Posted on July 17, 2002 at 3:52 pm | No Comments
A couple of quick shots as the workday nears it’s end…
Globe: ‘Mystic River’ will run through Boston
Excellent news. A film based on Dennis Lehane’s brilliant novel “Mystic River” has long been rumored to be in the directorial hands of Clint Eastwood, and now we have confirmation that it starts filming this fall, and right here in the Boston area, where it takes place (although in the fictional area of “East Buckingham”). Stars? Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Lawrence Fishburne. Sounds good to me. Let’s hope it’s done right, because the closer they stick to the book, the better off they’ll be. If you haven’t read it, get crackin’.
‘The Internet Debacle’ by Janis Ian: An mp3 Article
I found this article on the whole free-mp3 mess very well thought out. While much of it is a retread of familiar ground, it pulls things together nicely, and it’s good to hear it from the mouth of a musician.
Matt & Mary: Cruise News
Ever wonder what a week-long vacation cruise is really like? Matt tells all in his latest blog entry, a near-novella about their just-finished honeymoon aboard a cruise ship and on various random tropical islands. His bloginess puts me to shame. Then again, I’ve got this whole “job” thing goin’ on.
I’ve updated the site a bit… put up some Silkworm, Consonant, and Saturnine shots from their appearance at TTs last Friday. Good show, although Silkworm didn’t blow me away like they did last time they were in town. I blame the new songs. They’re a bit slower, and while I like ’em on record, they’re just not as rockin’ in a live setting. Still, very worth it. Saturnine impressed me enough this time to blow some cash on their latest disc, and Consonant was still so solid… but after a few songs, they weren’t enough to keep me from fresh air and the post-midnight quiet of our apartment.
Can you say ‘four day weekend’? Yup… when I walk out of work today, I’m not back until Monday. Not like I’ll be getting a lot of rest, though… band practice, drive up to Vermont, play a show Friday night, my sister’s wedding (!) on Saturday, back to Boston on Sunday. A whirlwind weekend, filled with nothing but good things. Don’t think there’ll be much blogging going on, but there’s sure to be lots of photos to follow next week. Until then…
Posted on July 15, 2002 at 2:12 pm | No Comments
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of taking a chance on a new album, and having it pay off in spades. Jason Loewenstein (Barlow’s longtime co-hort in Sebadoh) just released a solo record on Sub Pop, and I picked it up a few days ago on a whim. When Sebadoh hit their stride (circa ‘Bakesale’ for me), his songs were the ones that stuck with me. ‘Drama Mine’, ‘S. Soup’, ‘Careful’… catchy, hook-laden, slightly-skewed rock numbers all. I hadn’t heard anything about this new disc, but I had ‘Drama Mine’ stuck in my head last week, so the timing was right. All I hoped for was a sliver of what he once contributed to the ‘Doh…
And I’m just plain floored. This album grabbed me from the first few notes, and hasn’t let go. Solid all the way through, hardly a throw-away song in the bunch. Sure, there’s the jokey, messed-up Santana-ish number (called, of course ‘Crazy Santana’), and a goofy but fun metal-ish track (called, uh, ‘Metal’), but they don’t take away from the rest one bit, which is just all-out rockin’. ‘Funerals’, ‘Codes’, and ‘Upstate’ are stand-outs, surpassing his best Sebadoh stuff, with excellent at-home production and ace lyrics (“I killed my suit. I burned my tie. I hope you stay alive, because I don’t do funerals!”). This is a full band record made by one frightenly-talented man. Welcome to my top five of 2002, Mr. Loewenstein.