope she's proud of this record; it is a serious step forward for her, as far as I'm concerned.
Favorite song on the CD: "Was It Blue?"
October Project - October Project: Dolph put the song "Take Me As I Am" from this CD on a mix tape for me a long time ago, and I resolved to buy this CD on the strength of that song. I finally bought it with one of the gift cards I got for my birthday. The lead singer of this group has a really lovely voice, a dusky alto that reminds me of Freyda Epstein. (Side note: if you've never heard of Freyda Epstein, she was a singer and violinist who died last year. The world has lost a truly amazing talent. I reccommend Freyda & Acoustic AttaTude - Live at Cabell Hall; it's my favorite album of hers.) October Project tends to veer into cheesy adult contemporary territory at times (and the lyrics are definitely touchy-feely New Age poetry), but overall, they manage a sort of cross between the depressing music I loved in high school (This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins) and more accessible stuff like Everything But the Girl.
Song that gets stuck in my head: "Take Me As I Am"
Sarah Harmer - All of Our Names: I got this one just last weekend, at my sister's wedding shower (a late birthday gift). The first song made me afraid I wasn't going to care for the album: she uses that forced, artificial voice of all the female singers trying to sound like Ani Difranco. My pet peeve is singer/songwriters who use so many affectations that their voices are no longer their own; why would you want to do that? Especially when it makes it impossible to hear the words. Hate that. But anyway, she luckily abandons that pretension after the first song, and the second track is a beauty: gorgeous, both lyrically and musically. Some of the CD is just pleasant-sounding filler, but most of it is really good. I've been very much enjoying it.
Song that gets stuck in my head: "Almost"
Second-favorite song on the CD: "Took it All"
Ceiling Fan - Hot Streets: I love Ceiling Fan. Lee and Tom became fans of this band when they lived in Athens, and I have tracks from their old recording on various mix tapes. The new CD has been getting rave reviews from my music scene buds, all deserved. In fact, I was even inspired to go to their CDBaby page and write a review, which I will quote here: "If you're of my age (30-something) and generation, I challenge you not to love this record. Songs about reading Encyclopedia Brown mysteries under the covers, Burnt Sienna crayons, and being too boring to go out to clubs will surely find a place in your heart. As for the music, this band kicks serious ass in ways I don't even understand. Treat yourself to this CD; it'll stay in your CD player for weeks."
Favorite song on the CD: "Ncyclpd Brwn"
Favorite song title: "Everything Takes Forever"
Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham - Sonic Souvenirs: I wanted to like this CD more than I do. I'm a huge fan of Luna, the band Britta and Dean are in together, and this CD got good reviews online, so I was looking forward to hearing their collaboration. But for the most part, this EP consists of long, drawn-out, self-indulgent songs that don't really go anywhere. That said, though, I was excited to hear "Hear the Wind Blow," which is a cover of an Opal song, Opal being this really cool band whose tape my sister got a 3rd or 4th generation copy of when we were still in high school and which is in such bad shape now that I fear to play it. (That band later turned into Mazzy Star, who never put out anything near as good as the Opal tape, in my humble opinion.) "Hear the Wind Blow" starts out "Sometimes you feel you've traveled the whole wide world./Sometimes it seems you haven't gone so very far./I know you're tired, and your shoes are filled with sand,/But I will take you anywhere you want to go." I've always thought that was lovely. Knowing that Dean and Britta like that band just confirms their coolness, even if I don't think Sonic Souvenirs is their best work to date. I think I meant to buy the full-length album, L'Avventura, and ended up with this EP instead. So maybe I'll check out the album and see if I like it any better.
Favorite song on the CD: "Hear the Wind Blow (Down Moonlight Mile)"
Paste Music Sampler: If you love indie and singer/songwriter music, I recommend Paste Magazine. I picked up the latest issue when I was taking my CD's around to the local record stores, and it's really cool! The magazine comes out four times a year, and each issue includes a sampler CD. (Those of you who know how much I love compilations and mix tapes can understand my glee.) If this one's any indication, the sampler CD's are really, really good! The one I have includes tracks from Mindy Smith (I got home after the show at the Variety, looked at the Paste sampler, and realized where I'd heard her before), Howie Day, Anne McCue, Jonatha Brooke, Starsailor, and a bunch of other artists I'd heard of but never actually listened to, as well as tons of artists I'd never heard of at all but whose songs are so good that I'm sure that will change. (It looks like the new issue and sampler are out, featuring tracks by Edie Brickell, Patty Griffin, Sarah Harmer, and the Indigo Girls. I'm definitely gonna have to subscribe.)
Favorite song on the CD: "I Control the Sun" by Lisa Loeb
Second-favorite song on the CD: "Where Do We Go?" by Tracy Spuehler
Third-favorite song on the CD: "Hit the Wall" by Sara Cox
Sinead O'Connor - She who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty: Ah, Sinead. My beloved, tortured, confused Sinead. Are you really as gentle, as bruised and battered by the world, as I imagine you to be? Songs like "This is Not a Rebel Song" and "No Man's Woman" make me think so; you howl with pain, even as your words remain cautiously optimistic. Even as I am lifted up by your music, I am afraid for you. The feeling I get when I listen to you is similar to the feeling I get when I read the early novels of Virginia Woolf; I think both, "Thank God someone has finally figured out how to tell the truth about The Way It Is and explained it in words I can understand!" and, "Poor girl, what will become of her? What must it be like to have such empathy, such sensitivity, such clear vision for things you cannot fix or even change?" When I listen to your songs, I wonder if things could have been different for you. Would it have helped if your first boyfriend had tried to understand you? Would it have helped if you'd been raised Unitarian instead of Irish Catholic, racked with guilt and shame while simultaneously longing to be perfect and holy as the Virgin Mary? If you hadn't become so famous so young, all of those judgmental eyes on everything you did, would you have been able to learn and grow in peace? Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Yours is the voice of the Goddess, or perhaps from your Catholic God, pure and piercing, angry and sweet. Who knows what was intended for you by the holy beings who rule this earth? I like to think they did not mean only for you to suffer. But I listen to you sing, and I wonder whether you were put here on earth to suffer for us, to channel our pain and confusion through your words and through your voice, until, listening to the beauty of the music which flows through you, we are free. I know that you have taken vows, that you consider yourself to be a holy woman. I know everyone thinks this is just further proof that you are crazy. And, to be honest, you make it hard sometimes to sympathize with you when you strike out, either in anger, like a child, or in terror, like a wounded animal. But I don't think you are crazy. I think you are destined, and I thank you for your gift to me.
Favorite song on the CD: "Singing Bird"
Second-favorite song on the CD: "Nothing Compares 2 U"
Vienna Teng - Warm Strangers: Vienna Teng is clearly a very talented artist. However, this is not one of my favorite CD's that I've gotten for my birthday. To me, Vienna Teng is a Tori Amos clone but without the quirkiness and without anything particular to say. Now, don't get me wrong; I'm no fan of Tori's New Age "Look at me, I'm a beautiful Goddess who makes love to my piano, and I FEEL so much EMOTION that I can't bring myself to play in tempo" schtick, which I've always thought rather unfortunately upstaged her songs. But at least she does have a discernable personality, ideas, things she wants to communicate, and an admirable mastery of her instrument. Whether Teng has copied Amos intentionally or come to some of the same conclusions of her own (they both started as classically trained pianists, after all), I would prefer her songs if the lyrics had a little more imagination and the vocal melodies were stronger. But then, that's my thing; that's what I like. As far as mood music goes, this album is great: pretty, gentle, relaxing, and light. And the piano playing is awesome. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then definitely check it out. (I feel compelled to give these disclaimers because I am a singer/songwriter myself, and I fear the karma of giving lukewarm or bad reviews to the work of my fellow musicians.)
Maroon 5 - Songs About Jane: OK, speaking of karma, here's where it gets scary. I hate this CD. I hate it a lot. The reason that's so unfathomable and strange? It was given to me by Kelley and Allison! These are my two best friends, the people who, between them, have introduced me to The Donnas, Sahara Hotnights, Elliott Smith, Fleming & John, Super Furry Animals, Belle & Sebastian, The Coral... the list goes on and on. They've bought or loaned me Sheryl Crow, my beloved Songs of the Sirens Starbucks sampler, Tracy Chapman, and my beloved Josie & The Pussycats soundtrack. I have never, ever disliked anything that either of them has played for me. Until now. Maroon 5 manage to combine everything I hate about white boys playing funk music and everything I hate about that whiny male grunge voice, a la Red Hot Chili Peppers. (Only I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers.) To be fair, they do play in a variety of styles, and I'd be willing to bet that anyone who listens to this CD will be able to find at least one song they like (or at least can stand to listen to). I did; a couple of the songs were quite nice, though I still didn't care for the singer's voice.
Song on the CD that I like: "This Love"
I don't know what my next new favorite CD will be, but I think it's a good bet that it'll be the new Charm School CD, which they're releasing on April 15th. I'll be checking out their release show at The Earl for sure; they'll be playing with Blake Rainey from the Young Antiques and Paul Melancon. There's no way that show could suck!
I have gotten good news and bad news today. The good news is that I have had a profitable year with my music! The bad news? That's only because unsold inventory counts as profit, and, since I started selling my CD at the end of 2003 but didn't release it until 2004, I had $2,000 worth of unsold inventory at the end of 2003. Which means, basically, that I have to count as profit $2,000 worth of CD's that I haven't sold yet! Oh, and instead of that nice tax refund I've come to expect, I owe my various governments a total of $370. Good times! But hey, I can't complain; I have been working hard to be a profitable business, and this year, I am! Sort of. In the eyes of the government. If paying $370 this year makes the specter of an audit any less of a possibility, then I suppose it will have been worth it.
On a related note, have y'all bought your Lindsay Smith t-shirts yet? They're blue! The logo is silver shimmer! It's only $15 plus shipping! Plus, there are mousepads, mugs, lunchboxes, and other stuff at my new shop on CafePress. In the interest of truth in advertising, I have to admit that the clothes they make (the creepers, the bibs, the boxers) are not that great, but the other stuff is really cool! I've seen the mousepad and the mugs, and they are really nice.
Lots has happened since the last entry of The Goober Diaries; so much, in fact, that I've been re-thinking my whole online diary thing. I still want to do monthly entries that are long and fun to read, but there's so much I don't get to tell you guys because, by the time I'm ready to do another entry, a million things have happened, I have a million stories to tell, and there's just no time to type it all up. So, I've decided, despite my original objections to the format, to get myself a blog. Yeah, that's right. In addition to being an obnoxious, self-centered online journaler, I'm gonna be an obnoxious, self-centered blogger! Updates probably won't happen daily, but they will happen whenever I have something new to say, which will certainly be more frequently than once a month. Here's the link to my new blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/supergoober. I've decided, perhaps unwisely, to begin with a political rant, so if you find yourself disagreeing with my politics more often than not, you might want to wait a few days....
While you're on livejournal, check out the blogs of some of my friends. Althea, my friend from high school, lives in Holland with her husband, Jelle (we still call him "Dutch"), and two children, Ricky and Elise. She talks mostly about her family life, as well as art, movies, music, and the differences between Holland and the U.S. My friend Susan is someone I know from Renaissance Festival connections; she's been in Colorado for the past few months at a Ren Fest there, an adventure of which I'm slightly jealous, since I've always wanted to go out west and have never been. Susan has both a sharp wit and an interesting life, so her journal is usually a good read. Finally, my friend Alan, one of my oldest and dearest friends from college, has started a blog to chronicle his life and work. He is an environmentalist and biologist, which means that some of his entries are utterly incomprehensible to me, but the ones I understand are pretty interesting. And he linked to my site the day after my CD release party, which I appreciate.
Listen to me; it's as though I think you're all slackers with all this time to surf the web when I know perfectly well that most of the regular readers of The Goober Diaries are just as busy as I am. Speaking of which, I still haven't gotten the photos back from the big CD release/birthday party, so they're still not up on the site. I'm sorry! I promise they'll be up by the next entry.
In the meantime, I have to get ready for the Renaissance Festival; yup, it's that time again. This year we're doing a Robin Hood scenario, which means I'll have not one, but two monarchs to protest! Good times.
I kind of want to write more, but I'm at work, and I have to do data entry now. Luckily, I'll be able to put all the extra thoughts and stories into my new blog!
What’s
in my stereo at home:
What’s
in my car:
What's
in my CD player at work:
What
I'm reading:
- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
prev | Goober Diary Archives | next
