sjölin

2009-01-29T21:48:00.001-06:00

Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down

2008-11-09T13:18:00.010-06:00

i was given a gift a couple weeks ago that i would now like pass along. whilst lunching with a friend who was in town briefly, i was handed Noah & the Whale's album, Peaceful the World Lays Me Down. From the very first listen, i was struck not only by the catchiness of their sound, but by the depth of the lyrical and thematic content in each of their 11 tunes. i recognize that everyone may not be moved by their sentiments in the same way that i have been , but they express so poignantly the experiences of love, loss, giving, sharing and treasuring life while accepting death a part, and the joy to be found in all of it. and they have a girl on bgv's, which gets me every time. in my own mind, i place them musically in the company of other folky art-rock entities like other lives [kunek], iron & wine, andrew bird, sufjan stevens, stars, etc., for various reasons that may make sense only to me.

have a listen, then go buy this album or borrow it from me so you can really take it in...
noah & the whale- give a little love

OREGON

2008-08-10T23:20:00.002-05:00

Invictus

2008-06-01T15:02:00.008-05:00

just had this added to my repertoire (the photos only do it half-justice). i will also be adding the word Invictus ('unconquered/able') underneath.

in the recent season of difficulty in my family, my dad was told that his sons "stood like four lions through it all... unflinching", and that he would "pity anyone who tried to come between them"...

i had this drawn up from the rembrandt sketch below which is called "lion resting". i thought that it captured the essence of the statement and would be a meaningful representation of the experience. my dad and brothers are also talking about getting lion tattoos, each expressing his own vision.

Invictus
William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever Gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

2008-05-27T09:38:00.013-05:00

1. gobbledigook · 3:05
2. inní mér syngur vitleysingur · 4:05
3. góðan daginn · 5:15
4. við spilum endalaust · 3:33
5. festival · 9:24
6. suð í eyrum · 4:56
7. ára bátur · 8:57
8. illgresi · 4:13
9. fljótavík · 3:49
10. straumnes · 2:01
11. all alright · 6:21

Just when you thought i might be dead, or at the very least had permanently forgotten my blogger password, i return triumphantly with information about our favorite icelandic makers of audible glory... and in case you were wondering, yes, i copied most of this directly from the band's site..

Með Suð í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
[translation: With a buzz in our ears we play endlessly]

Sigur Rós will be releasing their fifth album on June 23rd, 2008. The first song from the album, entitled ‘Gobbledigook’, is now available worldwide for free download, via www.sigurros.com.

A pre-sale for the album will begin on www.sigurros.com on June 2nd and anyone who pre-orders will then be able to access a stream of the full album from June 9th.

With A Buzz… was co-produced by the band and renowned producer Flood and was recorded in New York City (at Sear Sound Studios), London (at Assault and Battery Studios and Abbey Road), Reykjavík (at Álafoss, the band’s studio, as well as a church in Reykjavik) and Havana, Cuba. Their newest creation is the first album in the band’s career to be made outside of Iceland. It is also their first album to feature vocalist Jón “Jónsi” Thor Birgisson’s vocals in English on one track (the remainder are sung in Icelandic).

Inspired by the unfettered feeling of the acoustic performances filmed during Heima, Sigur Rós decided to adopt a looser approach in the writing and creation of their brilliant fifth album. The material for the album was written, recorded and mixed entirely in 2008 and is being released just one month after completion. The album glows with the perfect imperfection of live takes, the sounds of fingers playing guitar strings, cracked notes, and a stark, upfront presence not found in previous Sigur Rós recordings, moving away from the reverb-induced guitar sounds of old to something altogether more fragile and affecting. It also contains some of the most joyous music the band has ever recorded.

First song ‘Gobbledigook’ sets the tone with its shifting acoustic guitars, playful vocals, time signature shifts and swirling percussion, while ‘Inni mer syngur vitleysingur’ (‘Within me a lunatic sings’) sparkles as one of the most anthemic songs Sigur Rós have ever written. ‘Festival’ is epic in its elation and scope, ‘Illgresi’ (‘Weeds’) features one of Jónsi’s finest vocal melodies over a lone acoustic guitar, and ‘Ára bátur’ (‘Row boat’) is the single largest musical undertaking in the band’s career, as it was recorded live in one take with the London Sinfonietta and London Oratory Boy’s Choir, a total of 90 people playing at the same time. The band also utilized the talents of their string-quartet friends Amiina, as well as a five-piece brass section on certain tracks, in addition to introducing the Mellotron into their writing/recording process for the first time on this album, specifically on one of the most tender and beautiful songs on the record, ‘Fljótavík’.

omg! that's my fav!

2008-04-07T23:05:00.005-05:00

i was thinking the other day about how often i hear people say something like; "oh man, (insert movie title, song, book, etc.) is definitely in my top 5..."

then i thought about the reckless disregard for math these claims represent.

i bet, over relatively small spans of time, any given person includes up to 10 or 15 movies, songs, books, actors/actresses, in their respective top 5 lists to suit whatever occasion in which they happen to find themselves... (i mean if you were to follow them around and keep track)

what of accountability, such as a master list somewhere to reconcile these claims with?

we need it. the public demands it.

not it.

2008-01-29T00:14:00.001-06:00

"justice"

2008-01-18T00:58:00.001-06:00

bull shit.

________________________________________________

PSA

2008-01-10T22:41:00.001-06:00

here's the thing; you've been called for jury duty, a very important civic responsibility. you've had to take off work, you'll have to sit around a bunch and wait and wait and wait. you may be questioned endlessly for multiple potential cases, criminal or civil, or both. it will be mostly boring, guaranteed. you may be sent back downstairs to the jury pool over and over. in the end, you may go home on thursday and feel like it was all for nothing.

you are experiencing a relatively minor inconvenience compared to the individuals involved in the cases you are called upon to judge (some of whom have waited for a year or more for their day in court). pull your head out of your ass, step up to the plate, and quit wasting hours of the court's (and everyone else's) time with your pathetically obvious attempts to weasel out of it with stupid excuses and/ or whining. i will stab you and then (if you survive) you're going to have to sit through my trial anyway, and i promise you'll wish you had just done the right thing in the first place.

it's 2008!...

2008-01-01T02:02:00.000-06:00

...and there's still no jetpacks.

ipod resurrection?

2007-12-28T13:39:00.001-06:00

my iPod is on life support, with maybe few weeks to live.

a few weeks ago, it started locking up, randomly skipping tracks, and not syncing up with iTunes/ locking my whole computer up. i experienced this 2 years ago when my first iPod did the same thing. that time, it was still under warranty and they gave me a refurbished one. i'm on my own this time.

some may remember that i got my iPod for free through a website that, at the time, was little known, and even less believed to be a legitimate deal by most. i was the first person i knew that had followed all the way through the process, but it worked. well, guess what? i don't have $250 to get a new one. what i DO have is patience and a new account with the same website to try and do it again.... so who's with me?!

the process is easy. you follow my referral link, register for an account, complete a very cheap online offer (which you can then cancel after it has been credited to my account), and stop there if you like, or get 5 others to follow your referral link and try to get a free iPod yourself.

if you are game to help me [or even just want to look into it], follow this link.
[it is important that you use the above link if you are going to do it, if you go back to the website directly, it will not credit my account.]

tickets. got mine. got yours?

2007-12-09T10:15:00.001-06:00

Today my life has been changed...

2007-11-22T19:41:00.000-06:00

We’ve been talking lately about the old lady who used to live in the house that is now the clinic in which I work. She died in 2003 and we have a big (probably haunted) portrait of her hanging in the hallway. Some time ago, the lady who cleans the clinic mentioned to our director that she has seen Prebble when going about her duties. Recently, one of our therapists had an experience where she said she also saw Prebble. I have commented that, if I ever saw a ghost (or alien), it would change my life. A confrontation like that with a new bizarre reality would likely blow all my fuses. I have just never had an experience of anything like that myself. We have started joking around at work and hiding and scaring each other, etc. so much so that some are uncomfortable being in the clinic alone for fear of real or manufactured haints.

Today was a fine Thanksgiving afternoon. We enjoyed our meal, shared what each of us was thankful for; then came time to take family pictures. My brother Zack’s girlfriend Terri-Ann had a new digital camera that we set on timer and made several attempts to get everything just right. Here’s one of the photos we ended up with….

See anything interesting? As I looked through Terri’s camera and saw this mysterious ‘orb’ glowing just in front of my Grandmother, I thought of stories I have heard of these balls of light, visible only in photos, that are believed by some to be angels, ghosts, etc. I decided to zoom in and have a closer look. As Amanda and I watched, a distinguishable face materialized. There were a total of 8 people present at our house today, and each of us can vouch that this uncanny image was visible on the camera viewfinder immediately after the pictures were taken, without any digital alteration. I have played with it a little (adjusted to B&W, increased the contrast, zoomed in, cropped, etc.) to really make it stand out. Join me, won’t you, in becoming obsessed with such phenomenon, forsaking all reason, quitting work, and becoming a modern day ghostbuster. Colleagues, consider this my two week notice....

2007-10-09T21:37:00.000-05:00

Gazette's Ghouls Gone Wild Halloween Parade

2007-08-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

the godfather

2007-08-15T21:28:00.001-05:00

you can call me godfather. it's because jon & rachel had their baby. and i'm her godfather [& amanda is her fairy godmother]. jon made it official when he called me sirius tonight as i was holding her.

Dfest

2007-07-29T21:43:00.000-05:00

yeah, it was pretty cool. my brother zack accompanied me downtown for his first flaming lips experience. we had a great time. too bad kunek canceled out & didn't tell anyone. that was bad news to get at 1:00am saturday night/ sunday morn. still got my money's worth.

nevada power

2007-07-05T17:12:00.000-05:00

this is my good friend the matt key. you may know him. even if you don't, you should go watch his new commercial. he is in LA these days sleeping his way to the top, largely through stand-up comedy, improv theatre, commercials, & indie films. go see him.

optimism

2007-06-26T10:47:00.000-05:00

as self conscious as i am about having purchased an issue of vanity fair recently, i feel compelled to share what the experience has stirred up. those who know me (and those who don't) can easily guess what might have grabbed my attention about this particular cover (1 of 20 by annie leibovitz). however, the eye-candy was only a ploy to get me to read the quote next to mr. durden's famous face; "a person is a person through other persons; you can't be human in isolation; you are human only in relationships." -archbishop desmond tutu (also pictured). though it was said in quite a different context, this quote initially grabbed my attention based upon its relevance to the work that i do. i have not previously spent a great deal of time conducting fact-finding-missions, etc. to learn the ins & outs of all that is happening in africa (something i'm neither proud nor ashamed of), i've pretty much left it up to bono and the cast of ocean's 13 to do their thing... but i AM glad to have had my curiosity piqued enough to start learning more now. i can't begin to describe here all that is needed and/or all that is already happening related to the great need in africa, and i won't try. but i do urge all, who haven't, to begin learning more. this special issue of vanity fair is a surprisingly good place to start; "this is an emergency-normal rules don't apply. there are no easy good or bad guys. do you think an african mother cares if the drugs keeping her child alive are thanks to an ipod or a church plate? or a democrat or republican? i don't think that mother gives a damn about where that 20-cent pill comes from, so why should we. it can lead to some uncomfortable bedfellows, but sometimes less sleep means you are more awake." -bono.
the thing that struck me most about all of this is the great many ways that all of these celebrities, politicians, business leaders, religious leaders, philanthropists, etc... are not only publicly lamenting the conditions in africa, but have actually designed and begun to implement mechanisms for real change. this is not just an impressive array of spokespersons, they have become a driving force. as trite as it may sound, it is so encouraging to see these -who have so much- to truly find ways to use their celebrity and wealth to make a difference, and create ways for the rest of us to make a contribution, even through buying a little white bracelet, an ipod, clothes, etc.
i realized that, as much as i see myself ultimately as an optimistic person at the core, i had begun to adopt a view of world politics, environmental issues, poverty, etc. that was sort of gloomy in terms of the big picture. this all has given me pause. on a related note, through a conversation on sunday, i learned of some innovations related to transportation. the tesla roadster is an electric car, not a hybrid, and it will kick your ass (0-60 in 4.5 sec). it is being marketed to the ultra-rich right now in order to increase the appeal, and funding needed to develop the technology to be more affordable for everyone else.

this is another recent example, for me, of things moving in the right direction, giving real hope for a better future, rather than watching us slowly (sometimes not so slowly) destroy eachother and ourselves.

finally, as a lovely sonic backdrop for all of this, i highly recommend sufjan stevens' live song majesty, snowbird (supposedly from a forthcoming oregon-themed album). it feels good.

partly pouty

2007-06-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

redemption

2007-06-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

it might be important for me to let you know that morgan freeman now works at the advance auto parts store down the street from my house, i saw him there this morning. i'm not sure of the implications of this. apparently he is God now, so... i'm a little wary that he might be calling me to part the lake overholser or something, possibly as a third installment to his evangelistic videos in the '____almighty' franchise. we'll see. he was very helpful. when i walked in and asked for assistance, he said "i'm known to locate certain things... from time to time..."

iiii'llll beeee baaack.....

2007-06-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

dare you to click on the photo... diversafest

just because

2007-06-20T22:50:00.000-05:00

[thanks to ryan & the flaming lips' myspace]

close encounters of the 3rd kind

2007-06-19T23:08:00.000-05:00

it's no secret that i regularly drive by wayne coyne's house, just to catch a glimpse of a local hero. well friends, yesterday my hours of stalking finally paid off! on the way to see a friend's baby at the hospital, i decided to swing by nw13th & blackwelder (its only like a mile and a half from our house). mounted upon my trusty scooter, i rounded the bend to see a large semi- truck/ trailer (presumably filled with touring equipment) parked out front of wayne manor. as i drew closer, i noticed that the gates to the large privacy fence they have recently erected (i wonder why?) were open, and who did i see in his own back yard but master wayne himself! in case you are wondering, yes, i do feel a deep sense of satisfaction that extends now to every corner of my being, and yes, it is something that you can only wish to understand, and no, this does not mean that i will discontinue my weekly forays into the ghetto to chance upon another rendezvous. ahhhhh.....

click here to read rikki lee's [arguably better] rendition of her own chance encounter...

dissonance

2007-06-15T22:53:00.000-05:00

Setting: present day, a fast food/ convenience store in a large mid-western capital city, late afternoon, early summer. the store is nearly empty, save for the female CLERK, & RON, a mid 30's, surly looking construction worker type, leaning at the end of the checkout counter after a hot day's work, seemingly waiting for something.

Enter: JöE, a late 20's male dressed casually, yet professionally in dark jeans & a collared dress shirt with the sleeves at 3/4 mast. he is fully bearded, wearing mirrored, medium size aviator sunglasses, and longish rock-staresque shaggy hair. as he enters the dimly lit establishment, in midstride he is observed to pull his sunglasses off and whip his hair back out of his face in a fluid motion. as he does this, he scans the room, noticing RON, who at that moment seems to be sizing JöE up for an ass-kicking after watching his entrance. JöE, aware of RON's gaze, makes brief eye contact, nods slightly and continues to the cooler for a drink. JöE passes RON again & gets in the short line that has now formed for check-out. RON makes his move, walking over and stopping adjacent to JöE angled slightly inward. so begins their time together...

RON: "hey man [smiling], you should be on f*ckin tv, man."

JöE: [briefly hesitating, struck by the compliment as if he was expecting a physical assault rather than such friendliness, not sure if the words are sincere or a sarcastic prelude to a beating] "...pardon?"

RON: [still smiling] "you should be on f*ckin tv, man. with the long hair and your beard and the sunglasses, you look like you could be on f*ckin tv, man..."

JöE: [flattered, slowly returning RON's smile] "well, thanks..."

RON: [still smiling, but now more insistent] "yeah, man... should go out to f*ckin california and be an actor..."

JöE: [at somewhat of a loss as to how to continue to graciously respond] "i don't know, that's a pretty big risk, ha ha [laughs awkwardly]..."

RON: [clearly displaying his expectation that JöE should walk out of the store and drive directly to hollywood and the certain fame that awaits] "it's all about the looks anyway, man, those f*ckin guys you see on tv, you look like you could be on tv..."

JöE: "well, i sure appreciate it..."

they have reached the counter, JöE completes his transaction as RON is joined by TIM, early 40's, also a surly looking construction worker type. TIM, looking grimy and tired from working, seems to have been lurking just out of sight and apparently has heard RON's last line, looking at him as if wondering what the hell has gotten into him.

RON: [noticing a ring that JöE is wearing] "hey man, is that a skull?... [without waiting for a reply] ...badass!"

TIM still appears confused, slightly irritated. JöE's face betrays renewed wonder as to the likelihood of his ass becoming grass.

TIM: [joining in, to both] "been on a steel roof all day..."

RON: "f*ckin hot out there, man."

JöE: [sympathetically] "aw man that sucks!" [beginning to hastily back out toward door, hoping to avoid conversational attention turning toward his own occupation (sitting in an air-conditioned office listening to people), a topic that would almost certainly activate RON and TIM's resentment and heretofore inexplicably repressed predatory instinct to 'smear the queer', etc.] "you guys try to stay cool out there!" [exits, relieved, but planning to get a haircut as soon as reasonably possible]

as scene closes RON is observed to turn toward the -still surly- TIM and say something not quite audible, but presumably along the lines of "hey man, doesn't that guy look like he could be on a f*ckin tv show, man?!"

[fade to black.]

she don't use jelly

2007-05-15T17:51:00.001-05:00

..........................................................................................................

okie noodling

2007-05-06T23:55:00.000-05:00

[fairly certain this is a doctored photo]

okie noodling -the 2001 documentary by brad beesley [official flaming lips documentarian] about the sport of sticking one's hand into underwater holes hoping to have your arm swallowed by a catfish-, will be showing on OETA monday night @ 9:00pm. i for one will be watching [trailer].

icelandic ear food

2007-04-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

[photo by jöe- 2.22.6]

sæglópur

sigur rós has announced several upcoming releases over the next few months, in particular:

in a frozen sea: a year with sigur rós available 6.1.7 [tour book following 06 iceland tour]

a new EP expected in august 07 [tracklist: von (new version), salka, lagið í gær, rokklagið, also includes new live video as a bonus]

a live dvd expected in october 07 [sigur rós on the road: the as yet untitled DVD of last summer’s iceland tour]

an acoustic LP also expected in october 07 [full-length album of acoustic songs]

2007-04-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

so i was out on my scooter today...

other news

2007-04-15T00:09:00.000-05:00

band of horses has a new record in the works. on 3.25.7 they posted on their website that they are in the process of recording a follow-up to everything all the time. bitchin!

the white stripes will release their new album, 'icky thump' on 6.19.7

David Bazan [pedro the lion] is playing tomorrow night 4.16.7 @ the opolis w/ will johnson [centro-matic]. i might even try to go!?

the flaming lips' live dvd [filmed in okc 9.15.6] will be released 7.10.7

shepherd's dog [revised]

2007-04-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

a few weeks ago guillot told me about a live bootleg floating round the interweb of sam beam [iron & wine] from 2.8.07 in miluakee @ pabst theatre. it's a great recording overall & previews the majority of the new album due out on Sub-Pop in September. go now & make the whole show yours by following these links: section 1, section2. or click on the individual links below to hear just the new songs.

here's the tracklisting for Shepherd's Dog due out Sept 25th:

Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car
White Tooth Man
Lovesong of the Buzzard
Carousel
House by the Sea
Innocent Bones
Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's Dog)
Resurrection Fern
Boy With a Coin
The Devil Never Sleeps
Peace Beneath the City
Flightless Bird, American Mouth

& the tracklisting for the single due out July 10th:

Carried Home
Boy With a Coin (Single Edit)
Kingdom of the Animals

sacrilicious

2007-04-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

just watched reefer madness with amanda. good times. this is my kinda jesus. "you rock jesus!"

R.I.P.

2007-04-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

this evening jon, scott & i ensured our places in heaven by freeing a mortally wounded starling from suffering all night in a trap. then i ran it over with my car. it was mostly dead already. that is all.

scraps of thoughts

2007-04-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

one look- my best attempts at 'blue steel', or 'le tigre', or is it 'magnum'?

the other day i took/drank coffee from home on-the-go in a red plastic solo cup, which i think might be the same as shooting up with a dirty needle.

i just listened to alanis morrissette singing my humps, check it out

i was at walgreens a couple weeks ago & i saw a 2-pack of ky warming/ tingling intimate massage stuff directly adjacent to a quick response early pregnancy test at the check-out counter (in the impulse section). i found this to be very ironic.

i would like to boast that i now have the complete new wilco album (which won't be released until 5.15.7) as well as most of the new bright eyes, andrew bird, & modest mouse albums, solely from gleaning across mp3 blogs online. jealous?

observance

2007-03-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

please have a look & see for yourself whether this is something you would like to participate in. and yes, i realize the hypocracy of advertising it in this manner...

NO eFRIENDS DAY- March 28th

UFOs @ the Zoo: the Flaming Lips live in OKC dvd

2007-03-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

i was there. and i will be in line when this comes out.

comfortably numb

2007-03-12T21:38:00.000-05:00

the next time you find yourself on an 8 hour road trip & are thinking of what music to listen to as a sonic backdrop to your dozing, let me recommend that you NOT choose Pink Floyd's The Wall. this is one that requires a full-on listen to really take in, & is a bit trippy even under normal circumstances. but, let me tell you, when you are in that place between sleep & awake it transforms exponentially into something else entirely. as you may have guessed, i tried my hand at this today & kept inexplicably jolting awake, etc; as i drifted in & out of consciousness between wichita & okc. my imagination did provide great storyboards for the narrative of the album though, eughhehe (shudder). listen to this only when you are awake. but DO listen to it.

sky blue sky

2007-03-11T23:43:00.000-05:00

artwork from Wilco's forthcoming album due for release on May 15th

i had the good fortune today to check my myspace bulletins & saw one from wilco proclaiming that, during a specified window of time, the new album sky blue sky was available as a live stream. i missed a similar opportunity last weekend & was very disappointed. so, today i sat & listened to the new album in its entirety. the sound goes a different direction than what i might have expected, more bluesy less art-rock(y), & was a very easy-going record. very sunday afternoon. i wonder if the laid back quality was influenced at all by the fact that most of the recording took place between tweedy's solo tour dates last fall,[hmmm]? unfortunately, i couldn't get a good feel for the overall lyrical tone through such a quick listen, but i find no reason to assume there will be any disappointment. while the live evolution of a ghost is born made for several very long songs that enabled guitarist nels cline to wander around inside real fuzzy-cool solos, sbs [which actually includes cline this time] does so more often but less sprawlingly [we'll see if that remains once they develop the songs further on tour]. not necessarily better or worse in that regard, but different. sbs's line-up also differs from the past, with the addition of pat sansone, who also has been playing live shows with wilco for some time. keep an ear out for other listening opportunities in the near future. in the meantime you'll just have to take my word for it [&/or download what light to get a feel for yourself].

job security

2007-03-05T23:20:00.000-06:00

i've already shared this with many of you, & i must give credit to anne who sent it to me in the first place. this is one of those things that just can't be faked, & is the best example of paranoid schizophrenia that i have not had the pleasure of witnessing with my own eyes. listen closely at the beginning for someone in the crowd who whispers "uh-oh", & "there he is".

the dog

2007-03-01T22:56:00.000-06:00

sometimes i'm jealous

friends of the library

2007-02-24T11:46:00.000-06:00

last night, jon, rachel, amanda, & i went to the friends of the metropolitan library booksale. for my birthday, jon & rachel signed me up as a 'friend' which came along with 4 tickets for entry to the friday night 'members only' sale. amanda & i have been in the past on saturday evening or sunday afternoon & still found some good stuff. this was way better, getting first dibs instead of having to scavenge through the carcasses of old romance novels in hopes of finding a scrap someone left behind. after all was said and done, we got 26 great books for $27, & it might have been more had we not needed to leave at a certain point.

in other news, kunek will be playing this friday evening, March 2nd @ VZD's in okc. i will not go into how important it is for you to be there, but just trust me, you won't regret it.

the viewers decide

2007-02-05T11:08:00.000-06:00

the other morning, jason & i met up & had some jamba. i noted the contrast in our dress [he was on his way to a funeral, i had been riding my scooter in the freezing cold] & said that we looked like a tv detective team: jason, the clean-cut, play-by-the rules, no-nonsense cop, & jöe, the undercover, makes-his-own-rules, cop with an attitude. upon showing the photo to others, we've gotten some other suggestions:

-THE WINNER-
"This picture is nothing more than a mere before/after picture of a man who has brushed the cloak of Mr. Chuck Norris. The obvious telltale signs:
-Elevated height
-Excessive hair growth (typically around the facial & chest region)
-Condensing of the neck" - mguillot

"pharisee and jesus, you decide who jesus is...but my money is on him wearing aviators before a tie." -shannon paige

"preacher and evangelical enforcer?"-cody

"you look like the unabomber & his lawyer"-jon

"tony almeida & jack bauer"- darren

"are jason's hands real?"-sam

if you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

jeff tweedy

2007-01-20T23:58:00.000-06:00

[acuff-rose]

last night, despite the impending doom of icepocalypse that our devotedly reliable weathermen had foretold, i braved the frozen turnpike alone, in search of a musical adventure. i journeyed to my native tulsa to stand in the presence of one jeff tweedy [wilco, uncle tupelo]. he was playing a solo show at Cain's Ballroom, one of tulsa's oldest music venues, hailing back to the late1920's. It was originally a garage for a wealthy founding father of tulsa [brady], then a country music dance hall, now one of tulsa's best known music venues; with a rotten old hardwood floor so rickety that in many places there was bright green tape to keep folks from tripping over the dips & rises.

i was greeted, almost immediately upon entering, by winner, johanna, kyle, & cody. this was a happy accident, as none of us knew beforehand that the others would be there. i tried to call cody in advance, but his phone was "all jacked up again", meaning he didn't pay his bill, again... along with those mentioned above, i was surprised to see one of my old flames, transporting me all the way back to 4th grade. there were many beards present, as well as quite a few skinny young men wearing t-shirts with scarves, a phenomenon that is relatively new to me.

i was somewhat disappointed that they had set up chairs [reserved seating] covering nearly all of the dance-floor area. those of us who didn't up the extra few dollars were forced to stand beside & behind. i was still able to take everything in from several vantage points, sometimes front-extreme-stage-left, sometimes in back of all those who were seated, & sometimes stage-right-halfway back. the sound was good pretty much everywhere, & i hope john's recording comes out well.

the show began right on time, & we were only forced to suffer the opening act for about 4 songs. i didn't even catch their name, as i was busy talking with friends. jeff tweedy took the stage @ 9:00 & played for an hour, then countinuing through 3 encores [totaling about another 45 minutes]. he commented early on that the crowd was rowdy, chatted between songs, & seemed to be in good spirits. before the show, john said he hoped someone would say something dumb to get jeff to react like on his dvd. he was chatty, telling stories about his kids, asking [rhetorically] what it is about what he [& other musicians in general] do that causes people to scream "whoo!", something i've wondered myself. the songs he played ranged from uncle tupelo, wilco, woody guthrie, & even a couple new ones. it was very laid back & enjoyable, with occasional sing-alongs, some laughs, & an overall feelgood atmosphere. between reading the book about wilco, watching the sunken treasure dvd, listening a lot to a solo bootleg i had, & being pretty familiar with the two bands, i knew most of the songs, but i would guess that some might have felt a little disappointed in the setlist [in terms of familiarity] because he leaned pretty heavily on some of his lesser-known material. i especially enjoyed airline to heaven, remember the mountain bed, heavy metal drummer, & shot in the arm. he capped off the final encore with acuff-rose, played without any amplification ["the way music was performed here for decades"] standing on the edge of the stage as everyone crammed forward to hear. he delivered some great music, & definitely left us wanting more.

p.s. neither snow, nor ice impeded my journey in the slightest... sorry jenn, i sold your ticket for $20.

deerhoof=deerpoop?

2007-01-13T00:06:00.000-06:00

[satomi matsuzaki, of deerhoof, doing God knows what]

can someone please tell me what the hell is going on with deerhoof?! i feel like i'm in the twilight zone on this issue. ever since the flaming lips show, where deerhoof were openers, i have been hearing about them everywhere, largely when artists that i listen to are asked who they are listening to. the problem is: i thought they were ridiculously bad [in the forced to witness a trainwreck sort] . i can't wrap my head around what it is that everyone is into. is it one of those so bad/weird its good kind of things? is it pity? a fad?

most recently i was reading an interview of david bazan [pedro the lion], who listed them as a band he has been listening to. before that, the flaming lips, as well as 2 or 3 others in between [that i have since repressed for my own psychological well being] & i think i even read about them in rolling stone.... the lead singer & sometimes bass & occasional onedrumstick player [a tiny asian girl] mainly seemed to just bounce around, making noises or repeating odd words/ phrases ["bunny bunny bunny beep beep honk...."]. i grant that the instrumentals were decent & when satomi was not distracting me, it was ok [mostly because i knew the lips would more than redeem the evening]. i don't think she speaks english or at least does so infrequently, as the drummer kept coming up to introduce the next song, etc., & that was strangely bothersome to me. "but jöe, what about sigur rós & other bands you like that have odd, non-english, & even otherworldly vocals & noises?" listen, don't even try to compare the two, that is foolish & i will stab you.

the point is: beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but if you like deerhoof, then you either have a 6th, bad-music-enjoying sense, or someone has paid you. i will now cleanse my musical palette by listening to a track from explosions in the sky's imminent release, all of a sudden i miss everyone [won't you join me?].

{postscript}
since drafting my scathing review of deerhoof above, i found an e.p. on their website & have listened to some of it. i won't say that it has changed my tune, but it might not be quite as terrible my live experience. the music still sounds good, & maybe she does speak english after all... listen for yourself & tell me what you think. who knows, maybe i'll come around?

2006-12-27T20:56:00.000-06:00

may the holidays find you spending quality time with those who mean the most to you.

sometimes you just need one

2006-12-07T11:38:00.000-06:00

kunek/ nov 17th/ VZD's/ 8:00pm

2006-11-11T16:22:00.000-06:00

by the way, no i'm not dead. thanks for asking.

i heard these guys @ galieo's over the summer. i hate going to shows at galieo's [good food/ wine, but awful set-up for music & they always let WAY too many people in]. but, when a good band comes to town, sacrifices must be made! they were incredible despite the drunk girls that were all up ons the back of my chair, & the fact that my view was blocked for most of the show. VZD's is a much better venue for music [though lacking in the quality vittles]. i violently urge you to attend. give kunek a listen. they are appearing with the uglysuit, who sound pretty good from what i've heard.

VOTE ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 7th!

2006-11-04T00:06:00.000-06:00

Vote the Environment

Vote Mental Health

my sweet ride

2006-10-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

band of horses

2006-09-24T01:30:00.000-05:00

[this is neither my photo nor even from the same show]

band of horses finally made it back to town after their failed attempt last march. as expected, they delivered a quality show, despite the lack of the bearded guy [pictured center]. the show was @ the conservatory, & while i had heard of their subpop labelmate chad vangaalen, i had never heard him. neither had i heard of simon dawes, so i went late, hoping to miss the openers. to my dismay, the show hadn't even started yet [though i got there 1.5 hours after doors opened], but i enjoyed what i heard. simon dawes sounded like a band i will be into when their next album comes out. i can't quite put my finger on it, it just seemed like they need to progress a little further to satisfy my palate. their guitarist reminded me of some of the stuff you hear from wilco, all distortiony & whatnot. they only played about 15min. but it was pretty good. up next was chad vangaalen. i listened somewhat disinterestedly at first waiting in vain for one friend to show up @ all, & a little longer for another. it sounded alright, so i decided to go out onto the floor & get a better look. to my surprise he was onstage all alone! he was playing guitar, singing & had a kick-drum set up. it was pretty badass. he was joined later by a drummer & the lead from dawes on keyboard. i'd say i would listen to his album if someone burned it for me, but i won't be going out to purchase it. finally, boh took the stage & played several songs from their album, as well as a cover of 'you don't have to call me darlin', which was fun. there were a couple of songs i was hoping for that didn't get played, though it was a moderately long set, without significant pauses or interruptions between songs. if you havent heard band of horses, click here & give funeral a listen. by the time they got up to play i was pretty tired, so i wasn't as stoked as i had been when i first heard they were coming, but they were worth the wait.

christmas @ the zoo

2006-09-16T19:13:00.000-05:00

[jöe in full flaming lips regalia]

[stolen from ryan. i was much closer than this, but with no camera]

so i said before that this show was spiritual, & i meant it. those of you who know what has been going on with my family know why. the opening bands aren't worth mentioning except to say that deerhoof is screwed up![bunny bunny bunny]. anyway, the band descended from a ufo [which later tipped back to create an intense light show] amidst a swarm of santas, alien chicks, & superheroes. wayne climbed out on top of the ship & got inside a huge clear inflated ball, then proceeded to crowd walk like a giant hamster. canons fired confetti out above the crowd which remained aloft due to the heat generated by rabid fans while huge beach balls & inflatable killer whales danced at arms length over their heads. speaking of rabid fans, the show was being filmed for a live dvd & lots of people wore all kinds of great costumes.

at one point, much like our pastor does each sunday morning during prayer, wayne reminded the crowd that there were those among us that were dealing with incredible sadness & great tragedy in our lives & that this collective was an opportunity to show love, both to those who you came with, & to the 10,000 strangers all around! the song do you realize? followed... i'm not sure if i can do justice by attempting to further explain... listen

i can confidently say that [barring another lips show] i will never have another live show experience like that. they played for approx. 1.5 hours &, of course, 3 hours wouldn't have come close to being enough. they played all their best songs, mostly from the 3 most recent albums, but also resurrected she don't use jelly, & love yer brain. wayne alternately sang through a blow horn, with hand puppets, & at one of the evening's many perfect moments [during my cosmic autumn rebellion], walked out onto the audience catwalk with an electronic bird flapping its wings held above his head. i'll be honest, i got all choked up [no lie].

wayne commented @ the end of the show that they get to play to the best audiences in the world & it's because of love, the love they have for what they do, the love their fans have for them, & the humanistic service they do for all who listen via the thematic 'existential optimism' prevalent in their large body of work. he said 'you don't have to worry about violence breaking out at a flaming lips show'...'aerosmith can't say that!'...

[postscript] i didn't take my camera because i didn't want to be distracted by all of the amazing photos i could have been taking, so i'm reduced to stealing from my friends...

andy's review
ryan's review

p r e v i o u s f l a m i n g l i p s p o s t s

get your motor runnin...

2006-08-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

jöe & jon rev up for a country ride [photo by rachel]

don't call me daughter [updated]

2006-08-04T16:40:00.000-05:00

ok, after getting the fridge treatment [see below], my phone seems to have made a full recovery with no lasting ill effect.

in other news, we are now the proud owners of two (2) shiny new tickets to the flaming lips @ the okc zoo amphitheatre!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
actually, don't call me anything, especially not on my cell phone. i dropped it in a mud puddle today. it is currently in the refridgerator, listed in critical condition.

in the words of a friend, "my phone's all jacked up". except when i say it, it doesn't mean that i forgot to pay my bill!

this just in...

2006-08-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

ZAIREEKA!

2006-07-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

well, after so much hype, i had better get on with my review of the zaireeka listening experience. it went a little something like this....

[jöe sits back to take it all in]

this sunday past, an intimate group of 8 [+ 1 dog] sat & enjoyed/ endured 45 cumulative minutes of experimental music. i had situated the many stereos/ speakers that i have accumulated over the past couple of months in our dining room, a cluster in each corner, attached either to a cd player or 1 of 2 ipods wired into a couple of the systems.

[jon & andy unlock the secrets of the legend of the mysteries of zaireeka & share their combined knowledge with our circle]

there were 8 tracks, & with each one there was a little trick to getting all the sources cued up & started at precisely the same time. on at least 2 occasions, the vibrations from the track being played caused one of the cds to skip, resulting in a do-over here & there, finally we installed a pillow underneath the culprit & went on about our beeswax..

[ryan & jeff bask in the glory of sound source # 3, the most stable-with good reason]

there were screams, airplanes taking off, wails, barking dogs, & many other sampled sound bites woven into the experimental tapestry to which we would bear witness. at one point sofie started barking back at sound source #2 [aka the princess & the pea].

[cody regresses to an infantile state while amanda channels tupac during track # 6]

in the liner notes, wayne warned that infants & the elderly must not be near when track #6 is played, & even healthy adults might involuntarily begin vomiting or receive messages from the future due to the combination of hi/lo frequency sounds.... luckily there were no casualties. cody gained the power to predict the recent past. as for the music, at least 2 of the tracks [5 & 7] would have been really good to listen to even under normal circumstances, some of the others... not so much. we were mostly quiet as the music played, but in between tracks, as we set up for the next, we enjoyed provocative discourse related to the nature of perception, the bizarre lyrics & content, etc. i look forward to getting hold of a version of the album that has been mixed all together on 1 disc [for such a thing does indeed exist], mainly to be able to listen to those 2 tracks at will.

[jöe counts along while syncing sources & jenn gets stressed out by the process]

i think the consensus [though it wasn't spoken aloud] was that we were all glad to have taken part, would do it over again even knowing what we know now, but won't likely do it ever again. all in all it was a good time, we 8 [+1 dog] joined the ranks of the limited sphere who have experienced zaireeka in it's purest most unadulterated form. i invited wayne [via myspace] to join us, since he lives only about a mile away, but he sent his regrets [via jenn's brother-who works for delta airlines] as he was boarding a plane to somewhere else in the world not 36 hours prior to this historical event [his loss].

[my smokin hot wife]

andy's review
jeff's review

listening experience

2006-07-12T22:40:00.000-05:00

sunday, july 16th, 3:00pm, @ the old sjölin place, byob & chair

2006-07-07T23:52:00.000-05:00

wow! i just read the Wizard of Oz, the original book by L. Frank Baum, & it was really good. i'm kind of in a phase, having also read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland not too long ago, & have greatly enjoyed those stories & the imaginations that created them. Oz is a pretty quick read, i went cover to cover in about 2-3 hours, & i was shocked @ how little of the actual original story is included in the movie/ musical that we all know & love. pretty much everything that happened in the movie happened in the book, but that only accounts for maybe a third of the actual story. with the kind of capabilities we have for special effects these days, it would make for a great [non-musical i would hope] re-interpretation, making use of more of the original imagery, characters, plot, & storyline. be on the lookout in a couple years for a creepy tim burton re-make that will somehow utilize johnny depp [as the scarecrow?], christina ricci as dorothy, etc etc. & you should definitely read the book... but you don't have to take my word for it...

regressing toward the mean-or-nature vs. nurture

2006-06-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

lately i have been trying to eat better [better = smaller portions of the same unhealthy food]. but i have actually been eating homemade wraps for lunch, with provolone, turkey &/or roast beef, spinach leaves, flour tortilla, etc. this is one thing that i have been proud of. today, i decided to make a wrap. when i arrived at the fridge, i noticed we were out of provolone, the spinach had gotten a little gooey, etc. so i thought i would improvise. i got out my flour tortilla & the cube of sharp cheddar that was in the fridge. i grated some cheddar [a healthy dose] onto the tortilla, then microwaved them. then i added a couple bits of cream cheese for good measure & the sliced turkey. i rolled it up, began eating, & only then realized that i had built myself a homemade Hot Pocket! in my dismay all i could do was continue to eat it, pour myself some chocolate milk, & ponder the question of how things had come full circle so quickly & despite the great care i have been taking. i'm tempted here to expand upon this idea & the title of this post, but i know everyone would stop reading [& i need to go to work]. just do me a favor & give it some thought.

muzak

2006-06-22T12:16:00.000-05:00

i received david bazan's [formerly of pedro the lion fame] new solo debut ep fewer moving parts in the mail a couple of days ago. i pre-ordered the cd 2 weeks ago, then cancelled my order a day later after i realized i had no money. a week went by & suddenly i got a confirmation e-mail that my order had shipped. i responded with confusion stating that i had cancelled the order [& been refunded]but received the response "we don't let money troubles stand in the way of good music, besides we shipped all the pre-orders before we saw that you had cancelled, so enjoy a free cd"! i have been on board with pedro the lion since the whole ep, way back when, so i have always been excited when new albums came out. however, since achilles heel came out a year or so back with the addition of tw walsh to the roster i have been a little disappointed with the shift in pedro's music [see also headphones]. not that it wasn't still good [i'm always up for electronicy elements & so forth], just seemed like it was going a very different direction. sort of that same feeling when you have a good friend who becomes friends with someone you don't care for & you don't want to share. that & the fact that tw's songwriting is nowhere near as good [in my opinion] as bazan's. the new ep, sounds a great deal more like what might have been the logical successor to pedro's control album & finds david once again doing it all himself, as the ep title & lyrics of the track 'fewer broken pieces' describe:

'i still run the show & don't you forget it. so i had to let some go, don't think i don't regret it. 'cause i do & i don't think i'm better off alone. man, i could have had a big sound, but i love to let my friends down. fewer moving parts mean fewer broken pieces. when every other start requires a brand new thesis...' A+

i also gave a listen to thom yorke's new solo album the eraser today, but i need more time before i can comment. sounds good though.

livin on tulsa time

2006-06-18T23:34:00.000-05:00

hello my neglected blog friends... how i have missed you. what have you been up to jöe? well, i payed a solo visit this weekend to several friends in tulsa that i have not see in a long while. how is the sjölin clan these days? i didn't see my family, or even tell them i was in town, we were there only a couple of weeks ago to visit them, so i just snuck in & out, staying with those who i visited. so how was it? it was really a great refresher, after the year+ i spent withdrawing from everyone during the height of grad school & my suck-ass job, these are the friendships that payed the greatest toll. how bad was it? for example, one friend has been married almost a year now, & i just got to meet his wife for the first time this weekend. another friend (& former college roommate) introduced me to his 13-month-old son whom i had never seen. tell us more. i got to meet & give approval of yet another good friend's new lady love, & what a fine match i must say. even while @ a restaurant with some of these friends, i unexpectedly got to see a couple & their kids who now live in illinois, just happened to be passing through town this weekend, & by chance ate at the same hideaway pizza! did any of this get you thinking? well, as a matter of fact, i was thinking about how great it is to have the kind of friends where you are able to just pick up where you left off, even when so much time has passed & so much has changed in our lives. i also noticed how much i enjoy meeting friends' wives or potential life partners when it seems like such a good fit. that's cool, what else did you do? Poker & Spades were played, theology was 'discussed', & old times were reminisced. it was good. so what else is new? not a lot, really. i appreciate your curiousity though. i promise zaireeka is coming soon.

mccall and folks

2006-06-17T17:43:00.000-05:00

mccall anne smith- born 6.17.7 @ 17:43 to jason & katie

bad ass

2006-06-09T18:31:00.000-05:00

so i just watched the trailer again for the first time in a week or so, & i giggled with excitement. should i be ashamed? i'm not, & as the time draws closer i'm likely to do worse, such as skip around the room in tight circles, squeal like bobby hill, or even play dress up.

ink

2006-05-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

this is my new tattoo. i got it today at First Amendment Tattoo Company here in the city. they were doing this promotion today through 94.7 the Buzz where, between 11:00 & 1:00, they were doing tattoos for $9.47. i got there at 9:30 & was the first in line, followed shortly after by andy & jenn. my tattoo artist was named boogy. the design is from the logo for moog synthesizers. i wanted to get something music related, not because i'm a musician or anything, just a representation of my insatiable thirst for sound lately. i figured it's better than a music note or something [that would be misleading] but not so recognizeable that it would be like i was getting a tattoo of the golden arches, etc. i got it on my forearm, just below the crease in the front of my elbow. that way it's visible when i want it to be, but can be easily concealed even if i have shirt sleeves rolled up. unfortunately, andy's plans didn't work out because they said that the design he wanted to do would take too much time & effort [to look good] for the $9.47 deal. most of the ones they had out to choose from were about the size of a quarter or smaller, & real simple. they actually told me that they would, then they wouldn't, then decided to do it anyway. i was lucky. jenn got a bass clef tattoo on her foot. all 3 of us have other tattoo plans that will hopefully be realized in the near future, but that were too big, or too intricate, etc. for today.

nigh

2006-05-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

hosed

2006-05-09T17:08:00.000-05:00

here you see the hose that i wore through my nose & down into my esophagus for about 14 hours the other afternoon-night for the sleep study. it was fairly uncomfortable, but not painful. certainly worth the money, though i had more difficulty sleeping this time than before. this was largely due to the fact that the sleep techs were apparently having a huge party all night right outside the door of where i was sleeping. bastards. oh, well, i guess i shan't complain since i'm being payed to sleep, even if that does mean i get hosed.

iTrippin

2006-05-09T13:37:00.000-05:00

the latest chapter in the ongoing epic ipod saga involves iTrip, a handy little device that allows my ipod to transmit its lovely music over FM airwaves. a couple of weeks ago, just as the wall of sound was coming to fruition, the guts of my iTrip started spilling out. the 'member' of the iTrip [seen hanging down above] would stay plugged in when i tried to detach it to plug in headphones. this would expose wires & other witchcraft contained within the iTrip which gave it the powers i so desperately coveted.

by the way, i realize that this is boring & meaningless to anyone else, but it's been a dry spell for blogging material, so don't bother pointing it out to me.

anyway, for awhile, iTrip still worked, even in this disemboweled state, but some of the wires finally pulled loose despite the great care i took to pry the 'member' loose from the ipod proper with my swiss army knife. that was the day the music died as far as i was concerned because i could neither have tunes in my car, nor utilize my wall of sound that was dependent upon this revolutionary radio technology. in the meantime, i had great difficulty finding the same model of replacement iTrip because they have upgraded since then, & while i payed only $25 for mine around Christmas, the comparable model now costs $50. mine has since been clearanced out & would only earn me in-store credit of about $12.

luckily, just as my hope waned, as i was settling for $12 in-store credit & telling this sad tale to whomever would listen, the clerk revealed that she had just taken this very model as an exchange from someone who had an ipod incompatible with it, & so could trade mine for the opened one. i now have my music wherever i go, & the glory of the wall of sound has been restored. true story.

a wall of sound

2006-04-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

the fruits of a shameless plea...plus a sweet thrift store deal on a working fisher stereo shelf system [circa 1984], cabinet, & large floor speakers...plus a little time, ingenuity, & reckless disregard for how it should be done... [view from above & behind]

...equals one kick-ass home audio experience! just look at how thrilled sofie is as she enjoys the flaming lips cover of bohemian rhapsody at high volume. when you sit in the chair, you feel immersed in sound, much like being suspended underwater... only less drying off afterward. special thanks to melissa c, cathy & tim, the j family, my wife, & community thrift store.

phase one, the gathering, is now complete. before i could clearly articulate my plan, i had to be sure of what i would have to work with. the idea spawned from being unwilling to part with $300 for the Bose SoundDock, & reading about the flaming lips' parking lot experiments, boombox concerts, & 4-disc zaireeka! album [meant to be played simultaneously on 4 different stereos]. i thought it would be amazing to be able to construct a wall of sound out of these various old speakers & stereos. the result of the variance in size, output, quality, proximity, etc of all this mismatched audio equipment would be unrivaled! i have it set up now in usable condition, but my next step will be to find a way to integrate it all together permanently. until today i have been using my ipod's itrip fm transmitter to play off of all the different boomboxes simultaneously, but it is about to break. tonight i bought a cable to allow me to plug the ipod directly into the stereo system, but as of now it can't accomodate all of these wonderful speakers... begin phase 2

p.s. i'm still open to any other donations that anyone is looking to get rid of...

2006-04-26T00:10:00.000-05:00

sofie & jöe enjoy a couple of hours on the couch watching
the fearless freaks [photo by amanda]

2006-04-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

well, i have finally done it. finally put all my eggs in one basket, finally whittled my obligations down to only one job. i made the call yesterday & quit my [by now] only 1 day-a-week construction job. my boss was keeping me on, more for my sake than his, & we parted on good terms. no more excuses for not getting things done, caught up, & staying caught up. i can put all my energies toward therapy & continue full speed on the trajectory i started almost 3 years ago when i enrolled in grad school.

not that i hated the construction job or anything, it was just frustrating to work a full day's manual labor knowing that i could make the same amount of money in only a few hours, & be using my training instead of being the guy who doesn't really know what the hell he's doing. it was fun while it lasted, & i wouldn't have wanted to work with any other group. it really did save me from a pretty miserable job situation previously. but i'm happy to be movin' on. here's to everyone finding satisfaction in whatever you do...

i dreamed a dream

2006-04-14T22:22:00.000-05:00

i have never been much of an audiophile... or at least never one who has been willing or able to spend much money on whatever the gadget of the day might happen to be. as far as listening to my music goes, i have always been content with whatever i could get my hands on for mode of play. from the humble beginnings of a cheap gpx walkman to a nicer sony walkman, then a cd boombox followed by discman, then years later moving on to a minidisc player & now ipod, i have usually been well behind the times [i didn't even start listening to any music regularly until the 9th grade, & even then it was contemorary christian!]. i am certainly not complaining, especially since i got my minidisc player/ recorder on clearance & my ipod for free... & remember those glorious days of napster?

anyway, in keeping with my fashion of maximizing listening pleasure while minimizing cost, i have had an epiphany. it came this past week while i was reading Staring at Sound. cutting to the point, the flaming lips released a 4 disc album meant to be played simultaneously on 4 different cd players... the way each disc was mixed, along with the arrangement of 4 cd players apparently had results greater than the sum of its parts. i can't share my idea yet, lest some of you steal it & sabotage my plans [though i'm sure if you've read between the lines, you have already figured it out]. i have a humble request:

give me your tired, your poor, your old/unused but working stereo speakers & equipment that is out in the garage, boomboxes, computer speakers, etc, your huddled masses yearning to breath free...

i'll also probably be soliciting some of you for technical assistance... that's right andy, ryan, i'm lookin at you. keep in mind that this is an entirely selfish request, & while others may be able to share in my enjoyment, i am not asking you to lend me anything you ever want back. help me make the next leap in my own personal music listening enjoyment!

i lift my lamp beside the golden door...

-postscript-
just leave me a message here or on myspace if you have any donations, & i'll gladly come by to pick them up. also, if anyone has any leads on a decent working record player... i might be intere$ted.

poetry

2006-04-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

the gold in the mountain of our madness- the flaming lips

they started up the hill

with their young lives exploding still

they loved to dream and run

they had the grass and the trees and the sun

they dreamed of the gold they’d find

at the top of the hill as they climbed

no one would ever doubt

their spirit and strength could never run out

-there they go-

but the hill was steep and long

they never thought they’d be wrong

it wasn’t a hill at all

it was a mountain a thousand feet tall

with the gold still in their minds

they used their young lives to climb and climb

by the time they got to the peak

they were old and they were weak

there was no gold that they could find

it was all just in their minds

they’d dreamed and they had run

they found the grass and the trees and the sun

they said ‘what do we do now?

spend the rest of our lives climbin back down?

or we can treasure what we find

and make it golden in our minds’

-that’s what we’ll do-

sleep study

2006-04-04T22:01:00.000-05:00

[the metronap sleep pod]

who's up for another sleep study?! this one pays $400 & involves 2 overnights in the sleep lab. the only catch is, they put a tube through your nose down into your throat to measure the ph in your esophagus while you sleep. something about reflux/ heartburn during sleep... but they are looking for individuals who do NOT currently have those problems. there is NO experimental medication involved. call dr. goodrich @ the lynn health science institute 405.602.3956. i'm going in in the morning for my physical. they only have a few spots left, so call soon. tell em jöe sentcha!

massive meat

2006-03-18T13:21:00.000-06:00

so you may have gotten a text about this from me yesterday... some of you responded:

"penis -- $3.99"

"No thanks, i already have massive meat" [current winner]

"selling yourself again, huh joe? all those false promises are gonna come back to haunt you"

"ooh, what are the delivery options?!" [honorable mention]

"so we should probably head over there and see what we get offered, huh?"

please feel free to add your witty/ grody submissions to the comments section. the winner will receive eternal glory & lots of chicks.

the winner will actually receive NOTHING.

nerd city

2006-03-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

a tribute to wesley willis, by J Logan

i would like to take this opportunity to introduce Nerd City to those who have not already heard. it is basically a [dare i say] 'zine on the internets geared toward the shared interests of nerddom. the column categories are; don't bother me, i'm thinking, escaping life, life in space, spotlight on technology, & sydney brown's sixty seconds. so far the topics have ranged from semi-obituary pieces on wesley willis & don knotts, to cgi's impact on movies, to star trek, to video game reviews, & yes, even to social commentary. it seems to be on a bi-monthly distribution schedule currently, & is very accessible, even to the uninitiated. the guys behind this project are all devotess to their respective areas of interest, & each bring something special to the table. i highly recommend jumping on board now, while you are only 3 issues behind. catching up by reading everything straight through only took me about half an hour the other night. definitely worth the time.

nerd city, you might not regret it!!!

everything all the time = nothing at all, ever

2006-03-12T19:12:00.000-06:00

Band of Horses is soon to release their first full-length on sub-pop [March 21] but, even better, they have decided to grace our fair city tuesday next [14]. they are playing at the conservatory with rogue wave & others.... doors @ 7:00. i got to hear them with iron & wine in lawrence last april, & they were probably the best opening act i have ever heard. it was an unexpected little gift that night. anyway, clear your schedule & make time for this one, because they'll probably be big enough soon that they won't come back here for a good long while. all that has been available for listening [until now] has been a couple of random songs on their website, & a live demo ep... here is the re-recorded version of my favorite song [to date] of theirs from the new full-length.

{postscript}

i showed up at the conservatory around 8:15 hoping to have missed some of the other bands that i didn't care to see/ hear. it was eerily quiet as i approached, but there were a few people milling around outside so i continued confidently. as i was paying & getting my wristband i asked the guy at the front when everything was supposed to start, because i could hear someone doing a soundcheck, but no roar of fans anticipating musical bliss, etc. the place was ghosttown. then he uttered the words that effectively ruined [pronounced: roon'd] my evening. "we had a band drop out of the line up", [please don't say band of horses, please don't say band of horses!] "BAND OF HORSES got in a wreck & couldn't make it in. they are ok, just minor damage, but their van couldn't make it. i think they'll still be in austin for sxsw..." luckily, though i had stopped listening, i'm sure he could see the disappointment on my face & was more than willing to give my money back. but he could never replace the loss i felt that night....

i consoled myself by pre-ordering the album so as to avoid further heartbreak.

takk

2006-02-23T21:32:00.000-06:00

as mentioned in a previous post, amanda gave me the gift of live music for Christmas this year. i didn't get to unwrap it until last night, & there is no adequate symbolic language that could capture or even attempt a description of this show... but i'll do my best.

the lovely icelandic ladies of amina opened for & accompanied sigur rós. it is difficult to see in either of these photos, but the girl in the foreground is playing a large saw with a bow. this band began as a string quartet, but aside from the traditional strings, their repertoire of instrumentation has evolved to include, but was not limited to: a jack-in-the-box, multiple 'ring-for-service' bells, the saw played with bow & mallet, mandolin, xylophone & many other things that i either couldn't see or have never seen before. the sigur rós portion of the show looked like this as it began, with a sheer curtain in front of the stage that many lights & shadows danced upon. very dramatic, very suspenseful. indeed, i shat myself.you can see the shadow of georg here in the center of the scrim. he played bass. sometimes he played it with a drumstick.
this is kjartan. he played mainly piano/ keyboards, but occasionally wailed on a cracked out piccolo/ flute. believe it or not, i did NOT edit this photo. i didn't edit any of them except bringing up the light on amina & the last photo, & some cropping. yes, i am proud.
the venue was the uptown theater, a old converted [you guessed it!] theater with a sloped floor, some seating in back, a balcony, & great accoustics, providing the perfect container for the evening's tapestry of sound. this was one of the first shows in a while where i didn't have earplugs to dull the crashing of percussion, etc., but i didn't need them. wilco & others will be sharing that very stage in the near future.

this is orri. he is easily the hardest working progressive/ambient rock-pop, icelandic drummer i have ever seen. most drummers just keep a beat & play an occasionaly solo, but not orri. when not playing the xylophone or other imaginary instruments they have invented, he was wailing on his drums & cymbals, in keeping with the eruptive, layer-upon-layer build of each song. yet, as jenn pointed out, it was never too much, always just what the music needed.
meet jónsi. he is most of what you see in that blue/white blurr in the foreground. he is the vocalist, singing in icelandic & filling in the gaps with his own made up language. if there is one characteristic sound of sigur rós, it is jónsi's electric guitar played with a cello bow. that & his angelic shrieking, that's pretty distinctive too.[it has been described by the uninitiated as 'icelandic opium den music'. clearly no appreciation for fine things] here he can be seen doing what he does best as amina accompany in the background.

i took this photo during the song entitled sæglópur [roughly translated 'lost @ sea'] right at the moment where, about 30 or so seconds in, there is this explosion of sound [if you've heard the song, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about]. i just read that there will be an extended sæglópur ep & video released in the spring, with 4 new songs. they described it as coruscating, which the dictionary defines as: 'friggin awesome'.this was my moment of heartbreak, the final bow. they did 2 encores, & played for about 3 hours [though it seemed like only a few beautiful moments-much like a shooting star ;)].

admittedly, many of my photos are blurry. now, we can argue all night about who is to blame for that, but the point is, my distance from the stage & difficulty holding still while the shutter was open notwithstanding, this photographic phenomenon should be seen as a metaphor for the music. from start to finish, their music was a beautiful blurr, constantly moving, shifting, building, erupting, & never still until the last ferocious smash of orri's sticks on the drums, sending them flying as the grateful audience screamed for more, knowing it was over....

probably the best Christmas present ever.

takk is the name of the current album & is translated 'thanks'.

if i havent driven you away yet, you must be either already a fan, or incredibly patient. in either case, give a listen to the stream of sigur rós' live concert from reykjavík last nov. i have just finished listening to it in its 1.5 hour entirety while composing this mammoth blog post. it's the next best thing to being there, although no amount of listening to this band recorded could rival the live experience.

apologetics

2006-02-20T18:29:00.000-06:00

here's the thing, i have been an outspoken critic of most of the other hosts for 'online communities' [i.e. xanga, facebook, myspace, etc.] for quite some time. there are several good reasons for this, other than the inconvenience of chasing others across various domains, having to become a member just to leave a one-line comment or e-prop. the biggest problem i have is that most of these hosts are set up only to provide a front-page 'personality', & the interaction that takes place is only in the form of disjointed comments that are unrelated to those preceding and following. i also am concerned with the fact that many people 'interact' far more in these superficial domains than they do in their everyday lives, but that's another rant for another day. even so, in order to try and follow a thread of conversation, one must attempt to piece these tidbits together by traversing many different host-sites that are largely inaccessible unless one has an account with that particular host. so what does that leave us with? several online personalities all saying the same thing about us, in one form or another, just to satisfy our urge for superficial electronic 'connection'. i started with this blog through Blogger, then gave in to Xanga only so far as to set up a facade to lead my Xanga friends back here. then my brother & others got on Facebook [don't bother following this link unless you have a FB account] so i had to do that one too. which brings me to the pros/cons of competing sites. Facebook & Myspace DO have certain features like being able to search for long lost 'friends' that you would otherwise have blissfully lived without or connect to hot singles in your bracket, etc; & Xanga & Myspace DO grant you the powers to easily stream music on your front page. although it is frustrating that when you click on a different section of the site the music cuts off or restarts, or it interferes with what you were already listening to, etc. anyway, the POINT is, i begrudgingly gave in to Myspace because i had to to find a particular person, & now i have yet another place to sign in & check for messages...

in closing, i just wish that more people would use the BLOG sections of their Myspace & Facebook accounts. if you are going to spend ridiculous amounts of time online, crafting your e-you, at least give others some insight into who the hell you are, what you think about, etc., other than your vital statistics. you'll make the internets a better place.

2006-02-17T21:28:00.000-06:00

my omnipresence, once again, dominates the internets.

after nigh to a week with a failed hard-drive, a computer savior resurrected this portal through which i pass into cyberspace.

after such a powerful intro, i find myself at a loss for anything worthy to follow. mainly i wanted to put this eyeball on here, though.

thanks for the memories

2006-02-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

[24-hour party-people: jöe, andy, & the virgin mohair sweater]
the party was great, thanks to everyone who brought me their presence. thanks also to those who brought wine & other libations, i had nowhere near enough for as many people as there were.

a good day for music

2006-01-21T18:55:00.000-06:00

i received ester drang's new album rocinate today in the mail. it is not officially released until the 24th, but i pre-ordered it along with a couple sweet t-shirts & they shipped it early. jade tree [their label] is generally really cool about doing that sort of thing. the album is very good, but their sound has gone in a slightly different direction than what i had expected after hearing them live last year.

also, my dormant love affair with the flaming lips [pictured above] has recently been rekindled after reading an article about them in the nov/dec 2005 issue of oklahoma today in which they were featured, as well as listening to their new single the wand from their forthcoming album at war with the mystics to be released on 4 april. it sounds really good, i have listened to it about 9 times straight. they are also reportedly working on a cover of bohemian rhapsody.

finally, tonight @ galileo's, my good friend jenn's rock string quartet the stringents will be playing circa 9:00 w/ lisa curl. should be a very good time, musically & otherwise. see you there.

psykologi

2006-01-10T20:36:00.000-06:00

[it's swedish] so as i have mentioned previously, i have graduated & am now working as a therapist. this is my shameless advertisement. i do individual, family, & group psychotherapy for adults, adolescents & children. the fee is negotiated on an individual basis. if you know anyone who is looking for counseling & you feel comfortable referring them to me, i would greatly appreciate it. if you do refer them to me, please do NOT give them my blog info, for that would be an ethical indiscretion on my part to see someone who was able to read & know these many personal things about my life. my work number is 405.717.6200, or if you know me & have my cell, you can give them that [i just prefer not to post it here].

2006-01-03T18:37:00.000-06:00

guess who's back, back again. that's right, like the mythical phoenix, a new ipod has arisen from the ashes of the old. i took my deceased ipod in to the apple store today to find out what it was gonna cost me to be able to enjoy my music again & they determined that it was a hardware failure, & since it hasn't been a year yet, they replaced it, for free!! now up to this point, i really haven't given apple any money. but even so, they just won themselves a customer for life. i couldn't believe it. the kind i had is no longer in production, but they gave me a refurbished one at NO CHARGE! i will definitely buy apple stuff in the future. while i have been typing this, my new ipod has been sucking over 5 days worth of music through a skinny white cord off my computer. in about 10 minutes, i'll be back in action. pace.

fun @ the farm

2006-01-02T21:35:00.000-06:00

not all of our time at the farm was spent performing murderous acts upon the wildlife. here we can be seen walking, skating, & otherwise frollicking on a frozen river/ creek above a beaver dam. mark, amanda's dad, told me i was hip & an intellectual when he saw me smoking my pipe, so i got that going for me... its always a relaxing time out at the farm, & of course sofie loves it. she especially loves wrestling with the 4 labs that live there. but it is so nice to finally be home after about 9 days away. not so nice to have to start back to work, but the weather is nice...& with any luck [if the state will hurry up & send me my approval letter] i can resume seeing my clients & start getting paid as a therapist.

hunter/ gatherer

2005-12-30T20:38:00.000-06:00

[photo reluctantly taken by amanda, from a distance]

yes, that is me pictured above... the cold hearted bastard that shot bambi. actually, his name was frank. while at the farm in iowa, david [amanda's grandpa] took me out on their land, determined for me to shoot my first deer. we went out just before nightfall & waited at the edge of the timber, where the deer warily emerge at dusk to try to find beans & corn that were not harvested. what a surprise to find me waiting in the bushes! as i lined the crosshairs up just behind his front shoulders & pulled the trigger, with a puff of white smoke & loud bang, frank met his end. actually, he apparently jumped up in the air [i didn't see for a second because i was still looking through the scope & the smoke obscured my view] & with all the other deer, scrambled for cover. i watched as he [or what i later realized was him] ran off into the brush more slowly than the rest, but wasn't sure in all the confusion of 4 or 5 deer which was which. david & i looked all around the bean field, but i finally decided to go back & follow where i saw the slow deer go in. about 20 yards in, near a barbed-wire fence i could see the white of his belly lying on the ground. up to this point, i thought i had shot a doe. i approached & was relieved to find that he was already dead, & not struggling or in pain. i stood over him for a moment to kind of take it in, but i felt nothing. no bloodthirsty thrill of the kill, no overwhelming sorrowful remorse for what i had done. everything was very still & quiet. i bent down & patted him, told him i was sorry, & then went to find david who was still looking on the other side of the field. i'll spare you the details of field-dressing, skinning, & cleaning... but needless to say, it was an experience i won't soon forget. by the way, this was not just a sport-kill, we will be eating the spoils of this victory, i'm told iowa deer taste much better than those from around here because they are corn-fed... then again, iowans think all the crap that comes from their state is better. maybe its because they are corn-fed...

tickets

2005-12-27T11:36:00.000-06:00

feb 22 • uptown theatre, kansas city, mo
thanks to my wife's incredible gift-giving, i will be seeing sigur rós live in feb!
i also have been enjoying aqua teen hunger force dvd's, thundercats, a variety of books, sweet t-shirts & more. good times with family & toys.

season's greetings

2005-12-24T21:47:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

weeping & gnashing of teeth

2005-12-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

so the free ipod maybe on its last legs. i bought a car charger & an fm transmitter so i could listen to my new guns n' roses greatest hits cd in the car on the way to iowa... & my ipod kept locking up, NOT playing any music. finally, about an hour outside of des moines, it locked up completely & stayed that way for about 4 hours. just before bed, i pulled out the owner's manual & 'reset' it, hoping to unfreeze it & enjoy some sweet child o' mine. after nothing happened, i gave up & went to sleep. when i awoke this morning it was unfrozen, but in the process, i also erased ALL of my music, so i got that goin for me.... while i know i can load it all back on with no problem [WHEN I GET HOME IN 7 DAYS!] i can't help but worry that this is a problem that will not go away. maybe instead of guns n' roses i should listen to the doors' -this is the end- please pray for me during this tragic time. if you have an ipod, cherish it, hug it, because you never know when it could be gone...

cybernetic ghost of christmas past from the future*

2005-12-15T00:39:00.000-06:00

[photos by jenn]

meet santos; holiday cookie villain/ timetravelling cyborg assassin. i must say that anytime santos reveals himself in my dessert creations, not even i know what form he will take. it is not i that works, but santos' spirit working/channeling through me... it's ok, don't feel bad, i don't know what the hell i'm saying either. he was mighty tasty though, vanilla/ cream cheese icing on a gingerbread cookie... mmmmmmmm sacrilicious.....!*

congraduations

2005-12-11T23:42:00.000-06:00

[telephoto by amanda]

i have many more photos of the triumphal day, but for some reason blogger is taking forever, so this will be all for now. the commencement was long, but once we headed across the stage, it seemed to be over so suddenly. mayor cornett spoke for about 45 minutes about God knows what, seemingly without any one point. good times with friends, family, dr. gresham, and the Lord. hope everyone else had a good weekend.

for andy & joe

2005-12-06T22:45:00.000-06:00

just seemed appropriate in light of recent events. tribute.

sigur rós

2005-12-05T21:21:00.000-06:00

sigur rós, accompanied by amina & a nine-piece brass band, held a concert in their hometown reykjavík. seventeen musicians were on stage at once, & the audio & visuals, backdrops & lights all came together magnificently. in the words of the band: "our best concert this year". this is a link to a full webcast of this 132 minute concert, as well as photos & a review of the show.

altruism

2005-12-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

i prefer Hiland, but this is the only good photo google offered

so the season is in full swing, you've seen the cookie, i have successfully drank my first half-gallon of egg nog, the tree is up, & today we begin buying presents. Christmas music is everywhere i go, & i already got in trouble the other night for mockingly singing along with Elvis at home, guess it kinda ruined it for amanda. what one must understand is that i worked at kay-bee toys for several holiday seasons in a row during high school & college. until you have worked on what retailers call black friday, you can't possibly understand what that does to a person. listening to the same 4 hours of canned Christmas music over & over throughout a 16 hour workday while angry parents who have been lined up at the door since 4:30 am desperately scavenge for the current year's furby or bite-me-elmo. it is a circus as everyone knows. what everyone doesn't know is the Post-Traumatic Stress that ensues for those who survive. certain songs trigger flashbacks that i can't even begin to describe... it is a delicate line that we veterans must walk during this trying time. for these & other reasons, i have set up a charitable organization to raise funds to help those afflicted by SAD [SEASONal Aversion Disorder]. your donation of $10, $15, or $50 will provide a former seasonal employee with Christmas cheer by enabling him to buy more books, music, & toys with which to distract himself until this years' conflict has ended. we also accept new, unwrapped psychology books, gift cards for music & dvds, as well as your used car or boat [no tax receipts will be given]. to donate, send a check or money order to Jöe Sjölin Ministries, P.O. BOX 12255 OKC, OK, 73003, or call 1-800-SAD-NO-MORE to arrange pick-up/ drop-off. to reward your selfless giving, our organization will send you a window cling stating "i gave to Jöe", clearly proving to your neighbors & friends that you are better than them.

no cling will be sent to participants. Jöe is likely to use this $$ for his own selfish gain. all check info WILL be used to drain your account.

shitchyeah

2005-11-27T22:40:00.000-06:00

just e-mailed my last ever grad school paper... feels nice

[2 hours later]
great, drank a bunch of hot tea whilst writing my paper & now i can't sleep... you are a harsh mistress snu. this'll be the last night's sleep you'll take away from me ever again! i guess its fitting really...

happy t-day

2005-11-24T00:16:00.000-06:00

meChurch

2005-11-22T21:09:00.000-06:00

get ready for the next rEvolution in worship experience...
watch the video here.

yule

2005-11-20T22:37:00.000-06:00

the first cookie of the season, by amanda

if batman was a carpenter...

2005-11-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

...then i have his utility belt.

ok, i'm not even sure what that means. i do, however, now own all my own tools & a very cool belt to hold them in [until now i have been borrowing an old belt & tools from my boss]. jon & i went out on saturday for 'big tool day' as he called it, & made these purchases. i wanted to get a few paychecks behind me & give it a trial run before making a financial commitment to my new trade... so i guess this means i'm IN. as i'm writing this i laugh to myself because i just called in for tomorrow morning due to other stuff i have to get done...

things have been busy, as can be seen by my infrequent & shallow posts. let's play a little catch up...

school is winding down, the upcoming weekend will mark my last 2 days of grad school, with graduation in december. i keep getting new therapy clients at my internship/ future job, which is a good thing because i'll need at least 20 hours a week for licensure, & as soon as i graduate i'll start getting paid for it. the days seem long when i go to work at 7:30, rush home to clean up at noon, then spend all afternoon/evening in therapy. luckily, thats only 2 days a week right now. eventually i'll work 1/2 days carpentry & half therapy. it makes for a good balance.

i've been seeing my own therapist for almost a month now. the grad program at SNU builds a certain amount into tuition to cover about 10 sessions. so far, it has been pretty good. last week we started digging into some stuff that spurred new thinking. i hope it continues. not only is it professionally responsible to undergo my own ongoing therapy, but i have wanted to do this for a long time. the timing is also a plus what with my mom popping back up a month ago. it's kind of weird being on the couch instead of in the chair, but it's nice to have someone listening to & taking care of me for a change. i highly recommend it for anyone & everyone.

i'm listening to andrew bird's the mysterious production of eggs that guillot or tyler gave me some time ago & it's really good. i kind of get alot of music at once from others sometimes, but then it takes me a few months before i really give it a good listen & absorb it into my regular listenings. this is one of those cases. thanks guillot or tyler!

so enough about me, what have you been up to?

long days, good days

2005-11-09T21:51:00.000-06:00

fair & balanced

2005-11-08T16:56:00.000-06:00

finally, a news source that reports the truth...
amanda found this on the internets...

pumpkins

2005-10-30T20:52:00.000-06:00