Monday, April 30, 2007

More pictures of Jazz Fest



Fats Domino Book

This book just came out in trade paperback. I saw it at the book tent at Jazz Fest and picked it up. I've read the introduction, which talks about Fats rescue from Katrina and his dismissal by a lot of current rock critics as being unimportant in the history of rock and roll and the real importance of his music. Very interesting and the book hasn't even started yet. I can't wait to read it.

J.D. Hillsman and the Jammers


Another act that neither Larry nor I were familiar with but to make sure we were upfront for the Theresa Anderson show that followed afterwards we decided to check it out. We were both pleasantly surprised, he put on a good show, very bluesy.

Theresa Anderson



Another one of my favorites. We had just seen her the night before at Carrolton Station but she is worth another look. Theresa puts so much energy and life in her shows. I would love a live cd of her show, but she is one of the acts that does not allow them to record her show. Her new cd won't be out till the end of summer.

Rose Warwick


We had our chairs set up at the Fais do do stage so we would be able to catch Gillian Welch later and decided to rest and eat here while Rose Warwick and the Louisiana Hayride was on. This group is named after the old television show the Louisiana Hayride where such acts as Elvis Presely and Hank Williams and Johnny Cash all had early starts. They played songs from these old greats. Wasn't the greatest act at the Fest but they were enjoyable.

Gillian Welch



Over at the Fais do do stage Gillian Welch and her partner David Rawlings performed. They use acoustic music and sing and play as if they are from a time in the distant past. But they are very good.

Rosie Ledat


The final act for the third and final day of the first weekend of Jazz Fest was Rosie Ledat and the Zydeco Playboys. The type of music she plays is in the name of her group. We decided to forego the bigger name acts that closed out the show and stay at the Fais do do stage and watch Rosie.

Shannon McNally




Shannon opened the Fest on this day. For me this was the act I most wanted to see. I've seen Shannon so many times I've lost count, but she remains one of my favorite performers. I can see her over and over, which before this day is out I will prove. Later in the day I see her perform with the "Friends of Bobby Charles" and than at the end of the night when I go to Carrolton Station to see her and Theresa Anderson perform.

Charmaine Neville



This is just one more member of the wonderfully talented Neville Family. She is from the second generation, the kids from the Neville Brothers. One day I'm going to have to find all the second generation of the Nevilles and what are they are doing. There's Ivan who is a great singer and Arthel who you can see on 20/20 and there is Charmaine, the daughter of Charles, who is a great singer and performer. I've never seen Charmaine before and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to see her live. She is a great performer. She is all over the stage, never stopping for a minute. But of course the best part is her voice. She sings wonderfully. Her second to last song was a cover of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World". I love that song and she did it proud.

BOOK FUN

What Donna Tartt novel finds college freshman Richard Papen falling in with a mysterious circle of Greek scholars?

Yesterday's answer: David Halberstam

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

This group was originally the vocal group on the Andy Williams' Show.

Yesterday's answer: Tommy James and the Shondells

WORD A DAY

BAROQUE: often capitalized 1: of or relating to a style of art and music marked by complex forms and bold ornamentation 2: characterized by extravagance or complexity

We borrowed "baroque" from French, where is means "irregularly shaped." At first, the word in French was used mostly to refer to pearls. Eventually, it came to describe an extravagant style of art characterized by curving lines, gilt, and gold. This type of art, which was prevalent especially in the 17th century, was sometimes considered to be excessively decorated and overly complicated. It makes sense, therefore, that the meaning of the word "baroque" has broadened to include anything that seems excessively ornate or elaborate.

The Hat

Manic Monday #14: Silence

Today's word is Silence. A lot of blogs are going silent today in honor of the 35 dead from Virgina Tech. A worthwhile effort to highlight the tragedy and let the world know we mourn our dead. Still there is a but...

This is in no way meant to belittle what many others are doing to honor the 35 slain from Virgina Tech, no matter how you look at it, that was a tragedy.

In Iraq today at least 21 people were killed.

Yesterday 72 people were killed.

I could continue the list, with so many dead for each day of the week. A day of the week does not pass without multiple deaths. We are creating the next generation of terrorists. We see 35 of our dead as a tragedy, they see 35 of their dead as a normal day of the week. The young see their country men and women dying around them, literally hundreds and thousands are being killed and what is the reaction from the country that started this to liberate their country, to bring democracy and freedom to their country, to make their country safer?

Silence.

A Typical Day at Jazz Fest

7:00 a.m. Wake up and get ready to meet Larry to drive into the city for the Fest.
8:00 a.m. On our way, we stop at Burger King for a quick breakfast on the go.
9:00 a.m. We get to the city and find a parking space on a side street. To park on the official Fest grounds cost $35.00. There’s a house next to the street where we park that uses their yard to park cars. They charge $20.00 a car to park and they pack in at least fifty cars, that’s a $1,000.00 a day they clear during Jazz Fest.
10:30 a.m. They open the gates and let us in. It’s never a sure thing what time they’re going to let us in. Sometimes it’s around this time, sometimes it’s 11:00, once it was even after 11:00 which is the official start time of the Fest. Larry and I head over to the Gentilly Stage where Shannon McNally is going to be the first performer.
11:30 a.m. Shannon takes the stage and gives a great performance as always. This is her first appearance at Jazz Fest. Looking behind us, we are of course at the front of the stage, Larry and I comment how crowded it is for this early in the day. Normally the first acts don’t draw that big a crowd, but Shannon’s audience goes all the way back and is packed. It looks like it’s going to be a big day for the Fest.
1:00 p.m. Charmine Neville is the next act on the Gentilly Stage after Shannon. We decide to stay and watch her. Charmine is the daughter of Charles Neville from the famous first family of New Orleans’ music the Neville Brothers. This is the first time I’ve seen Charmine, thought I’ve always heard good things about her, and it proves true. She puts on a show full of energy. She is all over the stage singing and dancing. Her next to last song is one of my favorites, a cover of Louis Armstrong’s “It’s A Wonderful World.”
2:00 p.m. The next act we want to see is Bobby Charles over at the Fais Do Do stage, but it doesn’t start till 3:10, so we have some time to walk around and get something to eat. We head over to the Book Stall. Yesterday we made most of our initial purchases of official Jazz Fest poster, t-shirt and beads. We brose the book stall and I find the Fats Domino book out in trade paperback. I decide to wait and try and come back because I don’t want to carry it around with me all day. It won’t fit in my pack and my luck I’d lay it down and forget it somewhere. After the books we go get something to eat. Larry gets the alligator gumbo, I’m more conservative when it comes to eating and order the Bar-B-Que chicken sandwich.
3:10 p.m. We make it to the Fais Do Do stage. Bobby Charles is a legendary songwriter who penned such classics as “Walking to New Orleans,” “The Jealous Kind,” “See Ya Later Alligator,” and a many more. He has become a recluse the last decade and rarely ventures from his home or gives interviews. Jazz Fest has supposedly lured him out to do a show, though in today’s newspaper it reports that he may cancel due to ill health and a dream he had where he dreamt he was shot in the leg. His band for the show is Dr. John and Sonny Landreth with guests Marcia Ball and Shannon McNally. Sure enough he doesn’t show, but the others go on as “Friends of Bobby Charles.” Shannon comes out and does three songs from the writer, followed by Marcia Ball and than Dr. John. Dr. John of course does “Walking to New Orleans.”
4:00 p.m. The Bobby Charles show isn’t quite over but across the Fairgrounds at the Lagniappe Stage is Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of Billy Joel and a fine singer/songwriter in her own right. We decide to head over there since the show is already starting. We manage to make it fairly quick and get to see most of her show. Alexa Ray puts on a good show. She has a very seasoned stage presence. After the show we get our picture taken with her and she autographs my hat.
5:00 p.m. We can’t decide on what final act we want to see. We stop and get some iced tea and hit the Live Recording Tent to see if the cd of Shannon’s show is for sale yet. It isn’t so we decide to head towards the Gentilly Stage and check out Norah Jones. The crowd is crazy packed, we can’t get close at all. We listen to a few songs and than decide to check out Rod Stewart at the Acrua Stage. It’s just as crazy with people. We sit off to the side, we can’t even see the stage with him on it, but we can hear it fine. We listen for about thirty minutes and decide to head back to the Book Stall to get our books. After getting our books we head out. It’s now 7:00 o’clock.
8:00 p.m. Shannon McNally and Theresa Anderson are doing a show at Carrolton Station so we head over there. They serve food so we get some burgers before the show.
10:00 p.m. The show starts with Shannon doing an acoustic show. She gives a great show and a full show. She brings Theresa up for a couple songs.
11:30 p.m. Theresa Anderson comes on stage with her band to perform. Theresa always gives a great show. She brings Shannon up to do a song. At 1:00 o’clock she says the band is going to take a break and will be back to do more. Larry and I look at each other and we both know we can’t go anymore. Especially since we have to do all this over again tomorrow for the third day of Jazz Fest. So reluctantly we decide to head home and miss the last half of Theresa’s show. The good thing is that Theresa performs Sunday at Jazz Fest.
2:00 a.m. Home and tired from another great day at Jazz Fest.

TopBlogMag Number Six Is Up

We interrupt Jazz Fest to let everyone know that the newest issue of TopBlogMag is up and contains another music review from me. To see who I talk about this week go over and check it out. There's a lot of good writing there so go enjoy all the posts.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

"Friends of Bobby Charles"

Bobby Charles is a legendary songwriter from Louisiana. He has penned such classics as "Walking to New Orleans," "The Jealous Kind," "See You Later Alligator," and many others. He is very reclusive and shuns interviews as well as shows. The Jazz Fest lured him out for an appearance at this year's show. His band was going to consist of greats like Sonny Landreth, Dr. John and others. But at the last minute he bowed out, citing health problems and a dream he had days before the concert where he dreamed he was shot. The show went on without him, with others filling in for him on his songs. This was a great concert with some great singers doing some great songs. Sonny Landreth and his band were the basis of the band for Bobby Charles. Sonny is a slide guitarist from Lafeyette Louisiana and besides his own music he has worked with such greats as John Hiatt. The incredible Dr. John was part of the band for Bobby Charles. He played while the others performed and than he ended the show with a couple songs, one of them being "Walking to New Orleans."
Shannon McNally came out and did three songs of Bobby Charles. I don't need to say much, I've made plain my thoughts on the wonderful Shannon McNally.
Shannon with Sonny Landreth.

This was the only picture I could get of Marcia Ball as she played and sang, just the top of her head. One of the songs she sang was "The Jealous Kind."

Alexa Ray Joel




I thought she might not be that crowded, but by this point everyone at Jazz Fest was crowded. She has a very good stage presence, establishing a rapport with the auidence very quickly. Her choice of material is all over the place, from country to pop to jazz to blues. She covers everyone from Billie Holiday to Neil Young. Her voice is different, but different in a good way. I've

got her indepdently released ep and have really come to enjoy it, so I was ready for a good show. One thing I was surprised by was how small she was. I guess I was just assuming since her Mom is Christine Brinkely she would be super model tall too. I guess she inherited her Dad's growth genes. After the show she was by the side barricades talking to fans. I went over and talked and got my picture taken with her. She also signed my hat, which I'll show a picture of later. She was very down to earth and was not what I would have expected.

Norah Jones


I wasn't able to get a very good picture of Norah. We couldn't get very close to the stage, it was packed. We only stayed for a couple songs and than wandered over to Rod Stewart, who I wasn't able to even get one picture of. We sat off to the side and listened to him sing a bunch of oldies like "Who's Going To Stop the Rain?" and his old favorite "Maggie May."

BOOK FUN

What historian bsed Firehouse on the brave souls who operated Engine 40, Ladder 35 on 9/11?

Yesterday's answer: Eugene O'Neill's

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

The song "Hanky Panky", recorded by this group in 1963, hit #1 after its national release in 1966.

Yesterday's answer: Bay City Rollers

WORD A DAY

NOSOCOMIAL: acquired or occuring in a hospital

"Nosocomial" is a word the usually occurs in formal medical contexts, specifically in reference to hospital acquired sickness. The term descends from nosocomium, the Late Latin word for "hospital," which in turn traces to the Greek nosos, meaning "disease." That root has given English other words as well, including "zoonosis" (a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions) and "nosology" (a classification or list of fiseases or a branch of medical science that deals with classification of diseases).

Me and Alexa Ray Joel


Jazz Fest Day Two

Pictures and words will be postponed till tomorrow. Today was a looooong day, started at seven and it's two in the morning and I'm just getting home. I'm going to post one picture for tonight but that's going to be it.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

BOOK FUN

What playwright's last completed play was A Moon for the Misbegotten?

Yesterday's answer: The Watsons

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

In 1975, this group from Scotland wore tartan plaid and had a #1 hit with the song "Saturday Night."

Yesterday's answer: "The Weight"

WORD A DAY

TURBID: 1: clouded or discolored by sediment 2: characterized by or producing obscurity (as of mind or emotions)

"Turbid" and "turgid" (which means "swollen or distended" or "overblown, pompous, or bombastic") are two words so frequently mistaken for one another that they could have been invented to keep dictionary makers in buisness. Not only do they differ by only a letter, but, adding to the confusion, they are often used in contexts where either word might fit. For example, a flooded stream can be simultaneously cloudy and swollen, and badly written prose is often both obscure and graniloquent. Nevertheless, the disticntion between the two words, however fine, is an important one for conveying exact shades of meaning, so it's a good idea to keep them straight.

Friday, April 27, 2007

End of Day

The first day of Jazz Fest is over and it was every bit as good as I expected, if not even better. Lucinda Williams put on an awesome show. All the acts were good. I got the poster, t shirt and beads; so now I'm broke. It's late, so I'm not going to blog too much, I've posted some pictures from the Fest.

The rest of this week is going to be busy. Two more days of Fest, a week of work, than more Jazz Fest and than next Sunday I fly to Washington D.C. with Heather for a week of vacation. So if I'm not on here as much as normal, that's why. I'm going to brink my laptop with me and try to post some while on vacation at the end of the day, but we'll see how that goes.

The good news is that tomorrow is another day at the Fest and the first show is Shannon McNally.

The Start of Jazz Fest

Larry just called me to say this picture is over at NOLA.com. That was from this morning, waiting in line for the gates to Jazz Fest to open. In the green shirt is Larry, that's me in the brown shirt to the right of him.

Jazz Fest Pictures







Pine Leaf Boys




Subdudes




Zachary Richard


T Bone Burnett




Lucinda Williams







BOOK FUN

What "weird" Michigan family sets out in 1963 to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, in Christopher Paul Curtis' 1996 travelogue?

Yesterday's answer: James Bond

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

Fannie, Chester, Carmen, Miss Moses, and Jack the Dog are among the characters in what well-known song from The Band?

Yesterday's answer: ABBA

WORD A DAY

COCKALORUM: 1: a boastful and self-important person 2: boastful talk

The image of a rooster (a.k.a. cock) strutting confidently across the barnyard or belting out a triumphant crow has long been assoicated with brash self-confidence. It's an association that has left quite a mark on the English language, giving us "crow" ('to brag"), "cock" (a self important person), and "cocky" ("overconfident"), to name just a few. "Cockalorum" (which may have derived from the obsolete Flemish word kockeloeren, meaning "to crow") is another example.

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Starts Friday

The next three days I will be having too much sun, too much food, too much music...in other words too much fun. Jazz Fest starts Friday and I'll be out there at nine in the morning waiting for the gates to open. I'm going to try to post at the end of each day and let everyone know how it was, but I might not make it till the end of the weekend depending on how wiped out I am each day.

I hope everyone else has a great weekend.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Thirteen Thursday Number 25: 13 Fun Things About Jazz Fest


Thirteen Fun Things About Jazz Fest Number #25


Tomorrow starts the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Six days of music, food and sun, what could be better? So I decided to make a list of 13 fun things about the Fest.

1. The poster. Every year they have a different artist design it. These posters become collector items and are highly sought after. Most of them are great pieces of art, reflecting some of the guests that appear that year. Only one year did the poster suck, the year the blue dog appeared on it...I hate that dog. This is this year's poster, featuring Jerry Lee Lewis and the Congo Square poster also.



2. The beads. This is a new addition in the last two years. What goes better with New Orleans than Mardi Gras beads. So Jazz Fest has an artist design a set of beads for the Fest. After so many, I think the number was 5000 was made the mold was destroyed and that was all that was made. This was last years.



3. The food. Where else can you get food like you do in New Orleans? This is just a sampling of some of the food that is going to be there.

Crawfish Bread,
Shrimp Bread,
Sausage & Jalapeño Bread
Panaroma Foods
Marksville, LA

Cajun Jambalaya,
Fried Chicken
Catering Unlimited
New Orleans, LA

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade,
*Fruit Salad
Joyce’s Lemonade
New Orleans, LA

Hot Sausage Po-Boy,
Crawfish Sausage Po-Boy
Vaucresson Sausage Co.
New Orleans, LA

Oyster Artichoke Soup,
Andouille Calas w/ Green Onion Sauce
Calas Bistro for the Fair Grounds Racing Museum
New Orleans, LA

Pecan Catfish Meunière,
Seafood Mirliton Casserole,
Fried Crab Cake w/ Smoked Tomato & Jalapeño Tartar
C.P.G. Catering
Mandeville, LA

Alligator Pie,
Crabmeat Stuffed Shrimp,
*Fried Green Tomatoes
Cajun Nights Catering
Metairie, LA

Muffuletta,
*Vegetarian Muffuletta,
Roast Beef Po-Boy
DiMartino’s Famous Muffulettas
Gretna, LA

Crawfish Etouffée,
Boiled Crawfish,
Crawfish Stuffed Puff,
Cajun Crawfish Rice
Ledet & Louque
Gramercy, LA

BBQ Chicken,
BBQ Chicken Sandwich,
*Corn on the Cob, Iced Tea,
Lemon Pound Cake
Lil's BBQ
Slidell, LA

*Spinach Artichoke Casserole,
Gratin Louisiane,
Sweet Potato Pone
Ten Talents Catering
Covington, LA

Fried Crawfish Tails,
Fried Popcorn Shrimp,
Fried Seafood Salad,
*Spicy Potatoes
Electro-Reps, Inc.
Slidell, LA

Red Beans & Rice w/ Sausage,
*Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice,
Blackberry Cobbler
Burks & Douglas
New Orleans, LA

Crabmeat Po-Boy,
Creole Stuffed Crab,
Catfish Almondine,
*Potato Salad
Stuf Hapn Event Catering
New Orleans, LA

Alligator Sauce Piquante,
Shrimp Etouffée,
Shrimp & Okra Gumbo
Fireman Mike’s Kitchen
New Orleans, LA

Cochon de Lait Po-Boy
Fried Eggplant w/ Crawfish Sauce
*Fried Eggplant w/ Marinara Sauce
Love at First Bite
New Orleans, LA

Soft-Shell Crawfish Po-Boy
Fried Gator Po-Boy
Guil’s Gator w/ Fried Jalapeños & Onions
Sharon & Guilherme Wegner
Metairie, LA

Crawfish Sack,
Oyster Patties,
Crawfish Beignets
Patton's Caterers
Chalmette, LA

Fried Shrimp Po-Boy,
Fried Oyster Po-Boy,
Fried Oyster Spinach Salad,
Panéed Chicken Po-Boy
Vucinovich's Restaurant
New Orleans, LA

Mango Freeze
WWOZ Community Radio
New Orleans, LA

Fried Pork Chops,
Smothered Cabbage,
*Iron Skillet Cornbread,
Fried Pork Chop Sandwich
Designing Foods Catering
New Orleans, LA

Ya Ka Mein,
*Vegetarian Ya Ka Mein,
Banana Bread Pudding
Miss Linda’s Catering
New Orleans, LA

Rosemint Iced Tea,
Mandarin Orange Iced Tea,
Regular Iced Tea
Sunshine Concessions
Covington, LA

4. Congo Square:
Named for the historical gathering place and trading grounds of African people in colonial New Orleans, enter this unique area to experience the music, art, and energy of Africa and the African Diaspora. Peruse the Congo Square African Marketplace, which features an array of handcrafted original artworks reflecting the roots and dispersion of African culture and heritage in New Orleans and throughout the world. Visit the Sankoré Pavilion to learn about Ghana as we pay tribute to that nation’s 50th Anniversary of Independence. Join the commemoration of the Ancestors of the Diaspora at the Congo Square Ancestral/Egun Shrine located at the West gate next to Congo Road.

Sculptures, paintings, handcrafted leatherworks, ceramics, jewelry and wearable art are just a few of the treasures that can be found in Congo Square’s 52 booths, including the 4 Artist Demonstration areas. Traditional art making techniques from various cultures of the African Diaspora are featured in this year’s Congo Demo booths. The highlighted crafts include Ghanaian Adinkra stamping and batik traditions, gold and silversmith techniques, doll sculpture, Nigerian clay coiling techniques and reverse glass painting. Don’t forget to stop by the 1st weekend demo booth of our Congo Square poster artist Terrance Osborne.


5. Louisiana Marketplace: featuring handmade crafts from local artists that are both modern and traditional.

6. Louisiana Folklife Village:
Like its signature dish, gumbo, Louisiana is a spicy stew comprised of many distinctive elements: African- American, Cajun, Latin, Irish, Isleño, Native American, and practically everything in between. To experience this unique culture firsthand, step into the Louisiana Folklife Village and discover many of the state’s generations-old traditions.

Here you can see musicians meticulously handcraft accordions and guitars, papier mâche artists create whimsical sculptures for Mardi Gras floats, and a Creole cook grind sassafras leaves into gumbo’s key ingredient, filé. Learn the craft of slate tiling, how to weave a shrimp net, or cook up an Isleño cure for the flu. These are only a few of the dozens of traditions featured in the Louisiana Folklife Village that bear witness to our state's unique cultural history.

This year, as a celebration of the Latin American culture of Louisiana, we feature a new tent: Nueva Orleans: Crafts of Latin America.


7. Native American Village:
The Native American Village focuses on the rich heritage of our state’s indigenous peoples. Here you can listen to the melodious sounds of traditional flute music as you relax under the shade canopy of a palmetto-thatched chickee. Enjoy traditional drumming and singing by Southeastern dance and pow-wow troupes. Watch demonstrations of basket weaving and wood carving by Louisiana’s tribal elders and their apprentices. The Native American Village offers Festival-goers an oasis of tranquil charm.

The Native American Demonstrator Tent showcases Louisiana's indigenous craftspeople, many of them Elders, from five of the ten Louisiana tribes, as well as non-native craftspersons demonstrating native traditions.


8. Contempary Crafts: A section set up showcasing artists from the state and throughout the country reflecting the best in handmade crafts and arts.

9. The weather. Once summer hits New Orleans weather is hot and humid. It is miserable. You don't want to walk outside. But now, during the spring the weather is beautiful. The humidity hasn't settled onto the city like a wet blanket yet, and the sun isn't so hot that it fries what little brain cells I have left.

10. Six days of no work. Now it doesn't get much better than that, does it? Unfortuantely that's not a point that everyone gets, you gotta put in those requests early.

11. The music recorded live at the Jazz Fest: A lot of the acts let their sets be recorded and the cd is put on sale by the next day at the Fest. This is a great way to get live music and some live music that you were present for. Unfortunately most of the bigger acts won't allow this, but it's still a great way to get some great music.

12. The other music for sale tent. It used to be run by Tower Records every year, until they went out of business. This year it's supposed to be run by Borders. They always bring a great selection of music, of course something by all the acts at the Fest and a lot of other cds that sometimes are hard to find.

13. And of course, the main reason to go to the Fest....The Music. With acts like Lucinda Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Subdudes, T Bone Burnett, Norah Jones, Shannon McNally...well the list goes on and on. For the price of what most single concert tickets would cost you get to see and listen and experience dozens of performers. You go for certain performers but as you walk around you discover someone great that you would never had if you hadn't went. It's great.



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BOOK FUN

What fictional spy was based on decorated Scottish World War II commando Patrick Dalzel-Job?

Yesterday's answer: Eudora Welty

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

The Broadway musical Mama Mia is a story set to the songs of this Swedish group whose hits inclued "Dancing Queen" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You."

Yesterday's answer: "9 to 5"

WORD A DAY

FRAUGHT: 1: full of or accompanied by something specified - used with with 2 chiefly British: causing or characterized by emotional distress or tension: uneasy

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

BOOK FUN

What Mississippian tore up the only copy of her short story Petrified Man after one too many rejections slips, than later rewrote it from memory?

Yesterday's answer: Cormac McCarthy's

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

This hit song by Dolly Parton described a typical workday and went to #1 on the Pop charts in 1981.

Yesterday's answer: Del Shannon

WORD A DAY

INCHOATE: being partly in existence or operation; especially: imperfectly formed or formulted: formless

"Inchoate" derives from inchoare, which means "to begin" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up." Inchoare was formed from the prefix in - and the noun cohum, which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a pulling animal's yoke. The concept of implementing this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field can help provide a clearer understanding of "inchoate," an adjective used to describe the imperfect form ofsomething (as a plan or idea) in its early stages of develoment. Perhaps because it looks a little like the word "chaos" (although the two aren't closely related), "inchoate" now implies not only the formlesness that often marks beginnings, but also the confusion caused by chaos.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Manic Monday #13: Sun


Today's word is Sun. I know, today isn't Monday, it's Tuesday. I couldn't help it. I ended up working two shifts yesterday, so that meant being at work like 19 hours straight, which didn't leave me a lot of time to do much else. This is just a fragment of an idea I had, it's not a story yet, but the germ of an idea.


Sometimes he almost forgot what the sun was like. How bright it was, how warm it felt on the skin. Artificial light never came close to replicating the glow of the sun. Now he was used to the shadows of the night.

Living in the depths of the night made one the villain of the story, the brightness of the day conferred the status of hero. That was the formula, that was the status quo. He struggled against the norm, he didn't want to be the cliché. But it was hard.

The blackness of the night had a tendency to creep into your soul and stain it black. Sunlight burned away such imperfections and diseases. He wished he could stay out and watch the sun come up in all its glory. Feel the warmth as the first rays hit his skin and see the world in the starkness of the sunlight. But he was cursed never to experience such things. Years ago the bite of a vampire had made sure that he was destined for darker times.

Yet he refused to go the route expected. He preyed on the guilty and left the innocence their time in the sun. It was a fight, but he was determined that if he couldn't live in the light of the sun he could at least feel like he belonged there.

BOOK FUN

Whose book Child of God did the New York Times call "the greatest necrophiliac novel ever"?

Yesterday's answer: Laura Ingraham

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

On this day in 1961, the song "Runaway" ran away and topped the U.S. charts for what artist?

Yesterday's answer: Dr. John

WORD A DAY

BACONIAN: one who believes that Francis Bacon wrote the works usually attributed to Shakespeare

Sir Francis Bacon was a man of many talents: he was a lawyer, a statesman, a philosopher, and a man of letters. He is remembered for the style and expression of his writing, for his power as a speaker in Parliament, and for his advocacy of what is today known as the "Baconian method" of arriving at a scientific conclustions by careful examination of evidence and sorting of facts. Bacon is also considered, by some people, to be the true author of Shakespeare's works. The theory, which first propounded in the mid-1800s, flourished from about 1880 to 1930 and is still subscribed to in certain circles today.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Monday, April 23, 2007

Issue Five of TopBlogMag is Out


The blogging magazine TopBlogMag is out with their newest issue today. It has some good articles over there, a great one about motherhood from Suburban Oblivion and some other good reading material. It also has an article by my about The Death of Captain America and a music review of one of my all time favorite singers Shannon McNally.

So go check it out. Read. Enjoy. And remember it comes out every week on Monday.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Chris Cornell



Chris Cornel, first of Soundgarden and most recent of AudioSlave has went solo. This track is from his upcoming new album. It is not what you would expect from his former music, one being acoustic and a Michael Jackson song?! I still can remember when this came out on MTV, this was back when Michael was as well known for his music as he was for his weirdness.

I was reading an interview with Tom Morello, the guitarist for AudioSlave and when asked about the fate of the band said that Chris has not called up any of his band mates to tell them that he no longer wants to make music with them, but he is quick to tell anyone interviewing him that the group is over with.

Tom Morello



After the end of his former band AudioSlave Tom Morello has went solo as the Nightwatchman. Anyone that knows anything of Tom won't be surprised by the type of songwriting he is doing here, but they might be surprised that it is mostly an acoustic album.

Rage Against The Machine



This is Tom Morello's former band, before AudioSlave. Rage Against the Machine has reformed to perform some new concerts this Summer.

BOOK FUN

What former law clerk to Clarence Thomas penned Shut Up and Sing: How Elites from Hollywood, Politics, and the UN are Subverting America?

Yesterday's answer: The Godfather

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

Today's "Brain-Rocker" clues are:

1. Doctor
2. New Orleans
3. "Right Place, Wrong Time"
4. Boogie and blues piano

Yesterday's answer: (The Ecology Song)

WORD A DAY

INTERPOLATE: 1: to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation 2: to insert between other things or parts

Derived from the Latin interpolare, a verb whose meanings included "to refurbish," "to alter," and also "to falsify," "interoplate" entered English in the 17th century and early on applied to the alteration (and in many case corruption) of texts by insertion of additional material. It's modern use till often suggests the insertion of something extraneous or spurious, as in "she insisted on interpolating her own comments into the official report."

Brady Bunch Now


This one is for those of us old enough to remember and grow up on the Brady Bunch. When I was a kid it was required watching on television every week when it came on new. This is a picture of them now. The Dad, Robert Reed, died a few years ago.

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