Monday, September 28, 2009

hit the city

Went to the Bridge Project both nights this weekend. I've always wanted to see what it looked like under there and to have it lit up, with live music, art installations, and simply amazing architecture and space. My roommate and I also rode the 8-seat "conference bicycle" up and down the middle part.





It reminded me of things that seem like they'd happen in Europe, or the underground world of Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere." If you missed it this year, hopefully they'll do something like this again, because I wish I could take everyone there.



Otherwise this weekend, ended up going to see the Soulsavers by myself because everyone else cancelled and such. At least it's dark and introverted so that I could just stand there and get caught up in the sounds and the voice of one of my favorite singers of all time. Despite the albums themselves being much more electronic, it was definitely a rock show, and I liked hearing the songs completely reworked with no prerecorded loops or anything like that. Evidently the guitarist from Spiritualized is touring with them now and there was lots of tremolo and feedback which I love.

I got the shivers up my spine during "Kingdoms of Rain" and "Revival," and loved that they played "Hit the City," but I'm honestly not feeling the new record as much as the old one. Still, it was a great show, though on the way back I was driving through the rain back to the west side and "Maggot Brain" was on the radio and I was crying and finding it impossible to shake that profound sense of loneliness that came over me.



But thankfully I've got good people around me who get me through my times when it seems like everyone couples off or leaves for places that aren't Cleveland, and I spent Sunday afternoon with the Ethiopians celebrating their New Year eating good food and watching the kids run around.

I came home last night and de-stressed myself with an art night, and realized that I need to be doing this much more. It always chilled me out in college and it still seems to work for me...

Thursday, September 24, 2009

you either get this or you don't

the Young Ones rule my life. I was slacking around the apartment too brain-dead to do anything so what else is more awesome than early 80's british subcultural humor?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

rockingness

I spent most of this weekend asleep, either from illness or my lack of rest has finally caught up to me.

Went over to my grandma's house on Saturday night to go through stuff there before it gets thrown out or given away. It's weird going in there, not ghostly, but just the sense of loss and history is so strong. Photographs of family members, statues of the Virgin Mary and the Infant of Prague, mix tapes full of polkas, matchbooks from vacations and weddings, Life magazines with photos of the Kennedy family, the moon landing, and the Black Panthers, where all the ads are for hard liquor and cigarettes.

I brought home the movie camera that she took films of from the time my dad was a kid to me and my cousins. I don't know where you find film for these kinds of things because it runs on a reel-to-reel. My inner art student wants to mess around with this and see what happens.

I've fallen in love with Cleveland summers, but I'm enjoying the transition into fall, cool breezes and hoodies, my mood music shifts from sunny melodies and big beats to minor keys and atmospherics. Currently formulating plans for more buildings to explore, more informal photography projects, more wannabe Great American Novel futility, apple-picking, Halloween, live music, and an Ethiopian new year party on Sunday.

current songs:

Mark Lanegan & PJ Harvey - Hit the City

I'm finally getting to see him live this weekend at the Grog Shop and rumor has it, they've been doing this song.



the Dead Weather - Will There be Enough Water?



Massive Attack - Psyche

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

playlist 9/15/09

femi kuti - water get no enemy
finley quaye - it's great when we're together
a tribe called quest - jazz (we've got)
yppah - the tingling
tv on the radio - dlz
lamb - God bless
soulsavers - kingdom of rain
jamie woon - wayfaring stranger
pete rock - little soul
common - retrospect for life
makoma - unknown track
bongo maffin - twasa
thievery corporation - la femme parallel
emmanuel jal - bai
gokh-bi system - kaesal
miriam makeba - pole mze
d.o. misiani - tobias origi
amadou & mariam w/ k'naan - africa
toubab krewe - bamana niya
oumou sangare - senkele te sira
sierra leone refugee all-stars - seconds
sidestepper - la bara rain
ray c - uko wapi
bomb the bass - black river
stephen marley - you're gonna leave
ramata diakite - moko balou
salif keita - madan
sergio mendes - after sunrise

Friday, September 4, 2009

holiday...

It's been a good week... I enjoy seeing the new crop of faces coming through, met girls today from Libya and Saudi Arabia, was immensely entertained and somewhat embarrassed for the suburban kid who thinks that a library is a great place to find out where to score some weed, checked out the farmer's market downtown and ended up lugging home a watermelon on the Rapid.

Picked up a new camera since I broke my old Samsung. It's still point-and-shoot because I have no illusions about my photographic ability and I don't have the money right now for something high end. I'll be going on photographic adventures tomorrow with the usual suspects. This week was great, who knows what the weekend will hold...

best of the blotter

MISCHIEF, WHITE MARSH LANE: A woman reported Aug. 24 that someone threw tomatoes at her car while she was driving.

SCOOTER TROUBLE: A Strongsville man was advised last week for holding his neighbor's scooter hostage.

A Whitney Road woman called police Sunday afternoon because a neighbor at her apartment complex took her son's scooter and wouldn't return it.

The man told police that the boy, 8, was throwing rocks at a cast-iron bell on his balcony. The man said he was "holding the scooter hostage" until the boy's mother came over and talked to him.

The boy told police he was skipping rocks and he hit the bell unintentionally.

The man returned the scooter after he was advised that he cannot confiscate property. The boy was advised to skip rocks in wooded areas only.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, CEDAR ROAD: A woman reported Saturday someone wrote on her using black nail polish.

IDENTITY THEFT (UNFOUNDED): While police were investigating an Aug. 25 complaint involving a suspicious Webkins doll that had been sent to their address, the parents of a 9-year-old girl suspected that she may have ordered the stuffed animal herself, using her parents' credit cards.

PETTY THEFT, CHILLICOTHE ROAD: An unknown young man entered Discount Drug Mart Sunday evening, stole a Guinness beer and drank it in the bathroom before leaving.

The store employee said it was the same person who stole and drank about 5 beers in the bathroom the previous month.

FOUND PROPERTY, EAST WASHINGTON STREET: Someone stole a golf cart from Auburn Springs golf course. Police believe the culprit drove it to Timmons Elementary school on Kenston's first day of school Aug. 27.

An employee of the school found it at 9:30 a.m. on school property.

Police staked out the school at the end of classes to see if a student would attempt to drive it home. However, no one did.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CHANDLERS LANE: An elderly resident looking out her window Thursday became concerned when she saw a woman lying in the courtyard of her home. Officers located the woman and determined she was sunbathing.

NOT QUITE NAKED, E. SMITH: Police responded Aug. 22 to East Smith on a report of a man skipping westbound down the sidewalk wearing only crepe paper on his body. Officers determined that the man had shorts under the paper.

COMPLAINT, HATHAWAY AVENUE: Police received a complaint of a man knocking on doors stating that he is going to run for city council and harassing people at 8:16 p.m. Friday. The man was campaigning for the upcoming city council election and denied harassing people.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

playlist 9/1/09

autolux - capital kind of strain
erykah badu - soldier (remix)
amadou & mariam - fete au village
mission of burma - trem two
santigold - lights out
a tribe called quest - excursions
the roots - how I got over
damian marley - holiday
dj logic - 9th ward blues
the dirtbombs - do you see my love for you growing
the very best w/ m.i.a. - raindance
arrested development - everyday people
fugazi - break
bad brains - jah calling
sebalon - uri piris
cal tjader - soulsauce (fila brazilia remix)
fela kuti - no agreement
alice russell - my world is empty without you
elsie mae - do you really wanna rescue me?
sing-sing - lover
jesus & mary chain - almost gold
lamb - strong enough
diverseconcepts - open porse
ernie - praha paradise
the cure - away
jawbox - bullet park
swervedriver - never lose that feeling