photo of the day - calexico - live in denver

this is from the calexico show last week at the gothic theater in denver.

check out Calexico here!

greenwich village. new york, ny.

observing the pace of the city.

click to enlarge.

ps: mario batali's babbo is around the corner.

williamsburg. brooklyn, ny. 

just after buying a pumpkin and visiting greenpoint. what is the story behind this?

(click to enlarge)

The Champagne of Beers!

This commercial is brilliant.

Travis - Ode to J.Smith

Here's a music review of Scotland's favorite band, Travis, and their new album Ode To J.Smith. You've probably been listening to Keane or Coldplay this year, and after Coldplay's last album (the blah and boring X&Y), I really like Viva La Vida. And the energy on Keane's new album, Perfect Symmetry, is mental and full of 80's dance rock vibes... I'm a big fan. However, if you want to cut to the source and feel Brit-rock at it's core... you need to get into Travis! 

Travis basically taught all these chaps to put on their knickers, so it would be wise to check out their new album Ode To J.Smith. In my opinion, there are 3 bands in the Brit-Rock Triumvirate: Radiohead, Coldplay, & Travis. Sure, Radiohead gets the experimental tag after branching out, and Coldplay has more of an arena-like U2 vibe than anyone else... but Travis... oh Travis, they write the best songs.

After releasing The Boy With No Name in 2007 and making an absolute stellar album with Brian Eno and Nigel Godrich lending a hand, the lads from Glasgow came back with a self produced, self released album in 2009... Ode To J.Smith. They put it out on their own record label and decided to make a more straight-ahead rocking Travis album, instead of a breezy and melancholy one. In short, the rock is back.

I must say, they have succeeded brilliantly. I'll be honest, it took me a couple listens, whereas their other albums immediately stick better... but this album roars back and cuts across all that Scottish "dreegh" (translation: rainy weather) and brings back the Travis of yesteryear. Now, I am slightly addicted to this record, and it has become my soundtrack for biking through the cold autumn days of Colorado.  Yeah, the songs are catchy and well-written, but they have a raw feeling to them... full of crackling electric guitars and a sustaining rock & roll drive. When I'm huffing up a mountainous street on my single-speed, it gives me the extra energy to kick it up a notch. With the gritty electric guitars and percussion, you can hear the band recording these songs without all the studio wizardry...  just plain rocking out as one collective machine. 

As far as the album, here are my picks:

Chinese Blues,  abrasive guitars with a bouncy melody... a good intro to the album's sound.

Get Up, with it's rhythmic bounce and expectant crescendos and urgent lyrics; i love it. 

Last Words, a classically addicting  and brilliant Travis melody... insanely catchy. It will be on repeat!

I give it an 8/10. Give it a shot for yourself, and inject some Brit-Rock into your November!

New Photo - Griffin House

check out http://griffinhousemusic.com

click to enlarge.

by rusty

new images, david condos

hey friends, check out david condos and his band HERE.

make sure you check out the song "like wolves", it's amaZing.

here are some shots of him and his band 

from our shoot in nashville a couple weeks ago.

it's christmas - buy lots of things. consume more...

Here is another example of Christianity mixing with American culture .... 

(in a bad way).

Case in point, the mixing of consumerism with the "Christian" message somehow makes sense? 

So, maybe the more you buy from catalogs that reference "Merry Christmas"...

the better Christian you become??

or maybe we should think about this?

i think gifts are great and can be really special, it just bothers me when someone tries to tell us 

that consuming things somehow equates with the meaning of christmas.

Afro Funke / Jeremy Sole

In Santa Monica, this was the hottest club night around... I'm not talking about top 40 club music, I am talking about an exotic blend of African, Reggae, Soul, Funk, Jazz, and other world dance music... all with a deep groove. Afro Funke at the Zanzibar club was awesome, and I should have attended more than 3-4 times. Now Jeremy Sole has his own DJ show on KCRW. If you need to groove and get some work done or kick back with friends on a Friday night with some drinks, throw this on. Satisfaction guaranteed. I have fond memories of hearing exotic music at Club Zanzibar and just marveling at how amazing it was... with attractive people of all colors and nationalities throwing down on the dance floor. Kind of like when you find out about the world of Brit-Rock or some genre of music, or discover there are dozens of types of oysters, or finding your favorite author and his literary pals.... What a feeling, like you just stumbled into a new cultural world. I love that feeling.

I just wish I could have all these mixes on discs!

bailing out the auto industry?

some thoughts from thomas friedman. HERE. should the government nationalize parts of the auto industry? even though it's a free market of products sold (aka, no hedging allowed), should they be bailed out for putting out sub par products that have been aligned with big oil companies instead of what the consumers want (alternative energy, a la the prius)??? do they deserve the bail out? yes? no? with restrictions?

The Landscape has changed.

Thank you to my good friends out there who encouraged me to get back here! I was away in Nashville and I forsook the blog in the midst of the biggest news of the century, so I am back on the saddle now. Per Mharv's guidance, I'd like to comment on some things going on here... OBAMA, music, photography, and some other little gems.

First, Obama. Ok, so welcome to the New America! Only in the dreams of those who engaged in the civil rights era would an African American be elected to president in their lifetime, and wow that has happened. One week later, one thing has really hit me... I am SO proud to be an American. I am so proud of our country, proud that our country resoundingly elected Obama... no recounts needed, no hanging chads in the balance, a clear and decisive vote by the American people.

Why I am proud? Well, for the first time in my adult life, a candidate has come around that unites people instead of dividing people, a candidate that is intellectually curious, and a candidate that stands for the future of this country in his policies... and I don't think a candidate comes along often who represents the future as well as Obama does. I am very excited to be an American in this exciting time in out country's history. I can't imagine another time when we will be ignorant of global warming ("who cares" / "it doesn't exist") or when we have a president who boils down the complexities of the world into folksy remedies. Our world is grey, and we need a president who understands that. Which in a personal/applicable way translates somehow into... if you haven't traveled the world, please do so now. You'll find that all those people who you think are so different and "against you", are actually just like you. Sure, there are terrorists out there, but there radicals in every culture, including our own.

So, cheers to seeing Obama elected and the political race over and America uniting to face some huge challenges ahead. and check out my friend erin's blog here.

Second, music. What have you guys been listening to? Please share. Here's what's on my recent playlist:
-Travis, "Ode to J. Smith". A back to basics album from my favorite brit-rock genre'd band. It's not shiny like The Man Who, but more in the vein of the first album. It's great stuff... I love Travis.
-Brett Dennen, "Hope for the Hopeless". I like Brett Dennen and I like this album. He wraps ideas and thoughts up in lyrics in such a smart and insightful way. Where is heaven? Where there is hope for the hopeless. It's a great song, and a great album.
-Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, "Cardinology". I love the Cardinals. I am over the Heartbreaker years and the Love is Hell albums and the singer-songwriter albums. But the Cards? Amaazing. Cold Roses is one of my fave albums of all time. So, the new album is pretty good. It's concise, and musically it has this great organic vibe. My fave tracks are born into a light, let us down easy, and evergreen. I'd personally like more musical exploration a la Cold Roses, but it's cool and I can wait for the live show to hear that.
-And last but not least... check out the podcasts from Mosaic... a cool christian community in LA. The Wide Awake series is incredible and it's FREE. It will cause you to live an inspired deep and meaningful life, regardless of your spiritual background. Check it out here.

SO, thirdly: one word. one beverage. Chartreuse. Check it out here, and order it after dinner sometime. Similar to my favorite digestif Becherovka, but more potent and with 130 kinds of herbs/plants/flowers. It's incredible. And Monks can't be wrong. Can they? Even if they could, I would make the case that they can't be wrong.

Anf fourth, here are some photos I have shot in in the past couple weeks:

Ian Fitchuk, living up to his nickname "Easy" by playing piano parts in a Griffin recording session, with a coffee cup in one hand. What a legend. Easy does it, every time.

Some birds in East Nashville, spotted when I was on a walk around the neighborhood

Glowing Leaves on the sidewalk in East Nashville. I love Autumn.

Birthday in Nashville!