um...
Tue Oct 21 15:19:57 PDT 2003

But.

I just noticed. I have denied this for my entire life, but now after about 9 years away, I just noticed. There IS a Californian accent. Several people in the department have it.

Technical difficulties.
2003-08-13 wednesday lunchtime

During the drive I realized that my phone doesn't work. It powers itself off all the time.

Time for a new phone.

DEMF pix
2003-06-16 Late Monday night.

isolation
2003-06-15 Sunday night.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Sorry if you have been unable to reach me on the Internet. I have been house-/dog-sitting for Misty in Germantown MD. Their Comcast is out so I have no Internet there. But when I come back in a couple days I will post my DEMF pics. =)

guest music review
2003-06-10 Wednesday at work.

My little bro Jonathan wrote this review. You may know him by the name of Jonny-Jon-"the blanket is my tomb"-Jon Colorcombine Qi-Master OG "Manc" Daddy. Anyways he just saw the Lilys, Swirlies, and Explosions in the Sky.

Lilys Swirlies Explosions in the Sky.
Bottom of the Hill, Friday 2003-06-06.

Lazarus opened. Then I arrived. It appeared to be some guy with a guitar. OK, so up comes Explosions in the Sky--a Western-US underground shoegazer favorite. My favorite review is the single sentence that that Kenny guy from AmAnSet wrote about them (see Clairecords site). Anyway, as usual they ROCKED. They have such a refined, calculated musicianship. They really have it, and when you see them live you know that you are alive, and know also how something that is in you and in them and in many others will live forever.

So next is the great Swirlies. Swirlies are many things, but they have never quite, for me anyway, fit in perfectly with what is known as shoegazer. For sure they are graced with the presence of noise, and Damon would never play his tremolo arm the way he does if it weren't for Kevin Sheilds. But.. they always seemed to be more vocals-oriented, a bit more rockin' as it were persay if you will. But tonight of all nights we would be more than blessed. They opened with "U can't be told it" from the Salons album. Now that is just cool. The second guitarist started having major setup problems, so the rest of them re-tuned to play a "filler song." ... it was... Chris R.! From that comp, you know that poppy song that I figured they must hate because it does not sound like any of the rest of their songs! That was so cool!!! That must be like a 1991 song or something! Damn. Now I thought that was going to be the end of it for me because surely they would now launch into all the knew album songs, and songs from the previous album, which I also don't have. But no. The favorites just kept on coming. 2 Girls Kissing. That "Rabbitt" song. Sarah Sitting. Salons track 1. Jeremy Parker!!!! My favorite song, and probably their most shoegazery. San Cristobal, which is the greatest thing in the world live. Then a couple other things I can't remember. In all there were 2 songs I didn't know. It was just amazing.

Consider also that their playing was a bit off, and the mix was bad, but I still loved it that much! The set was that cool. (Probably anyone who didn't already know those songs inside out wouldn't have been so crazy about it though.) Now how often does that happen, where you get a 4- or 5-album band coming on stage and playing 10 year old songs?? I thought that would never happen again.

But then......... Lilys. Now you must understand I have had an up and down relationship with Lilys. First saw their disc around, they caught my eye... and was introduced about a decade ago... started to get to know them a bit later, after I had matured a bit. And then I fell in love. Song after song, I was just so happy. Even after In the Presence of Nothing, there was Eccsame and Brief History... they really enriched my life. Then they went and broke my heart. I bought that damn Services/Tayt Overature thing used for $3.99 to much at Streetlight. (I was almost as mad at Kurt Heasley as I was at that asshole Rich Ashcroft who drove Verve into the ground.) We broke up and I never spoke to them again.. just enjoyed the old records. Then I started seing them around again, on account of Napster.. some of the newer songs were ok. Thought I could give them a second chance, especially since they were headlining for Explosions and Swirlies.

I was expecting them to be all dressed up in 60s garb or something pompus like that. Well, luckily no, and that turned out to be a foreshadowing of the evening. With 2 12-string guitars in had, an electric for one guy and an acousic for Kurt, they began to play. Something in me was suddenly very excited... I knew those notes very well. I would often put "Breif History" in the player just to hear track 2. ("He opens up the conversation with.....") NEVER expected to hear this one-verse 2 minute song live. But here it was. My Lilys... come back to me at last... ahhhhhhhhh. The thickest, most atmospheric song on that EP presented in glistening 12-string sound. Niiiice. And they went on the play more wonders. Even about 3 absolut shoegaze songs, including "Black Orchids," track 1 of In the Presence..."! What a classic!! We all went crazy, and Kurt said "Probably a first for San Francisco.." Oh, the irony of the fact that the opening of the Slumberland-released classsic first Lilys album was never played here was biting and quite sassy I must say. The crowd went silent when between songs Kurt said something about a baby dying and that being the reason certain requests would not be played. Unsure if he was talking about his new baby. He seemed a bit tore up about it. Then kept playing. Weird........ Oh and they played Ginger! She comes and goes but she mostly goes. What an amazing song to play live. They probably play it every time. They should. Such a crowd-pleaser. Everyone should go listen to it in honor of this show. That point in the middle where the full-band distorted bliss comes back on is a classic moment in the history of .... well ok ok sorry, I just really love it. I got caught up in talking to people after they stopped playing, and got back to cheering for an encore after a while... they never did come back. Actually I have NEVER been to a show where that was the case. Maybe they were insulted by how soon everyone stopped. Bloody shame. Well, anyway it was such a good show I can't complain.

Whew.......... I feel like I will never be so happy at a show again. At the same time I know that's not the case. I look forward to next time. And I will not rest till I get recordings of the show... got 2 connections so far including Damon from Swirlies.

Also posted to craigslist.