Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A couple of things...
I've had a decadent week or so. There are a couple of things that I think are worth mentioning.
MUSIC REVIEW
Jason Pierce, Spiritualized walk the line, let tension flow
By Joshua Klein Special to the Chicago Tribune
September 10, 2008
You've got to hand it to Jason Pierce. Starting with the band Spacemen 3 through his ongoing work in Spiritualized, he's remained remarkably true to the course he initially set out on. No question, Pierce has a gift for gospel-drenched junkie blues, his music the search for something bigger than himself, be it God, love or even chemical. Indeed, at its best Spiritualized is a real rush (so to speak), an opiate wall of sound.At the same time there's a thrilling tension to the music, as the band alternately embraces beauty and smothers it in white noise, and it was this tension that dominated Spiritualized's set Monday night at Metro. One after the other, each song came across as a self-contained epic of excess and unlikely balance that explored and exploited the contrast between grace and dissonance. A fuzzed-up but no less uplifting version of "Amazing Grace," for example, led into the abrasive chaos of "You Lie, You Cheat," which in turn segued into the euphoric "Shine a Light." "Lay Back in the Sun" was pure smiley-faced hedonism—"good dope, good fun"—but "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)" focused on the darker side of drugs (or at least drug metaphors).Yet Spiritualized's most recent disc, "Songs in A&E," is perhaps more reflective than Pierce's earlier work, at least in context. In England, Pierce's home, "A&E" stands for "accidents and emergencies," and it was in the accident and emergencies ward where Pierce spent a long time recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia before finishing the record. Certainly knowing that affects how one hears songs such as "Death Take Your Fiddle," which features such doom-laden lyrics as "morphine, codeine, whiskey, they won't alter/ the way I feel now death is all around." At the same time, though, new songs such as "Soul On Fire" were downright hopeful in their hedonism. "Let's see how fast we can live until our times start slowing us down," sang Pierce.
Hidden behind sunglasses and avoiding the usual stage banter, the virtually expressionless Pierce, looking every bit perpetually hungover, let his songs do the talking for him, never so much as glancing at the crowd (which more often than not stood rapt and respectively silent) as he laid his soul bare. Buoyed by a pair of backup singers, with a sound that aimed for the heavens, Pierce walked a fine line between elegy and ecstasy, offering redemption and inspiration somewhere in the middle even as he aimed ever higher.
Avec
This is one of my boss's favorite restaurants in Chicago. It was mentioned in Anthony Bourdain's "Nasty Bits" (which is so fun!) as one of his favorites as well. So when it was time for me to take Laura out for her birthday, that's where we went. It has small and large plates. Laura and I split these along with a cheese plate, 2 desserts & 2 bottles of wine. It was so yummy. Everything was so simple, but so good. One of the desserts was chocolate bars. Just pieces of milk and dark chocolate. Soooooo good. There are these communal tables so you get some of your neighbors' conversation. But that worked out very nicely when we were talking about the "deluxe" focaccia with taleggio cheese, truffle oil and fresh herbs that we DIDN'T order. Regulars were sitting next to us and insisted we try some of theirs. Um, yeah, it was amazing. The only thing is that it's all wood with bench seating. So after 3 hours of girl talk my ass was killing me. The wine & chocolate helped. But still. Yet overall, it was a yummy, wonderful experience.
Spiritualized
I think mentioned these guys in my Pitchfork entry. They were back in town and playing on a rainy Monday night. I was VERRRRY tempted to stay home. But Tim loves these guys and assured me they'd be amazing. I knew that in my head, but the rain! And the sleepiness! And the Monday blahs! Nevertheless I went. They were AWESOME. Btwn Pitchfork and now I've listened to more Spiritualized albums. Which are really good. But live? There are no words. Awesome and amazing and incredible seem cliche (probably because I used them to describe the new "90210"-- I need a thesaurus). Anyway, this band has been around since the early 90s. But as I've mentioned here before, I was listening to "Brown Eyed Girl" not "minimalism and lush symphonics" that "blossomed into rich, shimmering sonic panoramas". So thanks to Tim for furthering my music education. And for dragging my butt out of the house. I'm so glad that I've gotten to see these guys. If you can check them out, you should. If you don't believe me, here's what the Trib said:MUSIC REVIEW
Jason Pierce, Spiritualized walk the line, let tension flow
By Joshua Klein Special to the Chicago Tribune
September 10, 2008
You've got to hand it to Jason Pierce. Starting with the band Spacemen 3 through his ongoing work in Spiritualized, he's remained remarkably true to the course he initially set out on. No question, Pierce has a gift for gospel-drenched junkie blues, his music the search for something bigger than himself, be it God, love or even chemical. Indeed, at its best Spiritualized is a real rush (so to speak), an opiate wall of sound.At the same time there's a thrilling tension to the music, as the band alternately embraces beauty and smothers it in white noise, and it was this tension that dominated Spiritualized's set Monday night at Metro. One after the other, each song came across as a self-contained epic of excess and unlikely balance that explored and exploited the contrast between grace and dissonance. A fuzzed-up but no less uplifting version of "Amazing Grace," for example, led into the abrasive chaos of "You Lie, You Cheat," which in turn segued into the euphoric "Shine a Light." "Lay Back in the Sun" was pure smiley-faced hedonism—"good dope, good fun"—but "She Kissed Me (It Felt Like a Hit)" focused on the darker side of drugs (or at least drug metaphors).Yet Spiritualized's most recent disc, "Songs in A&E," is perhaps more reflective than Pierce's earlier work, at least in context. In England, Pierce's home, "A&E" stands for "accidents and emergencies," and it was in the accident and emergencies ward where Pierce spent a long time recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia before finishing the record. Certainly knowing that affects how one hears songs such as "Death Take Your Fiddle," which features such doom-laden lyrics as "morphine, codeine, whiskey, they won't alter/ the way I feel now death is all around." At the same time, though, new songs such as "Soul On Fire" were downright hopeful in their hedonism. "Let's see how fast we can live until our times start slowing us down," sang Pierce.
Hidden behind sunglasses and avoiding the usual stage banter, the virtually expressionless Pierce, looking every bit perpetually hungover, let his songs do the talking for him, never so much as glancing at the crowd (which more often than not stood rapt and respectively silent) as he laid his soul bare. Buoyed by a pair of backup singers, with a sound that aimed for the heavens, Pierce walked a fine line between elegy and ecstasy, offering redemption and inspiration somewhere in the middle even as he aimed ever higher.
Fri., September 5-- Germanfest
You guys have probably heard me mention German beer a time or two. That's partially bc I live in a German neighborhood w bars called Huettenbar and Brauhaus. This weekend was the 2nd of 2 annual German festivals in my ‘hood. They close off the square, old people dress up in traditional German dress, a band plays polkas (as well as “Margaritaville” and Bob Marley, interestingly enough) and we stand around drinking beer in big plastic steins. This year was no different. We ended the night at my new favorite place—Spinners. Andy & Tim tore up the karaoke machine. Tim even did his “Like a Prayer” with a literal “fall to his knees” and shirt removal. Sadly, my camera had broken by then so no video.
We met up w Luke and Sean at Spinners. Hilarity ensued.
Mindy & Alex at Spinners. The photo is a little blurry. Just like the photographer.
I took about 20 self-portraits. This was the best one. I'm telling you-- the steins of beer we BIG.
Lis & Andy dancing and singing. So sweet.
Carlos drove. So he was relatively sober. As evidenced by his "WTF?!?!" expression.
Liz & me at the fest before the night starts getting blurry for me
We met up w Luke and Sean at Spinners. Hilarity ensued.
Mindy & Alex at Spinners. The photo is a little blurry. Just like the photographer.
I took about 20 self-portraits. This was the best one. I'm telling you-- the steins of beer we BIG.
Lis & Andy dancing and singing. So sweet.
Carlos drove. So he was relatively sober. As evidenced by his "WTF?!?!" expression.
Friday, September 5, 2008
I love me some "90210"
Like every red blooded American girl, I watched the original "90210". I was excited about the new one. And OMG- I am not disappointed! A few notes:- Hannah Zuckerman Vazquez is on the show. Andrea's daughter! And there was a joke about her being 30 years old.
- And Erin Silver! I have no idea how old all the babies from the old 90210 are supposed to be but I'm going with it. Because I love it!
- Nat's on the show! The Peach Pit is a coffee shop-- him making espresso is a schtick.
- The Pit is still around too. It's a cheesy club, but still.
- I love the alt, punk girl v. the spoiled rich girl. The rich girl is Naomi and she was a crazy girl on "Nip/Tuck" and I'm having a hard time letting go of that. I think she's going to pull a knife any second.
- I have a huge crush on this Mr. Matthews guy. But he is SO going to be the teacher who has an affair with a student.
- I love the old drunk grandma. Jessica Walter. I loved her on "Arrested Development" and I love her now. She had a line about Ricardo Montalban cracking an egg on her ass. Awesome.
- Man, I thought that the girls were skinny in the original. These girls? They're all bones. I blame "The O.C." for it.
- There's finally a black kid on the show. Granted, he's adopted from Kansas. You'd think they could scrounge up one ethnic rich kid in Beverly Hills. But whatever.
- Jennie Garth is AWESOME. She's funny and clever. Of course, I love her in "What I Like About You" with Amanda Bynes. So maybe you shouldn't trust my judgement.
Once upon a time, I used to read books instead of this crap. Who am I kidding-- I've always watched this crap.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Un-PC politics
I know that I should be excited about all the women in this presidential election. I know I should focus on policy and qualifications. But that ship has sailed. I know what I believe and I know who I'm voting for (I'll give you one guess). So instead, I'm treating this political season as an extended version of Project Runway. Seriously, I wish Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Heidi were doing the commentary at the conventions instead of Katie Couric. I really do.
Michelle Obama started it all off right. I thought she looked awesome in this dress the night of her speech. And Patty pointed out that her hair looked awesome. I think she looked classy and feminine and modern. Of course, I'm biased bc her name's Michelle (albeit mispelled) and she's a Tiger. Plus I think that she and her husband rock.
I liked the dresses she wore all week although some didn't look as good on camera. This one was cool but the pattern looked a little funky on tv. Still-- I just love this shot bc they clearly adore each other.
Hillary was next. I thought the orange was too much. Kim liked the bright color (I believe she said that color is Hillary's friend) but I thought there was too much of it. As Patty said, "I like orange but I don't put it on my butt". My college colors were orange and black and I don't put on that much orange at a reunion. And it was so shiny too. Chelsea, on the other hand, looked great. That poor kid had to go through pueberty w that crazy curly hair in the national spotlight. But now the ugly duckling is a swan.
I don't know much about Jill Biden but someone pointed out to me that she was a former beauty queen. I believe it. And I'll tell you one thing-- I wouldn't mind her guns.
Ok, so I'm a Democrat. But I'll give credit where credit is due. Laura Bush looked appropriate and polished. There, I said something nice about a Republican. But Cindy McCain? What was that? I'm sure that would look good in person at a lawn party in Tuscon (do they have lawns in Tuscon?) but on tv? It looked like a rain slicker. That yellow! That collar! I think that sometimes these women don't think about how their outfits will translate on tv.
One thing that Cindy McCain does do well is hair. She usually has an updo and it's pretty sleek. Sarah Palin? Yeah, not so much. Patty pointed this out before I had even seen a picture of her. But as soon as I saw a shot, I knew exactly what she meant.
All that being said, I think she looked good at the convention. Still a little too much poof in the hair. But better. And I liked the outfit. Lisa thought it was a boring color. But I was still blinded by Cindy's yellow so the silver/grey was welcome to my eyes. Of course, I still hate this lady. I couldn't watch the speech bc after 5 mins I almost burst a blood vessel with rage. But a nice jacket is a nice jacket.
Michelle Obama started it all off right. I thought she looked awesome in this dress the night of her speech. And Patty pointed out that her hair looked awesome. I think she looked classy and feminine and modern. Of course, I'm biased bc her name's Michelle (albeit mispelled) and she's a Tiger. Plus I think that she and her husband rock.
I liked the dresses she wore all week although some didn't look as good on camera. This one was cool but the pattern looked a little funky on tv. Still-- I just love this shot bc they clearly adore each other.Hillary was next. I thought the orange was too much. Kim liked the bright color (I believe she said that color is Hillary's friend) but I thought there was too much of it. As Patty said, "I like orange but I don't put it on my butt". My college colors were orange and black and I don't put on that much orange at a reunion. And it was so shiny too. Chelsea, on the other hand, looked great. That poor kid had to go through pueberty w that crazy curly hair in the national spotlight. But now the ugly duckling is a swan.
I don't know much about Jill Biden but someone pointed out to me that she was a former beauty queen. I believe it. And I'll tell you one thing-- I wouldn't mind her guns.
Ok, so I'm a Democrat. But I'll give credit where credit is due. Laura Bush looked appropriate and polished. There, I said something nice about a Republican. But Cindy McCain? What was that? I'm sure that would look good in person at a lawn party in Tuscon (do they have lawns in Tuscon?) but on tv? It looked like a rain slicker. That yellow! That collar! I think that sometimes these women don't think about how their outfits will translate on tv.
One thing that Cindy McCain does do well is hair. She usually has an updo and it's pretty sleek. Sarah Palin? Yeah, not so much. Patty pointed this out before I had even seen a picture of her. But as soon as I saw a shot, I knew exactly what she meant.
All that being said, I think she looked good at the convention. Still a little too much poof in the hair. But better. And I liked the outfit. Lisa thought it was a boring color. But I was still blinded by Cindy's yellow so the silver/grey was welcome to my eyes. Of course, I still hate this lady. I couldn't watch the speech bc after 5 mins I almost burst a blood vessel with rage. But a nice jacket is a nice jacket.
More Labor Day Weekend-- Sunday, Aug. 31 and Monday, Sept. 1
After an awesome night/morning for Bruce, the good times kept on rolling. Jessica and Chad came down with little Jack and their exchange student Tyler for Jazzfest. It was hot, hot, hot but we managed to find somewhere for Jack to cool down.
Jack cooling down. Man, oh man, did I want to jump in too.
Jessica and adorable Jack. Tickling got the big smile for the camera.
After Jess, Chad & Jack headed home on the Amtrak, I headed home for a nice big nap. Ended the night with a couple of beers outside at the Edgewater with Miriam. Just the way summer nights should be. 
Me & Dan's giant head.
Me & Dan being nice to each other. That's why I like beer.
Tim loves the White Sox AND Jim Beam. Thought he might be conflicted about this billboard. 
Jack playing w the other kids in the Millenium Park fountain.
Jack cooling down. Man, oh man, did I want to jump in too.
Jessica and adorable Jack. Tickling got the big smile for the camera.
After Jess, Chad & Jack headed home on the Amtrak, I headed home for a nice big nap. Ended the night with a couple of beers outside at the Edgewater with Miriam. Just the way summer nights should be.Monday I FINALLY got to see Dan who was in town for a wedding. Me, him, Liz & Carolyn met at Bernie's for a beer before the game and then off to the bleachers.
Lizzie & Me sweating our balls off in the bleachers.
Me & Dan's giant head.
Me & Dan being nice to each other. That's why I like beer.
Tim loves the White Sox AND Jim Beam. Thought he might be conflicted about this billboard. 
I had to leave the game early to draft my fantasy football team. It was an excruciatingly long draft. But I've been in this league for 11 years (Ack!) and it's $200 a pop, so I wasn't missing it. I think I have a decent team and this year. I'll be cheering for Peyton Manning. Yep, it's officially fall. Which leads to winter. Chicago Winter. Which is depressing. But still, I love this time of year when the weather's still nice and baseball has heated playoff races and college football teams are full of possibility. Yep, good times.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Bruce in Milwaukee!-- Saturday, August 30
So you're scared and you're thinkin' that maybe we ain't that young anymore.
Show a little faith there's magic in the night.
You ain't a beauty but hey, you're alright.
And that's alright with me.
- Bruce Springsteen, "Thunder Road"
This weekend was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band! He played Harleyfest in Milwaukee. Anyone who knows me knows that I love, love, love Bruce. He appeals to the Jersey in me (and yes, there's Jersey in me). Anyway, they converted Veteran's Park into a concert area with a huge stage and booths. The gates opened at 5 and we got there at about 5:45. The field was already more than 1/2 full. He went on a little past 8:30 and went almost till 12:30-- over 3 1/2 hours! It was amazing. He played everything I wanted to hear. He opened w a motorcycle song off his new albumn and then went into "Out in the Street" that made me go nuts. "I take my hard earned money and meet my girl down on the block. Monday when the foreman calls time I've already got Friday on my mind". Not long after he went into "Spirit in the Night" which I told Tim they wouldn't play. "By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window and Janie's fingers were in the cake. I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake. I said, "I'm hurt." She said, "Honey let me heal it". He played "Badlands" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and "Sandy". Some stuff off his new album and "The Rising". He played "Glory Days" and pulled a girl on stage for "Dancing in the Dark". And of course, "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run". But what really made me lose my shit was that he played "Rosalita"-- probably my favorite Bruce song (it rotates). I heard in his last couple of tours he wasn't playing it so I wasn't expecting it. But he did! I was totally and completely in heaven. The night was long-- getting out of the park stunk and getting back to Chicago felt like forever. But it was soooo worth it. I saw my favorite band with my favorite guy on a cool night along Lake Michigan. What could be better?
At the Women's Experience Pavilion at Harleyfest there were Helmet Hair Tips at 5:30
Tim & me and the self-portrait
Todd & Deedee-- another upside of going up to Milwaukee.
I was ready for all the people in the biker gear.
Show a little faith there's magic in the night.
You ain't a beauty but hey, you're alright.
And that's alright with me.
- Bruce Springsteen, "Thunder Road"
This weekend was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band! He played Harleyfest in Milwaukee. Anyone who knows me knows that I love, love, love Bruce. He appeals to the Jersey in me (and yes, there's Jersey in me). Anyway, they converted Veteran's Park into a concert area with a huge stage and booths. The gates opened at 5 and we got there at about 5:45. The field was already more than 1/2 full. He went on a little past 8:30 and went almost till 12:30-- over 3 1/2 hours! It was amazing. He played everything I wanted to hear. He opened w a motorcycle song off his new albumn and then went into "Out in the Street" that made me go nuts. "I take my hard earned money and meet my girl down on the block. Monday when the foreman calls time I've already got Friday on my mind". Not long after he went into "Spirit in the Night" which I told Tim they wouldn't play. "By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window and Janie's fingers were in the cake. I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake. I said, "I'm hurt." She said, "Honey let me heal it". He played "Badlands" and "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out" and "Sandy". Some stuff off his new album and "The Rising". He played "Glory Days" and pulled a girl on stage for "Dancing in the Dark". And of course, "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run". But what really made me lose my shit was that he played "Rosalita"-- probably my favorite Bruce song (it rotates). I heard in his last couple of tours he wasn't playing it so I wasn't expecting it. But he did! I was totally and completely in heaven. The night was long-- getting out of the park stunk and getting back to Chicago felt like forever. But it was soooo worth it. I saw my favorite band with my favorite guy on a cool night along Lake Michigan. What could be better?
Here's an official review: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=789421
Milwaukee!
At the Women's Experience Pavilion at Harleyfest there were Helmet Hair Tips at 5:30
Tim & me and the self-portrait
Todd & Deedee-- another upside of going up to Milwaukee.
I was ready for all the people in the biker gear. It was the people who looked like suburban grandparents but were wearing Harley gear that through me for a loop.
Tim got a hold of the camera and was feeling artistic.
And then he was feeling crude.
Bruce and Little Stevie!
In the 3rd hour, still rockin' out.
It was supposed to be "HD" for Harley Davidson but I thought it looked like HO. I love you Milwaukee!
And then he was feeling crude.
Bruce and Little Stevie!
In the 3rd hour, still rockin' out.
It was supposed to be "HD" for Harley Davidson but I thought it looked like HO. I love you Milwaukee!
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