286 - The Flaming Lips at the Uptown Theater

Looney and I went to see the Flaming Lips. The crowd seemed to be more of the hippie/granola jam band kind, which I don't see much of with the shows I usually see. But they were a little kooky and fun-loving. It's funny, the big time fans treated this show the same way tailgaters do at a Kansas City Chiefs game. Fans were early waiting in line. Fans wore costumes, because the whole show was like a party. Fans brought their own props and had traditions. (like balloons and stuff.)

Anyway here are some words to describe the show:
Richard Simmons, Aliens, Santas, Balloons, lots of Balloons, human inside a beach ball crowd surfing, Super Hero Roadies, Laser Pointers (they passed them out to everyone), confetti, fog machine smoke, megaphone, confetti/smoke cannons, streamers. That's all for now.

Here are some pictures that I took. Enjoy!

285 - Waterfire - 08sep2007

A couple weeks ago on a Saturday night, E1 and I drove down to the Plaza to check out an art installation event called 'Waterfire.' Basically, Brush Creek was set on fire and it was all sequenced to live music. Speaker boxes were placed all along the creek and the echoed out everything from classical to Gregorian Chant to opera to Spanish flavored tunes. It was very peaceful and quite hypnotic not to mention the wonderful smells coming from the burning logs that were floating on braziers along the river. A large crowd came out for this event. People were lined along the creek and standing on top of the bridges. People of all ages were out. Kids were rolling down hills and playing at their parents feet. Middle age couples were on blankets with wine and cheese. And everyone was strolling along the walk. The streets along the creek were closed for food booths and gypsy street performers were gathering crowds. It was a good time. They are going to have this event again in October.

284 - alpine rail

Over a year ago, blogger did not have the technology to upload videos. Now that it does...here is one for kicks. This video came from our trip to Colorado last summer.

This is the alpine rail slide in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It is more like a roller coaster ride than a luge track. You are in a single car and you have a lever in each hand that controls the speed of your vehicle by braking. Very fun.

283- August music

Starflyer 59 – Ghost of the Future (Issue # 1 and Issue #2 of 10)

The idea behind Ghost of the Future is that there will be (10) 7” vinyl records that will be released over 6 months. The “A” side contains a demo version of a song on the upcoming album and the “B” side contains a song specific to the Ghost series. So, I got an old record player and set it up in my art studio. This was actually a new experience for me ‘putting the needle on the record.’ The songs are fantastic. They have a lot more electronic elements along with Jason Martins signature guitar sound. The songs have a very New Order-ish feel to them. Good stuff.

By the way, the artwork is great. It seems to be some sort of hammerpress on heavy chipboard. I think all the albums will create a design or picture. The photos above are front and back.

This myspace page has a song from one of the upcoming releases:
starflyer 59


Eisley – Combinations
Listen here.

I must say that this is a very, very good album. I thought their first album was okay considering that they are all teenagers. The music was good and the lyrics were a little hokey. I didn’t listen to that album a lot. But this album is really good. The music and voice and lyric are very much improved and I am listening to Combinations quite a bit and haven’t grown tired of it. Good job guys. They are on tour with Mute Math. I might have to stop by.

Over the Rhine – The Trumpet Child
Listen to the whole album here.

Listen to myspace here.

I have been a fan of this band since the beginning. I first saw them live at Cornerstone ’92 and knew there was something special. As a true fan, I allow my artist to grow and explore new things and different styles. (What I mean is that a band doesn’t have to make the same album over and over again.) But I must admit I wasn’t sure about this album upon my first listen. In all fairness, my first listen was in the car with my boys going to the pool. All you get from those listens are impressions and my initial impression was that it was a bluesy southern sound. And I thought, oh, I don’t like that bluesy sound, I wish they would make another album like… But then I put the headphones on and the power and beauty hit me. It is a more lighthearted sounding album with a jazzy flair and some whimsical songs. Yes, there is one song that is a little bluesy, but it is growing on me. These are good songs, the kind that only get better and soak into your soul the longer they age. The opening line of the first song states, “I don’t want to waste your time, with music you don’t need…” No time wasted. I need this music.

Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight
Listen here.

I bought this album on a whim…It was on sale for $7.99…They sounded pretty good when they opened for Coldplay a few years ago…And I just read an article about the band in Paste magazine. It’s not bad and there are some real good songs. It has an ‘80’s pop feel to it. And I’ve read some publications making comparisons to Fleetwood Mac. But I don’t really know Fleetwood Mac.??? (but I do have a few of their records that I should put on the player.)