Booting Life's Grounders

The Ballad of Droney Curtis EP

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-06:00

Dronesin' - 3:02

 The Same Old Fear - 3:49

Glass Boxes - 1:55

Spaced - 5:11

Droney Curtis - 2:58

Rehab - 7:12

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I kind of like this record. Okay, I'm a lot embarrassed...

Download

in progress...

2012-01-15T20:30:00.000-06:00

...which also means unfinished. Taken with an iPhone while they're still wet...


Finally getting around to doing some paintings of these shipping containers. And only a year after the fact.

5 From the King

2012-01-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

Beautiful weather for January in Minnesota. It was in the 40's again today, unheard of for this time of year. So warm I went for a stroll around the studio building sans hat and gloves. Yay! for global warming.

NKB: Prior to Rehab

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

A short film featuring the second floor of the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis prior to it's build out. Music by DJ Mabel.

In Praise of Feist

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

In answer to a query posed by ahab in the comment section of my year-end music post, I have Monarch, Let it Die, The Reminder, and Metals. I also have both records she recorded with Broken Social Scene--You Forgot it in People and the self-titled one. In fact, BSS was my first exposure to her, both recorded and live--and it's in the live setting that Feist absolutely shines. I saw Broken Social Scene at First Avenue back in 2005(?) and could not take my eyes off the woman. She is a star of the highest magnitude, yet without a trace of divahood. Just an abundance of talent and charm. I later saw her as a solo artist (with Jason Collett & friends) at the Fine Line a year or so later. Again, she was nothing short of fantastic.

And so to further clarify, sir, while I like her records just fine--and I think Metals is her high-water mark to date, the Feist that I most often listen to are a couple of great live sets that I found via the interwebs. The first--Les Black Sessions, taken from a 2004 French Radio broadcast of the same name, is a loose and warm affair that suggests she has a future as a jazz singer. It features wonderful accompaniment from a sympathetic combo, as well as her always charming between song banter. The second--Live at Park West Chicago, is a slightly more rockin' affair from 2006. It's equally sublime. If you need proof, click on the link below. You shan't be sorry.
Live at Park West and Les Black Sessions

The Year in Music: 2011

2011-12-16T11:00:00.000-06:00

Some records that I enjoyed very much in 2011:

St Vincent Strange Mercy - Annie Clark darkens her canvas and gets personal. Standout tracks abound. Dilettante

Wye Oak Civilian - Fiercely rocking duo that can turn on a dime. Girl singer playing electric guitars? This was right in my wheel-house. Dog Eyes

Feist Metals - Rather than repeat the formula that made her a star, Leslie Feist shifts gears and churns out a highly percussive folkie gem. Undiscovered First

The War on Drugs Slave Ambient - Pitchfork described it as "excellent road trip music." Can't top that, though my own "Neu Dad Rock" ain't half bad. I Was There

Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo - Slacker grooves from Philly dude. Kept coming back to this one. Jesus Fever

Ty Segall Goodbye Bread - Scuzzy SF rocker makes his lo-fi Electric Warrior. Would do well to take his stuff out of the garage and into an actual studio. You Make the Sun Fry

Girls Father, Son, and Holy Ghost - Another group trading on late 60's-early 70's rock, yet so effortlessly, it sounds like they own it. Dark themes that ultimately lead to a song called Forgiveness. Could be my album of the year. Vomit

Atlas Sound Parallax - Deerhunter's Bradford Cox side project threatens to overshadow his main band. A lovely collection of mid-tempo ballads dripping with reverb. The ghost of Roy Orbison hangs over this one. Angel is Broken

Colin Stetson New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges - An amazing musician doing some weird and wonderful things with his horn. From No Part of Me Could I Summon a Voice

PJ Harvey Let England Shake- Her best record ever? She reaches into the heart of her homeland and gently plucks the beating organ from it's cancer ridden host. England

Deerhoof Vs Evil - A transitional record from the 'hoof. More keys, more synthesized beats, more weirdness. Not a classic in The Runners Four vein, but still chock-full of their signature timeshifts, and hooks galore. Behold a Marvel in the Darkness

tUnE-yArDs W H O K I L L - I wanted to dislike this on typeset alone, but I couldn't do it. The music, a mash-up of about a hundred genres--topped by that lustrous voice, made this the party record of the year. (Too bad I don't throw parties anymore...) You Yes You

Julianna Barwick The Magic Place - Imagine listening to a baby-monitor that's been tucked into a quiet corner of Heaven. White Flag

I haven't had a chance to listen to Tom Waits Bad as Me or Kate Bush 50 Words For Snow enough yet for inclusion on my list, but early indications suggest they would make the cut. I also enjoyed the Alabama Shakes EP, but left them off the list as the sound quality was demo-like at best. They are sure to benefit from a studio/producer on their first full-length.

download E-6 Best of 2011

Just What the World Needs: More Xmas Music

2011-12-02T08:29:00.001-06:00

1. Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You Billy Squier

2. Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight) Ramones

3. Father Christmas The Kinks

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) U2

5. I'll Be Home For Christmas Bob Dylan

6. Winter Wonderland Aimee Mann

7. Blue Christmas Chris Isaak

8. Christmas Song Nat King Cole

9. Skating Vince Guaraldi

10. Pretty Paper Roy Orbison

11. White Christmas Otis Redding

12. Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto James Brown

13. Presents For Christmas Solomon Burke

14. Santa Claus Sonny Boy Williamson

15. That Was The Worst Christmas Ever! Sufjan Stevens

16. Xmas Curtain My Morning Jacket

17. Just Like Christmas Low

18. Baby Its Cold Outside Zoey Deschanel & Leon Redbone

19. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Hem

20. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Darlene Love

21. We Three Kings of Orient Are The Beach Boys

download

Happy Holiday, interwebs!

Slightly different from the one I posted a few years back.

work in progress

2011-10-26T20:36:00.002-05:00

Mixed media on canvas, 30" x 30"

Posting a picture of this because it may look completely different when it's finished. (And I kinda like it now...)

A Good Song is a Good Song is a Good Song....

2011-10-14T15:47:00.001-05:00

I met Andrew* at a former place of employment about twenty years ago. I was a post-punk boy. He was a hippie/freak born a decade too late. In addition to an absurd sense of humor, we also shared a love of music--though it became rather apparent there wasn't much overlap, aside from the obvious: Beatles, Stones, Bob, Neil, Jimi, and a few others. Even though we were roughly the same age, he had decided early on that music made after 1975 wasn't worth following. Instead, he traveled back in time and dug deep into scenes past. I, on the other hand, was all about the new, indie scene. Screw the major labels and any radio station that wasn't student run. If I was a black leather jacket and combat boots, Andy was a tie-dyed T-shirt and Birkenstocks.

Naturally, we decided to prove our points (and superiority) via the mix-tape. Over the years, we probably exchanged 20 or more compilations. And then a funny thing happened. We took off our blinders and learned a thing or three. Through my mixes, he discovered (and grew to love) bands like The Only Ones, Bettie Serveert, and Built to Spill. And I was turned onto some wonderful sounds--"hippie sh!t" that would eventually become some of my very favorite music (hello, Nick Drake and Fairport Convention!) It was like a very specific cultural exchange program for the jaded music fan.

Good times. Good music. Good guy. This one's for you, Andrew.

1. Reynardine Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) A Boxful Of Treasures
2. Darlin' If Spirit The Family That Plays Together
3. Hurdy Gurdy Man Donovan Greatest Hits
4. Many Rivers To Cross Harry Nilsson Pussy Cats
5. Shouting In A Bucket Blues Kevin Ayers The Kevin Ayers Collection
6. I See The Rain Marmalade I See The Rain
7. Silver White Light Terry Reid Super Lungs
8. A Salty Dog Procol Harum A Salty Dog
9. These Days Nico Chelsea Girl
10. May The Circle Remain Unbroken 13th Floor Elevators Bull Of The Woods
11. Suzanne Fairport Convention Heyday
12. It's Over Badfinger The Very Best of Badfinger
13. Gypsy Cowboy New Riders Of The Purple Sage Gypsy Cowboy
14. Muddy Mouse (C) Which in Turn Leads to Muddy Mouth Robert Wyatt Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard
15. Bob Dylan Blues Syd Barrett Wouldn't You Miss Me
16. Scarecrow Song Lindisfarne Nicely Out Of Tune
17. Time of No Reply Nick Drake Way To Blue
18. Another Day Roy Harper The Passions of Great Fortune, Vol. 1

download

*A groovy cat with as impressive a record collection as I've ever seen (that's about half of it pictured above.)

It's Better to Burn Out

2011-10-09T09:07:00.002-05:00

Pal Ahab had some wonderful shots of trains over at Pixels. Prompted me to dig out some of my own.

Spooner, WI, 2010.

slightly woozy

2011-09-16T12:15:00.001-05:00

I was gonna do a full on shoe-gazer mix until I realized that I didn't want to drag out crates of old CDs in order to find a Slowdive track, and that it wasn't absolutely necessary to include Chapterhouse or the Drop Nineteens, or any other forgotten act from that scene. Nope. It just had to be in "the spirit of" shoe-gaze: fuzzed out, narcotic, and slightly woozy...

1. A Heavy Abacus The Joy Formidable The Big Roar
2. Headless Sky Autolux Transit Transit
3. Spring And By Summer Fall Blonde Redhead 23
4. Ginger Lilys A Brief History Of Amazing Letdowns
5. Memory Boy Deerhunter Halcyon Digest
6. Special One (w/ Kim Deal) Ultra Vivid Scene Special One EP
7. Hearts I Break Horses Hearts
8. Teen Angst M83 Before The Dawn Heals Us
9. Faît Accompli Curve Doppelganger
10. Sunday Helium No Guitars
11. Say No To Love The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Say No To Love [7'']
12. Dreams Burn Down Ride Nowhere
13. Deluxe Lush Gala
14. Don't Ask Why My Bloody Valentine Glider EP
15. Boys, You Won't The Wrens The Meadowlands
16. Piano Fire (w/ PJ Harvey) Sparklehorse It's A Wonderful Life
17. Siamese Wye Oak The Knot
18. My Heart's Reflection Yo La Tengo Electr-O-Pura

download

Jet

2011-08-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

The camera Apps on my new iPhone will be getting a serious workout.

A Bit of a Hick

2011-08-19T18:27:00.003-05:00

Not necessarily Country music, but it does have a little Western flair. Plus, it would sound great blasting out of a pick-up truck. Careful where you step though, there might be some bullshit lying about.

An E-6 Mixer

1. Lil Wallet Picture Richard Buckner Devotion & Doubt
2. Brave Awakening Terry Reid Seed Of Memory
3. Yer Ropes Giant Sand Glum
4. Corona Calexico Convict Pool
5. Eldorado Neil Young Eldorado
6. I Believe In You Cat Power Jukebox
7. My Home Is The Sea Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney Superwolf
8. Tried So Hard Gene Clark Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers
9. Wheels The Flying Burrito Brothers The Gilded Palace Of Sin
10. Wichita Lineman Freedy Johnston Unlucky
11. From A Silver Phial Gene Clark No Other
12. Good Patient Woman Green on Red This Time Around
13. River Guard Smog Knock Knock
14. Only Flower In My Bed Soledad Brothers Voice of Treason
15. Wrecking Yard Chris Cacavas And Junk Yard Love S/T
16. Some Velvet Morning Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra Greatest Hits
17. The End Of The World Skeeter Davis The Essential Skeeter Davis
18. Brothers Ry Cooder Paris, Texas

Download

I Dreamt of Joan Mitchell

2011-08-10T16:51:00.003-05:00

The Same Old Fears

2011-07-28T20:05:00.022-05:00

If you've been a regular here, you've probably already seen this footage. (I didn't want a cease and desist from Radiohead--or Pink Floyd's--lawyer, so I called my buddy DJ Mabel for some soundtrack assistance. He ain't that great, but I know for certain that he has no counsel...)

Canal Street Station

2011-06-15T10:12:00.006-05:00

Washed Up

2011-05-31T15:00:00.006-05:00

The Game is Afoot

2011-05-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

The Reluctant Photographer

2011-05-06T21:00:00.007-05:00

Greene at Canal

Soho Stroll

Links

A couple of artist friends of mine tried to convince me that I should show some photos at the upcoming Art-a-Whirl. And like a fool, I'm actually taking their advice.

Thanks for nothing, LISAlonso...

**EDIT**

Six Transistor

2011-05-01T21:20:00.012-05:00

1. With A Girl Like You /The Troggs

2. She'd Rather Be With Me/The Turtles
3. I Think We're Alone Now/Tommy James & The Shondells
4. Live/The Merry-Go-Round
5. Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon) /The Mamas And The Papas
6. Pretty Ballerina /Left Banke
7. 98.6 /Keith
8. Pay You Back With Interest/The Hollies
9. The Warmth Of The Sun/The Beach Boys
10. Waterloo Sunset /The Kinks
11. Ain't No Mountain High Enough /Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
12. Be My Baby/The Ronettes
13. I'm Your Puppet /James & Bobby Purify
14. Downtown / Petula Clark
15. Kind Of A Drag /The Buckinghams
16. I Can Never Go Home Anymore /The Shangri-Las
17. Never My Love /The Association
18. Reflections of My Life/Marmalade
19. My Back Pages /The Byrds
20. This Guy's In Love With You/Burt Bacharach

Sorry I haven't posted anything of late. Real life has a nagging way of catching up to a blogger...

So, in a desperate attempt at turning back the clock to simpler times, an E-6 mixer to scratch that 60's AM Radio itch combining two of my fondest memories from long ago childhood: 1.) playing my older brothers' records--many of them 45 RPMs, and 2.) my transistor radio that searched the dial at night with the hopes of pulling in a far-off station like WLS--Chicago. Oh, where have you gone John "Records" Landecker?

(I wonder how many 9 volts I went through back in the day?)

download Six Transistor

She's So Modern

2011-04-10T22:00:00.011-05:00

soundtrack by DJ MABEL

A mash note to downtown MPLS, the silly little tart...

have one on me

2011-03-29T12:00:00.016-05:00

Been a while since I threw a mixer. This one's got a little bit of soul, some R&B, and a dash of funk.

Dig it.

1. Stay, Baby, Stay Johnny Daye
2. You're Gonna Make Me Cry O.V. Wright
3. I Wish It Would Rain The Temptations
4. Thin Line Between Love and Hate Wallace Brothers
5. Tramp Lowell Fulson
6. Tighten Up Archie Bell & the Drells
7. Seat in the Kingdom Crumb Brothers
8. You and Me Penny & The Quarters
9. The Power Is Gone Eugene Kemp
10. Stormy Monday Blues Bobby Bland
11. Drown In My Own Tears Ray Charles
12. Falling in Love Again Kelly Brothers
13. I'll Always Need You Dean Courtney
14. Baby, C’mon Home Solomon Burke
15. Everything Gonna Be Everything Don Covay
16. Oh Girl The Chi-Lites
17. Cry To Me Freddie Scott
18. The Dark End of the Street James Carr
19. Nothing Can Change This Love Sam Cooke

Download

For joe and peckish jane.

Studio Time

2011-03-22T19:00:00.003-05:00

Nothing is finished just yet, but they're getting there. (I think...)

Do You Fly in Your Dreams?

2011-03-14T22:30:00.005-05:00

Winter Must Die

2011-03-03T21:30:00.004-06:00

I've had enough of the stuff...

A Time to Reflect

2011-02-18T20:00:00.004-06:00

"I Want to Live" John Zorn

Happened across a beautiful oasis the other day, the location of which may surprise you. The mystery is revealed at the end. Reminds me a bit of a Joan Mitchell painting, except nowhere near as cool. Joan Mitchell was awesome.

Rehab

2011-02-10T12:00:00.011-06:00

music - Autolux "Spots"

The second floor of the Northrup King Building before gentrification. There's a lot of nice studio space there now, but it looked pretty cool before the build-out, too. I'm glad I documented it. Thanks to Debbie W. for letting me explore. Photos from 2006.

Tiny Town

2011-02-04T21:30:00.016-06:00

Music by Blonde Redhead

Portend

2011-01-30T19:00:00.003-06:00

"Second Chance" Codeine Frigid Stars

Take some innocuous footage from the window of the light rail, mess with color saturation and exposure, vary the speeds, add a particularly noisy (yet, glum) piece of Slo-Core music and--BAM!--you have the recipe for some serious foreboding.

Then again, maybe not...

NYC

2011-01-22T19:00:00.005-06:00

I fed some recent snapshots of Manhattan into the Filmstrip setting in iMovie, and then Ken Burns-ed them. Velvets provide the soundtrack.

Glad Bad Sad

2011-01-18T12:00:00.004-06:00

music by The Shangri-Las

A real heart-breaker. (And my most ~~pretentious~~ ambitious film to date.)

Speed Kills

2011-01-13T20:00:00.008-06:00

music by Wire

My first PSA.

Winter Driving

2011-01-08T20:00:00.003-06:00

Music: The Optimist - Emma Pollock

Are you sensing a theme with these titles, yet?

Call this an unwitting homage to the 2nd season of The Wire and the opening credits from The Sopranos.

Mondrians in Winter

2011-01-07T12:00:00.015-06:00

stills from an upcoming short film

You may have noticed I've developed an interest in film. In truth, I've always had an interest in cinema. And the digital camera has done wonders for my "photography skills". Now, the purchase of a Flip HD video camera (Merry Xmas, self) has me scratching that itch like it's a rash. As a result, I've been spending a lot of my free time exploring Apple's iMovie program. (While I probably should watch the instructional clip that pops up when you begin the application, I kinda dig not knowing what I'm doing. I'm comfortable with being lost.) Anyhoo, expect one or two short pieces a week here, at least until my interest wanes. (I've got about four in the can already.) And remember, feedback is most welcome. Even when it's harsh.

Not all that surprisingly, the new infatuation with film means my painting has suffered. Hard to use a paintbrush when I'm lost in the digital world. Like all infatuations, it will probably fade. And when it does, I'll go crawling back to my first mistress: Painting, that fickle trollop...

FWIW, I think I hear these shipping containers crying out to be put on canvas. Or, maybe that's just the wind.

Also, a fond farewell to Don Van Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart. An original in every sense of the word. A fine painter, too.

listen
Run Paint Run Run - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

Crawl Through Winter

2011-01-04T17:00:00.001-06:00

music by Cat Power

Trained Monkey

2011-01-03T22:30:00.000-06:00

music - Robyn Hitchcock "I Often Dream of Trains"

Utilizing another iMovie setting: Comic Book. A series of old and newish clips of the railed behemoths around my studio, mixed in with some stills shot at a friend's wedding in Spooner, WI last summer.

(I'm a little bummed Blogger doesn't allow me to upload these things in a large format, let alone HD. The lower resolution does me no favors.)

Big Day Coming

2010-12-31T12:00:00.006-06:00

Music by Yo La Tengo

Canal Street Station, NYC.

Abridged Distortion

2010-12-26T17:00:00.010-06:00

edited down from over 7:00 minutes to a tidy 2:29.

My iMac has a cool screensaver function called Mosaic. It takes a folder of images--in this case, some recent snaps I took of the Brooklyn Bridge--and recreates them using selections from your entire iPhoto library. I set my camera on a stack of books and put my machine to sleep. Here's a rather blurry version of what transpired. The soundtrack is something I came up with while messing around in GarageBand.

The Tracking Shot

2010-12-18T14:00:00.011-06:00

music from the Hal Hartley film Flirt

A meditative piece shot on my cheap digital camera while riding the light rail from the MSP Airport.

Service is Resumed?

2010-12-14T22:00:00.015-06:00

Canal Street Station, 2010

Close Up the Honkytonk

2010-04-12T19:30:00.012-05:00

Not forever. Just for now.

listen

Roll Richard Buckner Since

Top of the Pops

2010-04-09T07:52:00.003-05:00

RANDOM TEN
Hook & Ladder Vetiver Thing Of The Past
Fistful Of Love (w/Lou Reed) Antony & The Johnsons I Am A Bird Now
When I Was A Painter The Breeders Pod
Long Distance Operator Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes
Think Curtis Mayfield Superfly
For Emma Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
Glass Printer The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
Everything Merges With The Night Brian Eno Another Green World
Backstreets Bruce Springsteen Born to Run
Cherry Chapstick Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

Aerial Taxis

2010-04-06T17:30:00.018-05:00

24" x 72", oil on canvases, 2002

While a bit rough in the execution, it's still a rather fun diptych that works vertically or horizontally--right side up or upside down. Painted over two older canvases to arrive at this one. Most likely influenced by my own handiwork.

Meta-Bootsy?

Making Tracks

2010-04-02T06:00:00.011-05:00

Seeing as how the Mercury hit 82 in Minneapolis yesterday, winter appears to be safely in the rear view mirror. I can post these pictures without rancor.

Now watch it snow this weekend...

RANDOM TEN

1. Give Me Time Dawes Dawes
2. Blank Girl Dum Dum Girls I Will Be
3. I Believe in You Neil Young After the Gold Rush
4. Whatever's Cool With Me Dinosaur Jr. Ear-Bleeding Country
5. To Go Home M. Ward Post-War
6. The Rover Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti
7. Baby's Insane Diamanda Galás La Serpenta Canta
8. Dracula's Cigarette Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
9. Close Encounters The Orb U.F.Orb
10. More 13 Engines Perpetual Motion Machine

Brooklyn Bridge

2010-03-30T19:45:00.003-05:00

8" x 10", oil on canvas, 2004

A tiny little thing that ended up being a wedding gift for another nephew and his wife. I think they use it as a door stop. (Not true.) I worked from a photo that I snapped out of the back of a moving cab--hence the startling lack of detail. It does give the slight illusion of motion, though. Or maybe that effect is caused by my meds...

Blonde on Blonde

2010-03-26T06:00:00.017-05:00

I got nuffin'...

RANDOM TEN

1. "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down" Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights
2. "Numb" Portishead Dummy
3. "Elephant Woman" Blonde Redhead Misery Is A Butterfly
4. "Your Mind and We Belong Together" Love Forever Changes
5. "Uncle" James Brown Gettin' Down to It
6. "The Wheel" Bill Callahan Woke On A Whaleheart
7. "The Apocalypse Song" St. Vincent Marry Me
8. "Seeing Other People" Belle and Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister
9. "Lonely Lonely" Feist Les Black Sessions/Studio 105
10. "Breadcrumb Trail" Slint Spiderland
bonus "Strayed" Smog Dongs of Sevotion

Tail Lights

2010-03-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

30" x 24", oil on canvas, 1997

A rather poor reproduction of a nice little picture. This marked the first time I started using tail lights as a design element in my work. They've been popping up from time to time ever since. This is down in Soho.

listen
Run Paint Run Run - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band

There Was a Light

2010-03-19T08:46:00.012-05:00

Because others will wax more eloquently, I won't even try to explain the impact Alex Chilton had on a couple of generations of musicians who would happen upon his seminal band Big Star. A classic example of the woulda-coulda-shoulda been, the prickly Chilton had to settle for cult fame. Once upon a time, though, he did have a #1 Record.

Even as a teenager, Alex had that outsider thang down cold.

RANDOM TEN

Heroin Lou Reed Rock 'n' Roll Animal
English Rose The Jam All Mod Cons
Ice on the Wing Nada Surf Lucky
Song To The Siren Tim Buckley Starsailor
The Wolves (Act I and II) Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
Starship Spacemen 3 The Perfect Prescription
Mod Lang (alternate version) Big Star Keep An Eye On The Sky
Sister Jack Spoon Gimme Fiction
Good Intentions Paving Company Joanna Newsom Have One On Me
Break My Body Pixies Surfer Rosa

(I told myself I'd refresh iTunes until a Chilton number showed up. Got it on the first try.)

Vic

2010-03-16T11:00:00.005-05:00

18" x 36", oil on canvas, 2007

If I'm not mistaken, this isn't too far off of Castro Street in San Fransisco--a block or three from my friend WestCoasting's old crib. As I mentioned on another occasion, the light in San Fransisco is unlike any I've seen before. I don't know that I ever fully captured it, but it was an interesting challenge all the same. I think I need to take another crack at it.

This one goes out to the good folks at Pixels at an Exhibition. Three witty, talented photographers who update nearly every day. Stop by and check them out. (Generik, loved that capture, but I have a weird little hang-up that I can only paint from my own photos. It allows me to take all the credit--or absorb all the blame. ;-)

Day Turn

2010-03-13T20:01:00.001-06:00

Whatsoever will sometimes

doesn’t or does, like the sun

behind a cloud, or not. Unlike

Murphy who expects fate

to redecorate the room

every time he paints—

dangling buckets fall off ladders,

yet he knows sadder stuff—

a few rags are needed

to get the blue up,

and he does or he doesn’t,

and what gets left

is flooring—a new

triangle of light.

*Nearly missed this lovely piece of verse that TILT left in the comments a few days back. Been a shame if no one saw it...

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away

2010-03-12T06:00:00.016-06:00

The setting sun as seen through a frosted pane in my studio.

RANDOM TEN

1. Car - Built To Spill There's Nothing Wrong With Love
2. After Class - Atlas Sound Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
3. The Heavenly Music Corporation - Robert Fripp & Brian Eno No Pussyfooting
4. Johnny Get Angry - Joanie Sommers The Best Of The Girl Groups
5. I'll Come Running Back To You - Sam Cooke Portrait Of A Legend 1951-1964
6. Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl - Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People
7. I See Your Face Before Me - Frank Sinatra In The Wee Small Hours
8. Medley: The Loner/Cinnamon Girl/Down By The River - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Four Way Street
9. My Father's House - Bruce Springsteen Nebraska
10. The Red Telephone - Love Forever Changes
bonus: Thank You Friends - Big Star Third - Sister Lovers

At over 21 minutes, that Fripp/Eno number is the longest one in my library.

31st & Broadway

2010-03-09T00:00:00.001-06:00

30" x 40", oil on canvas, 2005

Another picture that I gave a drastic makeover to. Just didn't care for this in it's daytime wear, so I put a wash of blue over the top and turned on a few lights. I prefer the night time version.

I got a number of phone calls on the day Art-a-Whirl started in 2005. Seemed the local paper has splashed a half page reproduction of this painting on the back page of the Friday A&E section. Let me just say, advertising is a good thing. Free advertising is even better. I could've sold this one twenty-five times that weekend.

RIP Mark Linkous

2010-03-07T11:00:00.002-06:00

Man, this news just bummed me out.
The world is down one truly gifted artist.

My Heart Will Go On Off

2010-03-05T06:00:00.012-06:00

Are you serious? Not one Academy Award Winner for Best Original Song on my Random? How can this be? Oh, yeah, I remember. Pretty much everything that's won for the past 30 years sucks. Granted, every so often something that isn't a cringe inducing sap-fest will cop the prize: There was "Falling Slowly". And "Streets of Philadelphia". Um...OK, that's all I got.

Perhaps in lieu of my sentiment, the Academy has jettisoned the performance of BOS nominees for Sunday's telecast. What took you so long, Oscar?

RANDOM TEN
1. "Once" Richard Buckner Since
2. "Lady Godiva And Me" Grant Lee Buffalo Mighty Joe Moon
3. "Supercheria" Pescado Rabioso Artaud
4. "History" The Verve A Northern Soul
5. "Stardust" Willie Nelson Stardust
6. "Carpet Of Horses" Red Red Meat Bunny Gets Paid
7. "Apple Bomb" Deerhoof Apple O'
8. "Spray" Can Future Days
9. "The Dream's Dream" Television Live At The Old Waldorf
10. "Desperate Man Blues" Daniel Johnston Continued Story / Hi, How Are You?
bonus cut : 'Til I Die Beach Boys Surf's Up

More empty Oscar chatter below.

Oscar Talk

2010-03-04T19:30:00.015-06:00

Sunday night is the 82nd Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award Ceremony. Once upon a time, I might have cared. You see, I used to be a junkie. A film junkie. For nearly 20 years, I'd watch anywhere from ten to twenty movies a month. As long-time visitors of this site may have surmised, I usually opted for indies, foreign titles, or classics from yesteryear over Tinseltown trash. I'm what a lot of folks might call a snob. (Hey, what can I say? I prefer The Cinema to blowin' shit up.) Anyhoo, up until the last couple of years, I'd always made a point to watch most (if not all) of the Academy's Best Picture nominees. Were they the "best" films of the year? Hardly. They were, however, often better than much of the year's output. Sure, garbage often snuck through (Crash, anyone?), but an Oscar always carried more weight than a Grammy, which is little more than a glorified paperweight.

Fast forward to present: my movie-time is almost non-existent. Part of that is due to the fact that my real world job requires a 6 AM wake-up call. That means starting the film before 8 PM, which is often impossible. Part of it can be attributed to the fact that I've seen just about every "classic film" that I've ever desired to see. Really. (I could stand to watch a lot more foreign fare, but that points back to my first reason.) That leaves new releases, and frankly, very few of them strike me as must see. (Perhaps the biggest reason of them all? These days, I'd much rather stick my nose in a book.)

So with all that in mind, here are my thoughts on the Best Picture Nominees vying for the statuette on Sunday night.

It's now a 10 horse race. Yippee!

Avatar - Haven't seen it, but it's everything I hate about Hollywood. Ginormously budgeted CGI madness masquerading as "art". I'd rather have my wisdom teeth put back in than sit through what appears to be a giant blue migraine waiting to happen. (Fans of the film might ask, "How can he hate a movie he hasn't even seen?" The answer is, Easy...) I wanted this film to fail in the worst way, but it didn't. At least have the decency to deny it the Oscar for BP.

The Blind Side - Haven't seen it--have absolutely no desire to see it. The day I pay to watch a Sandra Bullock flick will be a cold day in ~~Hell~~ Hollywood.

District 9 - Haven't seen it. While I know a lot of people who liked it, as a general rule of thumb I don't do Sci-Fi. That means I'm unlikely to watch it. (My sincere apologies to nerds everywhere.)

An Education - Haven't seen it, but it is foreign, so the possibility exists that one day I will.

The Hurt Locker - Haven't seen it, but probably will. (While the idea of watching a movie about an ill-advised war that has cost our country dearly in lives, credibility, and dollars isn't the most appealing choice, it's thought to be the best of the recent spate of films on said-conflict. I should probably watch one of them...)

Inglorious Basterds - Haven't seen it, but I will. Tarantino is one of the few contemporary directors that I make a point of keeping up with. (FWIW, I still think Jackie Brown is his best film, to date.)

Precious - Haven't seen it, but I might eventually. Seems like dark subject matter, but I'm often drawn to that end of the spectrum. Plus, Precious and her mom make me feel...thin...

A Serious Man - Haven't seen it, but I will. Like Tarantino, the Coen brothers are always worth a flier. Plus, as it was filmed locally, there will be the added fun of trying to spot the locations.

Up - Loved it. Just a beautiful film all around. Those Pixar cats know how to weave a yarn. (The only nominee I've seen, so far.)

Up in the Air - Haven't seen it, but I might. Reitman the Younger seems like the real thing and Clooney is always watchable. Still, it's not like it's in my (now-canceled) Netflix queue.

A few more thoughts on Oscar:

A. One film I am looking forward to is Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges. Long a favorite of mine, I'd love to see him pick up gold as a reward for his distinguished body of work. He's always solid.

B. What if Sandra Bullock wins Best Actress? Oscar immediately turns into a People's Choice award-shaped pumpkin. (And a certain lawyer friend of mine will likely need therapy.)

C. Finally, what's been Oscar's biggest travesty, in your opinion? I'll say Pacino in Scent of a Woman over Denzel in Malcolm X, hands down. Hoo ya, my ass.

Hotel Martinique

2010-03-03T14:45:00.007-06:00

30" x 15", oil on canvas, 2001

Another great structure plunked down in midtown Manhattan. This one sits at 32nd and Broadway, just around the the corner from the more modest digs I usually flopped at, and a block south of Grand Central Station. A few years after I had done this one, I was walking up Broadway and noticed that the cool red signage that had first caught my eye had been replaced by a hideous green and yellow one. Seems the joint had become a Holiday Inn. *le sigh*

Always meant to do a larger version of this scene, but I never got around to it. Never say never, I guess, but it ain't likely to happen. That train has left the station...

Sweet Jane

2010-03-01T10:00:00.009-06:00

Some people, they like to go out dancing

Others, they have to work (Just watch me now)

There's even some evil mothers among us

They're gonna tell you that everything is just dirt

Y'know that women never really faint

And villains always blink their eyes

And that little children are the only ones who blush

And life is just to die

Well, everyone who ever had a heart

They wouldn't turn around and break it

And anyone who ever played a part

Oh wouldn't turn around and hate it

Technically not a cover, since Lou wrote the song. Still it's a much different take on the Velvet Underground classic from Loaded (or Live @ Max's Kansas City, Rock and Roll Animal, Live in Italy, etc.) 30 years on, Dr Reed and company perform major surgery on it. Fear not, they saved the heart. Killer intro...

A Quick Lookie Loo

2010-02-26T07:00:00.005-06:00

Thought I'd give a sneak peek at a few works in progress. None of them are close to being done, but the potential is there. They might look familiar...

RANDOM TEN
1. "The Kids" Lou Reed Berlin
2. "Song For Sunshine" Belle And Sebastian The Life Pursuit
3. "Don't Be Denied" Neil Young Time Fades Away
4. "Runnin' Away" Sly & The Family Stone There's A Riot Goin' On
5. "The Man Who Loved Life" The Jayhawks Sound Of Lies
6. "The Package Is Wrapped" Marnie Stern This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That
7. "Welcome To the Working Week" Elvis Costello My Aim Is True
8. "Tick" Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever To Tell
9. "Thrasher" Neil Young & Crazy Horse Rust Never Sleeps
10. "Everything Merges With The Night" Brian Eno Another Green World
bonus: "Pressure Drop" The Clash Black Market Clash

I'd also be remiss not to mention Joanna Newson's latest project, Have One On Me. In it's sprawling 3-discs I hear touches of Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Kate Bush and Ricki Lee Jones. I also hear the unmistakable sound of greatness. Arrangements range from simple harp (or piano) ballads to sophisticated orchestral story-songs that defy categorization. It's gonna take some time to fully wrap my head around this thing, but it's a job I look forward to.

SoHo Blues

2010-02-24T09:30:00.004-06:00

24" x 36", acrylic on canvas, 1995

Another one from the previous century--back when I was still attacking the canvases in a caffeine-induced frenzy. Slap things out, hope they work. Move on.

Lots to dislike about this picture--the buildings on the right are clunky as clogs, most of the vehicles don't look fit for the road, and the figures are weak. What do I like? The building on the left has a lot going on--the light and shadow in the second floor window and the reflection in the bottom one. I also like the distressed surface of the light pole with it's suggestion of posted fliers long since torn down. Sort of a latter day version of palimpsest.

Oh, and for the record, this is Chelsea--not SoHo. I just didn't feel like naming the piece after one of Cher's kids...

A Limited Palette

2010-02-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

listen
"Winter Kills" Yaz

Thaw Faster!

2010-02-19T06:00:00.050-06:00

It is the winter of my discontent. It started early, and then got ugly. Real ugly. Grotesque, even. Like Sandra Bernhardt in The King of Comedy. Ice and snow and blowing winds. Roads and sidewalks that look more like the surface of the Moon. Potholes big enough to swallow mid-size sedans whole. (Or for an Olympic analogy: they make the mogul courses in Vancouver look like the greens at Augusta National.) And ICE. I did mention the ice, right? Ice everywhere as far as the eye can see...and the foot can slip.

It's got me grumpy and mean. Short-tempered and irritable--far more so than usual, even. Trust me, I don't like being this way. Yeah, sure, lots of other people are pretty fed up with the season, too--but I'm the most likely candidate to take down one of those icicles and start brandishing it in the face of the next person who says, "It's not that bad."

I need an attitude adjustment. To recognize that the days are getting longer. To remember that pitchers and catchers just reported to spring training. Come on, Mother Nature. Help a brother out. Let the melting begin. You can start with those massive ice floes outside my window. The thawing of my cold, cold heart will surely follow.

RANDOM TEN

1. "Trouble Comes Running" Spoon Transference
2. "The Hard Road" Smog Dongs of Sevotion
3. "The Bogus Man" Roxy Music For Your Pleasure
4. "Which Side Are You On Billy Bragg Back To Basics
5. "Heavy Metal Drummer" Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
6. "I Better Be Quiet Now" Elliot Smith Figure 8
7. "Buzzards And Dreadful Crows" Guided By Voices Bee Thousand
8. "From a Buick 6" Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited
9. "Reuben Pantier" Richard Buckner The Hill
10. "Been So Long" Vetiver To Find Me Gone

bonus: "Icicles" Badfinger Best of Badfinger

Harrison Street

2010-02-17T10:00:00.006-06:00

24" x 36", acrylic on canvas, 1993

One of my first paintings of NE Minneapolis. The red-ish brown object atop the building to the right of the RR crossing arm was a large fiberglass wiener. (Every now and again, you'd see this parked in front of the building.) Alas, that doggie is long gone. Pretty loose (read: sloppy) paint application, but I still kind of like this one.

I find it interesting that the paintings I'm working on now are of railroad tracks about a half-mile away. It just took me 17 years to get there. I've never been very good with a map...

As Time Goes By

2010-02-15T06:00:00.007-06:00

Bryan Ferry doing a swell version of the Herman Hupfeld song from Casablanca. Ferry's wonderful album of standards blows Rod Stewart's sorry attempts at the genre right out of the water. (Then again, Roxy Music always trumped Faces, too.)

From the film--with the lovely Ingrid Bergman.

Happy Birthday, Ma. (Sorry, I forgot to take out the trash...)

Candy Says

2010-02-12T06:00:00.009-06:00

boo hoo

What's this? A secret Valentine for Error?
(Ooooh, and there's candy, too...)

Wanna make your own personalized hearts? Do it here.

RANDOM TEN

1. "Our Lips Are Sealed" The Go-Go's Beauty And The Beat
2. "Graham Greene" John Cale Paris 1919
3. "Distopian Dream Girl" Built To Spill There's Nothing Wrong With Love
4. "Older Guys" Teenage Fanclub Thirteen
5. "Take Me Home and Make Me Like It" Alex Chilton Bach's Bottom
6. "Which Will" Nick Drake Pink Moon
7. "Iris" The Breeders Pod
8. "Always Crashing in the Same Car" David Bowie Low
9. "Submission" The Sex Pistols Nevermind the Bollocks
10. "Drunks With Guns" Pavement Slanted & Enchanted: Luxe & Reduxe
Special Valentine's Day bonus tune--
listen
Bobby Bare Jr. "Valentine" From The End of Your Leash

Tricks of the Trade

2010-02-10T09:00:00.016-06:00

Fanagle, 30" x 30", oil on canvas, 2002

There's a funny story behind this painting, and perhaps even a moral. Friends of mine who had been longtime boosters (read: buyers) dropped by the studio one day and were really drawn to the piece. Said they wanted it. And I believed them--they were, after all, patrons. Trouble is, it wasn't quite dry and I still wanted to tweak a few things. Adding to the mix, we were all a little bit tipsy. (Often the end-result when pub-owners and painters collide.) When they left, Ed said he'd get back to me.

So anyway, a month passes and I don't hear anything from those two. Meanwhile, my eldest brother and his wife stopped at the studio one weekend when they were visiting Minneapolis. It was the first time either of them had seen my working space, and they were both very complimentary about everything. Didn't think anything of their praise until my sister-in-law called me when they got home. Apparently my bro couldn't stop talking about a certain picture the whole ride back. (Can you guess which one?) She was convinced that it was the perfect (25th wedding anniversary) gift. I thought about calling Ed & Lori to inform them of the situation, but I didn't. Instead I caved into my Sister-in-Law's charm--easy to do, if you've ever met her. I boxed it up and shipped it off the following day.

About a week later I got a call from Ed. He apologized for not getting back to me sooner, and asked when he could come by and pick up "his painting". *gulp* So, did I do the right thing and tell him that I sold the picture to someone else? No, dear readers, I did not. Instead I did what any painter worth his linseed oil would do. I lied through my teeth and said I was going out of town for the week. I'd call when I got back.

I then spent the next four days hammering out the reproduction, something I'd never done before--or since. (I rarely have deadlines, but I found out the hard way I can work under pressure.) Continuing my subterfuge, I called them up and said I was home. "Hey, when can you guys drop by to pick up your piece?" Long story ~~short~~ longer--when they eventually came by, Lori exclaimed, "It's even better than I remembered it!" That seemed an ideal window from which to make my confession. The look of shock on their faces soon gave way to much laughter. Ed later confessed to me that he tells that story to anybody who sees the picture.

The moral of the story? It's OK to lie to your friends. As long as you're a painter...

Don't You Lie To Me

2010-02-08T06:00:00.001-06:00

Monday's Covered with cult heroes Flamin Groovies doin' right by Chuck Berry. From the fantastic Groovies Greatest Grooves.

While they never approached anything resembling stardom during their long and strange career, few bands ever rocked with such playful abandon as the Groovies. An E-6 favorite. I ain't lying to you...

listen
The Flamin Groovies - Don't You Lie to Me

Snow Day

2010-02-05T06:00:00.006-06:00

Sure it looks pretty now, but it's gonna suck on the morning commute. What I wouldn't do for a Snow Day...

RANDOM TEN

1. "Whipping Boy" Shearwater Winged Life
2. "Glad Girls" Guided By Voices Isolation Drills
3. "On Time" Soledad Brothers Voice Of Treason
4. "Almost Crimes" Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People
5. "Almost Home" Hem Funnel Cloud
6. "Priest's Knees" Destroyer Destroyer's Rubies
7. "If That's Alright" Uncle Tupelo Still Feel Gone
8. "The Battle Of Evermore" Led Zeppelin IV
9. "Skinny Love" Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago
10. "The Wanderer" Dion 24 Original Classics
bonus: "Back Burner" Ida I Know About You

The Happy Couple

2010-02-03T19:00:00.009-06:00

38" x 30", oil on canvas, 2007

These two North Beach Victorians reminded me of one of those long-time pairs that stand together through thick and thin. You know the type. Kind of like a Bay Area (architectural) version of American Gothic. Consider this their portrait. And unlike Wood's couple, you'll note that these two are smiling--you can see their ~~dental~~ dentil work. Okay, okay--that was a reach. I should've just kept my mouth shut and said it's called Untitled...

This is one of four San Fransisco paintings purchased by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance for their new digs outside of Milwaukee, WI.

ONEthirtyTEN

2010-01-31T21:00:00.021-06:00

listen

Bob Dylan - It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry

Took these on Saturday evening in 10-degree weather without a tripod (or gloves.) Suffer for your art, maaaan... And feel free to slap the next person you hear say that. It'll prolly be me.

I'm not a photographer--I'm a painter with a camera. I can compose a picture, but beyond that it's all voodoo. And luck. So whether these were good mojo OR a happy accident, doesn't really matter. I'm still pretty thrilled with the results.

Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters

2010-01-29T05:00:00.029-06:00

RIP J.D. SALINGER

Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.

--Holden Caufield

RANDOM TEN

1. "In The Crowd" The Jam All Mod Cons

2. "Slut" Big Star Keep An Eye On The Sky

3. "Smelling Cigarettes" The Fiery Furnaces EP

4. "Goodnight My Love" The Shangri-Las Leader Of The Pack

5. "Highway 61 Revisited" Bob Dylan Highway 61 Revisited

6. "Bipolar" Blonde Redhead Live in SF - 12.04.2000

7. "Neptune's Net" M. Ward Post-War

8. "Workhorse" My Brightest Diamond Bring Me The Workhorse

9. "Racing Like a Pro" The National Boxer

10. "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" Stevie Wonder Innervisions

bonus: "She Don't Care About Time" Gene Clark Roadmaster

I won't be around until later this afternoon, so play nice. And go ahead and turn it up. The neighbors won't mind.

Twilight

2010-01-27T18:30:00.015-06:00

40" x 20", oil on canvas, 2003

Another scene of Midtown Manhattan. I must say I like the simplicity of this composition, even if I'm not crazy about the execution. Happens a lot more than I care to admit it...

(This was one of the pieces that went out the door on that Red Letter Day.)

Don't Let it Bring You Down

2010-01-25T14:45:00.014-06:00

DON'T CRY

This one goes out to all the Vikings fans who are standing on the ledge today. Come back inside, kids. You'll get over it. Things could be much worse--you could be Lions fans...

NO TEARS

AROUND ME

Man, I love Neil.

I Wish it Would Rain

2010-01-22T08:00:00.007-06:00

So I hear California is getting some rain...

RANDOM TEN
1. "Country Mile" Camera Obscura Let's Get Out Of This Country
2. "Roll" Richard Buckner Devotion & Doubt
3. "The Cabbage" Teenage Fanclub Thirteen
4. "Reynardine" Anne Briggs A Collection
5. "Honest With Me" Bob Dylan Love And Theft
6. "Another Way I Could Do It" Sloan Never Hear the End of It
7. "Birds" M83 Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts
8. "The Perfect Me" Deerhoof Friend Opportunity
9. "Don't Explain" Cat Power Jukebox
10. "No Glamour for Willi" Television Television
bonus
"California Rain" Delaney Bramlett D & B Together

Oyster Bar

2010-01-20T16:00:00.007-06:00

36"x 24", oil on canvas, 1996

Did a couple variations of this scene (including one with just the taxis.) This particular piece has a loose feel to the brushwork that I like, but I remember spending an inordinate amount of time trying to make it look like it was painted very quickly. When I paint quickly, it often just looks sloppy. There's a difference, you ask? I should say so. What's a guy to do?

Man, I could go for some oysters...

Winterlong

2010-01-19T07:30:00.009-06:00

*edit*

Don't know where my existential short film about the hardships of winter went, but it's gone...

Alone Again Or

2010-01-18T06:00:00.010-06:00

Calexico grace MonCov with a lovely version of the opening track from Love's Forever Changes--one of the 60's great albums. While Arthur Lee was the de facto (De Capo?) leader of the group, this one was written by guitarist Bryan MacLean--who happened to be the half-brother of singer/songwriter Maria McKee. Small world.

(To see the late, great Mr. Lee perform the song with Baby Lemonade/The Love Band click here.)

I <3 Calexico.

for WestCoasting...

Requiem

2010-01-15T06:00:00.025-06:00

Headstone, mixed-media on canvases, 54" x 20", 2000

Thought I was being oh, so clever when I named this piece. You see, it's three old paintings that I "buried" under several layers of mica powder suspended in polyurethane. Hilarious, right? Well, the deaths of a brother and cousin a year later would pretty much wipe that smirk off my face. The title is still apt, it's just not funny anymore...

My heart goes out to the people of Haiti. I'm not eloquent enough to put their plight into words, but the images being sent out from that devastated island crush me. Help them in any way you can. If you believe in prayer, send those. If you believe in money, send that. A combination of the two? Right-on. Just help.

OK. We now return to the trivial pursuits that make this joint what it is...

Random Ten

1. "I'd Die Babe" Badfinger The Very Best of Badfinger
2. "Tracy Jacks" Blur Parklife
3. "Sing For Me" The Fiery Furnaces EP
4. "Cocaine Eyes" Neil Young Eldorado
5. "Tame" The Pixies Doolittle
6. "Nothing Was Delivered" Bob Dylan &The Band The Basement Tapes
7. "No One Word" Vetiver To Find Me Gone
8. "On Se Plait" Francoise Hardy The Best Of Francoise Hardy
9. "Don't Renege On Our Love" Richard & Linda Thompson Shoot Out The Lights
10. "She Still Loves Him" Jellyfish Bellybutton

bonus song:
"Oh, It's Such A Shame" Jay Reatard Singles 06-07

R.I.P.

Look Ma, No Grunge

2010-01-13T10:00:00.037-06:00

A case can be made for pretty much every decade since the 60's as the greatest in rock and roll history. The 90's are certainly in the running, thanks to the emergence of some terrific artists--like the ones listed below. A few ground rules, if I knew of the band before the dawn of the decade, they aren't eligible. That scratches 90's faves like Sonic Youth (Daydream Nation and Sister had already blown my mind in the previous decade), My Bloody Valentine (Isn't Anything--ditto exploding head), and the Jayhawks--who I saw every Friday night at the 400 Bar back in 1985 when they were strictly a twang act with a couple of Flying Burrito Brothers songs in their set. Yo La Tengo does make the cut, though, because I didn't became aware of them until 1990's Fakebook.

Hey, my blog--my rules. I'm not saying that these are the greatest musicians of the 90's--just my favorites. Hmmm. Maybe that does make them the greatest...

1. Pavement
Pretty much a no-brainer for me. Slanted and Enchanted, Crooked Rain,Crooked Rain, and Wowee Zowee, are all stone cold classics, with Brighten the Corners being merely great. Stephen Malkmus' diamond sharp word-play and the band's sloppy, gorgeous shotgun marriage of punk and classic rock still sounds like a revelation. If ever a band deserved a "take the money and run reunion", it's these guys. Generations from now kids will discover Pavement and still hear the "cool."

2. Teenage Fanclub From the first rumbling chords of 1990's "Everything Flows" that led off A Catholic Education, I was hooked on these guys. That they would wind up being pop-classicists of the highest order after their proto-grungy debut is just one of many wonderful surprises these Glaswegian charmers offered up during the decade. Bandwagonesque, Thirteen, Grand Prix, and Songs from Northern Britain was a fantastic four LP run.

3. Guided By Voices I heard Bee Thousand while browsing at my favorite record store (RIP Let it Be) right when it came out. Marched up to the counter, and asked proprietor Ryan, "Who are these guys?" Thus started a decade-long infatuation with Bob Pollard's rotating crew from Dayton, OH. While later records beefed up the sound, I still favor the Tobin Sprout era's lo-fi beginnings--tape hiss and all. Tried my best to be a completest, but the prolific nature of the group made that virtually impossible.

Read on...

4. Yo La Tengo As I noted at the top, my first exposure to YLT was their wonderful Fakebook, a collection of largely acoustic cover songs. Needless to say, it didn't fully prepare me for the awesome guitar/organ onslaught of their 1993 release Painful. Electr-O-Pura and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One were even better. Their all-encompassing sound ranged from delicate little love songs to epic, noisy squalls. Great live act, too, especially when Ira wrestles with his guitar, or Georgia sings.

5. Built to Spill
Doug Marsch is a monster. A quiet, unassuming monster. First heard There's Nothing Wrong With Love--a great little record filled with swell, if somewhat offbeat, 3-minute pop songs (see "Twin Falls" and "Car".) So, a move to a major label might mean more of the same, right? Think again. Perfect From Now On upped the weirdness factor to 11, and stretched the songs out into the epic range. 6 of the 8 tracks exceed the 6:00 minute mark, including the appropriately named "Randy Described Eternity".

6. Uncle Tupelo The pride of Belleville, Illinois, though their sound fit Minneapolis like a ~~glove~~ flannel shirt. Loud, scruffy punk rock rubbing shoulders with the ghosts of Acuff-Rose. Their 4 LP run was one of the decade's best. Their break-up produced Son-Volt and Wilco. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Jeff Tweedy would front the better post-UT act.

7. Luna From the ashes of Galaxie 500 emerged the groovy Dean Wareham vehicle: Luna. Languid guitar jamming over cynical wordplay effectively updated the Velvet Underground sound for the 90's. Still in rotation at my studio.

8. Elliot Smith Never has an artist wedded more depressing lyrics to drop-dead gorgeous melodies. Roman Candle, Elliot Smith, Either/Or and XO all contain staggering moments of heartbreaking beauty. It's a shame that he couldn't find solace in this lifetime, but the writing was on the wall.

9. Supergrass Probably the most fun band on the list. These kids had cheek--and a knack for writing great rock-n-roll songs. Their entire 90's output is stellar--I Should Coco, In it For The Money, and their self-titled third all bristle with brio, and rock like a barrel of monkeys. Without question, the best of the Brit-Pop acts. The only band on this list I've never seen live.

10.Bettie Serveert Burst onto the scene with their wickedly, great debut Palomine. A sexy gurl singer backed a band that sounded like Crazy Horse on amphetamines--what's not to like? While subsequent releases couldn't quite match that height (little else from the decade could), they continued to release solid material. Awesome live.

To commemorate this momentous achievement of boot dragging, I present:

E-6 Does The 90's

------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Here Pavement Cologne - 26 June 1996
2. Everything Flows Teenage Fanclub A Catholic Education
3. Over The Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox Guided By Voices Propeller
4. Factory Belt Uncle Tupelo No Depression
5. Some Built To Spill There's Nothing Wrong With Love
6. Pablo And Andrea Yo La Tengo Electr-O-Pura
7. Tonight Supergrass In It For the Money
8. Under The Surface Bettie Serveert Palomine
9. Between The Bars Elliot Smith Either/Or
10. Goodbye Luna Lunapark

Download

90's V. 2
-------------------------------

1. Made up Dreams Built to Spill Perfect From Now On
2. Hardcore UFO's Guided By Voices Bee Thousand
3. Freakin' & Peakin' Luna Penthouse
4. Barnaby, Hardly Working Yo La Tengo Fakebook
5. Still Be Around Uncle Tupelo Still Feel Gone
6. Tell Me, Sad Bettie Serveert Lamprey
7. Mellow Doubt Teenage Fanclub Grand Prix
8. Miss Misery Elliot Smith Good Will Hunting
9. Mary Supergrass Supergrass
10. Heaven is a Truck Pavement Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinals Edition

Download

Don't Stop Believin'

2010-01-11T10:30:00.008-06:00

Like a cockroach in nuclear winter, the music of Journey just won't go away. Despite the keening vocals, spray cheese guitars and Hallmark card sentiment that make the band so ripe for ridicule, the hits just keep on ~~coming~~ recycling--the wheel in the sky keeps on turning. At least this version mutated into something interesting (And, no, it's not Glee...)

NYC guitar shredder Marnie Stern lends her considerable talents to making this one palatable. And dammit, if she doesn't succeed.

listen
Don't Stop Believin' - Marnie Stern

Now Listen

2010-01-08T06:00:00.018-06:00

Untitled, 20" x 30", oil on canvas, 2008

For Savannah.

RANDOM TEN
1. "Maybe I'm Amazed" Paul McCartney McCartney
2. "Nevada" Scout Niblett This Fool Can Die Now
3. "So Stark (You're a Skyscraper)" Pavement Slanted and Enchanted Luxe and Reduxe
4. "Painbirds" Sparklehorse Good Morning Spider
5. "Plainclothes Man" Heatmeiser Mic City Sons
6. "Chrome" Catherine Wheel Chrome
7. "Hedgehog" Luna Penthouse
8. "Snazzle Dazzle" Jackie Wilson Mr. Excitement
9. "Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'll Go Mine" Bob Dylan Blonde on Blonde
10. "September Gurls" Big Star Keep An Eye On The Sky

Sometimes you come across a song so awesome, you wanna play it for everyone you know. This is one such song. (Consider it this week's bonus tune.) It's taken from the righteously rockin' compilation Life is a Problem.

"Seat In The Kingdom" - Crumb Brothers

(Bear in mind that young brother Crumb was 10 years old at the time this was recorded. TEN! Amazing.)

Train of Thought...

2010-01-05T20:00:00.010-06:00

brrrrrr

Nearly froze my arse off while capturing this little clip. I swear, the things I do for you people...

Boorns

Cortez the Killer

2010-01-04T08:00:00.017-06:00

Monday's Covered returns with the strange but inspired pairing of filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and two young hipsters--Bradford Cox (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound) and Randy Randall (No Age)--tackling Neil Young's classic. Shakey? Yeah, a little--but still, what a killer. Love that reverb.

Taken from Pitchfork TV's Surveillance Series: a rather blatant attempt to duplicate the magic of La Blogotheque. Thing is, they may have in this case. It's fantastic. More, please.

Year One

2010-01-02T01:00:00.014-06:00

For reals??? Booting Life's Grounders turns one? Damn, I didn't think it would last a month. I certainly didn't expect it to last a year. (And I swear to gawd it won't last another--I promise...)

It's been a year of highs and lows--bursts and lulls--hits and misses. It's been fun--it's been a chore. At times it's been a bore (especially for the reader/viewer.) The number one lesson I've learned? Content is a bitch. Particularly when you don't wanna share too much of yourself beyond a few pictures and a song or two.

But don't worry, kids. Ol' Error's got a few more pix to trot out, a couple of valentines to deliver, and at least one big meltdown before he rolls up the awning, papers over the windows and douses the joint with gasoline. I trust Ponyboy will be on hand with a book of matches when that time arives. Until then, enjoy the cupcakes.

listen
X - Year One

Journey Through The Past

2010-01-01T00:00:00.022-06:00

blah blah blah

New Year. New Decade. Old Picture.
Business as usual at Bootsy's.

Untitled, 38" x 32", acrylic on canvas, 1991

There you go, Savannah--an old Error abstraction. One of the few that survived the purge, this piece hangs in my living room. It ain't a beauty, but hey, it's alright. Whenever I'm asked who painted it, I usually respond, "Some hack."

RANDOM TEN

1. All The Pretty Girls Go To The City Spoon Kill The Moonlight
2. Nothing Out There Ry Cooder Paris, Texas
3. I Don't Know Thunderclap Newman Hollywood Dream
4. Tomorrow Built To Spill There Is No Enemy
5. Butterfly Dance Kevin Ayers Odd Ditties
6. Slept Richard Buckner Since
7. Strange Feelin' Lilys Sing A Song For You: A Tribute To Tim Buckley
8. I Was a Stranger Smog Red Apple Falls
9. A Call To Arms Beirut The Flying Club Cup
10. Blue Cash Deerhoof Apple O'
bonus: Till the Morning Comes Neil Young After the Gold Rush

Here's to a healthy and happy New Year for all y'all.

Alley 1 & 2

2009-12-27T21:00:00.007-06:00

30" x 24", acrylic on canvas, 1993

36" x 30", acrylic on canvas, 1993

Piloting the "Way-back Machine" into the dark ages: 1993. These two are a couple of my earliest urban landscapes. Prior to the switch to more representational work, I'd been doing a bunch of sloppy abstract expressionist pictures with whatever materials and surfaces I could get my hands on. (Enamel on cardboard, you say? Eh, why not?) Truth be told, I wasn't producing much of much at the time, but I still told people I was an artist. Hey, I was a hit at cocktail parties, man. I talked the talk, but I didn't walk the walk. This is when I took my first baby steps. Fitting that I stumbled through an alley in doing so...

(If this alley looks familiar to the Minneapolitans who drop by, it's located on University Avenue, between Hennepin and Central Avenues.)

Must Be Santa

2009-12-24T00:00:00.017-06:00

Here's hopin' ol' St. Nick leaves a stash of goodies under your tree. I asked the big guy for some new brushes and a bottle of hooch, but I'm not exactly holding my breath. I haven't been very nice...

Happy Holidays!

Is it just me, or does Zimmy's bash look like more fun than yer average Yuletide get-together?

EDIT--A little stocking-stuffer of holiday tunes for anybody who wants in. Don't say I didn't get you anything. ;) Track list in the comments.

My Favorite Records of 2009

2009-12-20T16:00:00.024-06:00

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career My personal favorite from the calendar year. Bittersweet lyrics, wonderful melodies, excellent musicianship, and the fabulous voice of Tracyanne Campbell. Love it when her Scottish burr sneaks through. A flat-out great record from a wonderful band. Highly recommended.

St.Vincent - Actor Annie Clark takes another leap forward with her second LP. Strange, beautiful, and a just a little bit creepy--see "Laughing with a Mouth of Blood" and "The Neighbors" for examples. Traces of old Disney cartoons mingle with skronking guitars and her odd and clever wordplay. Like all of the artists on this list, her future (and the listener's) ~~looks~~ sounds bright.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain The amazing pipes of Erika Wennerstram are placed among different settings than the alt-blues crunch of the first two HB records. Traces of country and folk give new vehicles for her razor sharp lyrics to shine. The title track and "Hold Your Head High" are but two standouts on a top-to-bottom fine disc.

Dinosaur Jr - Farm Even as a longtime fan of J Mascis crew, I had no idea that they were capable of a record this great--this late in the game. Stands along side their 80's work. Hell, practically towers over it. J is in blistering form throughout. My favorite RAWK record of the year. It warms this old rock-n-roller's heart.

Antony & The Johnsons - The Crying Light While maybe not as satisfying overall as I Am a Bird Now, it still boasts a handful of amazing cuts. Chief among them, the stunning "Aeon". The big fella is an artist--with a capital "A".

Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle Where his '07 release Woke on a Whale Heart found the artist formerly known as Smog in a much lighter mood, this one heads back into the shadows of the heart and mind--more than likely caused by the break up of a relationship (hint: she's young, pretty, and very talented. Oh, and she plays a harp.) Rich orchestration throughout. A huge talent.

-------------------------------------------------
HONORABLE MENTION
(tie) Sonic Youth - The Eternal
Built to Spill - There is No Enemy

Two more alt-rock vets return with strong outings featuring a warehouse of wonderful guitar sounds. SY rocks as hard as they have in years, often in the service of hummable melodies. Thurston, Kim, Steve and Lee prove cool doesn't dry up at 50.

Doug Martsch dials down the volume a bit, but still provides ample guitar thrills and textures. He shows off a little bit of a temper on a few numbers, too. I'm not sure who the targets are, but it's nice to hear the guy riled up.

What were your favorites of 2009?

Cold as Ice

2009-12-18T07:00:00.007-06:00

Old Man Winter has his icy fingers wrapped around our necks here in the Land of 10,000 Rinks. Man, I'm really starting to hate that cold SOB.

Well, let's see if the RANDOM TEN can generate any heat...

1. "Fade Into You" Mazzy Star So Tonight That I Might See
2. "White Ink" Deerhunter Cryptograms
3. "Magic Mountain" Blonde Redhead Misery Is A Butterfly
4. "Section 2" Steve Reich Music For 18 Musicians
5. "Velvet Waltz" Built to Spill Perfect From Now On
6. "In Every Dream Home A Heartache" Roxy Music For Your Pleasure
7. "Fool" Cat Power You Are Free
8. "Coming Up Roses" Elliot Smith Elliott Smith
9. "Graham Greene" John Cale Paris 1919
10. "I Can Not Have Seen the Light" Magnolia Electric Co. What Comes After the Blues

Nope.

Be sure to stop back on ~~Monday~~ Sunday when I'll post my favorite albums of 2009.

Slice

2009-12-15T09:00:00.005-06:00

36" x 18", oil on canvas, 2004

I've mentioned before that red is a difficult color for me. Orange is almost as hard. Blues and purples, on the other hand, like rolling out of bed. Why is that you ask? I can't explain. It just is.

The building on the right is a gorgeous structure. It takes up most of the block, and features all sorts of strange and wonderfully ornate architectural details. And for that reason, I chose to represent just a fraction of it. It sits about a block off Broadway on 19th in Manhattan.

Forbidden (Planet)

2009-12-11T06:00:00.008-06:00

20" x 24", acrylic on canvas, 1994

One of my earliest attempts at a NYC street scene. Go ahead, call it clumsy. I won't argue.

RANDOM TEN
1. "Painted Bird" Giant Sand Glum
2. "Femme Fatale" Big Star Keep An Eye On The Sky
3. "Mannequin" Wire No Thanks! The 70's Punk Rebellion
4. "Sunken Waltz" Calexico Feast Of Wire
5. "Up Around The Bend" Creedence Clearwater Revival Cosmo's Factory
6. "Rock & Roll" The Velvet Underground Loaded
7. "Save Me From What I Want" St. Vincent Actor
8. "Tear Down the House" The Avett Brothers Second Gleam
9. "Stars And Sons" Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People
10. "Read, Eat, Sleep" The Books Thought for Food
bonus: "Say Mama" Gene Vincent Rock and Roll Fugitive

The Velvets show up twice--once covered, the other in the greatest song with Rock and Roll in the title EVER. Sorry, Beatles (Chuck Berry, actually), Bowie, Zep, etc. (Who'd I miss?) Bob Seeger doesn't count.

Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothin' happenin' at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was nothin' goin' down at all,
Not at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
You know, she don't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll

Michigan Avenue

2009-12-09T16:00:00.008-06:00

30" x 30", oil on canvas, 2005

Another scene from Chicago's fabled Michigan Avenue. If you're standing on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago, this is about a half a block to your left. The perspective got away from me a bit on this one, but I think that kind of adds to the "tension" in the picture. This is another example of me imagining what the scene might've looked like at night, as the photo I worked from was taken on a blustery, cold winter day in December. Not unlike the one Minneapolis is having ~~today~~ this week.

*EDIT TILT left this wonderful piece of verse in the comment section. It deserves a far more prominent location:

The Greatest Maître d’

If I said my grandmother served poached eggs on toast, hovered, happy for more, to be asked
If I said my grandfather sat bolt upright on the school bus that he drove through the streets of St. Louis
If I said three boys went in different directions, this one, that one, the other one, in the other eventually
If I said the city was an aggregate of neighborhoods, Mississippi River splitting east and west, an arch above
If I said a farm along the Merrimac, rural land and an orchard with a big old barn filled with dusty tools
If I said a dog on the wraparound porch, his back against a wall warm with heat, sleeping fitful dreams
If I said robbers took the tools, escaped along the railroad tracks sloping south dropping weight as they went
If I said another honeymoon, brown Ford Ltd with Missouri plates, the back roads, old highway 61
If I said the moon over Chicago hung in every window of the buildings lining the lake and September air
If I said the hotel lobby opened onto Michigan Avenue, people smoking cigarettes and reading magazines
If I said three days and two nights, the elevator mirrored its contents, carpets, numbers, doors opened
If I said Mohammed Ali entered on the 7th floor and struck my grandparents with awe and they talked
If I said a bell rang and their footsteps on marble parted to cocktails, dances, Manhattans and Goodman
If I said the waiter went gray serving champagne at the low-lit table, in the crystal, sent by Mohammed Ali
If I said the bill arrived, the smiles revived the way back home, thanks to a great maître d’

Don't Look Back

2009-12-06T22:00:00.017-06:00

As the Oughties come to a close, Bootsy takes a look back at some of his favorite records from the last 10 years. Without saying they are "The Best", here (in no particular order) are 20 terrific records from the past decade. Oh, and to all the folks who say they don't make good music anymore, the author says you're not really listening, are you?

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell (2003) - Karen O is a rock star of the first order, and songs like "Maps", "Date with the Night" and "Y Control" prove it.
Cat Power You Are Free (2003) - I've been a big fan of Chan Marshall for well over a decade. "Good Woman" is a fantastic track from an excellent record. She's yet to make a less than stellar album. I hope she never does.
Deerhoof The Runner's Four (2005) - I could've chosen any one of the fantastic San Franciscan's releases from the decade. This is the first one "I got." Once it clicked in, everything they did started making sense. And it rocks like a mutha. Guitars and drums, baby.
TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)- Art rock straight outta Brooklyn. "Wolf Like Me" one of the decade's best songs.
Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat (2004) - It's funny, I hated this on first listen, but grew to love it with a zeal bordering on obsession. I've since cooled a bit on them, but there are still some fabulous musical moments sprinkled amongst the weirdness of the Friedberger siblings 2nd LP. True originals.
Broken Social Scene You Forgot it in People (2002) - Toronto collective's awesome second (first widely available) record is a beaut. My first exposure to Leslie Feist and Emily Haines, as well.
Spoon Kill the Moonlight (2002) - Perhaps the decade's best band? They could have 3 or 4 albums on this list, but I'll go with this--the first one I heard. I'm starting to think that Britt Daniel and company are incapable of making a bad record.
Bill Callahan Woke on a Whaleheart (2007) - The Smog guy gets happy--sort of. A fantastic songwriter hitting on all cylinders with a wide ranging sound--one the artist himself says touches upon "gospel, tough pop and American Light Opera."
Antony and The Johnsons I Am a Bird Now (2005) - Easily one of the strangest artists to emerge during the decade. And one of the best.
The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me (2004) - They made 4 awfully good records during the decade, but their debut is still the first one I reach for when I want a dose of the "World's Greatest Bar Band."
Camera Obscura Let's Get Out of This Country (2006) - The wonderful Scots 3rd record. Pop music the way it should be. Gets the nod over My Maudlin Career on the basis of "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken". Tracyanne Campbell has one of the sweetest voices in music today
Robert Wyatt Comicopera (2007)- One for the oldtimers. An aging Marxist makes a beautiful record about the world going to hell in a hand basket. Trust me on this one. With help from friends like Brian Eno and Paul Weller, it touches on jazz, folk, and world music, while never sounding anything less than original. He's been making wonderful music for over 40(!) years.
Joanna Newsom Ys (2006) - A jaw-droppingly amazing work of art. Beautifully orchestrated, and wonderfully literate.
Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005) - Deserved all the critical fawning it was met with, and none of the backlash it would eventually get. Would make my list in any decade it might have been released in. Like a sane Brian Wilson.
Shearwater Rooks (2007) - Gorgeously rich melodies topped by the lovely tenor of Jonathan Meiberg. Baroque pop at it's finest. What started as an Okkervil River side-project has surpassed that band, IMO. The albums Winged Life and Palo Santo also deserve mention. Quickly becoming an E-6 favorite.
St. Vincent Marry Me (2007) - The debut from one of my favorite new artists of the past few years. Marry me, indeed.
The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001) - I don't listen to Jack and Meg much anymore, but I wore out my copy of this one. A wonderful racket raised.
Deerhunter Micro Castle / Weird Era Cont. (2008) - Hazy, narcotic noise from Atlanta, GA. Echos of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and Phil Spector. Another new-ish band with great potential.
Richard Hawley Coles Corner (2005) - The ghost of Roy Orbison visits Sheffield, England. A swoony, late-night classic.
Richard Buckner Dents and Shells (2004) - Became a big fan when I was turned onto the troubadour's 90's material in 2000. A fantastic artist who deserves a much bigger audience. The Hill (2001) also considered.

----------------------------------------------------------------

A Dozen Very Honorable Mentions:

-------------------------------------------------------------

PJ Harvey Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000)
Teenage Fanclub Man-Made (2005)
M. Ward Post-War (2006)
Interpol Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
Bob Dylan Love and Theft (2001)
The National Alligator (2005)
The Libertines Up the Bracket (2002)
My Morning Jacket At Dawn (2002)
Blonde Redhead Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons (2000)
Sigur Rós Ágætis Byrjun (2001)
Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
Dinosaur Jr Farm (2009)

I'm sure I missed a few obvious picks, but these are all excellent records, nonetheless.

So, what were your favorites of the decade past?

Don't Try This At Home

2009-12-04T06:00:00.005-06:00

Or in the car... Snapped this one while tooling down University Ave at about 45 MPH. Felt the need to capture the December sunset that had finally burst through the wintry gray skies long enough to reflect off buildings in downtown Minneapolis. Pretty. And pretty stupid of me to fish the camera out of my man-purse to shoot it while behind the wheel.

Hey, at least I wasn't texting...

RANDOM TEN
"I Spy" Pulp Different Class
"I Don't Care" Television The Blow Up
"Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" Robert Wyatt Rock Bottom
"Candy Says" The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground
"Keep It Clean" Camera Obscura Underachievers Please Try Harder
"Another Day" This Mortal Coil It'll End In Tears
"Long Distance Operator" Bob Dylan & The Band The Basement Tapes
"Stupid Girl" The Rolling Stones Aftermath
"Disappear" My Brightest Diamond Bring Me The Workhorse
"Beast For Thee" Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney Superwolf
"Living For The City" Stevie Wonder Innervisions

Be sure and stop back Sunday (or Monday) for my End of the Decade music picks.

Printer's Row

2009-11-30T21:30:00.007-06:00

24" x 24", oil on canvas, 2006

A Chicago scene from the titled downtown area. My work was tilting toward the decorative realm around this time, but I wasn't aware of it, yet. That move would eventually prove costly, as I lost my mojo trying to paint what I thought the public wanted. The final nail was driven into my skull when a sweet, elderly woman remarked that my work was "just like Thomas Kinkade's--The Painter of Light..." You know what? Had it been her son who made the comment, I might have thrown a punch--or three. Instead, I took a long hard look at what I was doing, and didn't care for the results.

to be continued...

Now Be Thankful

2009-11-27T07:00:00.002-06:00

Technically, it was yesterday, but let's see if we can't stretch this whole Thanksgiving and gratitude thing through the weekend. We've got the rest of the year to be self-centered, ungrateful schmucks. (Is it just me, or were the British hippies so much cooler than our own? I dunno, maybe it's just young Richard Thompson who raised the bar...)

RANDOM TEN
"She's So Modern" Boomtown Rats Tonic For The Troops
"Paw Paw Tree" The Fiery Furnaces Blueberry Boat
"Little Fishes" Brian Eno Another Green World
"Sunny Afternoon" The Kinks The Kink Kronikles
"The Bogus Man" Roxy Music For Your Pleasure
"Under The Hedge " Ted Leo & The Pharmacists The Tyranny Of Distance
"Song To The Siren" Tim Buckley Starsailor
"She Still Loves Him" Jellyfish Bellybutton
"English Rose" The Jam All Mod Cons
"Burned Out" Bedhead Beheaded

Untitled

2009-11-24T22:30:00.005-06:00

40" x 20", oil and acrylic on canvas, 2003

This piece is actually more of a stain than a painting. Upwards of a dozen layers of glaze over an acrylic sketch gave this one a soft finish. A lot of the paint was applied with cheesecloth, before going back into it with some brushwork. I was totally flying by the seat of my pants. (I would later ruin a couple pieces attempting a similar finish.)

A novelist from Chicago and her husband/agent bought this one after seeing it at the MN State Fair Art Show in 2004. All arrangements were made over the phone and I shipped the piece to them. During one of our conversations I casually added, "If you're ever in town and want to visit my studio, don't hesitate to call." A couple of months later they were spending Thanksgiving with relatives in St. Paul and they paid me a visit. They bought 8 more pieces.

Yeah, that was a pretty good day...

Andy Warhol Looks a Scream

2009-11-20T07:00:00.009-06:00

It's a dream of mine to participate in a similar interview.

(Man, I love YouTube...)

RANDOM TEN
1. "Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox" Guided by Voices Propeller
2. "Teenage Spaceships" Smog Knock Knock
3. "Watercolors Into The Ocean" Destroyer Destroyer's Rubies
4. "Vox Celeste" Deerhunter Weird Era Cont.
5. "Farewell Transmission" Songs: Ohia Magnolia Electric Co.
6. "Box Elder" Pavement Live @ The Palace, Hollywood, CA 1994
7. "Fistful of Love" Antony and the Johnsons I Am a Bird Now
8. "Like Dylan in the Movies" Belle & Sebastian If You're Feeling Sinister
9. "With My Face on the Floor" Emitt Rhodes Emitt Rhodes
10. "Good Woman" Cat Power You Are Free

bonus "Andy Warhol" David Bowie Hunky Dory

It's War-hole, actually... As in holes...

Andy eats a hamburger.

10 PM

2009-11-17T22:00:00.005-06:00

36" x 24", oil on canvas, 2004

It's 10 PM. Do you know where your ~~children~~ painters are?

A moody piece that conjures up wandering around the city at night--something I used to do a lot more of when I was a young man. Or mannish boy. Whatever the case, I'm still drawn to the blues...

If this image looks vaguely familiar, I'd done a smaller daylight study the year before.

The Hot Seat

2009-11-13T07:30:00.005-06:00

Late afternoon sun striking a chair in my studio last summer. Beyond that, I got nothing.

Random Ten
1. "Lime House " The Breeders Pod
2. "Little Triggers" Elvis Costello & The Attractions This Year's Model
3. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" Neil Young After the Gold Rush
4. "Plastic Sun" Sonic Youth Murray Street
5. "Midnight Caller" Badfinger No Dice
6. "Flavour of Night" Robyn Hitchcock I Often Dream of Trains
7. "Pablo Picasso " The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers
8. "Radio" Teenage Fanclub Thirteen
9. "Letter To Memphis" Pixies Trompe Le Monde
10. "Don't Stop" The Stone Roses The Stone Roses
bonus: "Country House" Blur The Great Escape

I'm a professional cynic but my heart's not in it...

Evening Glow & Corner #6

2009-11-10T18:00:00.001-06:00

Evening Glow, 36" x 36", oil on canvas, 2005

Corner # 6, 36" x 36", oil on canvas, 2006

Another example of a scene that's like, um, night and day. (Sorry, but it's true.) And once again I'm partial to the evening version. Not entirely sure of the cross street, but this is yet another handsome building that lines Chicago's Michigan Avenue. I tell ya, it's just one beauty after another on that street, man.

Booting Life's Grounders

The Ballad of Droney Curtis EP

in progress...

5 From the King

NKB: Prior to Rehab

In Praise of Feist

The Year in Music: 2011

Just What the World Needs: More Xmas Music

*work in progress*

A Good Song is a Good Song is a Good Song....

It's Better to Burn Out

slightly woozy

Jet

A Bit of a Hick

I Dreamt of Joan Mitchell

The Same Old Fears

Canal Street Station

Washed Up

The Game is Afoot

The Reluctant Photographer

Six Transistor

She's So Modern

have one on me

Studio Time

Do You Fly in Your Dreams?

Winter Must Die

A Time to Reflect

Rehab

Tiny Town

Portend

NYC

Glad Bad Sad

Speed Kills

Winter Driving

Mondrians in Winter

Crawl Through Winter

Trained Monkey

Big Day Coming

Abridged Distortion

The Tracking Shot

Service is Resumed?

Close Up the Honkytonk

Top of the Pops

Aerial Taxis

Making Tracks

Brooklyn Bridge

Blonde on Blonde

Tail Lights

There Was a Light

Vic

Day Turn

Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away

31st & Broadway

RIP Mark Linkous

My Heart Will Go On Off

Oscar Talk

Hotel Martinique

Sweet Jane

A Quick Lookie Loo

SoHo Blues

A Limited Palette

Thaw Faster!

Harrison Street

As Time Goes By

Candy Says

Tricks of the Trade

Don't You Lie To Me

Snow Day

The Happy Couple

ONEthirtyTEN

Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters

Twilight

Don't Let it Bring You Down

I Wish it Would Rain

Oyster Bar

Winterlong

Alone Again Or

Requiem

Look Ma, No Grunge

Don't Stop Believin'

work in progress