Cowboy Junkies - December Skies ("Unofficial" Video)

Cowboy Junkies - Indianapolis (07.25.2007)

i headed up to indianapolis after work on wednesday to catch a show by "cowboy junkies" at the "music mill," a spiffy, shiny venue in the wealty north indy 'burbs surrounded by strip centers and expensive cars stuck in traffic.

before the show, i met up w/a few friends (cher, seth, sara) and happened to stumble across susan, a very nice woman whom i met a CJ show in cincinnati a couple of years ago. she had just ordered, was enjoying a glass of wine @ "the music mill grill," we reintroduced oursleves to each other and she joined us for dinner and conversation also. a very nice time.

the show was great, started promptly at 8:30 w/no opener (a "good thing"), it was the last night of the tour and the band heads back to toronto after the show. personally, i've always enjoyed shows on the last night of a tour run, they seem to be a little "looser" and bands seem a little more willing to let go and have fun, no need to "save" themselves for future performances. tonight was surely no disappointment, imho, maybe not an "exceptional" CJ show but a very damn good one. the band was tight and margo's voice was amazing as usual and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. the set (posted above) was heavy on "at the end of paths taken" as was expected and it should be and the new stuff sounded great live.

after the show, i hung around and chatted with friends and got to talk to jeff and pete for a while while as margo worked her way through the line. several of us "regulars" waited 'til last and she seemed happy to see a few recognizable, friendly faces. as always, she was very chatty, friendly and funny. and very happy and relieved to be heading home. she signed the setlist, a couple of pictures and my copy of "XX," as did pete, al and jeff. i mentioned to margo that mike was the only one missing and margo's invite, i went back to the bus, said hello to mike and he signed my book and setlist and talked for a while.

great people, music = great night. here's hoping the make another trip through these parts when the tour resumes this fall.

Mieka Pauley - A Double Dose

this past weekend i caught two shows by the boston based singer/songwriter mieka pauley. the first show was an intimate little show on friday at kim taylor's coffee shop in cincinnati. it was arranged for a few friends by brian o'donnell, a cincinnati based radio dj for WNKU and all 'round good guy. brian is a great supporter of acts like OtR, kim taylor, ellery, mieka and quality independent music in general. radio could use more people like him.

the show was at "the pleasant perk," kim's coffee shop in cincinnati and the place was packed. mieka delivered a great solo acoustic set, very informal, very nice, she covered some stuff from her previously released cd's, a couple of new songs and a beautiful cover of john prine's "angel from montgomery" during her hour long set.
she is an accomplished writer & guitar player and has a great voice that will hopefully someday be heard by more and get the recognition she deserves.

but, on saturday night...wow. what a difference a night makes. tough crowd, tonight mieka was here in louisville, opening for a local band "north jordan" and this place, "the skybar @ saints" couldn't be more unfriendly to performers like mieka. it is basically a twenty-something "look-a-me, i'm beautiful (and hip and cool too)" bar with a stage. full of plaid shorts and polos w/flipped up collars, i'll guarantee you the guys took as long getting dressed and fluffed as the girls did. a "look a me, i'm beautiful and i'm ordering the right kind of (pick one) beer/shot/martini" (and if you didn't notice that i ordered the right kind of kind beer/shot/martini, i'll tell you, loudly, several times) kind of joint. sure as hell not my kind of joint.

and my god, they were intent on the fact that no matter how loud mieka played, she was not going to interupt their conversations.

if anything, i gained a helluva lot of respect for her, she is a pro. she hung in, did her thing and gave it all she had and never let up, one bit. and she never stopped smiling. by the end of her set, she actually had quite a few people walk up closer to the stage to (try) listen. as i said, i'll give her credit and much respect. she never backed down, in voice or intensity. good for her.

to bad...the rest of those dumbfuck little posers don't have a clue what they missed.

as she sings in "blunt"..."if this guitar wasn't so expensive and i didn't need it night and day | it would make a pretty good blunt object"

for more about mieka:
mieka
mieka's my space

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Louisville

wow. ryan finally put it all together, acted like a grown up and played one of the best shows i have ever seen in my life last night. it would have to up up in the top ten shows i have ever been to (and i've been to a few). an all acoustic set that went for close to two and a half hours, about an hour forty-five + a forty-five (yep) minute encore with ryan saying after the first song... "go ahead, sit down, we're gonna jam a while and bring some sad shit up in here." and "i'm just gonna sit around and play my music with my friends" and that's what it was like, casual, very relaxed and perfect.

he was in a great mood, laughing, joking, funny and having a great time, plus the audience was excellent, quiet, respectful and appreciative, and not "good for a ryan adams audience," simply a good audience. the set was great, the playing was perfect and his voice was spot on... i honestly don't think they could have done anything to make this a better night of music. perfect, just perfect.

the highlights for me (and there were no "lowlights") were: oh my god, i taught myself to grow old, wildflowers, let it ride, pearls on a string (incredible harmonies), two, dear john, nightbirds, peaceful valley, goodnight hollywood blvd, i see monster. but as i said, the whole show was pretty damned amazing.

the set was great (from RAA, i didn't keep track):
Blue Hotel
Goodnight Rose
Off Broadway
A Kiss Before I Go
This Is it
Let It Ride
Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.
Easy Plateau
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
Beautiful Sorta
Peaceful Valley
Wildflowers
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Pearls On A String
Magnolia Mountain

Encore:
The Sun Also Sets
Blue Sky Blues
Dear John
Nightbirds
Carolina Rain
Goodnight Hollywood Blvd.
I See Monsters
Cold Roses

and afterwards...
i met ryan adams. after the show, i sort of snuck out of a closed exit door (the curtain was pulled) after his show. unknowlingly, it was right next to the stage door, i guess that's why it was closed (hey, it was unlocked and no usher was there). just as i walked out, he walked out of the stage door with a security guard, we almost walked into each other. i said "killer show tonight," he said "thanks." then we walked through the alley, and just talked as we walked. i bought a poster and he was telling me all about the guy that is doing them for him (a different, local theme to each poster, only 200-300 per show). about half way thru the walk, i said "hey, you just laid it all out up there for 2 1/2 hours, i don't wanna bother you, i'll let you go" and he put his arm on my shoulder and said "man...don't be silly. this is what i do. i'm just glad a few people like it." we chatted a little longer as he walked to the bus, which was right by where i parked, he said "hey...thanks for coming, how many times have you seen us?" i said "six now, they have all been great, but this was the best yet." he said "thanks, hope you keep comin' around, i appreciate it."

"I Want You To Be My Love" (the "Unofficial" Video) - Over the Rhine

no one really knows where this came from and/or who did it, but it's causing quite a bit of stir in the OtR fan community, in a good way. it's been deleted from youtube once, for reasons unknown. apparently, in some way has been created or at a minimum circulated by a guy from portugal.

but regardless, where ever and whomever it came from, it is beautiful, creative, inspired and true to the song. this sums it up best, from karin, "I'm just sobbing...in a good way. wow." and linford, "We think it's wonderful... !!!"

enjoy...

LMAO!

from imho, the funniest show on TV, "the office"

the fourth of july, 2007 - a nation in distress

looking at our country on this independence day, our founding fathers are probably rolling over in their graves at what we have become. hundreds of thousands have sacrificed and given their lives over hundreds of years to give us freedom, liberty, justice and honor. and we've allowed a small group of elitist mama's boys and their thugs to steal much of our birthright away in a little over six short years. the work of hundreds of years, thousands of lives, slipping away in six short years. and we sit back and continue to allow it to happen, many justify and excuse it happening in the name of fear, and in the fear of terror. and worst of all, they package and sell it to the masses under the name of "patriotism." afterall... they tell us either "you're with us or you're against us."

yet the leaders of my own country have done more to take away my freedom and that of my fellow citizens than any outside force. our leaders do more to spread fear and terrorize the people of our country and the world than any terrorist. and we sit back and continue to allow it to happen.

we are a divided nation, our worst enemies could not have done a better job dividing us as a people than our own president and vice-presiden have done. creating wedges and scars so deep that they may never heal, all in the name of greed, power and politics. our own leaders have become our worst enemy. and still, we continue to allow it to happen.

with the apathetic, lethargic and selfish state of this country at this point in our history and paris, lindsey, britney and i-phones passing for news and "high crimes and misdemeanors" by our leaders virtually ignored or just blindly accepeted as a fact of life. it's slight-of-hand, simple distraction and deception. we accept (and care more) that paris hilton gets more jail time (and news coverage) for a driving with suspended drivers license than does a man who outed an active CIA agent, from the inside the white house no less, and who's sentence was then commuted by the president. for a crime that earlier he himself labelled as possibly "a treasonous act." and we watch. and we tolerate. and we forget. and we move on. waiting for the next "thing" to happen, and yes, we'll allow it once again.

the only solution (imho) is drastic action, nothing short of the impeachment and removal of office of this president and vice president will help get us back on track. and i'm not holding my breath for that, we're just too distracted, disconnected and lazy as a people to pull it off. people will stand in line for a week to get an i-phone but won't stand in the heat for 2 hours to protest an illegal war. they will blog, text and e-mail about lindsey's rehab stunts or whether britney wore panties out to party last weekend, but won't write their congressman or senator in protest. hell, most probably don't even know their elected representatives name. as someone said, again sadly, it looks like we get what we deserve. or at least what we tolerate. and imho, toleration is acceptance.

and whatever happens, if it should ever happen, cheney must go first. as bad as it is currently, and it is horrific, the worst thing i can imagine is bush's removal from office with cheney as the sitting vice president. talk about catastrophic.

sadly, i think 01.20.09, the day a new president is sworn in, is the best we can hope for, if we make it that long. that or maybe that this democratic congress that will finally grow some balls (and chop off "w" and dick's huge brass ones) and do what they were elected to do. and firmly place him/them in lame duck status until then.

then hopefully, at a minimum, we as a country (or the world) prosecute the fuck out of them for the "high crimes and misdemeanors" that that they have committed against their own citizenry and the citizens of world and they live the rest of their lives in the humiliation and contempt that they so richly deserve.

oh well, that was pretty heavy. and it's a holiday...go drink a beer, shoot your fireworks and celebrate. that is what this holiday is all about, isn't it? but today, on this day we celebrate our freedom, ask yourself, when will we step up as a people? what is it going to take? when will we stand up and say NO, this must stop, we will not allow this to happen in our name any longer?

Nothing Is Innocent
from The Trumpet Child

We’d wake the dead
With voices in our head
We’ve gotten used to ignoring the truth

We close our eyes
And breathe and eat the lies
That tell us we’re so much better than you

Silence is loud
Humility is so proud
Nothing is innocent now

All the king’s men
Will serve scrambled eggs again
When white-washed walls come crashing down

We’ll blink and nod
And say, How odd
And wonder why old friends don’t come around

Silence is loud
Humility is so proud
Nothing is innocent now

The acid rain
We fear the pain
Will blister and burn the skin

But what is more
The fear we bore
Will eat us alive from within

Silence is loud
Humility is so proud
Nothing is innocent now

For you and me
In the land of the free
Is anything innocent now?