Don't Keep Me Hanging on the Telephone

To the man (and it has happened from people of both genders) who called and left his name, a number I discovered was from Long Island and a message to "call me, it's urgent:" Do not think that I am frigging stupid enough to call a long distance number for a name I do not recognize with no reason why to call back and no organization or other reference as to who you are or why you are calling. If this is a legitimate call, you can call us back; if it isn't (adult language warning), fuck you.

Hallwalls Opening; Val, Others Showing

I know this is late notice, but please join Val and I with a lot of other members of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center for the opening of its annual members' show, "It's Not You, It's Me," from 8-11 p.m. tonight, Saturday, July 29, at Hallwalls, Delaware and West Tupper (yes, inside Ani DiFranco's/Righteous Babe Records' headquarters) in Buffalo.
Indeed, my lovely wife, Val Dunne, is one of the member artists with works in this show (I have been a member for years), and Hallwalls' members' shows are among the most anticipated exhibits of the art year in Buffalo.

Trim That Hedge, Suck in That Gut

It takes an awful lot to make me mow the lawn on a hot, sunny summer weekday afternoon/early evening like I did today; that something is the upcoming Buffalo Garden Walk.
While Val and I and our house are not one of the houses directly listed on the walk, being in the Elmwood Village on the West Side of Buffalo in the middle of the event brings a lot of people walking around here to begin with, and Norwood Avenue, the street we live on, has increased its actual participation yearly, and three houses on our block are on this year's walk, including that of Eileen Graetz, who lives diagonally across the street and shared a photo exhibit with Val at the College Street Gallery earlier this year.
So yes, the lawn was mowed through the sweat today, and we will be trimming, watering and sweeping to get ready for the many visitors and inquisitive eyes who will be in our neighborhood this weekend. So, what is the best growing feature of our yard? Hmm, I'd have to say that it would be the colorful trumpet vine that has grown all the way from the ground up the left front side of our house and actually reached the crown. Only one of our two large hydrangeas has bloomed this year, and our escargot begonia has been laboring the last year or two.
Regardless, come on out to the Buffalo Garden Walk this weekend; we'll be here for much of it,

Trouble in Sabres Nation, Briere Style?

So, the arbitrator decided on a one-year, $5 million contract for forward/team captain Daniel Briere? Man, that could be trouble; to read some discussion on it, check out the guys at Bfloblog.

Catching Up on Pete Yorn

Val and I caught singer/songwriter Pete Yorn's solo acoustic in-store performance at New World Record on Elmwood Avenue a couple of weeks ago, and damn, it was a fine performance or mini-concert.
Yorn, who Val and I have enjoyed despite only having one of his CDs so far ("Music for the Morning After" from 2001), played five songs to a very enthusiastic crowd of 150-200 people, mostly age 20-30, before his evening show at the Town Ballroom; quite a few of those in attendance impressively sang along with Yorn. We got there early because Val was the official event photographer for New World Record and she wanted to be able to set up on a good spot for the expected large audience. As well as allowing Val to set directly up front to the right of the stage, getting there early gave us a good view of the staff, led by owner Govindan Kartha, quickly moving and rearranging the CD and magazine racks and listening posts to make room for everyone. Kartha first closed the store and very nicely asked those shopping to please come back; Val and I got to stay and watch the setup spectacle.
Yorn opened with "June," from "Music from the Morning After," a very cool song about not wanting a lover to leave when you know they are going/scheduled to (College? Job?), and the crowd really wooped it up for Yorn. "Wow, I broke my cherry in Buffalo," he said with a smile to laughter, then added, "I went to school in upstate New York, Syracuse, and this city is much prettier than Syracuse. Hey, I'm not just blowing smoke up your ass." Yorn then played a bluesier song from his upcoming new CD, "Nightcrawler," or the "Western" CD EP of, you guessed it, more rootsy songs; he prefaced it by noting he had been listening to a lot of blues on Buffalo radio that afternoon (no doubt Jim Santella on WBFO). He played two more new songs, including one I believe is called "It Don't Mean Nothing," a slower, dreamy countryish song he said he wrote for and was recorded by Nancy Sinatra, and a tune I think is called "Vampire," to which Yorn joked, "It sounds like there are bats in here anyway," due to some squeaks from the air conditioning.
Yorn ended his too-short for the fans set with "Life on a Chain," also from "Music for the Morning After," starting with some harmonica along with his guitar, and the crowd came close to drowning him out singing along with the song.
I hadn't caught an in-store performance at New World Record in years, and I have witnessed some great ones in the past (Bailter Space still stands out), but I encourage you to join me/us in doing so.
And on a karmic note: Val and Yorn appeared on the same page of the Austin Statesman newspaper five years ago; Val and I were in town enjoying and covering the South by Southwest Music Festival in April 2001, and Yorn was playing the festival. Val was in a photo taken of a Catamount Records party at Juan in a Million, and there was a concert photo of Yorn. Fittingly, the photo Val was in was about twice the size of Yorn's photo.

Ice Cream Schwing

As part one of Val's birthday weekend, I took her out to dinner tonight; on the way home, due to the heat and our fondness for the frozen treat, we decided to get ice cream, and further decided it was time for us to try Cold Stone Creamery on Delaware Avenue in North Buffalo.
Oh, my Lord, was it good; Val had a cherries and cream milkshake, which she said was really, really good, and I had the "Germanchocolatekake" treat (the spelling there included three umlauts, which would have incorrectly changed the actual German pronunciation, my anal and German speaking mind told me). With chocolate ice cream and pieces of coconut, brownie and walnuts, it was fantastic. It took a few moments, but I finished it all.
Being a former North Buffalo resident, it would be dangerous for me to still be living there with Cold Stone Creamery and Anderson's being so close to each other on Delaware Avenue.

Musical Hell, Or Doobie, My Ass

What the hell is Michael McDonald (yes, the former Doobie Brother and King of Milquetoast Motown Covers) doing on "Austin City Limits" tonight/this morning? WHY IS HE HERE?
Someone, somewhere, had to think this was a good idea; give me his or her name, because I have to talk to someone about this gallstone of a musical decision. And yes, damn it, he is singing "I Keep Forgetting We're Not in Love Any More" as I finish this.

Non-Stop Weekend, Birthday Time

We have a lot of things going on this weekend and will try to make most of them, so there is a good chance many of you readers will see Val or I around town. We'll keep everyone updated and try to check out a bunch of things.
On top of that, Saturday, July 22, is Val's birthday, so if you see her, tell her happy birthday (she' still a young 'un to me) or send a greeting here.

Name That Composer

As I watched tonight's 11 p.m. news broadcast on WGRZ-TV, a story by Rich Kellman and Scott Brown addressed the difficult job situation here and how many young/younger professionals leave Western New York for better job opportunities elsewhere (I was hoping to hear Buffalo Geek interviewed).
What caught my attention even more was the use, starting with a nighttime shot over what may have been vehicles on the Kensington Expressway as Kellman took over from Brown, of music by my favorite composer, Philip Glass, including a piece from one of my two favorite recordings of his (along with "Einstein on the Beach"), "Glassworks." Could this lead to the use of music by Steve Reich, John Adams, John Cage, Brian Eno and/or Laurie Anderson?

Head Meets Couch, Couch Wins ... Zzzzzz

I had plans to do some serious blogging (catching up on a few long and short subjects) tonight, but when Val went upstairs to go to bed at 9 p.m., I wanted to finish something I was doing, put the grill in the garage and then write. Instead, my head hit the couch and whatever I was doing faded to sleep.
I woke up at 10:58 p.m., and spent most of the next 30-40 minutes in the land of sweaty grogginess while I watched the evening news, made my lunch and put the grill away. It would have been an easier project at 9 p.m., when it was still light outside, instead of at 11 p.m., which necessitated me finding the black cover and placing it on the grill before putting it in the dark garage.

Another Musical Annoyance

When a song co-written by two of my all-time favorite performers, recorded and made somewhat a hit by one, and then gets a limited release of sorts as a scorching live song by the other, is now best known to too many people by a cover by, in my opinion, a much less talented singer, well, I have to write about it.
"Because the Night," co-written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen, appeared first on Smith's classic 1978 "Easter" CD, then later as a smoldering live track sent to radio stations only (at that time) by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I loved Smith's version, and I was fortunate enough to catch Springsteen and band in December 1980 at the War Memorial Auditorium here in Buffalo, and I can still remember my jaw all but hitting the ground during his performance, as Springsteen virtually ripped the strings off his Telecaster during two long, searing solos.
So, when Western New York's (Jamestown, Buffalo and Sloan) 10,000 Maniacs recorded it for a live MTV Unplugged show and later CD, I was not too thrilled; not because the musicians of 10,000 Maniacs aren't talented, because they are, but because climactic, gut wrenching rock and roll was not the band's forte, and I have never really enjoyed Natalie Merchant's voice. No, the band's actual version of the song does not move me.
So, of course, which version of the song do I hear over and over and over, including recently on 107.7 The Lake, normally a fine radio station? Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs' recording. Please, friends at The Lake or elsewhere, start playing Patti Smith's original, or even the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band version on one of the band's official live CDs.
PLEASE?

And We ... Were There

Readers of All Things Jennifer (and if you aren't, you should be) have been informed of Jen and Mark's confusing departure from Chestnut Ridge Park and BloggerCon IV Saturday; Val and I were the only witnesses to this near tragedy.
LC Scotty and Mrs. Scotty had just left with their barbecue implements and a good amount of food, and Jen and Mark and Val and I were about to leave if the four of us could all shut up at the same time. We finally did, and Jen and Mark drove away first.
As they did so, they got to the road where a left turn would take them in two more turns to Route 219 and eventually Buffalo and home; right would take them deeper into Chestnut Ridge Park. Guess which way they turned? "Hon, why are Jen and Mark turning right?" I asked Val as I waved my arms to try to get their attention. We ended up beating them home and, almost miraculously, several bloggers described BloggerCon IV before Jen did.
Maybe Derek and Amanda ought to give Jen and Mark a few geocaching and tracking tips ...

A Wee Bit More on Bloggers

I forgot to mention that it was also great to get to meet some of the spouses and children of many bloggers at BloggerCon IV, bringing a bit more humanity to our group.
I decided to make a pork sandwich for dinner yesterday using some of the leftover pork loin LC Scotty cooked up; man, I believe that was the best pork sandwich I have ever eaten.

A Few More BloggerCom IV Comments

Val and I had a great time at BloggerCon IV at Chestnut Ridge Park yesterday (as it appears everyone else in attendance did), and Val has covered most of the angles here already, so I have just a few extra comments.
First, Scotty and Jenn deserve a ton of thanks and credit for all of the work they put into organizing and providing for things, and Scotty in particular gets thanks for his 9-pound pork loin; he may think it was a bit dry, but the two pieces I ate yesterday were excellent, and the large piece I took home with me is the centerpiece of my dinner tonight (Val will be working on her fruit salad remains, which it appears were MUCH better than the 10-pound carton of rumored fruit salad with mayonnaise inspired food substance Alan bravely tried and all but spit out and Scotty tried, swallowed, was bored with and moved on from). I would nominate Scotty for grillmaster general of Buffalo bloggers, and let's not forget that Kelly's picnic in the Southtowns idea greatly influenced things.
Kelly, Val, several other people and I also talked about many things Looney Tunes, including music and substance influence on many of the classic cartoons. The reason I was silent when you mentioned the Lord of the Rings reference (this may be the only time I will ever mention those four words in a blog entry), Kelly, was that I have basically learned not to say my true feelings about LOTR and other things mystical in Val's presence (ask her about D&D Club in high school some time).
It was great to see that Stephen Watson from the Buffalo News and a photographer came to the picnic and did a decent story on things, but in my opinion, Watson made the classic mistake of arriving at a picnic early/on time, and his count of 12 bloggers seemed a bit low. Also, I was surprised at his comments about Derek and Amanda Punaro of Punaro.com being unusual as a husband-and-wife blogging team. I told Val when I read that that I never even thought of us being anything unusual as a husband-and-wife team, and who knows, maybe another blog may end up that way some day ...
It was also fun to talk with Chris from In da Buff again, and get to talk to Chris (Buffalo Geek) and Brian (Red's Basement).
I also was disappointed in some ways by the absence of several bloggers, who we hope can make it to future BloggerCons, particularly Kevin and Mike from Bfloblog. Yeah, yeah, some reason like a son's birthday came up yesterday; hmm, what's next, a Jodi Johnston pool party?
As several Buffalo bloggers have noted, it is really the people and the ways they want to improve Buffalo and Western New York that make the Buffalo Prefecture of the Blogistan (I love Kelly's name for it) the great group that it is. Even with fruit and mayo monstrosities and moldy pound cake.

Moving Movie

Val and I were a bit tired after eating dinner Friday, so we stayed home and watched a movie on demand, "Munich," a film I had wanted to see badly since it came out last year (I believe).
Wow; it was not only a great movie, but incredibly moving and simply left us with out mouths hanging open; while done from the Israeli point of view, it showed the pain and often dehumanization of the Arab-Israeli conflict and many of the effects violence has on it, on both the individual and group levels. If you haven't seen it yet, we recommend that you do so; in my opinion, it may be Steven Spielberg's greatest film accomplishment.

All You Do to Me Is Talk Talk

Actual conversation heard in the "express line" at Latina's on Elmwood Avenue early Tuesday evening (NO line moves fast at Latina's):

Woman (in line with her husband): Is your wife good?
Man: Yes, she's good, thank you.
Woman: That's good.

And about one minute later:

Woman: So, how is Allison? Is she good?
Man (apparently Allison's dad): Yes, she's good,
Woman: Oh, good, good; that's good to hear.

We Used to Enjoy Thunderstorms

What do you get when you add a summer thunderstorm starting just before 5 a.m., a dog who hates thunder, lightening and motorcycles and a couple trying to get some sleep before the work week starts? How about three exhausted beings at 6:50 a.m., and only one, the dog, able to go back to sleep after breakfast.
Having work commitments tonight, I am really going to be a ball of excitement by the time I get home.

A Summer Gurf Morlix Sighting

Val and I usually get to see roots music veteran/legend Gurf Morlix and his partner, Brende Fuller, a few times during the summer as the former Hamburg resident and partner visit Western New York from their Austin, Texas, home on their way to and back from their summer cabin in Northern Ontario. We saw their vehicle here Friday (Gurf and Brende stay at the home of our next door neighbors, Jim Whitford and his wife Lynn O'Meara; Whitford, the former Pine Dogs guitarist, singer and songwriter, is a childhood friend and former band mate of Morlix).
For those unfamiliar with Morlix, besides his solo material, he is best known for his guitar work and production of Lucinda Williams as he played in her band during what I feel were her best years, including the "Sweet Old World" and "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" CDs. He has also produced such excellent singer/songwriters such as Mary Gauthier and Linda McRae.
When we went to go to breakfast this morning, we saw Gurf and Brende loading their vehicle for the drive up to the cabin, and we talked for a few minutes. Among other things, it appears that Gurf will be playing a show with Austin singer/songwriter Sam Baker at the Rivoli in Toronto in August; we will tell you more about the show when things are finalized. Whitford gave me a copy of Baker's CD to review a few months ago, and while I am behind in my reviews, I can tell you that Baker can really write strong, realistic, heart-wrenching songs, including the song "Steel" on his "Mercy" CD, the true story of his almost dying from wounds he suffered when a train he was riding in was blown up by Shining Path guerillas in Peru in 1986. The bomb went off in a luggage rack across from Baker, killed the three other people in his compartment and cut his femoral artery and vein, but he somehow survived. The songs on the CD talk about tough times, but never turn to hopelessness.

Dog Leash 1, Kevin 0

Due to Val's MS and my size (6-foot-3, 205 pounds), I usually handle our dog, Walker Evans, when there are possibly dicey or dog-filled situations, and I usually come out the winner in often well-fought struggles. Thursday, I kind of won but really came to a stalemate more with Walker's extendable leash than him.
I was loading Walker into my car for his weekly visit to Dog Days of Buffalo, and I had switched his leash to my left hand as I used my right hand to open the back door of my car to get him inside. At this exact moment, with the door handle in my hand and me looking into the car, a male in his late teens walked his small, kind of dust mop-like dog, past the bottom of our driveway. Walker would normally bark to protect his property and hopefully me, but instead, he snarled and took off after the dog, which made the error of barking and growling at Walker.
As if to test the idea of whether or not humans can think fast enough before they react, I reached out to grab the leash with my right hand as I thought about clicking the safety catch on it with my left hand. Yes, my right hand was faster, and I grabbed the leash; unfortunately, it was the thin rope part that extends, and yes, I felt it slicing through my palm for a second or two before the idea of clicking the safety catch became reality. Although the other dog owner looked fearful, Walker totally ignored him and raced up to the other dog, and the two of them barked and snarled at each other until I yanked Walker back to me. Happily, the dogs did not make physical contact. Walker seemed as grumpy as I do without my morning coffee for the ride in, barking at every dog he saw; living in a major dog neighborhood, this was almost non-stop.
On the other hand (sorry), I had three 2-to-3-inch rope burns on my palm, but only one went through all of the layers of skin and caused bleeding. All three blistered up, two of them worse than the other, and the skin is slowly peeling and falling off my right palm as I write this; as an added gift, the three burn lines are leaving behind lovely calloused skin.

New Favorite Car Song

Yes, I love great car songs, particularly during the summer; you know the kind, the ones with big guitars, fast, punchy rhythm/pace and tough, simple, sexy music and lyrics.
While driving home from work Friday, I had the radio on in my car (yes, "old" radio; I can't afford satellite radio), and, as a confirmed channel flipper/jumper, tuned the radio to either CFNY-FM or 97.7 Hits FM, and caught the recent/newest song from Danko Jones, "First Date." It all but leapt out of the speakers at me, and as the final sign of it being a great radio song, I noticed that I started driving my car faster than normal. The song is from Danko Jones' most recent CD, "Sleep Is the Enemy," on Red Ink Records, and is now on my list of CDs to buy if the cash flow situation improves. Of course, if the label wants to send me a review copy of the CD, I won't say no to it.

Sabres Uniforms Still Lead Topic

As you might imagine, we have noticed a major resurgence in people hitting our blog on the topic of the new Buffalo Sabres' jerseys, with the logo itself the top reason, followed by new colors and jerseys. And yes, Val and I still think the possible new logo, the amputee Buffalo without any Sabres in it that resembles the New England Patriots' logo as well as a poor college design project, stinks to high hell.

Good Music to Fit All Wallets

There are at least two free musical offerings in Buffalo this weekend I recommend. The first is the Creole Cowboys, from Southwest Louisiana, performing at 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Sportsmen's Tavern, on Amherst Street near Grant Street, and Pete Yorn will play an in-store set at 2 p.m. Saturday at New World Record, 765 Elmwood Avenue; you will need to have picked up wristbands for the free show at New World Record before the show.

W Is for White, Whoops, Wrong ...

One thing I always do before I wear a white shirt, sweatshirt, sweater, etc., is to consider what I will be eating that day, and as anal as I am, I also remark when Val wears white for the same reason. So, my double dare of this standard Saturday ended up, as you might have guessed, in two wrongs territory.
I had on my white (with a little orange and black writing) Sligo Rovers Gaelic Football (Soccer) League shirt Saturday as we went to breakfast at Solid Grounds before we went to the Central Library. I kept making sure I spilled no coffee on the shirt before the food came, but by my second forkful, I had some egg with hot sauce from my breakfast burrito on my shirt, and couldn't wash it clean with a napkin and water.
Changing out of that shirt after I mowed the lawns, I put on a white short-sleeve polo shirt with a little blue logo/writing I won at a Connelly family reunion party (my mother Sheila's family). We ended up eating dinner at Cinco de Mayo, a new Mexican restaurant on Eggert Road in Amherst, and, yep, I got red sauce from my chicken burrito and enchilada dinner on my shirt. We had to go to Best Buy after that, so I held my Sabres' hat over the stain as much as I could until we returned home.

You Can't Rush Genius

I know, I know; I promised to blog more on the second part of our Chicago/Illinois visit, but for the last month or so, I have been so incredibly busy and tired, quite frankly exhausted, that I haven't been able to get to it yet. Sorry, I realize this is no real reason/excuse, but I have never been so tired or spent so little time and eaten so few home cooked or made meals since Val and I got married (that photo below of me in my soon-to-become ubiquitous Ireland World Cup 2002 uniform with Val was taken at the Shedd Aquarium on our fourth anniversary last week).
So yes, I will be writing more very soon, as well as a couple of good-sized stories for our web site. I just have to be able to hold my head up long enough to write coherently. Yes, I can.

Library Goodies

Val and I visited the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Central branch downtown after breakfast today; Val, to get a couple of books, me (who has a bunch of books to read from birthdays and holidays), to check out the CDs.
I came out pretty good today, picking up seven CDs for one-week rentals, with the selections by Wire (which I am listening to right now), Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives, Rodney Crowell, the North Mississippi Allstars, Peter Yorn and two by Mercury Rev. I either do not have any of these CDs or I just have them on vinyl, and so far, I am really digging listening to Wire's "Pink Flag" for the first time in many years.