Friday, July 26
so, i continue to continue. i worked into quite a rhythm at this last time, let's see how it goes.
Monday 22 July
martha's 17th birthday. my present was as asked for another mix cd. on the bus to ny it occurred to me that a lot of the song titles include easily illustratable nouns (first few songs: "this little ukelele" "cigarettes and chocolate milk" "vegetables" "heavy metal drummer" "blimps go 90" "buggin'" "ms. fat booty.") so rae and i (mostly her) worked throughout the day when we had a spare moment on the cover art. but we didn't finish in time. oh. last track: "what a nice way to turn 17" by the crystals. title: "nice! way to turn seventeen!"
we listened to call and response on the drive up to saranac with my cute parents singing along the doot-do-doots.
the group at saranac: all gravitzes except zoe, dan and mami and dogs, and mike and dede. some of them had gone to see peter yarrow the night before, and even sang on stage with him (lily and bobby)
lily is about 2.5, she is talkative and ineffable; ella is 8 months, and a bit shy. she has funky toys.
we went swimming at the boathouse; swam out to dog rock and just sat in the sun. aah.
lunch; guideboat (with bobby) - i think that's where i got this sunburn that's now finally going away. i played "martha my dear" on the boathouse piano, and we jumped off the roof.
bowling in the late afternoon (martha's getting really good) i did okay until my concentration was ruined after rae and i discovered an electronic jukebox with blondie, hank williams, soul coughing, lou reed, and salt 'n' pepa. i won an extra song.
then lobster dinner (although i opted for haddock and a crab cake instead) which, with our large group is always an event. mountain mist was out of soft-serve for some reason.
and charades afterward ("i got it bad and that ain't good," which i somehow miraculously guessed in about five seconds, "leopard skin pillbox hat," "the misfortune of the unattractive".) oh, all these traditions piling up. big family funtime. the reunion will be a good time too, i'm looking forward to it. okay, on with this.
Tuesday 23 July
after a perfectly typical day of knollwood activities, this was a perfect wanakena day, even better because we didn't have to travel anywhere for the first day in a while. it's always nice to have someone new to share these places with (and i so often do) - it's easier to appreciate, for instance, family when i can see it through a newcomer's eyes. it allows me a bit of psychological distance when i want it, the power to be an observer as well as a participant in the shenanigans.
what did we do? not much, or maybe a lot of things in a very relaxed manner. we got up late (post noon), sat around reading and eating breakfast. we took the obligatory walk around the island, which turned into a stroll to the ranger school at the end of the road. more relaxing, and then a little paddle up the river to the bridge and back, singing dylan. my folks went to star lake for much of the day, so we mostly had the place to ourselves.
rae and i made dinner: artichokes, tofu/mushroom/broc stirfry, and some colorful salad. then a game of oh hell.
and then the really terrific part, which just made the whole trip: rae and i took a midnight sweat and then a lengthy dip in the moonlight, in the misty river, which (after the sauna) felt amazingly luxurious, warm and slightly viscous, even after it seemed like it should have worn out. even getting out, i hardly felt wet or cold. perfect ending (along with a game of scrabble and marc ribot) to a lovely week.
Wednesday 24 July
the return trip. so that i could accompany rae for as much of the drive as possible, we planned to meet dan at an exit off the northway, at 1:30. i drove the whole three and a quarter hours and got us to the meeting spot precisely on time (dan got confused about exits, understandably since apparently all of them have a stewarts on the right.)
we stopped along the way for photographs and 15 cent root-beer popsicles at the meat store of the north. that shall be a tradition, i decree, every time we go through warrensburg to get there.
more misadventures once we had met up, trying to find a legendary diner in latham. excellent onion rings (one of rae's two new foods for the weekend, along with artichokes.) and they had those cool mints too.
somewhere in between dan's dozens of personal cellphone calls and brian eno's "nerve net," i fell asleep on the way back, pausing for ben and jerry's white russian at a rest stop on the pike. mmm.
it was getting to be concert time, with only one ticket more or less confirmed (dan as a +1 through a guy who worked for bose) for the sold-out los lobos concert, so we headed down to the paradise shortly after returning to boston. we managed to chat up one of the guys from opening act quetzal (whom i'd seen open for ozomatli), who agreed to put me on the guest list too. the odd one out was mami, but she got too upset and tired to want a ticket even when we found a scalper for her.
dan had to wait for his bose pal before he could get in, so he and i waited on a stoop eating ramen with a young friend (skavoovie sax player) and talked about be-bop and film scoring. david hidalgo was hanging out outside of the tour bus so we went up and talked to him (dan asked about getting him to play on something.)
it got to be nine (scheduled starting time for the wolves) so i went in. quetzal were wrapping up their set (better than i remembered) and i was easily able to make my way through the crowd to the second row. it's a neat venue - wide rather than long, with the wide rounded stage jutting out into the crowd and audience on three sides, so lots of people can be in front.
the audience was older than any show i've ever been to (except maybe john hammond at the tin angel, but that wasn't really a rock show.) i was right next to a group including a guy who reminded me of david siegel, with whom i talked about fave lobos albums and side projects, and his bubbly dancing wife donna who tried to make friends with everybody around, and said she would name her fourth child after me and that she thought the drinking age should be twelve.
nice mix of pre-show music (wilco, morphine, soul coughing, some bluesier stuff) as the tech made a file right by me to load equipment off the stage.
eventually the band got on - tons of cool-looking guitars and percussion. steve was sort of ensconced in a back corner with his saxes and keys, and i couldn't hear him too well. cesar is bad-ass, wearing his shades just like on his album cover and barely moving at all when he sings and plays. both he and david are just sick guitar players, and louie got some awesome guitar solos in too, although i was less impressed by his drumming.
they opened with "down by the riverbed," from the neighborhood, a good-but-not-great early 90s album that i had almost forgotten about. then, after (similarly kick-out-the-jams rocking "don't worry baby") two more cuts from that album - "i walk alone" and "emily." i was not expecting that. they didn't do many more tunes that i recognized, oddly enough (nothing off colossal head or this time, and nothing more off the first record.) a lot of it, of course, was from the new record, but they must have dug out some old obscure stuff too from the one or two discs i don't have, since it was pretty much the whole set. i kept thinking they were going to play "evangeline" or "cumbia de la raza" or something but then it would turn out just to be another song that sounded really similar.
finally, most of the way through the set, they played a few tunes from kiko (for those who don't know, one of my absolute favorite records of all time - definitely check it out if you don't know it): "angels with dirty faces," which they did a great job of reproducing the odd percussion textures on, using the audience to clap on every '4' to fill out the groove. and then "peace," one of those nice little rockers tucked away at the end of the album. those two songs were worth the whole night, in my opinion.
not that the rest of it wasn't great too - they were in fine rocking form, and the new material certainly seems worthy. set ended with "cumbia raza" and a few members of the opening band back onstage for mediocre solos.
but then, to really pump things up, they came back to encore, first with (apparently a local boston r&b stalwart) barrence whitfield, who took lead vocals for fantastic covers of "my generation" (ded. to entwhistle) and "hey joe" and then the lobos' own "georgia slop," from that same record. and then another encore, covering "not fade away" into "tequila" into "bertha." cool. rae and i were just singing "not fade away" too.
good show. definitely a nice fan community too - we talked with some folks at a pizza place after the show, before snagging a taxi home...
so this catch-up business is taken care of now. thanks for reading if anyone actually read all this. even though this site is so self-centered, i feel like it's a big link back to all swat buddies. so i write about myself to feel connected to other people.
vamos a la playa
aqui podemos correr desnudos
porque nadie nos puede ver
Monday 22 July
martha's 17th birthday. my present was as asked for another mix cd. on the bus to ny it occurred to me that a lot of the song titles include easily illustratable nouns (first few songs: "this little ukelele" "cigarettes and chocolate milk" "vegetables" "heavy metal drummer" "blimps go 90" "buggin'" "ms. fat booty.") so rae and i (mostly her) worked throughout the day when we had a spare moment on the cover art. but we didn't finish in time. oh. last track: "what a nice way to turn 17" by the crystals. title: "nice! way to turn seventeen!"
we listened to call and response on the drive up to saranac with my cute parents singing along the doot-do-doots.
the group at saranac: all gravitzes except zoe, dan and mami and dogs, and mike and dede. some of them had gone to see peter yarrow the night before, and even sang on stage with him (lily and bobby)
lily is about 2.5, she is talkative and ineffable; ella is 8 months, and a bit shy. she has funky toys.
we went swimming at the boathouse; swam out to dog rock and just sat in the sun. aah.
lunch; guideboat (with bobby) - i think that's where i got this sunburn that's now finally going away. i played "martha my dear" on the boathouse piano, and we jumped off the roof.
bowling in the late afternoon (martha's getting really good) i did okay until my concentration was ruined after rae and i discovered an electronic jukebox with blondie, hank williams, soul coughing, lou reed, and salt 'n' pepa. i won an extra song.
then lobster dinner (although i opted for haddock and a crab cake instead) which, with our large group is always an event. mountain mist was out of soft-serve for some reason.
and charades afterward ("i got it bad and that ain't good," which i somehow miraculously guessed in about five seconds, "leopard skin pillbox hat," "the misfortune of the unattractive".) oh, all these traditions piling up. big family funtime. the reunion will be a good time too, i'm looking forward to it. okay, on with this.
Tuesday 23 July
after a perfectly typical day of knollwood activities, this was a perfect wanakena day, even better because we didn't have to travel anywhere for the first day in a while. it's always nice to have someone new to share these places with (and i so often do) - it's easier to appreciate, for instance, family when i can see it through a newcomer's eyes. it allows me a bit of psychological distance when i want it, the power to be an observer as well as a participant in the shenanigans.
what did we do? not much, or maybe a lot of things in a very relaxed manner. we got up late (post noon), sat around reading and eating breakfast. we took the obligatory walk around the island, which turned into a stroll to the ranger school at the end of the road. more relaxing, and then a little paddle up the river to the bridge and back, singing dylan. my folks went to star lake for much of the day, so we mostly had the place to ourselves.
rae and i made dinner: artichokes, tofu/mushroom/broc stirfry, and some colorful salad. then a game of oh hell.
and then the really terrific part, which just made the whole trip: rae and i took a midnight sweat and then a lengthy dip in the moonlight, in the misty river, which (after the sauna) felt amazingly luxurious, warm and slightly viscous, even after it seemed like it should have worn out. even getting out, i hardly felt wet or cold. perfect ending (along with a game of scrabble and marc ribot) to a lovely week.
Wednesday 24 July
the return trip. so that i could accompany rae for as much of the drive as possible, we planned to meet dan at an exit off the northway, at 1:30. i drove the whole three and a quarter hours and got us to the meeting spot precisely on time (dan got confused about exits, understandably since apparently all of them have a stewarts on the right.)
we stopped along the way for photographs and 15 cent root-beer popsicles at the meat store of the north. that shall be a tradition, i decree, every time we go through warrensburg to get there.
more misadventures once we had met up, trying to find a legendary diner in latham. excellent onion rings (one of rae's two new foods for the weekend, along with artichokes.) and they had those cool mints too.
somewhere in between dan's dozens of personal cellphone calls and brian eno's "nerve net," i fell asleep on the way back, pausing for ben and jerry's white russian at a rest stop on the pike. mmm.
it was getting to be concert time, with only one ticket more or less confirmed (dan as a +1 through a guy who worked for bose) for the sold-out los lobos concert, so we headed down to the paradise shortly after returning to boston. we managed to chat up one of the guys from opening act quetzal (whom i'd seen open for ozomatli), who agreed to put me on the guest list too. the odd one out was mami, but she got too upset and tired to want a ticket even when we found a scalper for her.
dan had to wait for his bose pal before he could get in, so he and i waited on a stoop eating ramen with a young friend (skavoovie sax player) and talked about be-bop and film scoring. david hidalgo was hanging out outside of the tour bus so we went up and talked to him (dan asked about getting him to play on something.)
it got to be nine (scheduled starting time for the wolves) so i went in. quetzal were wrapping up their set (better than i remembered) and i was easily able to make my way through the crowd to the second row. it's a neat venue - wide rather than long, with the wide rounded stage jutting out into the crowd and audience on three sides, so lots of people can be in front.
the audience was older than any show i've ever been to (except maybe john hammond at the tin angel, but that wasn't really a rock show.) i was right next to a group including a guy who reminded me of david siegel, with whom i talked about fave lobos albums and side projects, and his bubbly dancing wife donna who tried to make friends with everybody around, and said she would name her fourth child after me and that she thought the drinking age should be twelve.
nice mix of pre-show music (wilco, morphine, soul coughing, some bluesier stuff) as the tech made a file right by me to load equipment off the stage.
eventually the band got on - tons of cool-looking guitars and percussion. steve was sort of ensconced in a back corner with his saxes and keys, and i couldn't hear him too well. cesar is bad-ass, wearing his shades just like on his album cover and barely moving at all when he sings and plays. both he and david are just sick guitar players, and louie got some awesome guitar solos in too, although i was less impressed by his drumming.
they opened with "down by the riverbed," from the neighborhood, a good-but-not-great early 90s album that i had almost forgotten about. then, after (similarly kick-out-the-jams rocking "don't worry baby") two more cuts from that album - "i walk alone" and "emily." i was not expecting that. they didn't do many more tunes that i recognized, oddly enough (nothing off colossal head or this time, and nothing more off the first record.) a lot of it, of course, was from the new record, but they must have dug out some old obscure stuff too from the one or two discs i don't have, since it was pretty much the whole set. i kept thinking they were going to play "evangeline" or "cumbia de la raza" or something but then it would turn out just to be another song that sounded really similar.
finally, most of the way through the set, they played a few tunes from kiko (for those who don't know, one of my absolute favorite records of all time - definitely check it out if you don't know it): "angels with dirty faces," which they did a great job of reproducing the odd percussion textures on, using the audience to clap on every '4' to fill out the groove. and then "peace," one of those nice little rockers tucked away at the end of the album. those two songs were worth the whole night, in my opinion.
not that the rest of it wasn't great too - they were in fine rocking form, and the new material certainly seems worthy. set ended with "cumbia raza" and a few members of the opening band back onstage for mediocre solos.
but then, to really pump things up, they came back to encore, first with (apparently a local boston r&b stalwart) barrence whitfield, who took lead vocals for fantastic covers of "my generation" (ded. to entwhistle) and "hey joe" and then the lobos' own "georgia slop," from that same record. and then another encore, covering "not fade away" into "tequila" into "bertha." cool. rae and i were just singing "not fade away" too.
good show. definitely a nice fan community too - we talked with some folks at a pizza place after the show, before snagging a taxi home...
so this catch-up business is taken care of now. thanks for reading if anyone actually read all this. even though this site is so self-centered, i feel like it's a big link back to all swat buddies. so i write about myself to feel connected to other people.
vamos a la playa
aqui podemos correr desnudos
porque nadie nos puede ver
