Paul Harvey 1918 - 2009

When you grow up in the middle of nowhere, it's the little things that connect you to the rest of the world that mean a lot. Paul Harvey was one of those things for me. Maybe it was just the fact that for some reason when we were out working on the ranch, Paul Harvey seemed to be the one excuse that always worked when you wanted to take a break.

I don't tend to be overly sentimental, but thanks for the years and the memories Mr. Harvey. Good day.

Stuff

Something I learned today:

Ladyhawke is not the same as Ladyhawk. You've got to have an eye for detail in this world where bands use the same name with or without an "e." As a small bit of trivia, both bands are from Commonwealth nations.


If you didn't know:

My new band is called Smashinge Pumpkinse and I've got a side project called Arcad Fir.


Overheard on campus:

"Mom, if you did that, that would be so awesome. I would, like, come home every weekend if you did."


Overheard in the men's locker room (this is not a joke):

"Yeah, dude, I mean, like the point of ninja training is learn how to cheat without getting caught."


Seen:

Prius with license plate "GAS LOL"


If you weren't paying attention:

There is a new unreleased Colin Gilmore song available for free download here.


True story:

Back when I lived in Yellowknife, I had a pet bear with diabetes. We had a heck of a time adjusting its insulin to the amount of caribouhydrates it ate.


If you hadn't figured it out:

Two of the above items are not true.

SXSW 2009 - Lubbock music showcase

(Picture courtesy of these guys)

Wednesday night, March 18th, Momo's will host an official SXSW showcase featuring bands with Lubbock connections.

The current line-up is as follows:

8 PM - Cary Swinney, Richard Bowden, Michael O'Conner
9 PM - Thrift Store Cowboys
10 PM - Texas Belairs with Ponty Bone and John X Reed
11 PM - Colin Gilmore
12 PM - Joe Ely and Joel Guzman with Special Guests

Follow the link here to get more details. Check out Colin's and TSC's band pages as well, as each has a free download. It looks as though Colin's song is a new one that he has not yet released.

Brought to you by Sandstorm Picnic.

The sad news is that since this is an official showcase, it's not easily accessible without a badge, which costs around $15,000,000. We'll find out for sure if there is any admittance to non-badge holders, as the policies vary by venue, but otherwise, we'll try and keep you apprised of any free shows these folks are playing.

Facebook is too crowded

Remember when it was fun to post cynical and somewhat inappropriate things on facebook, both in your profile and when you updated your status?  Yeah, well those days are pretty much over if you hadn't noticed.  Every time I think of a funny thing to put on my status, I think of a certain subgroup who it will unnecessarily offend.  Now, I know, why should I care?  Well, partly because online it's easy to anger people without considering their position, and while I don't share a lot of views with the folks I went to high school with or who taught me in high school, I don't really have any underlying need to piss them off.  Also, inevitably some future employer of mine will find some status I wrote in 2006 and hold it against me, so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

So there you have it.  I'm sorry I had to say it here, but seriously, facebook is everywhere now. It's about as popular as television, except for the fact that with facebook everyone is watching everyone else on facebook.  It's appealing to some underlying desire to snoop in everyone else's business, and also maybe to ramp up our self importance, from having our "own" web page.  I used to say that if my parents got a facebook that I was going to be done, but given the state that it's in now, it doesn't matter because I think I'm just going to end up using it less and less.  Things like this are the type of things that make sociologists crazier than a craphouse rat.

In other news, I'm starting a web cam service that will follow me 24 hours a day, and everyone that I've ever known in my life is welcome to watch it.

Just click this link to follow my daily activities.

A little bird sent me this

At first I almost didn't post this because I didn't "find" it, but then again, there's really no original finds anymore in the interweb age.

.

If you read this blog, you've probably seen this.

I'm liking this

Finally got around to listening to Denton based Telegraph Canyon, and I have to say that I'm quite impressed so far. The incomparable Todd Pertll is listed as a band member, though not in the pictures. Todd, who you should know from the fabulous pedal steel (and other) sounds of Doug Burr, Kristy Kruger, Deadman, Thrift Store Cowboys et al. fame, doesn't really take on bad projects and this is no exception.

I don't feel qualified to describe their music. (Here is where a normal blog would describe their music). Instead, I have to recommend that you check them out yourselves. So far, the songs I've heard hit on quite a wide range of sounds. I have a feeling that, come next paycheck, I'm going to be checking out their first album All the Good News, which apparently you can usually find here, except for the fact that so many people beat you to the punch and now CD Baby is sold out. You can either buy the mp3s or wait until it comes back in stock.

The good news on Telegraph Canyon is twofold:
1) The band is touring a good bit coming up this spring, which maximizes your chance to see them. Also, if they are working this hard it is a good sign that they'll be back again if you miss them this time.
2) They have a new album coming out this May, and by the time it comes out, you'll be foaming at the mouth to hear more.

(Here's where most blogs would end with a clever line)