Late Wednesday evening I embarked on a nocturnal photogging journey with my buddy Seanathon Tedwerd and a new friend, Caleb. The following photo resulted:
The purpose of the journey was to take star trail photos and view the Perseids meteor shower. We were successful on both accounts.
We ended up finding the perfect spot to take photos -- a small dirt road connecting Power Road and the Beeline Highway that passed at the foot of Red Mountain (is that even the real name of the mountain?). The headlights in Sean's van threatened to cut out several times but that only contributed to the spirit of adventure and camaraderie.
With work in the morning, I didn't get home to 3:30 a.m. -- it was worth it.
This album has been in and out of my CD player (yeah, I still listen to CDs) during the past couple weeks:
These Four Walls by We Were Promised Jetpacks
There are quite a few things I like about this band:
-- Their name. I'd like to know who has the ability to make (and keep) such a promise. And how one gets promised a jetpack.
-- I don't know what it is, there's just something raw, something a bit more manly, a bit more tough about this guy's voice. Maybe it's the slight rasp, maybe it's his Scottish accent, but it's probably both.
-- Electric guitars. Nothing searing, soaring or face-melting, just dirty and sometimes dynamic. More often than not that's all I ever need.
-- They're touring with Jimmy Eat World (more on them later) this fall. Not sure if they'll be playing at JEW's TBD Arizona show but a guy can hope, right?
*****
I kinda like it when Brandon Flowers makes religious allusions in his songs. He's LDS too so I feel like I can relate -- or at least I can understand where he's coming from. That said, I really enjoy the single "Crossfire" from his forthcoming solo album, Flamingo.
There's just something about the way Charlize puts her arm around him at the end there. It's cute. Flamingo is out September 14.
*****
Speaking of September, it's shaping up to be a good month as far as music releases go. My hometown homeboys Jimmy Eat World release Invented on September 28. This could be their best album in a long while for at least two reasons:
1. Producer Mark Trombino is back -- his resume includes prior JEW releases Static Prevails, Clarity, and Bleed American, not to mention a slew of albums by other 90s emo/indie/post-punk greats like No Knife and Knapsack.
2. Tom Linton -- JEW guitarist and former full-time JEW vocalist -- takes over lead vocal duties for one song on this album -- something he hasn't done since Clarity in 1999.
JEW has yet to announce a date in Arizona for their upcoming tour this fall but they have assured fans via Twitter/Facebook that they are indeed planning a show in their home state. To that I say, thank you Jimmy Eat World for not sweeping your AZ fans under the rug like so many other bands have because of SB1070 (for the record, JEW opposes SB1070).
*****
For me, blogging about movies would be sort of like someone who listens to the radio and occasionally downloads a song from iTunes blogging about music (OK, not exactly -- I like movies more than that, but I definitely wouldn't call myself a movie guy). Nevertheless, I encourage those who have yet to see this movie to go see it:
Here's why:
1. It's a good movie.
2. Cohesive cast.
3. Why is it that anything successful in Hollywood is either based on a book or a remake of another movie? Inception is great because it's an original story -- not based on a book, not based on another movie, but based on a screenplay -- and it's been successful at the box office. Hopefully, filmmakers will realize they don't have to regurgitate someone else's premise in order to make a few bucks (or a good movie). (Ironically, none of Christopher Nolan's other box office successes, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight, are not his original works -- but they're nevertheless very well done.)
4. Finally, financially, I hope it does better than the latest Twilight installment. (Which, by the way, was awful. This is coming from the guy who kinda liked the second movie, so I'm not just being biased or close-minded.)
"Well, this ain't none of it true. It's a kind of a--a whatchamacallit--"
"Hypothetical question?"
"I guess so."
"S'pose there's a guy and he's in trouble."
"Yes?"
"Well, he can't get out of it. But he got a friend maybe he don't know about."
"That's you," said the seer.
"No it ain't! It's some other guy. I forget his name." He hurried on. "Well, s'pose the guy's in trouble and there's one way he can get out but he can't do it. You think his friend ought to do it?"
"Certainly."
"Even if it hurt like hell?"
"Certainly."
"Even if it might maybe not work?"
"Certainly. I don't know what the situation is with your Doc, but I know how it should be with you. If you love him you must do anything to help him--anything. Even kill him to save him incurable pain. This is the highest and most terrible duty of friendship. I gather what you must do is violent. You must first make sure it can be successful, and you must, second, make sure within yourself that you know you will be punished. It is quite possible that even if you are successful your friend will never speak to you again. That takes a lot of love--maybe the greatest love. Make sure you love him that much."
Hazel caught his breath, "Hell, there ain't no such guy. It's hypa--it's malarky, a kind of riddle."
"I guess you do love him that much," the seer said.
I paid an unexpected visit to the Grand Canyon last Sunday night and all I came away with was this photo:
I'd've liked a more in-focus background but when you're in an empty, secluded parking lot late at night in Northern Arizona you start worrying about skinwalker attacks -- not a terribly conducive atmosphere for making sure your camera is in focus.
I was driving home from Utah when I was forced to make a bit of a detour because of forest fires just north of Flagstaff. Here's my route:
Who needs a fancy Mac or Photoshop when you have Microsoft Paint? Best image-editing software out there. Period.
My detour took me past the Grand Canyon. I'm a pretty in-the-zone traveler and I was already behind schedule but if people come from around the world to see the Grand Canyon, I might as well stop and snap a pic. So I did.
So apparently I used to blog. It's not that I haven't had anything to blog about -- AZ's immigration law, feelings on leaving Colorado and moving to Arizona, books I've read recently (I, Robot, The Trial, Catch-22), the LOST season finale, book(s) I'm reading now (Sweet Thursday -- welcome back Mr. Steinbeck), my new job, friends, family, et cetera and so on (strangely music wasn't included on that list... I need new tunes). I've been adjusting to some recent life changes and blogging has fallen by the wayside.
So be it. Life is good and if a good life doesn't include as much blogging as it used then, well, so be it.
I do, however, hope to blog more because in the past it's been a way for me to discover things about myself that I don't necessarily find out until I write them down (since I'm too lazy too keep a journal and vain enough to want others to know about the inner workings of my brain (or more accurately, the lack thereof)).
Arizona has been treating my well since I've moved back (already four weeks ago, wow). I'm glad I'm finally getting settled down enough where I'm starting to develop routines and itching to pick up neglected hobbies (sadly, I haven't touched my camera since I've been back).
I love the summer. Even when it's 107 outside (although this weekend has been supernal -- yesterday's high of 85 was downright refreshing and today's 91 felt wonderful). No doubt I'll be sick of the heat by August. But then I'll remember how the month of October in other states (*cough* Idaho, Colorado *cough*) is worse than Arizona's January and the sweltering heat won't seem so bad.
So apparently April has been a slow month for blogging.
Two Wednesdays ago during a particularly slow day at work, I was looking for a way to stream stream MGMT's new album. Amongst the MGMT related pages I found was a link to a cover of MGMT's "Time to Pretend" by Jónsi. The link took me to Jónsi's website. I listened; his version is better. At the beginning of April Jónsi released a new album -- Go -- which I hadn't bothered to check out yet. I had read somewhere that it was supposed to be a mellow acoustic album and the idea of such an album left me feeling pretty indifferent.
But since I was there at his website, it wouldn't hurt to listen to a few tracks, right? Especially after such a compelling version of "Time to Pretend". I could check the new MGMT album after listening to a song or two from Jónsi. But after 30 seconds of "Go Do", the first song from Go, I forgot who MGMT was and I certainly didn't care about hearing their new album.
Check this album cover. Jónsi at his indie superhero best.
Almost as epic as anything Sigur Rós has done -- and possibly more epic than Lord of the Rings -- it turns out Go is anything but a mellow acoustic album.
Naturally I made plans that day to see Jónsi in Denver the following week on April 21.
Mere hours after first listening to this album and making said plans to attend his show, I received a communication via text message from my buddy Abel. It read, verbatim:
"Hey do you want go to the jonsi concert at the paramount theater on the 21st... Ill get you on the guest list if you can give alex a thumb drive for me."
The only suitable response to this question was, "Yes yes and yes" (which, by the way, is what I said). Anyway, how Abel knows Alex -- Jónsi's boyfriend and guitarist in his touring band -- is probably too much to explain for now. Just know that it resulted in a guest pass to Jónsi's show last week at the Paramount Theater in Denver.
Epic: an adjective I've already used twice in this post. It's an adjective that I'll use once more in describing Jónsi's live set: epic. Comparisons would be helpful to describe this concert, but really there is nothing I can compare it to because it was unlike concert I've ever experienced, and most likely, unlike anything I will ever experience in the near future. It was like enjoying a live art exhibit -- that's the best I can come up with.
The guest pass Abel hooked me up with included a trip backstage after the show to meet the band. I shook Jónsi's hand -- he was quite the cordial fellow -- but I didn't say much, which is a pretty natural reaction for me in a room full of people (there were six other fans in the room as well), though my silence was punctuated intermittently by quick conversations with Alex.
Once "Gansta's Paradise" began playing on the drummer's iPod in the far corner of the relatively small dressing room, I knew the night couldn't get any better. I took that as my cue to leave, and with a quick thank you and goodbye, I was on my way back to Colorado Springs.
