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Calendar
(updated 11/27/04) Movie Reviews(updated
11/27/04) Links (work in progress)
***November Twenty Seventh
Two Thousand and Four***
Portugal Pics
It was a year ago that Chelsea and I spent our Thanksgiving in Portugal.
It was a pretty amazing
trip...the countryside was beautiful, the people were nice, and the cities
were great. Along with the
Basque region of Spain, it was easily my favorite part of Europe. I
could honestly imagine living
there.
Here's a few pics...
Lisbon
Lisbon is an unbelievable city.
It's actually pretty similar to SF, in that it was built on a very hilly
piece of land. They have a number of interesting street cars, funiculars,
and stair wells that
connect all the different parts of town. The city was a great mix
of new and old and extremely
easy to navigate and get around. Also, they have one of the coolest
aquariums I've ever seen.
The first couple are just random
pics...I liked the clouds in the second one. The third pic is of
the main train station in Lisbon, which looks like most Euro train stations
and are always photo-
genic. The fourth pic is an interior shot of one of Lisbon's streetcars,
which were awesome. And
lastly, the final pic is that of some strange grafitti/art object we randomly
came across on a wall.
Sintra
Sintra was a short train ride
from Lisbon, an easy day trip. Historically, this was the getaway
area for the citizens of Lisbon, especially the royalty. If this town
was anymore picturesque it
would have exploded.
The first two pics were part
of the ruins of an old Moorish castle that had been built in the 8th
century I believe...they loomed on the hill above the town and are easily
one of the coolest things
I have ever seen. The third pic is a shot of the Sintra Palace and
surrounding neighborhood -
this housed the royal family for hundreds and hundreds of years. Those
two weird cones that
are sticking up above the palace are the chimneys for the kitchen. The
fourth pic is of just a
random house in the town, pretty indicitive of the style of the country
as a whole. The final pic
is of some typical Portugese tile work - the country is covered in beautiful,
colorful handmade
tiles, some reflecting Moorish-influenced designs and others as murals.
***November Eighteenth
Two Thousand and Four***
Five Awesome Cover Songs
I love the cover song. And
nothing says "good cover song" like a photo of a dog with a lamp-
shade on it's head. Here are five tracks that have really been buttering
my toast lately...
B Fleischmann and Ms. John Soda - Here
She Comes
I've never even been a huge fan of Slowdive, but I'll be damned if this
cover isn't just awesome.
Superdrag - Radio
One of my very favorite bands covering one of my very favorite songs by
one of my other very
favorite bands, Teenage Fanclub.
That, my friends, is how you spell "awesomeness".
Blur - Oliver's
Army
This cover has quite the punch to it, dare I say it is...sassy? Elvis Costello would be proud. I
think.
The Constantines - Thank
You for Sending Me an Angel
The Constantines are easily one of my very favorite bands going right
now, and I can't think of a
better choice to try and tackle a Talking Heads song.
Self - What
a Fool Believes
Let me go on record as saying I really, really don't care for the Doobie Brothers. But this cover
is
so rad it almost makes me want to listen to them.
***November Sixteenth
Two Thousand and Four***
Here is a random assortment
of band photos, none are very good but what are ya gonna do?
Fin Fang Foom
I took this photo FOREVER ago at the Cat's Cradle back in NC. These
guys were friends of mine,
I would often skate with them at our makeshift park and it was always
a blast. Really nice lads one
and all. Guitarist Mike Triplett hit a patch of bad luck and got
really sick, but it sounds as if things
are back on the mend. I'm pretty sure you can download some of
their music either on their personal
website or that of their label, Lovitt.
The Obsoletes
These guys were a power-pop outfit with a slight garage/punk edge
I saw open for The Functional
Blackouts at Thee Parkside over the summer. I wasn't blown away,
but they were pretty fun.
Download some songs at their website.
The Rum Diary
Great group of local lads who reside in the North Bay. Yes,
there is something other than bad bar
blues or nu-metal bands that come from the north. I wasn't overly
excited about them the first few times
I heard their cds or saw them play, but they grew on me like a virus
and now I can't get enough (especially
live). I've always had trouble explaining their sound...lots of
keyboards, sometimes two drummers,
a little shoegazey...good stuff no matter how you spell it out. There
might be music to download on their
website, but I didn't see it
right off the bat. Check around on their labels' websites, bound
to be something
there.
US Maple
Saw these lads this summer, and I don't even know where to begin
in describing what I saw and heard.
They bend sound in the strangest and most unusual ways, my feeble mind
doesn't have the faculties to
put it into writing. I wish I could point you in the direction
of somewhere on the net to listen, but they are
one of those bands that sadly neglects this area of marketing. They
are likely the most original band I
have ever witnessed or heard.
Lower Forty-Eight
Pinhole camera! Sure, you only know this is Lower Forty-Eight
because I tell you so, but I have no
reason to lie. These were taken at the second Noise Rock picnic
if I'm not mistaken. These guys are
probably the best hard rock band in San Francisco, and that's quite a
feat given the competition. I
eagerly anticipate their next record coming out. They have a number
of sound samples from past
releases over on their website.
***November Seventh
Two Thousand and Four***
I was just in Alameda this weekend
skateboarding at their janky (but generally fun) skatepark,
which reminded me that I had taken some photos there not long after
I moved here that I wanted
to post. I've meant to go back and take photos forever, there's
so much there...but I have a ten-
dency to just go and skate and forget about it. Someday I suppose.
I really like all three of these
a lot though.
And here's some more pics of
friends...
These are good friends from college, Jake & Lauren Rash. With
their really
irritating yappy dog that hates
me. Two of the funniest and best people that I've
ever known.
This is a photo of Lauren at their wedding that I took with my sx70
polaroid. I really
don't like weddings very much at all, but theirs was
pretty fun. it helps when both folks
getting married are good friends. It also helps
when an Elvis impersonator shows up
to the surprise of the audience, performs a few songs,
then leaves. Good times.
And it also helps when other good friends are there. This
is Adam and Todd, also two
good friends from college. Adam (on the left)
ended up in Burlington, Vermont working
for Burton Snowboards and has the coolest dog in the
world (photos to be posted later).
Todd (on the right) was my college roommate for three
years, and now lives a couple of
blocks from me. Also taken with the sx70, I love
that camera. Plenty more of both of these
lads later.
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