Sunday, May 17, 2009

Recently completed: our half-US tour

With stops in

Auburn CA
Reno NV
Winnemucca NV
Wells NV
Metropolis NV
Bonneville Salt Flats UT
Salt Lake City UT
Green River WY
Cheyenne WY
Denver CO
Littleton CO
Centennial CO
Lincoln NE
Omaha NE
West Des Moines IA
Indianola IA
Sigourney IA
Fairfield IA
Hannibal MO
Fenton MO
Crestwood MO
Sikeston MO
Memphis TN
Little Rock AR
Texarkana AR
Texarkana TX
Plano TX
Dallas TX
Garland TX
Wichita Falls TX
Amarillo TX
Albuquerque NM
Williams AZ
Bakersfield CA
Plesanton CA
Milpitas CA

(Edited) Here's a map of our approximate route:

View Larger Map

Anticipating "it's all crazy..."

One of my favorite bands is releasing a new album tomorrow and I though I'd take a short moment to gush about it. I've been a long time admirer of mewithoutYou's work. Their abstract poetry filled with vivid imagery combines with highly energetic rich sounds and hits a sweet-spot. Certain lines tend to resonate with me. I find "O Porcupine" in particular to be moving.

I like to think of myself as having broad musical tastes, but if I do tend to be critical of a song it is very often overly simplistic lyrics which I fault. I don't know that I've ever sat down and thought through why that is, perhaps another time.

From listening to a few preview release tracks from this album, I don't think mewithoutYou runs any risk of that sort of problem. In fact, while listening to "the Fox, the Crow and the Cookie" I found myself pulling out the dictionary to look up the words canzonette, corvidae, and escadrille! Some of those rhymes are absolutely majestic. I think this album may satsfy even Xirzec's bombastically erudite lexical tastes. Thanks again to Andy for introducing me to their music.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

A Two Pun Day

If I were a rock, I wouldn't want to be marble because I wouldn't want people to take me for granite.

I told one of my good friends that I was allergic to milk and he said, "No whey!"

I would estimate that I make at least two puns per week. Something someone says will just strike me at an odd angle and the pun percolates out effortlessly. The other day I thought of the above two. I'm not sure if the first is original, but we were in an elevator debating whether the stone walls were made of marble or granite and I couldn't resist. Later that day, someone mentioned cottage cheese and I thought of the second. It's a certified groaner, five out of six friends agree!