Grizzly Bear on KCRW

Morning Becomes Eclectic:

a slow transition

I will slowly be transitioning from one blog to another.
I never liked the name of this blog - it was a last minute kind of thing I threw together to get something going.

Starting in the next week all new updates will be found at
http://www.thesoftestbulletin.blogspot.com

thank you, flaming lips.

Bishop's Robes

my friend David Cady Jr. was the first person to force me to listen to radiohead in 1997, I think..? It was right around when OK Computer was released. That year I became obsessed. It stopped for the next few years, until Hail to the Thief came out. Today, I'm not the worlds biggest radiohead fan. I appreciate everything they do for music. I know they are very creative and innovative, but I'm not one to go out of my way and spend thousands of dollars on a ticket to see them live.

Still, every once in a while I listen to my catalog of Radiohead songs and get inspired and impressed by something they've done years ago...

Neutrino to P.I.M.P.

Curious Production's first run of the Neutrino Project closed on Friday (February 22nd, 2008) to a great crowd. We did our first religious thriller titled "Loaves & Fishes". After our interview on OPB (which brought at least 12 people to the show) we were hoping our crowds would grow - and they did.
Overall - it was a successful run. There are a few small changes I plan on making - and I'm going to hire (hopefully) 4 more cast members for the show. Our audiences liked every show. We got great feedback along the way. Now it's time to blow their minds.

The first change will be a name transition. We're going to start moving away from The Portland Neutrino Project (which doesn't do anything for us, marketing-wise) and start calling the show the Portland Instant Movie Project (or Pimp) inspired by the Neutrino Project.


talk about pimp...

Sugar in the blood

I fucking hate being diabetic.
I don't complain about it all that much. I've been living with it for 18 years, so I have learned to deal with how much a pain in the ass it is, but I feel like bitching so bare with me.
Over the course of a week, 7 days, I get exercise on average 4 of those days a week. By exercise I mean I ride my bike 5 miles to and from work. I walk my dog close to a mile (in total) every day. I get my usda approved amount of working out every week. I'm not much of a stationary guy. I sit a fair amount at work, but I try to walk seven or eight blocks at lunch every day.
Keeping control of my blood sugar every minute of every day fucking sucks. I haven't been able to remember a time where I didn't have to worry about what I was eating, or how much insulin I need to inject - since I got this when I was twelve.
To think that most people don't have to worry about it make me mad. I have never been one to eat terrible foods. I wasn't an obese child. Nobody close to me in my family had type 1 diabetes before I got it.

It's a pain.

I have read a few other diabetic blogs and they all complain like this a little, so I thought I would share.

My blood sugar has been high for 30 hours, with three days of 5 mile bike rides.
I give up.
I don't mean I give up, give up. I mean I give up worrying about it and I'll continue to take just as good care of myself as I've been. I give up worrying about the numbers. That's the biggest pain of all of it. Bodies change every once in a while. Even if I did the same exact thing, ate the exact same meals, etc. everyday - it would eventually change a little bit. I have to adjust insulin and exercise, all that.

It's still not the best it could be, but it's getting closer.
I have an appointment with a diabetes specialist in two weeks. I need to start writing down my glucose and insulin levels.

perfect pretty (and tough)

Rainer Maria - Look Now, Look Again

From the transition of punk - to pop punk - to emo - to indie rock, Rainer Maria came to me right at the emo to indie phase. Look Now, Look Again was the first album I had to stop everything I was doing and just listen to it, when I heard it. With it's poetic (pretentious?) lyrics, male/female back-and-forth vocals and shift from soft to shouty vocals... this records stands out as one of my favorites. At the time of its release, Polyvinyl had one heck of a strong bunch o' bands. If you're looking for some inspiration, you may find it when you listen to this record.

Perfect Conceptuals

Over the past few years I've begun to appreciate the concept album. I find it's a great way to focus a band's sound when they're telling stories. If the concept album works and the large story is clear - while giving perfect individual songs along the way, it's quite an accomplishment. Two of my favorite 'concept' albums are:
the Extraordinaires - Ribbons of War

Holy crap. When I discovered this album three years ago I listened to it nonstop for two months. I soon introduced everyone I knew to it because of its simple brilliance. The Extraordinaires are a fairly young band out of Philly, but they sound like a group of old folk-storymen on this record.
The concept/rock opera of Ribbons of War is a brilliant piece of lo-fi indie folk music from start to finish.


the Black Heart Procession - Amore del Tropico

The concept album of Amore del Tropico is the dark side of love gone wrong. While Ribbons of War tells a story of heartache, the Black Heart Procession have always been able to illustrate the seedy underbelly of all things (especially love). Here on this tropical love adventure Pall Jenkins and Company weave a tale of love destruction and sadness. It's haunting and Beautiful and at the same time, the creepiest thing you've ever heard... and I love it.

a perfect helpy ablum

Of Montreal - the Gay Parade

In late 2001, early 2002 I went through a tough, tough break up. It was not a good time for me. Of Montreal's The Gay Parade was one of the two albums that helped me get through it. This record is full of fun and little stories to escape into, exactly what I needed when the feelings of an 8 year relationship was dissolving around me. I've sort of fallen off the Of Montreal bandwagon since they went disco a few years ago... but the Gay Parade is one of the most treasured albums in my collection. It brings a smile to my face each time I listen to it.

perrrfectly cool

Holly Golightly - Serial Girlfriend

About a year after I moved to the city (late '99) I was introduced to Holly Golightly by two of the girls who worked at Borders with me. Kathrine and (I can't remember the other girl's name... terrible) They would bring in a lot of music to listen to. Holly Golightly hit me right away. She creates the coolest sounding, retro 60's garage dirty girl Russ Meyer movie soundtrack sounds.
I want her to score the movie I plan on writing. It's perfectly cool.

more flavorite ablums...

the Most Secret Method - get lovely

I just went through my itunes and put together a playlist of albums I think our perfect for whatever reasons. There are 23 of them, so I guess I have something in common with both Michael Jordan and Jim Carrey.
Nevertheless - When I left college in 1998 (a year shy of graduating) I did a lot of growing up in a little amount of time. It was the way I chose to do it. I could have forced myself to stay in school for another year and graduate with a degree in theater and creative writing, but I seriously doubt I could be in a better place than I am right now. I wasn't learning anything, nor was I enjoying myself. I knew where I wanted to be - and that's where I went. I moved into the city to study and perform improvisational comedy - and I loved all ten years I was in Chicago with all the good and bad things that happened along the way, I wouldn't change a day of it.
This album by The Most Secret Method is one of the three records I had on repeat for my first few months living in the city by myself. (The other two will be posted on this list, I'm sure). The trio of brothers Marc and Ryan Nelson with Johanna Claasen start with a foundation of DC/Dischord style punk, but they make it there own. For the band to have three members, this is one of the strangest, most full albums I own. I always fall in love with this album when I listen to it. I'm not sure if everyone will encounter the same effect, but this one does it for me. It's aggressive and beautiful, taking it's time between crazy outbursts of guitar and yelps. This record means a lot to me and will always take me back to that point in my life where I was really figuring out who I was and who I am.

ablumsss, con't

Modest Mouse - the Lonesome Crowded West

When I first moved to Chicago (from the suburbs) I was working in the cafe of a Borders Book Store. See, people in the cafe make just as much as the book people, but they also get tips. Generally the tips aren't that much, but every little bit helps. (working around food when you're broke is always a plus too.) While working there I was introduced to Modest Mouse by a fellow employee named Ben. Ben only worked there for 4 or 5 months, but in that time we exchanged a lot of musical knowledge. This was in late 1998. Modest Mouse became a big obsession of mine for the next three years. The Lonesome Crowded West is a 74 minute masterpiece, with songs ranging from the slow, dark western-tinged crawls (Long Distance Drunk, Polar Opposites) To the quick, punky anthems (Convenient Parking, Shit Luck). This is the type of album most bands wish they could create.

Favorite Albums (college edition)

Jawbreaker - 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
This album has nothing but good things. The band hit its stride and knew how to do what they do best. This Bay Area Trio got national (and international) acclaim with this record. So much so, they were signed to David Geffen's DGC label. Dear You came out a few years later and caused the band to self-distruct. Here on 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, Blake Schwarzenbach and Co. give you the antidote to every Dear John letter ever written. I remember riding around in my 1985 white ford escort 5-speed (it was 1997), blasting and singing along to "Do You Still Hate Me" on more than one occasion. I'm sad this band blew up.

albummmsss, con't.

Blonde Redhead - Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
For the most part, I'm a pretty straight forward music appreciator. I don't enjoy art rock that is arty for the sake of it. I don't like my music too avante garde for it's own good. I'm surprised I love Blonde Redhead as much as I do, but alas - I can't help it. They're no Liars or Deerhoof, to be sure - but they have a bit of a bite. If you're not careful you can get turned off by the shrieks and yelps Kazu Makino can and will let out at any given time. I bought this record a few years after it was released, right before I started interning at Touch & Go Records. I have dreams of Blonde Redhead scoring my most artsy movie I plan on making...

more albumssss....

Pedro the Lion - it's hard to find a friend
This is the perfect album to listen to when you're feeling sorry for yourself. I've spent many cold winters listening to this awaiting the springtime sun in Chicago. Now that I'm in Portland, the winter has not been bad enough to put this on and pray for sun. I suppose that's a good thing, but I kinda wanted a reason to sulk and listen to this beautiful record. I remember buying this album at Reckless Records on Broadway in Lincoln Park, Chicago. It was late summer, 1999. A year later I would see David Bazan play at that same record store for a 30 minute in-store performance. He is a very nice fellow and this is my favorite album of his.

the Important things

I've been reading a lot about the 10 year anniversary of Neutral Milk Hotel's album IN The AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA lately. I suppose it's my way - that if I'm told to like something, or that I will love something before I hear it, I approach it with too much trepidation. While I think Aeroplane is a good album, I'm one of the few people who it has never really hit. I enjoy both NMH albums and like a lot of what the Elephant 6 Collective was putting out in the mid-to-late 90's... I can't say I am the type of indie rock music nerd who has listened to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea more than 10 times in the 10 years it's been out. Their are portions of the album that I think are brilliant and beautiful, but there are other parts that drive me crazy in a bad way.

I thought I would put together some posts of the albums that are important to me. Meaningful to me and my life for whatever reason, in no particular order.

Spoon - Girls Can Tell

I had just quit my job and got a lower-paying, but more enjoyable job at Cornerstone Promotion doing on-line promoting for bands - thanks to Jason Anfinsen (he got me the job). It didn't pay much, but it was very easy and it allowed me to listen to a lot of new music. Those ten months or so at Cornerstone was a blast. I could come in whenever I wanted and listen to any of the promos we got in. While listening to internet radio while working the song "Lines in the Suit" came on and it hit me hard. That day I went to my local record store and sought out this album. Every song on here is perfect, to me. This album is thirty-six minutes of perfect indie rock.

it's about time...

So, I finally asked my girl to marry me. She said she'll think about it, but I'm pretty sure she's leaning towards "yes". I'm kidding. We're in no rush to get married, but we are now (finally) officially engaged.

where was I?

I don't know where I've been, or why I've slept on the Bowerbirds,
but I think I have found my favorite song of 2008. Or at least my favorite song for February 2008 (though the album came out last year)



Check into Bowerbirds debut album Hymns For A Dark Horse on Dead Oceans Records.
PS - Dead Oceans has one of the best collections of bands. Every album in their catalog is pretty darn amazing.

McCain

Now, I'm not a very political person - so I don't follow primaries or care to know what each candidate says. Generally they all say the same thing. Right now they're all talking about how great they are and/or how bad their opponents are. I couldn't care less.
However, some friends from Second City put this together and it makes me laugh a lot.
It's a pro-Obama / anti-McCain video that was put together perfectly.

a serious addiction

Holy Crap. I can't stop eating these things. When they first came out I thought they were alright, but I never went out of my way to get them. For some reason, right now - they are the only thing I crave that I can't get enough of.

Some things I have overcome the cravings for:
Chipotle Burritos
Yoohoo Chocolate water drink
Jewel brand diet cream soda
Papa John's bacon & pineapple pizza (that shit is gooood)
Original Cookie Crisp cereal (they changed the formula around 1998 and it hasn't been the same since)
good clam dip

one of these days I'm going to prepare a feast of only the foods I have an insatiable craving for. I'll probably die of a joy explosion.

funny

this makes me laugh like nothing else:


Now poop on them Oliver.

the first best record of 2008

Evangelicals - the Evening Descends


I have been captured by this album. It will not let me go.

review:
http://www.lostatsea.net/review.phtml?id=104499001647a7935f3f840

(I suppose this post is a lie, as I also have fallen in love with Vampire Weekend, which was released in 2008 - but I heard it in 2007 first.)

Just for what?

justforlife
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

Another fun store in Paris. I have no idea what's in here either, but look - it's the top of my index finger!

my favorite store in Paris

yanko
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

I have no idea what type of store this is. It was on a sidestreet (next to a Mcdonalds, again!) but the name alone made me laugh. It wasn't quite in the red lights of Paris, kind of just out of the red light district... so the name probably means something other than what you're thinking.

Pictures from Paris...finally

metro
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

After two weeks I have finally gotten around to uploading the pictures from Paris from my phone. They're not the greatest quality, but here they are.
I got to be fairly familiar with traveling on the Metro. This is the stop near Moulin Rouge. I didn't get a picture of my stop at Bastille... but it's the Metro. It doesn't matter where I was, they all have a sign like this.

Paris Pics, con't

alley
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

Walking around Paris, it's hard to see why any director would want to shoot a movie there. You turn from a busy street and walk down an alley that looks like this. Even from the picture, it looks like it was created in its own time zone. The color of the next street casting shadows in the black and white of the old alley. I realize my tone doesn't come across here in my typing. The landscape of Paris is perfect for any/every movie.

Paris pics, con't.

sexodrome
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

more phone pictures...
This will make it seem like I spent most of my time in the Red Lights of Paris. I had to take a picture of this 3 level sex shop/dance bar. It's two or three blocks away from Moulin Rouge... near the Mcdonalds!

Paris pictures, con't

moulin
Originally uploaded by jihaboy

These are all pics from my phone, so the quality won't be the best. I have them on my flickr page as well.
Here is Moulin Rouge. I walked around a lot on my last Saturday in Paris. Every time I walked past Moulin Rouge there were groups of people taking pictures of it. At this moment, I was one of those people.