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11/24/2003
WEATHER OR NOT
Now THAT'S more like what I expect late-November - mid-40's and a miserable
rain. Not what I WANT, but what I'd expect. But these last couple of weeks of
mid-70's and blue skies have kept me happily away from the keyboard at home, so
DP publications have all but ground to a halt.
Saw Dick Dale at 10 High, formerly known as The Dorkhouse. Got a full report
with fabulous photos coming soon, probably real soon since it's too cold to
leave the house.
Got a busy nightlife planned for the next few weeks. There's Consumass looming
on the horizon, at this point just a hurdle between DP staffers and a week of
New Year's partying in Amsterdam.
Sometime between now and then, we hope to get the new PC up to full speed so the
DP presses can roll with the irregularity you've come to expect.
You've been warned.
If, like us, you’ve been feeling a day late and dollar short since… oh, all your
life, here’s a little rambling poem of sorts by yers truly:
Decade Late, Dollars Short
By Frederick Noble
Missed the 60’s counter culture - the dope, the free love, the psychedelic
singer/songwriters, the corrupt regimes that spawned failed revolutions, all
long gone before I was even aware of them.
Missed the 70’s scene – the coke, the cheap sex, the disco punk, the dark times
that inspired so much dark art all passed by while I was still a child.
I came to cultural awareness in the 80’s wasteland – just say no to drugs, just
say no to sex, the new wave pop, and a culture that just said no to creativity,
individuality, or rocking the boat.
Too white for rap, too poor for the BMW, too numb or too dumb to find any bit of
culture on which to cling, no island paradise in the middle of a glass-smooth,
calm and lifeless sea.
Behind me rose the 90’s – the ecstasy, the latex sex, the hip hop grunge, and a
generation that seems comfortable in the monotone desert, able to act without
having to react to external stimuli.
And now it’s the 00’s – the Atkins diet, the oral sex, the prefab pop, and I
can’t help but look back and think,
“Shit, I was born too late.”
EAR PLUGS
Here’s a report from degenerate WW on recent events in Athens:
Last night the Clarke County Health department was on the hunt for businesses
that were not operating with all the proper paper work. Dodd Ferrelle and No
River City were playing the Flicker Theatre located at 263 Washington Street and
No River City had to abruptly end their set. The Flicker has a serve yourself
movie theatre type popcorn machine. Apparently that constitutes serving food,
and you have to pay for a license and have the paper work to operate a serve
yourself popcorn machine. Add that to one more thing I guess I will need to
inquire about when advancing shows.
Thanks to the Engine Room for letting us move the show to their music room, and
thanks to everyone who followed us and waited patiently for the music to resume.
This week’s review is by the lovely and talented degenerate SW:
When the DP editor handed me the new No River City CD "This Is Our North Dakota"
to review, I thought little of the request. Yeah, I can give this a listen and
tell you what I think. Easy enough, right? Well that was over a month ago and
this is the first I've put fingertips to keyboard on the subject. The reason for
the delay was that I had little to say other than "They sound just like the
Jayhawks. If you want to hear Jayhawks music, buy a Jayhawks CD." But I've
stewed on it awhile and given the record a few more listens and I've come to
this conclusion: They sound just like the Jayhawks. Which is intended as a
compliment, however backhanded it may be. No River City possess quality
musicianship and they've put together a polished release; it just lacks
innovation. The songs are comparable to any one of a dozen tunes by
Alt.country-roots-rock-Americana-whatever-you-wanna-call-it-bands.
"This is Our North Dakota" contains eight original songs written by founding
member Drew de Man. While there is some poetry in his lyrics, it's akin to
Jewel's poetry. A sample from the track Fainter on My Tongue: "I shine just like
a blackbird / while I'm breaking all your windows / kiss me with your left hook
/ leave me standing like a scarecrow." Huh? On "Visit Me" de Man creates
compelling imagery but fails to deliver. "Will you visit me in my hospital bed /
when I'm taped up and tubed up and almost dead? Will you rescue me from my motor
lodge room / open the curtains to let in the moon." Ugh. The 17 year old girl in
me is rolling her eyes.
Don't misunderstand me, "This is Our North Dakota" is a pleasant listen - I've
enjoyed it several times. But in the end I feel like Kevin Costner giving
Madonna his impression of her Blonde Ambition concert tour: It's neat.
Catch 'em live Friday, December 19th at the Red Light Cafe's Annual Holiday Bash
with Chickens and Pigs and Twittering Machine.
BLASPHEMY
There's an interesting article on salon.com from a reporter on the ground in
Iraq about Operation Iron Hammer (the US one, not the Nazi one in the 40's):
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/11/21/baghdad_diary/index.html
Meanwhile, closer to home, the Atlanta City Council debates on closing bars at 2
AM right about now. If you're like us and have no idea who yer city council
representative is, you can find out here:
http://www.cathyatlanta.com/how_do_I/councilmember.html
If you're too lazy to write your own damn letter here's a handy form:
http://www.umix.net/default.aspx?tabindex=5&tabid=26
They vote on the issue soon, so contact your city council ASAP and save our late
night life!
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