End of Spring Break

Sunday, March 16, 2008

With every turn comes a new frame of mind.
If I could frame my mind
where would it hang?

-Eve 6, "Open Road Song"

Sunset

Monday, September 17, 2007

ACL, Day 3

Too much walking. Too much sweating. So. Tired.

Seriously, though, the weekend was a long one, but worthwhile. Yesterday's highlights included Damien Rice and Andrew Bird. The latter can whistle like no other. Today's highlights were Ben Kweller and the Decemberists. Both put on really fun shows. We watched Bob Dylan for awhile, but were completely unable to understand what he was saying.

Overall, I got through the festival with a minimum of sunburns, heard some of my favorite bands, discovered some new ones, and drank plenty of Sweet Leaf Teas. Honestly, kids, that stuff is frickin' delicious.

ACL, Day One

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Ah... air conditioning is a gift from God after a long day at Zilker Park under the hot, hot Austin sun. I brought my faded baseball cap to keep the sun out of my face; after half an hour, I found it was clearly insufficient and traded it in for my first cowboy hat. I know what you're thinking: Brian in a cowboy hat is not a good idea. But, rest assured my friends, I pull it off quite nicely, if I might say so myself. And another thing: in the midst of the heat and the sweat of ACL, Sweet Leaf Tea is a most wonderful thing.

Day One was quite good. Highlights included Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, whom I have wanted to see for quite some time, and Spoon. We left before the Killers' set, due to allergies, but, mark my words, we shall be back tomorrow morning.

Sometimes, When I Get Bored...

Sunday, September 02, 2007

... I record songs. Usually, I simply convert midi files into .wav format and record over them, but last week I found this excellent site called Jam Studio, which has all sorts of chords and riffs that you can string together. So, submitted for your approval:

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Flaming Lips), performed by BCDees



Casimir Pulaski Day (Sufjan Stevens), performed by BCDees

Mr. Blue Sky

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Damien Rice, 5.10.07

Friday, May 11, 2007

Kellie and I went to the Damien Rice concert last night at Bass Concert Hall. It was nothing short of incredible. That dude can sing! His songs are all so melancholy, but he sings them with such intensity that it's not the least bit depressing to listen to two hours of ballads. Near the end, he played "Cannonball" completely unplugged. The concert hall was completely silence. It was a bit of a surreal experience. Music has such incredible power. Highlights included his performance of "Older Chests," his closer, "Cheers Darling" in which he drank several glasses of wine and pretended to be drunk to add to the experience, and the song done by his cellist, Vyvienne Long. While Damien took a brief break, Vyvienne played her rendition of "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" on piano. Bloody brilliant.

The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"

Her name is Yoshimi - she's a black belt in karate
Working for the city - she has to discipline her body -
Cause she knows that it's demanding to defeat these
Evil machines - I know she can beat them -

Oh Yoshimi
They don't believe me
But you won't let those
Robots defeat me
Oh Yoshimi
They don't believe me
But you won't let those
Robots eat me

Those evil natured robots - they're programmed to
Destroy us - She's gotta be strong to fight them -
So she's taking lots of vitamins - cause she knows that
It'd be tragic if those evil robots win - I know
She can beat them

Twenty-Four

Friday, April 27, 2007

In honor of my last day of twenty-four-itude...

Twenty Four
by Switchfoot

Twenty four oceans
Twenty four skies
Twenty four failures
Twenty four tries
Twenty four finds me
In twenty-fourth place
Twenty four drop outs
At the end of the day
Life is not what I thought it was
Twenty four hours ago
Still I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And I’m not who I thought I was twenty four hours ago
Still I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
Twenty four reasons to admit that I’m wrong
With all my excuses still twenty four strong
See I’m not copping out not copping out not copping out
When You’re raising the dead in me
Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now
And You’re raising these twenty four voices
With twenty four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty four parts
But I wan to be one today
Centered and true
I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
You’re raising the dead in me
Oh, oh I am the second man
Oh, oh I am the second man now
Oh, oh I am the second man now
And You’re raising the dead in me
I want to see miracles, see the world change
Wrestled the angel, for more than a name
For more than a feeling
For more than a cause
I’m singing Spirit take me up in arms with You
And You’re raising the dead in me
Twenty four voices
With twenty four hearts
With all of my symphonies
In twenty four parts.
I’m not copping out. Not copping out. Not copping out.

Maybe I'm a Gangsta

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Gangsta's Paradise, as Performed by BCDees

Brilliance 2

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Okay, I know it seems like I'm obsessed with various rap parodies lately, but this is simply too good to pass up. As you know, Ben Folds does a cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit" this is brilliant. Right now, he has the contest on his website for his fans to make videos of themselves either lip-syncing or singing the song. The winners get featured on the front page of his site. The one below was featured this week. I only wish my college A Cappella choir had been this cool...

Brilliance 1

Robert introduced me to this group this afternoon. Think Tenacious D meets They Might Be Giants meets gangster rap meets New Zealand. Yup, it's that good.

Booyakasha

Monday, November 06, 2006

Ben Folds

Robert, Kellie, and I went to the Ben Folds concert on Friday night. It was... amazing. The piano truly is an extension of Ben Folds' body - he can make it do pretty much anything he wants. Here is a guy who genuinely loves to perform for an audience. It's a joy to see. I mean, he made up a song about the breakfast tacos he had that morning. And, I mean, he covered "Bitches Ain't Shit." It was greatness. A guy named Corn Mo opened, and that was an experience unto itself. This guy came out, dressed in white suit and carrying an accordion, and proceeded to channel Meatloaf like I have never seen before. Interesting. All in all, a most excellent evening of music.

Indian Food

So, Kellie and I went to the Clay Pit on Saturday evening. It's always a lovely experience there, to be sure, but it was even better because of where they seated us. They have this downstairs area - a stone room with low arched ceilings. You have to duck a little to get into it. It's a little bit like a dungeon, actually, and the acoustics are amazing. Anyway, I guess they seat couples down there, since we were one of several. It was very relaxing, and we got to watch a couple on their first date whilst eating curry and naan. I highly recommend finding a date so that you can check out this excellent dining area.

Breakfast

In my continuing effort to get in shape and be more healthy, I am actually eating breakfast now for the first time since I had to take an eight o'clock class my freshman year of college. Apparently it is an important meal. Or so they claim. It could, of course, turn out to be nothing more than a massive conspiracy from the people at Kellogg's and Quaker Oats... but, then, I guess the Quakers have always been fairly trustworthy, and I'm sure they'd keep those Post and Kellogg's people in check. Yeah. My breakfast item of choice? Hot tea and scones. It feels very British to me and there's nothing wrong with that.

Borat...

Did not open this weekend at the Alamo Drafthouse. Sad, really. Fox apparently cut back the number of theaters getting the film at the last minute. I bet they are kicking themselves now that it opened number one this weekend. In any case, I have a burning desire to see this film next weekend when it finally opens at the Drafthouse. Who's with me?

I Fold...

Friday, November 03, 2006

So, I traded shifts with Cam this week; he worked my Tuesday night and I'm (currently) working his Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon in the library is a riot, let me tell you. This Greek paper is slowly chipping away at my soul. Well, not really. But summarizing the impact of Talmudic Judaism, Hellenistic culure, and primitive Christianity on the interpretation of Mark 2:1-12 in five pages is chipping away at my soul. Argh. In any case, this week is totally over. I fold.

Which leads me to (wait for it, wait for it) BEN FOLDS TONIGHT! (Yeah, I realize it was a stupid pun, but again, Friday afternoons in the library are a riot.) In honor of the concert tonight at Stubb's, I humbly submit to you the following terrible, terrible song:

Friday Afternoon Potpourri

Friday, October 20, 2006

Album

I just picked up The Decemberists' new album, "The Crane Wife," at Waterloo. So far, it is most excellent. If you have not heard The Decemberists, do yourself a favor and find their song, "The Mariner's Revenge Song," quite possibly the greatest and best song about revenge ever. It is epic. It will change your life. Guaranteed, or your money back. Why would I lie to you?

Pumpkin

Last night, Kellie and I celebrated the coming of fall-like weather to our fair town (faire towne?) of Austin with a small pumpkin party that included pumpkin candy, pumpkin bread, pumpkin beer, and (of course) painting pumpkins. Yeah, I know, we're nerds.

In case you couldn't tell, the first is Kellie decorating a pumpkin to look like me, whereas the second is me posing with my creation, "Harry Pumpkin." Yeah, I know, we're nerds. Both pumpkins are now proudly showcased outside my door. Feel free to come visit them!

Concert

Two weeks until the Ben Folds concert at Stubb's. I am getting really excited! Anyone else want to go? I put an email back when I got the tickets, but I've had minimal response.

Tuesday Afternoon Song

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

"Girl in the War" - Josh Ritter

Peter said to Paul
"All those words that we wrote
Are just the rules of the game and the rules are the first to go"
But now talkin' to God is Laurel beggin' Hardy for a gun
I gotta girl in the war, man I wonder what it is we done

Paul said to Petey
"You gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
And I got a girl in the war, Paul the only thing I know to do
Is turn up the music and pray that she makes it through

Because the keys to the kingdom got locked inside the kingdom
And the angels fly around in there, but we can't see them
And I gotta girl in the war, Paul I know that they can hear me yell
If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell
If they can't find a way to help her, they can go to Hell

Paul to Petey "you gotta rock yourself a little harder;
Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"
But I gotta girl in the war, Paul her eyes are like champagne
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
Sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain
They sparkle, bubble over, in the morning all you got is rain

I love this song.

You've Got the Music

Friday, September 15, 2006

I was just at Waterloo Records at 6th and Lamar, and I was surprised at how many ACL-goers are wandering around even that far north of Zilker. Craziness. I'm not gonna lie - I'm insanely jealous of them. It's crazy to think that a good portion of the bands you enjoy are in town at this very moment, but that you won't get to see them. Humbug!

Anyway, as I was driving, the song "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie came on my iPod. Funny how you can listen to a song a thousand times and not ever really listen to the lyrics. I love the last verse:

Can't we give ourselves one more chance
Why can't we give love that one more chance
Why can't we give love...
'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance, this is our last dance
This is ourselves

I like the terminology here. So often we speak in ethical terms and say that love places an obligation on us. Of course, this is true to some extent. However, the language here, I think, is more apt. Love dares us. As if it's saying, "Come one, I dare you to care for those the world has cast aside." Love is a daring endeavor.

Anatomy of a Weekend, Part Deux

Sunday, August 27, 2006

The Hatch Chile festival at Central Market was excellent. I picked up a large bag of fire roasted green chilies, so it is likely that everything I cook for the next couple of weeks will somehow incorporate Hatch chilies. That is, unless a large number of people randomly show up at my doorstep demanding chile rellenos. Naturally, that would be a bit unprecedented, but I won't put anything past my friends!

Yesterday evening, Robert and I tried to see A Scanner Darkly at the Drafthouse; unfortunately, they had the times wrong on their website and it was not, in fact, playing. In lieu of trippy animated sci-fi, we saw Little Miss Sunshine. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was. The film featured Steve Carrell of 40 Year-Old Virgin Fame, but he did not steal the show. On the surface, it was a typical indie dark comedy about a dysfunctional family. The brilliance of the film, however, is the ending. There was no cheesy Hollywood ending in sight; rather, it was true to life. None of the characters, in the end, were affirmed by external sources. Any affirmation they attained by the end of the film clearly came from within, not from without. I like that. There's way too much of "the protagonist is a screw-up but is going to be the unlikely winner of the game/girl/whatever and by the end he/she/it has been accepted by mainstream society, not for anything intrinsic to the character, but because he/she/it is worth something because of his/her/its accomplishment." So typical.

Finally, I attended the 2006 Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival earlier today in Waterloo Park. It was hot, by which I refer both to the salsas and to the weather. I managed to sample maybe 30 salsas or so before the heat defeated me, forcing me to ride my bike back home. Before leaving, though, I enjoyed the excellent musical stylings of both White Ghost Shivers (who play an intriguing mixture of country, jazz, swing, and hokum blues that reminded me of old black and white movies) and Guy Forsyth (whom I've heard a lot about but had never seen live before). Overall, a great afternoon activity.

And, of course, I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the grand finale of my weekend, a three-hour shift in the library from 8pm to 11pm. Woo-hoo! So, if you're around the APTS campus, stop by and harass me. After all, school isn't even in session, so it's highly doubtful that anyone will be taking advantage of the library this evening. Also, feel free to stop by the apartment and enjoy some Hatch green chilies!

In the Land of the Tumbling Tumbleweeds (and Pumping Pumpjacks)

Saturday, July 22, 2006

I decided to head to Midland this weekend. As noted in a previous entry, there's been a lot going on here lately, and I thought I could possibly be somewhat helpful/supportive by availing my mother of my presence. I drove down today after work, which consisted of shifting around seven shelves of books in the library. I think I might be sore tomorrow. In any case, the drive was uneventful, excepting the part where I took an incorrect road and lost about 45 minutes finding an alternate route. Good times. I did, however, get an extensive tour of the Hill Country, so I suppose it was not a total loss. Surprisingly, I still arrived in time for dinner at my favorite Midland Mexican restaurant, a place called La Bodega. My mother and I then chatted for a long while about the various happenings. Tomorrow, I'm going grocery shopping and probably doing some cleaning.

Returning to Midland always brings up interesting thoughts and memories. You (my reader, whoever you are) can probably relate: ya know, it's still home, but it's not really "home" anymore. This is especially underscored by the fact that the house undergoes significant stylistic transformations between each of my visits. This time, it was the dining room. Anyway, it's always strange, 'cause it's still your home, but then again, home is back in Austin with Kellie and with my friends. I guess home really does have to do more with people than with location. Midland, for all its West Texas charm, is merely a place of memories to me. It's the people here (and, regretably, there's not too many people I still know in Midland outside of church) in which the concept of home subsists. The same, of course, is true of Austin, and of Sherman. Yeah. In any case, I humbly submit -

The Tall City Homecoming EP

1. Sufjan Stevens - "Casimir Pulaski Day"
2. Dave Matthews - "Dodo"
3. Paul Simon - "The Only Living Boy in New York"
4. The Shins - "Saint Simon"
5. Queen - "Under Pressure"
6. Adam Sandler - "Werewolves of London"

Know Your Bands!

Saturday, May 06, 2006

I don't know how many of you have seen this floating around on MySpace and whatnot, but it's pretty clever so I thought I'd repost. See how many bands you can identify, then post them in the comments:

Austin Rocks! Austin Rocks!

Friday, March 03, 2006

Happy Friday to all, and to all a good last day of the accepted work-week!

A couple of topics come to mind upon this lovely afternoon. First, recurring dreams. In my life, I've had about three. Recurring Dream #1: back in high school, I used to have the dream that I was going to a band competition of some kind, but that I was terribly late and wasn't going to make it to my room on time, and would thus forfeit. It was very stressful. Recurring Dream #2: In college, I had the dream that it was my senior year of high school, but that I had decided not to be in band for some reason. Very, very odd, considering I was just about as active in band as one could be as a high school senior. And, it's official, Recurring Dream #3: I am dreaming, and in my dream, I go to sleep. While sleeping, I dream. But then, I wake up from the dream within a dream and believe I am totally awake, when in actuality, I am still dreaming. Today, the added twist to this was that I could not wake up from the dream within the dream; despite me efforts to do so, I kept falling back asleep. Very, very strange indeed.

Second, the city of Austin. I just took a lovely bike ride down Lamar, had lunch at Whole Foods, browsed the books at Book People for over an hour, then rode down 6th and up Congress St. through UT, before returning home. Austin is freakin' great! And so, I have written the following song to the tune of "Cleveland Rocks" by the Presidents of the United States of America:

Hey…
3,4! (x4)
Ahhhhhh...
Congress St. bats are callin’ me
Who knows where they come from
It's such a liberal attitude
This is where we belong
All the college brats getting’ schooled by the frats
Go "Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Lance Armstrong
Go "Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
It’s only Wednesday but I don’t care
Let’s go to 6^th Street too
Five Shiner Bocks and a shot of Jaeger
Tomorrow papers are due
Every hippie chick with their dreadlocks thick
Goes "Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
Sailin’ Town Lake for goodness sake
Go "Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
"Austin rocks!", "Austin rocks!"
I've got some records from Waterloo
I play 'em like Leslie the transvestite do
He/She was a rocker and I am too
Go "Auuuuuustin rocks!"
"Yeah Auuuuuustin rocks!"
Austin rocks! Austin rocks!
TEJAS!!!!

So, there you have it, folks. It's lovely outside. Stop reading this drivel and go outside. And get a snow cone while you're at it. The place on Guadalupe is the shiznit. For serious.