21st century soap-boxing

It’s been a little over two months since the K@ and I rinsed the last bit of dust from our heels and settled down into a nice muddy existence in the City of Roses. While still adjusting to the cold weather extravaganza (just because it may rain is no reason to sit at home, we are not the Wicked Witch of the West and water is not our bane) it has definitely been a fantastic breath of fresh air for both our cultural and social lives. I love this city, I love that nearly everyone we have met is involved in some sort of creative pursuit, I love the food and, nearly most of all, I love just how green everything is here.

We are now tucked into the first gaspings of Spring. Tulips are beginning to bloom down the street, trees are beginning to shower their white and pink blossoms over every inch of street, the crocuses (shouldn’t it be crocii?) are looking very merry and festive, as though they are welcoming in this slight warming in temperature, heralding the birth of a new natural cycle. Every bloom and weed is crowing “It’s Spring!” from the highest available parapet, except one.

I speak, of course, of the Monkey Puzzle Tree. An ancient conifer very similar to some that we observed in Costa Rica (note: Wikipedia informs me that the Monkey Puzzle Tree is the official tree of Chile), this millenia-old remnant of the days when giant land sloths and mastodons roamed the North American continent much as the elephant and giraffe do today in Africa grows all throughout South-East Portland and invokes constant looks of befuddlement on friends that we’ve pointed it out to. A quick look at the branches and trunk of this oddity quickly reveal just how apt its name is:

A monkey that found itself chased up this pointed little beast would instantly regret their decision to take shelter there. What on earth could they hang onto or swing from? It’s Mother Nature’s original razor wire. Fortunately, Oregon isn’t exactly known for its large population of indigenous primates (other than the pesky and ever-present homo sapiens) so this tends to not be as large of a problem as it would be in, say, Panama. Instead, it offers just one reason among millions as to why I am constantly astounded every day I leave our house and discover some new haven of life in this petri dish of biodiversity. For sheer lushness on an unimagined scale, Portland (scratch that, the entire Pacific North-West) can not be topped save by the likes of the Amazonian rainforest.

“Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.” Benjamin Franklin

“Hangovers are proof that god is a vindictive swine.” Logan Graf

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving which, aside from being the last remaining holiday to not be trampled over by the money hungry hordes of Capitalists, is the official kick-off to the winter shopping season. The next 30 days will see an overwhelming influx of awful music piped in through tinny speakers, parents beating their children in the toy aisles and a blitzkrieg of advertising the likes of which are rarely seen anymore. As each dime becomes more precious to workers facing unemployment and a distinctly un-merry Christmas, I expect to be increasingly bombarded by ads proclaiming deals-of-a-lifetime and can’t-miss offers. This tends to have an effect on me very similar to making Bruce Banner angry. Only instead of rampaging through Upper Manhattan I take to my blog to deliver incoherent screeds against consumerism, money, and holidays in general which few, if any, will ever read.

In honor of the looming holiday, please allow me to fire the first shot in my personal War on Christmas and declare this blog to be an ad free blog. More and more often, I find myself trolling through the backwaters of the internet only to be plagued again and again by inane and annoying pop-up ads or sidebars filled with Google Ads. I can’t read anything on Salon without a pop-up marring the experience, not to mention how arduous it is dealing with the ads at Stereogum that expand to hide the title of whatever article you’re reading until you manually shrink them again. I’m not even going to start on the bloggers who try to make a buck by shilling for Google again and again. It’s information pollution, is what it is and I don’t want to have to deal with it anymore than I have to.

Which brings us to my blog, humble reader(s). I am going to make you this vow: I will never allow the presence of corporate advertising to pollute this blogspace. I am not nearly egotistical enough to think that anything I write here is worthy of payment, even in a roundabout manner like Google Ads. Also, you may notice the new logo in between the links to the right —–>

I found this at adfreeblog.org, a site that states:
1. That I am opposed to the use of corporate advertising on blogs.
2. That I feel the use of corporate advertising on blogs devalues the medium.
3. That I do not accept money in return for advertising space on my blog.

Talk about a good idea whose time has finally come!

“I assure you that, with the help of God, I will attack you mightily. I will make war against you everywhere and in every way … I will take your wives and children, and I will make them slaves … I will take their property. I will do all the harm and damage to you that I can … I declare that the deaths and injuries that occur as a result of this would be your fault and not His Majesty’s, nor ours.”

-Requerimiento

Edict that was required to be read by Spanish conquistadors prior to the looting and pillaging of Aztec cities. Say what you will about the barbarism of such actions, you still have to admire just how honest and open they were. Far better than devastating a country under the guise of “creating democracy” or “liberating from tyranny.” The fellows at the American Enterprise Institute would do well to learn from history’s monsters. But then if the past five years have taught us anything, it is that the elites are incapable of even admitting to their misdeeds, let alone learning from them.

I know, I know, I know. I promised that I would write more often. Geez, you nag worse than the cliched image of an Eastern European grandmother. It’s not like I’ve intentionally been ignoring you. Life just has this way of picking you up in its currents and tossing you about. Today, January 29, is literally the first chance that I’ve had to step back from it all and take a breath.

I’m not kidding. Life has been a whirlwind that spun down on us starting December 1st with the frantic relocation to new digs (featuring expanded floor space, oh joy!) to better accommodate my new working-from-home lifestyle and the previous apartment just didn’t offer enough track space for the puppy to run around in. Yet not a week after trudging back and forth across the apartment complex carrying loads of books and sofas like some desert-dwelling Sherpa we were treated to the exceedingly rare event of a mainland visit from those perennial islanders, my mom and little brother. So while not crouched over my desk making sales calls we were out and about showing the lovely sights of Tucson and the Sonoran Desert. This also included a day trip down to Nogales, ostensibly so my brother could practice the Spanish that he’s been learning. Though how much Spanish you can really learn while living on an island where the majority of the population speaks Chamorro, English, or Tagalog and attending web-based classes is up for debate. Regardless, it was a fun day trip where I was treated to the unceasing joy of traveling with my family (there are few people I would more rather travel with) and I snapped a couple of decent pics with my new cell phone.

Following that delightful visit, the K@ and I loaded ourselves into the car and endured the 14 hour drive through California to visit her parents for Festivus (for the rest of us). Much joy was had by all, especially Marley, who was completely overwhelmed by that crazy little thing called grass and got to enjoy some time with our friends Matt and Michelle’s puppy, Bou. Yet all good things must come to an end and we endured another 14 hours back to Tucson and a temporary return to normalcy. Very temporary.

Four days later I found myself on a plane to Philadelphia (because EVERYONE wants to leave the abysmal Arizona winter for the joys of a Nor-Easter) to exhibit for my company at the American Library Association’s Mid-Winter meeting. Happily, it was not as trying as I was expecting it to be. We were across the street from the Reading Terminal Market which features a goodly amount of shops run by Amish and food of damn near every variety. Now, I rip on religious fundamentalists of all stripes, but I have got to say this: the Amish make the best damn pastries I have tasted. I saw god in my apple turnover. Then I ate it. On the return trip we were nearly stranded by what Chicago natives have told me is rather tame for their fair city. This does not look tame. This looks painful:

Fortunately we avoided any unnecessary delays and we sped back to far warmer climes- though not for long. Not two days after I finished unpacking my dirty clothes did my bag find itself repacked and the K@ and I winging our way North toward my former home-away-from home, Seattle. The great wet North hearkens and you listen. Plus, it was my birthday and who am I to turn down the chance to live it up in a different city? We arrived in Tacoma and spent the night with K@’s uncle who showed us around downtown Tacoma and a very decent pizza parlor/brewery. The next day we hit up the Pike’s Place Market and wandered around downtown Seattle (eating some awesome clam chowder) before meeting up with Tribal dude-about-town, Drew. We had some beers at the Elysian Brewery on Capitol Hill- nice and smoky Porter, good rich Stout, and a godlike IPA that more should have the chance to drink- before meeting up with some of K@’s brother’s friends, who are stellar individuals with impeccable musical taste. Grabbed a slice of pizza and then mosied down to Neumos for some more drinks and to see a band that had been recommended by Seattle’s alt-weekly, The Stranger, as being “delightfully irreverant.” They may or may not have been so, we didn’t stick around to find out as the spazzed-out rave atmosphere and length between opening act’s sets was interminable. I have never been so needlessly bombarded by a strobe light before.

The next day we went down to the Space Needle to scope out the Experience Music Project, housed in a stunningly beautiful Frank Gehry construction that, from above, looks like two mangled and destroyed guitars. The musical exhibits were interesting, I particularly enjoyed the retrospective of local Seattle music and wish it had been longer, but by far the awesome award had to go to the Science Fiction Museum housed in the same building. Covering damn near every facet of sci-fi history worth mentioning, from The Jetsons to Blade Runner and beyond, we walked out its doors barely realizing that we had spent nearly three hours among the exhibits. In all, the weekend was great and we had a blast hanging out with Drew and his friends. We returned to Tucson (after a plane snafu courtesy of Delta which left us stranded in LA overnight) Tuesday, though after the great time we had over the weekend we are now feverishly plotting a return to the NorthWest for a far longer duration- like permanent.

And now, your obligatory Space Needle pic:

Unmercifully cadged from Stacia, think of it as a Postsecret, but without the anonymity:

If I had my choice I would live in a big city for the rest of my life.
I subscribe to far more magazines than I could ever hope to read.
I have been a vegetarian for over 10 years, but I still dream about eating bacon.
I consistently envy the homeless their freedom of movement.
I believe in LOVE, more than anything else.
I get a sick amusement from the plight of hypocrites.
People who are late to appointments, or who don’t show up, earn my everlasting disdain.
Pop music from the Scandinavian regions of the world makes me irrationally happy.
I am jealous that my sister has found a way to improve the world and dedicated herself to it.
I pretend to love camping, but secretly hate it more than any other activity.
Vacuuming calms my soul.
The best choice I made this year was surprising my wife with a dog from the pound.
I believe that there are fundamentally two types of people: those who act and those who react. I greatly prefer the former.
Large stacks of books turn me on like nothing else.
Cerulean Blue has always been my favorite Crayola color.
If I could eat any type of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican food.
I LOVE going to movies by myself.
I think people who have children are needlessly cruel.
G.I. Joes may have been on to something (knowledge is power!)…
I hate lyrics (but love vocals) in music.
Every day I go to work I wish some catastrophe prevented me, no matter the loss of life.
We will always paint our apartments, regardless of what the landlords say.
The fact that I have another family that I have no idea about scares me to no end.
I enjoy making art, but don’t because I fear that I am a fraud.
I wish that I had more than a passing acquaintance with the 3 foreign languages I have studied thus far.
I never thought I would marry anyone, but I did- on my own terms.
I make lists to gain a better understanding of who I am.
This is really narcissistic and I’m not sure why I made this list.
But I did anyway.

So it’s finally November. “Remember, remember, the 5th of November,” as a semi-famous fictional revolutionary once said. Yet this year it is not the fifth of November that I find myself looking forward to but the 4th of November. For on that epic night, when the rest of the country experiences the annual confusion of “falling back”, the K@ and I will be dancing our asses off and smiling like Smurfs on ecstasy while our ears are assaulted by the psychedelic ravings of the greatest band to ever grace this fair globe, Ween. Attendance is guaranteed this go-round, I was not going to leave such things to chance so paid the hefty service fees that Rialto likes to tack on and bought our tickets in advance. Sunday will henceforth be known as the day when the world stood still and danced to the fantastic freak-outs of Gene and Dean Ween.

Yet that is not the only point in finally revisiting my long-neglected blog (though it is so much fun to crow one’s delight from the rooftops of the digital world). I also wanted to explain the reasons that this blog has lingered for the past month (has it really been so long???). Aside from the typical stresses of school and work, which seem to escalate at an exponential rate every time I turn my back, the K@ and I have also taken on a particularly grueling exercise, the raising of a puppy. Meet Marley, adopted three weeks ago from the Pima Animal Care Center:

He’s an uber-adorable Black Lab mix with a shockingly bright undercoating of white. So far his favorite playthings are a rubber chicken, a donut chew toy, and a piece of Tupperware that provides him literally hours of entertainment as he tries to catch hold of it in his small jaws. He’s still really young and, to judge by the size of his paws, he has a lot of growing to do before he’s anywhere near full-sized. He is also a big fan of shoes and all foot-related objects, which is rather obvious considering our shoe mat has been claimed as his favorite napping spot.

So I figure it has been more than a little while since I last dropped by this site and it is probably time for an update of some sorts, if only to inform people that “no, I am not dead.” Though it’s been a rather close thing. The work situation has been rather complicated of late, somehow I’ve taken on the duties of three additional people with no concurrent raise in compensation so that is going to need to change very quickly (please refer to state’s evidence #420 “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems” and it’s converse “Mo’ Problems Need Mo’ Money”). To top it, I have once again returned to the mystical land of Academia which finds me toiling away in night school like the proverbial up-and-comer. Didn’t really ever expect myself to make that leap, after the $20k misadventures that were my previous bouts with College, but unless I want to do shitty sales work the rest of my life, further schooling is in order. This, of course, finds me at remote campuses into the late hours of the evening trying to find a ride home (many thanks to the K@ for her infinite patience in transporting me from A to B and back again). So needless to say, life has been hectic. And while there have been some very interesting events in our lives that I would love to extol about at length, they are not interesting enough for a blog post of their own. Instead, I am pleased to offer up the second edition of 21st Century Soap-Boxing’s iTunes Shuffle. Without further ado, let us proceed:

1. Alice in Chains “Brother” MTV Unplugged
This second track off of the iconic Seattle quartet’s 1996 live album is filled with all the plaintive, haunting vocals that embodied Alice in Chains’ music and much of that early-mid 90’s grunge sound. A lot of the records that served as my “awakening” (if you will) into the larger world of Rock music don’t continue to stack up after ten years of sitting on the bench but this album, a recording of the band’s first performance after a 2 1/2 year hiatus consistently brings it with a mixture of the tragic (it’s impossible to hear any Alice in Chains without thinking of lead singer Layne Stanley’s subsequent death) and ecstatic (the band is clearly excited to be back on-stage after the preceding hiatus). I almost never flip ahead when this song comes on the iPod.

2. Ted Leo + Pharmacists “Under the Hedge” The Tyranny of Distance
Ted Leo has been making music for a long time, and it shows. Each subsequent record from this Indie Rock icon, originally from the punk group Chisel, shows his increasing mastery of rock music and skill at forming some of the most infectious tunes available. The solo in the last forty seconds of the song alone make this song worth cycling through and when Ted’s endearing growl of a vocal cuts through, this track easily becomes one of the stand-outs from his 2001 album.

3. Man Man “Banana Ghost” Six Demon Bag
I loves me some Man Man. Arguably they are better live than they sound on record. I’ve never seen a group bring more adrenaline and energy to a performance than when the K@ and I saw them at Solar Culture this past summer, yet they still manage to pump some of the strangest, most dissonant layers of sound into a song this side of Animal Collective. Yet where Animal Collective end up embracing the dissonance between their ethereal barks and whispers and their occasional beats, Man Man lives for the beat, with all of their collected odds and ends going in to make a steady rhythmic pulse that hypnotizes your ass into dancing and embracing all of the collective insanity of these latter-day Gypsy cobblers.

4. Yo La Tengo “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) Are Murdering the Classics
When I first heard that Yo La Tengo was releasing an album of the covers that they recorded over a series of benefits for NY indie radio station WFMU, I was really hesitant to even download it, let alone give it a listen. This 1.43 re-imagining of the Eurhythmics’ 1983 classic stands out as one of the better efforts on this CD with lead singer Georgia Hubley channeling the ghost of Annie Lennox’s talent into a concise and worthy cover. If only the rest of the CD could accomplish as much it would have a far higher play count on my iTunes.

5. Bob Marley & The Wailers “Ride Natty Ride” Survival
I am very prone to the abuse of hyperbole. Any long time reader of this blog (or anyone who has heard me rant for minutes on end) should find this as no surprise. So believe that I am speaking with full awareness of this trait when I say that ‘Bob Marley may have been the greatest creator of music in the history of humankind.’ I do not feel that this is an exaggeration of the man’s talent at all and if you should want to argue with me on this subject I will kick you squaw in the nuts (or whatever piece of anatomy happens to correspond). While this studio recording may not be the best version of “Ride Natty Ride” that is available to avid Bob fans (there exist, to my count, 4 superb live versions) it still shows the skeletal structure of what evolves into a centerpiece of performing in concert. This song in-and-of itself is better than 2/3 of the reggae that has ever been recorded by any other artist.

6. Morcheeba “Tape Loop” Who Can You Trust?
Many thanks to the inimitable Matt Wong for bringing this fantastically chill downtempo act to my attention. The groove just doesn’t quit on this fifth track from the English quintet’s 1996 debut album. While a funked out bass line and fuzzy drums bring up the bottom in this fine wine of a track, Skye Edwards breathes a languid and sultry vocal that draws the listener in and makes you scream for more. If I hear any cuts from this album it pretty much guarantees a day of downtempo music fronted by cooler-than-cool female vocals- it will definitely be followed by some Zero 7, Hooverphonic, or Portishead.

7. Sia “Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix)” Four Tet Remixes
Sometimes I think iTunes has a symbiotic link with my mind when it’s running on shuffle. We’ve gone from one downtempo gem to another. This track from the Australian chanteuse’s (best known for her work with aforementioned chill gods Zero 7) Colour the Small One solo album crossed into the mainstream in a huge way when it was featured as the closing song on one of the best character-driven dramas to grace the television screen, “Six Feet Under.” Which is in no way a bad thing because something as beautiful and plaintive as Sia Furler’s voice deserves- no, demands- to be heard. Four Tet’s Kieren Hebden adds a hypnotic drum line and his signature sparkling glitches that serve to lift Sia’s vocals above the mix while simultaneously highlighting the haunting pain of the original track.

8. Os Mutantes “Meu Rerigerador Nao Funciona” A Divina Comedia ou Ando Meio Desligado
This is a gem of a track off of Os Mutantes 1970 album. Explicitly outlining Os Mutantes’ break with the Tropicalismo sound that gave them their start, this track begins with a slow and sultry blues rhythm and that organ sound that I love so much that was used to excess in the entire psychedelic rock movement. Then lead singer Rita Lee’s voice slides in like a foot into some well-fitting shoes and the song takes off into the searing heights of what good psychedelic blues should be. After a too-brief duet the song devolves into a lone horn standing out from the mass of sound accompanied by the scat of singer/keyboardist Arnaldo Baptista before bringing that ever-present organ back to the fore. A strange melange of different styles and sounds, this song is typical of Os Mutantes who manage to toss in everything (including the proverbial wash unit) and come out the other side with a clear, cohesive and beautiful track.

9. Radiohead “Anyone Can Play Guitar” Pablo Honey
This song stands out in my head as the first Radiohead I was ever exposed to and it was love at first listen. That was well over a decade ago and this song still hits me as hard as it did when I first heard it while sitting in the faded and cracked seats of my friend’s old Chevy Nova. The optimism in the face of the apocalypse that is captured in lyrics like “And if the world does turn, and if London burns/I’ll be standing on the beach with my guitar” hits right to the core of what I think Radiohead’s music offers: a chillingly bleak world view that at even its darkest moments offers up a shred of hope for those determined to make their way through life regardless of such threats. If there is a band that can be said to have captured the fear, angst, betrayal, and still-lingering optimism of our particular zeitgeist, it would have to be Thom Yorke et al.

10. Apparat “Fractales Pt. 1″ Walls
This track off of Apparat’s new album Walls, released a few weeks ago, starts off with a dark and steady beat before lightening the mood and adding in several layers of light and flitting melodies. Still riding high off of the critical success of last year’s “Orchestra of Bubbles” where he partnered with the arguably more well-known Ellen Allien, Apparat brings that same pop sensibility mixed with heady electronic sounds to this effort and turns in a track that, at worst, could be a B-Side off of that much-heralded release. This is the only track from the new album that I’ve had a chance to listen to yet, but it’s definitely whet my appetite for more.

Things have been hectically busy in the Dust Bowl recently with K@’s brother Dave stopping by for a few days last week and all of the requisite excitement that an event of that magnitude normally entails. From enjoying my friend Sarah’s performance at the Gaslight Theater to hiking two miles through Saguaro National Park in the middle of the triple digit afternoon (as Dave says, you can do anything for a mile) we have been getting out and about far more often than we are used to during the blast furnace summer in Tucson.

So in lieu of a more detailed and interesting blog post, I am going to go ahead and steal an idea from Pop Apocalypse and offer up 21st Century Soap-Boxing’s first iTunes shuffle. The idea is that I put my iTunes on shuffle and then write the first ten songs that pop up on here. It’s meant to give you a better idea of what’s spinning on my decks these days rather than the focus on new albums and acts that music writing on this blog is normally devoted to. Sadly due to computer limitations I will not be offering downloads of the tracks. Shall we begin?

1. Stars “Barricade” In Our Bedroom After The War
-While this is definitely not my favorite track off of Stars recently released new album it is still a stand-out. With lead singer Torquill Campbell’s soft croon over a tranquil piano the song’s melody belies the violent subject matter of this call to revolution with lyrics such as “meet me at the barricade/the love died- the hate can’t fade.” It’s incongruities are part of it’s charm though and the track is definitely worth a close listen.

2. Modest Mouse “World At Large” Good News for People Who Love Bad News
-There is nothing I don’t like about this song. From the fantastic lyrics (there are few lyrics that ring as true to me as “I like songs about drifters - books about the same/They both seem to make me feel a little less insane.”) to the gentle thump of the bass drum there is little surprise that this song tops the 25 Most Played playlist on my iTunes. Here’s a pretty decent fan video of the song.

3. The Concretes “Chosen One” The Concretes In Colour
-I kind of feel like a cheating lover when I admit that I don’t really care for The Concretes. As an unabashed fan of the new wave of Indie Pop that has been sailing over from the frozen wastelands of Scandinavia the past couple years, I feel compelled to keep these darlings of the music critics on my iPod but find myself skipping them within moments of the start of their play. Maybe it’s Victoria Bergsman’s laconic “been-drinking-cough-syrup-for-days” singing style, perhaps it’s the tired instrumentation, but I just can’t get into them.

4. The Shins “Mine’s Not A High Horse” Chutes Too Narrow
-What can I say about the Shins that hasn’t been said, and probably more articulately, before? Truthfully, not much. This gem from the Portlander’s second album is teeming with catchy hooks and the joyous harmonies that have become a trademark of The Shins.

5. Aphex Twin “Gavin Bryars- Raising The Titanic (Big Drum Mix)” 26 Mixes For Cash
-Richard D. James poops greatness. Whether it’s cutting and dicing the sound of a roulette ball or making ethereal ambient tunes, he very rarely disappoints. This cut from his compilation of remixes begins with the haunting laugh of children before slowly morphing into a fantastically dark drum beat backed by slightly muted strings. Not something I can listen to every day, but I do appreciate it when it comes up on shuffle.

6. Wilco “Please Be Patient With Me” Sky Blue Sky
-With it’s single acoustic guitar playing behind Jeff Tweedy’s reed-thin voice it is instantly clear that this is not the Wilco we have all come to know and love. But that’s okay. It is an artist’s prerogative to adapt their sound and grow as individuals. That in no way means that I want to listen to much of the new singer-songwriter Tweedy, but luckily not all of Sky Blue Sky is like this simplistic track.

7. Snoop Dogg “Gin And Juice” Doggystyle
-What can I say? It’s a classic. Taking it all the way back to 6th Grade for this quintessential Snoop cut. Still great nearly 15 years later it inevitably ends up on any late night party mix I make. And while I know it’s not “Still D.R.E.”, it makes me think of this great scene from Scrubs.

8. Radiohead “Electioneering” OK Computer
-While OK Computer is swiftly becoming the most covered album of all time, nothing compares to the original. Thom Yorke’s plaintive vocals, the screaming and clanging guitars, the sheer speed at which the band rips into this song, all go a long way toward making this one of the best songs on an album that will be regarded for many years as the most influential to come out of the 90s. We’ve heard nary a peep from Radiohead since 2004’s Hail To The Thief, but they are still (in my mind at least) the undisputed kings of rock.

9. Sly & The Family Stone “Poet” There’s a Riot Goin’ On
-This track from 1973 is a slow-grooving funk/soul staple. I’m not entirely sure why, but I have been listening to a lot of old seventies soul records of late. While this song is not an album stand-out, it still offers up a pretty funky bass line and works well as a lesser Sly cut.

10. Sigur Ros “Hoppipolla” Takk…
-I normally have to be in really the right mood to listen to these Icelandic post-rockers. Sometimes, I will admit, Jonsi Birgisson’s voice grates on my ears like a cat being dragged toward a bathtub. However, the groups slow-building sound gets me nearly every time and they remain on my iTunes. This track follows the string-heavy, ever-crescendoing sound that Sigur Ros has built into an art form and by the time it reaches the 4 minute mark, you too are ready to forgive any vocal abuses in favor of their deeply textured sound.

So yeah, those are the first ten tracks that popped up on the iPod today. Hopefully we will be back soon with some more captivating content and the next entry in my “What the F@#$ is up with Tucson?” series. The K@ and I are due to see Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter tonight at Plush and then tomorrow evening brings us the premiere of long-awaited The Simpsons Movie, which I am looking forward to more than words can possibly explain.

Woo-to-the-Hoo!!! You better believe that I was excited for this show from the minute I heard about it. It’s rare for a band to come through Tucson on any regular basis. Most of the time if seems like Arizona dates are scheduled almost as an afterthought for a tour that is crossing the wastelands between Texas and California, which partially explains how Tucson gets performances that a city 3x its size (Spokane, WA) could never hope for. So while I appreciate it when bands take time to stop at one of our venues, I never take it for granted that they’ll be back on the next tour (not since I passed up on catching TV On The Radio last March when they played Club Congress). Odds are that next tour they’ll go to Phoenix or pass up the desert entirely and play San Diego before the much-anticipated Los Angeles performances. So when I read that everybody’s favorite pub band was coming back to the dustbowl that is Tucson I was as giddy as a schoolkid.

I would be the first to admit that K@ and I spend an inordinate amount of time at Tucson venues. At least once every other week we find ourselves bombing across town to listen to the latest sonic treat to travel across the desert. Yet, even with this incessant concert attendance, we had never been to Plush before. We were missing out. Decorated like a Terry Gilliam-imagined nightclub from the 1950s, Plush maintains the atmosphere that K@ and I have long looked for in choosing our drinking establishments. The stereo in the main bar area cycled through this year’s indie hits with its selection of Shins, Of Montreal, Deerhoof, and Bright Eyes as the K@ and I sat at a raised table, petting the velvet trimmed walls and drinking $2.50 pints of Sierra Nevada. If the decor hadn’t won us over, the cheap pints certainly would have. It gets old going to shows at the Rialto and paying $8 (plus tip) for two bottles of Fat Tire and it’s refreshing to find a venue that finally provides good beer at a decent price.

Our glasses empty, the K@ and I filtered through the line and down into the stage area which, along with a large dance floor, also featured charming tables and a large wraparound bar. The hazy lighting and seating called to mind a dank cellar bar used for short one-off jazz shows, all it needed was a haze of cigarette smoke to complete the illusion. Unfortunately, due to Arizona’s hopping on the bandwagon of cigarette puritanism, smoking in bars is now illegal and relegated to hastily set-up outdoor patio areas (which I’m sure will be absolutely thrilling for drinkers who now have to step out for a smoke in the triple digit nights of high summer). But I digress.

First on-stage were Blitzen Trapper, a six person group hailing from that most lovable of cities, Portland, Oregon. I know, you’re shocked. Another free-wheeling indie pop group from Portland. At times it gets difficult to keep track of all the excellence the Rose City spews forth on a regular basis- what with all the Elliott Smiths, Shins, Decemberists, and Menomenas out there spreading the good word. Blitzen Trapper maintain the fine pedigree of recent Portland acts with their eclectrified country pop (tracks available on the band’s MySpace page, I recommend “Love I Exclaim” and “Wild Mountain Nation”). The band whipped through a quick set of songs off of their forthcoming album Wild Mountain Nation that set the proper tone for the night: light-hearted, boisterous, and highly dedicated to the art of getting down. By the time the band closed with the rousing title track from their upcoming release the crowd had filled in and most were bobbing their heads with approval to these up-and-comers. As the sextet cleared the stage, the K@ and I looked behind us to find Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn standing there taking in the sound. We almost didn’t recognize him he had altered his look so much since the last time we had seen him back in October. Now instead of the clean well-groomed shoe salesman appearance that he had previously cultivated was a disheveled, unshaven, and skinny man in what I think was a track suit. It’s been well noted how life on the road is rough and as far as I can tell the Hold Steady have been touring non-stop since last summer promoting Boys & Girls in America. Those boys owe themselves a vacation.

Anyway, following a relatively quick set change which allowed K@ and I to replenish our glasses and scope out the outdoor area, Illinois took the stage. Now, one would think that given the band’s choice of name, that at least one member would hail from the Prairie State. That would be an incorrect assumption to make about this quartet of musicians, as all call Pennsylvania home. As to whether they are giving tribute to the state itself, trying to spark some rivalry with fellow band’s Boston or Chicago, or are simply giving homage to Sufjan Steven’s 2005 entry in his 50 States collection is up for debate. What is not debatable is the energy and magnetism that this group brings to the stage. After a few false starts and attempts to balance the sound, Illinois launched into a fun, riff-heavy, set that had the frontman switching between banjo, keyboard, and guitar to create their unique brand of folk rock (check their MySpace page for samples, Lolo recommends “Irish Whiskey” and “Screen Door”). With only two EPs behind them (out now on Ace Fu), Illinois are still relatively new to the touring scene, as was evidenced by the undimmed exuberance that they brought to their set and the sheer number of times they thanked the Hold Steady for bringing them out on tour. I enjoy any band that exhorts me to chime in to cheers of Hip-Hip-Hooray, whatever the reason, and Illinois provided that in spades. I was temporarily saddened when they took leave of the stage (until I realized that meant The Hold Steady were up next) and made a vow to catch them again should they ever find their way to Tucson again.

So after another admirably quick set change, those joyful fellows from Brooklyn took the stage. The crowd had be now swelled to an impressive size, smiles gleaming on their faces and sweating beers clutched in their hands. The band wasted no time in getting the crowd moving, launching into “Boys and Girls” opener “Stuck Between Stations,” which had not been a part of their set when we saw them previously. Finn and Co. wasted very little time on chit chat, preferring instead to rocket through some of the most energetic and danceable songs in their oeuvre, with Finn gesticulating and shouting like a mad street corner preacher. I’m not sure if it’s because of where K@ and I were standing but, at times, it was pretty difficult to hear Finn’s spastic sing-talking, especially when he walked away from the microphone stand. When he’d done this at Club Congress we had been right next to him and didn’t miss a single lyric. Being on the other end of the stage from him, nearer to the cartoon-faced keyboardist Franz, definitely helped to give us this other view of the show. Then, far too quickly, the set was over. We went through the routine of demanding an encore, during which they were joined by Illinois (still beaming like kids at Christmas), but even after a five song encore we were not ready for them to call it a night. We were unsuccessful at calling them back for a second encore, however, so it looks like I must wait until these good MidWestern boys make it back to our dustbowl before I can ear them perform my favorite cut, “How A Resurrection Really Feels.” Though if nothing else, this show must be thanked for luring us to a new venue, one which has quickly become our favorite in Tucson.

*Link: Blitzen Trapper Home Page
*Link: Blitzen Trapper MySpace
*Link: Illinois Home Page
*Link: Illinois MySpace
*Link: The Hold Steady on 21st Century Soap-Boxing