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Archive for the ‘Video’ Category

Get Me to the Church On Time

Posted in Video, tagged , on October 1, 2010| 2 Comments »

There’s a wedding today out in San Francisco that I regretfully couldn’t make.  It’s the marriage of my nephew, Jeremy, and his longtime mate and best friend, Eliza.  They are well matched and adventurous souls who lead a vigorous outdoor life.  A few years back they spent a summer hiking the Pacific Coast Trail from the Mexican border up through the Sierras to the Canadian border and regularly spend their weekends climbing the mountains that dot northern California.  They have ambitious plans for many other adventures, perhaps hiking the Continental Divide and/or parts of the Andes which will allow me to continue to trek vicariously through them, secure here in my perch.

It’s taken them a while to decide to finally marry but I doubt those who know them ever thought they would be anything but together.  To them, I wish them all the best that this world can offer and many, many years of happiness and companionship. Let this be a joyous weekend for them.  I’m sure it will be– they are both avid fans of the SF Giants who are in first place much to the delight of their long-suffering fans.

To Eliza and Jeremy, all the very best !

Here’s a little song well known to Jeremy:

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Monday outside my window

Posted in Favorite Things, Opinion, Video, tagged , on September 27, 2010| 4 Comments »

Monday morning and the world is still spinning, at least it seems to be there outside my windows. 

Last week on CBS Sunday Morning, there was a segment with Ben Stein doing a monologue with him bemoaning the fact that though he is in the highest tax-bracket  he is not rich and that he feels he is being punished for being successful by allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire or by letting the cuts continue for only those making less than $250,000 per year.  It’s nagged at me for the past week and I wanted to comment on this new surge in whining by those in higher tax brackets that seems to be popping up more and more these days. 

But this morning I find myself just tired of the whole thing.  There is just so much data out there to counter all this whining and doomsaying by those who say that a return to the tax rates of the 1990’s would be apocalyptic that it just seems like an exercise in futility.  I want  to point out an article from the NY Times this past weekend by Richard Thaler  and another article on Tax.com from David Cay Johnston that provide a lot of content about the negative effects on the economy from the actual Bush tax cuts.

But that’s it this morning.  I think I will stick with what I do, which is paint.  Just paint and let the world spin outside my window this morning. 

To that end, here’s a song called Favorite from one of my favorites, Neko Case.

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Harvest Moon

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged on September 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Up very early this morning.  Sleep evades me and the light shining through the windows is like a rooster’s crowing, urging me to rise.  I stagger out the door into the cool air and head through the woods toward the studio in the speckled light cast by the moon.

The harvest moon. 

It shines bright as it heads on the downward side of its arc towards the western horizon.  A fairly rare occurrence, the full moon appearing on the autumnal equinox.  It’s shining on fall now.  Browns and grays will soon replace the greens and yellows of summer.

As I walk the narrow path in the still of the woods, there are patches of light and shadow that are cast in a pale blue.  It reminds me of the colors of some blue glass marbles I had as a child.  Cool and light-filled.  It takes the tiredness away and fills me with a wonderful calm.  The harvest moon’s light seems to wash away the worries and concerns that sometimes nag at the back of the mind.  Even if it’s only for a moment, it is transcendent.

Here’s a little Neil Young to fit the moment.

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Sweet Home Helsinki

Posted in Neat Stuff, Video, tagged on September 15, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I was feeling like something light and perhaps musical this morning when I came across this.

The Leningrad Cowboys.  From Finland.

With the Russian Red Army Ensemble and Choir.

Singing “Sweet Home Alabama.”

What could be better?

The Leningrad Cowboys are actually a sort of Spinal Tap-like creation that starred in a couple of Finnish films a number of years back and evolved into a real band.  Of sorts.  Whatever the case, it’s fun to watch.  Where can I get some of those shoes?

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Road to Nowhere

Posted in Video, tagged on September 11, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I have a gallery talk today at 1 PM at the Principle Gallery, so I’m probably on the road at the moment.  I spend some time trying to think of something interesting to talk about and hope that when I’m standing there, in front of a group, it doesn’t completely fly away before I can remember it.  Don’t want a Jan Brewer-at-the- debate moment.

Anyway, I’ll be there with a few surprises.  For now, I’m driving  so here’s some Talking Heads from about 25 years back.  Hard to think of this as a “Golden Oldie”!

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Terrible Things

Posted in Video, tagged , , on September 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »

It’s a busy day for me as I finish up a group of work before I head out on the road for a couple of days, going first to Asheville to drop off some new pieces at the Haen Gallery then on to Alexandria for a Gallery Talk at the Principle Gallery on Saturday.  I am finishing up framing  and there’s always a sense of urgency at this point.

So, here’s a little musical interlude.  It’s a song from April Smith called Terrible Things.  It first came to my attention as part of a promo for the TV show Weeds and it really caught my ear.  I came across this acoustic version that I like a lot.

It’s an interesting song.  Terrible things.  How many of us carry the weight of terrible things we’ve done behind our everyday appearance?  I know I’ve done things of which I’m not proud but I try to keep them buried and not dwell on them.  I want to be defined by the person I ultimately became, not the impetuous, naive youth I was.

Anyway, give a listen.

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I Feel So Good

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged on September 3, 2010| Leave a Comment »

This album from guitar icon Richard Thompson, Rumor and Sigh, has been out for almost twenty years now and I still consider it one of my favorites.  I even like the folk-arty album cover.

I came across a video of the song I Feel So Good which was the closest thing to a popular hit from this allbum.  There are only a handful of production videos out there of Thompson so this was interesting to see.  It’s totally animated in much the same style as the cover of the album and moves well with the song, which is a gem itself.  It’s  about the elation of a man just released from prison, both joyous and dark in nature.

Take a look and a listen.

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Saw Me Off a Tune

Posted in Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , on August 28, 2010| 7 Comments »

Well, it’s Saturday morning and I think I’m in line for some higher culture this morning.  A little music,  maybe operatic.  A little “O Sole Mio” perhaps? I could easily listen to some Pavarotti or  Placido Domingo singing out their guts.

Sure.  But to get the real feel for the song it should be played on a saw.

Here’s Austin Blackburn on saw.  I don’t know if the saw is a Stradavarius or a Craftsman but it’s a bit of highbrow fun on a nice Saturday morning.  Have a great day…

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A Little Django

Posted in Favorite Things, Neat Stuff, Video, tagged , on August 22, 2010| 4 Comments »

It’s very early Sunday morning and there’s the sound of rain falling outside the windows of the studio.  Still dark and the rain provides a steady rhythm section of sound as it rolls off  the leaves of the trees and the roof.  Very organic sound that makes me think of music.

I’ve come across a neat video from 1939 featuring Django Reinhardt along with his Quintette du Hot Club de France, featuring violinist Stephane Grappelli.  It’s sort of a very early music video.  It’s a great chance to see Django’s two-finger playing which has been a huge inspiration to generations of guitarists.  It’s also a great chance to see the unique Selmer guitars used by the band’s members, which had the very distinctive oval and D-shaped soundholes.  Django’s influence can be seen in the guitar industry today as luthiers around the world still try to reproduce the Selmers that Django made famous but ceased to be made after the early 1950’s.  The guitar shown here is a Selmer replicant from Manouche and is as beautiful a piece of craftmanship as you’ll see.

Anyway, here is the acoustic sounds of Django and the Hot Club.  Organic sounds for an organic morning…

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Gloria

Posted in Favorite Things, Video, tagged on August 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Monday morning and I’ve got a lot to do this morning.  But I wanted to show some music and I realized I had never mentioned Van Morrison in my posts even though I have been a fan forever.  So much great music from the guy over the past 45 years or so.  Sounds funny to say that- 45 years or so.  But it’s true.  Consistently good if not great for all that time.  Songs like Brown Eyed Girl, Domino and Into the Mystic.  Caravan.  Moondance.  His night songs– Here Comes the Night and Wild Night.  So many great songs from the man from Belfast.

And then there’s Gloria.

Gloria became one of the icons of the rock era of the 60’s, being covered by scores of bands.  Performing with his band, Them, Morrison recorde this classic in 1965.  It was a B-side (we’re in the 45 RPM single era here, kids) to their hit single, a cover of the blues classic, Baby, Please Don’t Go.  The  sharp-edged marching rhythm  and Morrison’s snarling vocals on the song propelled it along to the chorus.

G-L-O-R-I-A!

Even illiterates could spell Gloria at the time.  Just plain, good stuff here.  Here’s a version I found that was perhaps produced for French television if the Les Them at the beginning is any indication.  It’s a curious video with a recurring image of a donkey throughout.  I have no idea what it means.  Anyway, here’s Van Morrison with Them…

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