Chickamauga to Chattanooga

In honor of today's ITT in the Tour de Georgia, I dedicate the following songs to Floyd Landis and Tom Danielson.

Uncle Tupelo - Chickamauga (Live, 10-15-93)
Johnny Cash - Tennessee Stud (Live)
Melonie Cannon - Tennessee Roads

Monthly Neko Case Post

The fine folks at So Much Silence posted some MP3 rips of Neko Case's appearance on NPR's Concert Series. And, since I adore Ms. Case and all her smoky spite, I felt the need to help spread this throughout the Internet. If you don't visit So Much Silence, do. If you don't listen to Neko Case, do. If you don't smoke, don't because it'll make your testicles ache very badly. I may be confused.

Now, it's no secret that Neko's album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, is my favorite of the year. And I love her other work. But, I have to admit, this concert kicks some serious ass. Personally I think these performances blow away her live disc The Tigers Have Spoken.

Anyway, enjoy the files and visit So Much Silence and give them thanks. I have to go buy flowers for my wife because she's getting suspicious of my Neko Case shrine in the basement.

1. A Widow's Toast (1:52)
2. Favorite (3:36)
3. If You Knew (2:28)
4. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2:47)
5. Set Out Running (2:52)
6. Outro With Bees (1:33)
7. Star Witness (with Martha Wainwright) (5:11)
8. Dirty Knife (4:00)
9. I Wish I Was the Moon (3:28)
10. The Tigers Have Spoken (2:45)
11. Maybe Sparrow (2:42)
12. Margaret vs. Pauline (2:43)
13. Buckets of Rain (3:28)
14. Deep Red Bells (4:44)
15. Hex (5:09)
16. That Teenage Feeling (2:45)
17. Furnace Room Lullaby (2:35)
18. Hold On, Hold On (2:49)
19. Wayfaring Stranger (3:27)
20. Look For Me (I'll Be Around) (3:40)
21. John Saw That Number (3:22)
22. Knock Loud (2:23)

String Theory: Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Guitar

The guitar. By far the rock's most emblematic trophy. Whether you sling it low, with attitude or sling it high over your head, the guitar is rock's weapon of choice.

But the guitar's cultural impact runs deeper. From Leadbelly to Robert Johnson to Woody Guthrie and the Carter Family the guitar is an instrument with a distinct connection to American history. The stories of our past and our musical legends are picked and grinned on wood and wire. The guitar is a gateway to a better life. You put a guitar in a kid's hands and they will become a rock star, if only in their bedroom.

All of my heroes have always been guitar players. From Eddie Van Halen in 5th grade to John Lee Hooker last week. To me, the guitar is a raunchy, angry and elegant instrument that, depending upon whose hands you place it in can be an instrument of redemption or retribution.

My friends at Act 3 Studios feel the same way about the guitar and music as I do and to celebrate the guitar, they have released String Theory:

. . . a podcast series that celebrates music's most iconic instrument -- the guitar. For this project, an audio documentary series that explores the history, mythology and impact of the guitar, we've been interviewing some great guitar players, including Brian Henneman and John Horton of the Bottle Rockets, Daniel Lanois, Bo Ramsey, Cosy Sheridan, and Keller Williams.

The podcast series will include several different shows, including My First Guitar, with stories about people's first guitars; Alternate Tunings, which explores influences and inspiration; and Keep Your Day Job, which profiles "civilians" who also play guitar.

The podcasts, produced in collaboration with the New York Guitar Festival, are available free from iTunes. (Direct download here.)

We also have a website for the series at http://guitarstories.com/. There, you can listen to additional audio from the interviews, find out more about the featured artists and their music, see images from our photo shoots with the artists, and download some cool wallpaper and other goodies.

The first episode features a local favorite, The Bottle Rockets. Check it out. Act 3 has done a stellar job on these podcasts. Partly because they are kick ass audio producers (think This American Life quality material) but mostly because they too love the music.

Things They Don't Tell You In Bike School

When you hop on a bike, with the intention of doing a little more than just going on leisure rides, no one tells you much. Oh, you can get training plans, advice on clothes, routes, safety, equipment and all that stuff. But the bike evangelists (a group of which I'm a card-carrying member now) don't tell you a few key things.

1. They warn you about your butt hurting. But, they don't warn you that after, say 25 miles in the saddle, your ass will feel as though it has been hit repeatedly with a steel pipe. They do tell you how to rest your butt and stretch your back. Of course, it makes you look like you're humping your handle bars.

2. Cyclist's tan. I had noticed the pros, when they crash and their shirts or shorts tear, that they have a mean tan line. No, strike that. The tan line looks like an albino that's been painted. That's how stark the delineation between covered and uncovered skin is. I always giggled, but never considered it for myself.

I have cyclist's tan. There is a line, one that looks like it was drawn with a ruler, where my jersey sleeves stop and my open air skin begins. It's worse on the legs.

I could handle that, but what they don't tell you is that because of the riding position you have a zone around your knees and upper shin that get lots of sun, but the other parts only get a little sun. So my knees look like they've been to Acapulco but my shins look like they just went to the pool.

And then there's the sock line. But I won't complain about that because cycling socks are more comfortable than any other sock I've ever worn.

Given my closely shorn hair, I can only imagine the patterns on my scalp from the vents in my helmet.

What's my point? I don't have one. It's just been a great week (well, outside of work) and I was looking for something to complain about. Plus, I was working on hills this week. I should be angry and tired. But I'm not. I'm getting better and I'm using my energy in a smarter way. Hell, I passed a guy on a hill today. I felt bad because he looked like me two weeks ago.

I know very few people care about all of this. But, honestly, this bike riding thing has been good for me. I'm happy. I feel good. The sensation of riding makes me happy. I constantly challenge myself to do better, ride faster and further. I achieve goals, I overcome hurdles. I enjoy the changes in my physique and general health, the new muscles. I handle stress better. I sleep better.

And it's infectious. The kids ride more. My wife rides more. We're a cycling family now. I guess I'm just . . . happy. Weird.

Komeda - Happyment

Going Mobile

Gert Ride 1,
originally uploaded by scifitwin.

Gert shed the training wheels yesterday. She had been practicing in the grass the day before and decided to try the pavement. She came bursting into my office screaming with excitment, "Daddy, come see what I did!"

Sadly, these pictures are on her old bike (which is Matilda's old bike) and not her good bike (which is hand me down from someone else). I wonder if I could get her a junior, junior road bike.

Yes, I know she's not supposed to ride on the sidewalk. But you want to have a four-year-old riding in the street? Hell no, buddy. I'm nervous enough as it is.

I Wonder

Am I going through my Tom Waits phase? Kind of like when girls go through their horse or unicorn phase (what's with that anyway)?

What lead to my Tom Waits phase? I've had his albums for years, but lately I listen to Tom Waits nonstop, especially the later stuff that sounds like an alcoholic's nightmares and regrets played out in a nightclub. What's with that? Weird.

Of course, two years ago I spent three weeks listening to Nick Cave's Murder Ballads. Hey, the murder ballad has a long, torrid history in most cultures. Nick Cave just has a talent of giving them a subtle menace. Okay, it's not subtle at all.

Thanks to Mary for fueling my Waitsian nightmare by getting me "Sea of Love". It's everything I wanted it to be.


Tom Waits - Buzz Fledderjon (Mule Variations Bonus Track)

State of the Blog

My thoughts on the current status of blogging.

More later, I suppose. Thinking about doing something else.