the gorge

"the gorge"
this was one of my favorite places growing up:
the rock gorge and stream behind my house in springfield, oh.
we used to catch crayfish, climb the rock walls,
and swim through the waterfalls in our explorations.
this place is magical. it could very well have been a public park,
but instead was my own personal state park.
i took this photo last week while visiting home.

Go Buckeyes

On Saturday, my dad and I attended the Ohio State game versus Wisconsin. It was a solid big ten match-up and after the teams going back and forth for the lead, Ohio State pulled away with 28 unanswered points. Before the game, we hung out outside the Varsity Club, picked up some Ohio State gear (see the buckeye hat above), and enjoyed the buckeye nation scene on Lane Avenue. My dad managed to buy some excellent tickets on the street for below what everyone else was selling for. Oh, the band (best damn band in the land, that's what they say) also performed script Ohio... see below... What a day!

OBAMA '08

I know you all have been waiting with baited breath, but here is my endorsement for the president in '08, either republican or democrat...

VOTE OBAMA '08 !

For the first time in my life, I gave money to a political candidate. $25 to Obama isn't much, but he inspires me that good things could actually happen. In addition, he is the only candidate who sees protecting the environment and the will of God on the same side of the coin. We don't need another politician like George or Bill, we need to give Obama a chance. He's a JFK-type, give him a chance! I saw him speak (photo above) and his stances on the issues make sense.

Barrack Obama is a man of principle and integrity, and is a strong leader and smart thinker unlike any current candidate. When he fields a question, you can tell he thought about the issue and he gives a rip, unlike the robot-like answers spit out by Hillary and other Republican candidates. He is the only candidate who could bring a fresh perspective to the presidency, and the only candidate who could unite our country and bring America back to the country it should be. I sound like a freakin newspaper ad, but I'm serious!

And for the people who support Hillary Clinton, she has less experience than Obama. Mitt Romney recently said (and he's right), “She hasn’t run anything, and the government of the United States is not a place for a president to be an intern. You need to have experience actually leading and running things.” In addition, she is terribly polarizing, unelectable, and her easiness in avoiding questions makes my skin crawl.

Vote OBAMA '08!

The Time I Missed My Chance with Mandy Moore

It was mid summer in Los Angeles and I happened to be searching for a job and running an errand at the local Kinko's. It was a typical L.A. day; sunny, beautiful, strip-malled, and in a hurry. In typical fashion, parking at Kinko's was a pain in the ass. They parked you underground in a 30' x 30' lot, and the parking attendant took your keys and parked your car in between 5 cars, running frantically around and constantly rearranging the cars like he was playing tetris with 29 BMW's and 1 Toyota Camry... Ahem.

So, as I was waiting around for the attendant to get my car from the surrounding wall of BMW's. Just me and the attendant. I told him my car model and he started to search for my keys among all the ones hanging from hooks in front of him. At about this time, a certain young woman came up next to me who also needed her car. She obviously just walked out of the tanning bed next to Kinko's, because she was in her casual sweatpants and glistening in a layer of sweat. Yeah, not exactly the perfect situation, but I immediately recognized her as Mandy Moore. She was hot and naturally beautiful, no doubt about it. Now, I have seen many celebs in LA but Mandy Moore is A) gorgeous B) my age and C) was standing 2 feet away from me.

So, I needed to say something. You know, at least get her talking. So, the valet guy could not find my keys and was fumbling around. I cracked a joke, and they both snickered. I got a laugh out of her, so that was good. But I could tell that she was a little reticent to communicate with people because of her flushed perspired appearance from tanning and her ultra casual clothes. The valet guy walked away and it was just the two of us. So, I cracked a couple jokes and before I knew it my Camry was ready for me. Unfortunately, I did not invite Mandy for a ride off to eternal sunshine. Damn it, it was Mandy Moore!

This was the day I missed my chance with Mandy Moore. Man, she is gorgeous. I should have went for it.

Rusty's Magic Dogs

Ok, so this is ridiculous, but the Boulder newspaper interviewed me about my food creation... The Magic Dog.

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/oct/23/no-headline---24fdogw/

So, the article ran today and a marketing rep for Applegate Organic Hot Dogs calls me... crazy! Maybe I'll become their rep and my picture will be on their packaging with "Rusty's Magic Dogs" in bold. Ha... this is hilarious.

Later!

farm aid - more pix to come!

Hey there, I have lots of stories about Farm Aid and I've only gone through 200 of the the 2200 photos... but here are a couple I've pulled so far... click to enlarge.

the daylights - quick fix

hey guys, check out some friends of mine from nashville / los angeles: the daylights.

dj logic - live in nederland

photo / design by rusty

reggae legends - the abyssinians

my people,

i have some things to share.

first, let me assume you all know about the abyssinians. they are one of the founders of roots reggae. pre-marley. "satta massagana" and "declaration of rights" are two of the most popular roots reggae tracks of all time. they are my personal favorites of all time.

well, last week they played here in boulder and this happened:

1. the show was amazing. they are in their 60's-70's!
2. after the show, they invited me backstage. (picture this, red-headed rusty and a dozen jamaicans and africans... oh yeah!)
3. i met them all. i took photos. they posed for me. we talked reggae. we talked about the orthodox church.
3 1/2. i had a moment with bernard collins, a 70 year old reggae legend. so rad.
4. some passerbys outside the fox excitedly remarked: "it is smelling irie in there!" which it was... they are rastas, go figure. it's like breakfast for them, it's a way of life. the breakfast of champions to many, ha.

so, cheers to the irie rastas dropping in on boulder and giving us a piece of true spiritual roots reggae music.



Satta Massagana ( translation: give thanks!) lyrics:

There is a land far, far away
Where there's no night, there's only day
Look into the book of life and you will see
That there's a land far, far away
That there's a land far, far away.

The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
Sits upon his throne and He rules us all
Look into the book of life and you will see
That He rules us all
That He rules us all. :

There is a land...

Satta Massagana Ahamlack, ulaghize
Satta Massagana Ahamlack, ulaghize

one love
-rustafarian

ps: you can buy the songs here. it's a classic, invest.
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=2535239&s=143441

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Red Rocks Review

The breeze was howling through the foothills of the Front Range last night, swooping down from the Rockies and twisting through the Red Rocks Amphitheatre as if to make everyone aware this was a very special night indeed. Somewhere off the mountain came the gusts of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and Neil Young & Crazy Horse... their voices inspiring this BRILLIANT show by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals.

You might think of the album Heartbreaker when you hear the name Ryan Adams, or an entitled singer-songwriter, or a complete asshole who throws people out of shows (I attended the infamous show at the Ryman). Let me tell you, go see the Cardinals and all your conceptions of him being purely a singer-songwriter will go out the window.

As I mentioned earlier, channeling the jam inspired rock & roll of the past but paving an absolutely original spot of their own, the Cardinals ripped through an hour and forty-five minutes of pure jamming bliss. It's not often you find an artist who some say is the best songwriter of our generation, but also an artist and band who can turn songs into journeys and extend them into different beings with a band that is musical genius.

The first set was full of ridiculous mind-blowing musicianship, every song segued and ascended and descended, electric guitars dueling, complex counter melodies woven in the fabric of the songs, improv exploration, and the lushness of the pedal steel holding the songs together - rising and falling like the wind. The set started out with Magnolia Mountain and instantly everyone knew this was not a singer-songwriter set, this was Ryan Adams and THE CARDINALS. After that, Peaceful Valley, Easy Plateau, Goodnight Rose, and Mockingbirdsing were all fierce and exploratory. Now I've seen other bands play Red Rocks, and this was one of the best shows I've ever seen. As far as other jam bands, I attended the Widespread Panic show last August and The Cards put these guys to shame. They could play circles around a band like Panic. The Cards are one of the tightest bands I've ever seen, and the jams were impeccable and at times reminded me of some of the instrumentals in the Grateful Dead's Blues for Allah album.

The highlight seemed to be the unstoppable Cold Roses > What Sin > Cold Roses. I like What Sin on the record, but not as much as the other stuff. However this live version with Cold Roses MELTED MY FACE OFF. They were soaring, they were intricately playing the hell out of the melodies, dueling with guitars in octaves and fifths and sevenths, jamming the shit out of this stuff! What Sin went into a completely blissful meltdown and Cold Roses emerged from it in one of these mind-blowing HOW DID THEY DO THAT moments. Absolutely Incredible, this was the moment of the night.

I could go on and on about this show, but let me just tell you that there was a magical wind blowing at Red Rocks last night. I would tell you that you must go see this band now, but with Ryan Adams you never know if you'll get a show like this one, or something totally different. So what I will say is that this moment will never happen again as it did last night. The Cards were mind-blowing and the magic descended on Colorado. Hopefully that magic will blow through again, and judging from the grateful demeanor of The Cards, it just might happen.


Set List:
Magnolia Mountain
Peaceful Valley
Easy Plateau
Goodnight Rose
Mockingbirdsong
Let it Ride
Cold Roses>
What Sin>
Cold Roses
Beautiful Sorta
When The Stars Go Blue
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old
A Kiss Before I Go
Encore
Dear John
Two
Please Do Not Let Me Go
Dear Chicago
Wildflowers
ICY Monsters



The Fox Theatre Show:

The night before Red Rocks, Ryan & The Cards played a set that was the polar opposite of the show at the Rocks. Instead of the wailing electrics, it was filled with subtle nuanced music with a stripped down band and Ryan perched on a stool, only half the songs played with an acoustic guitar. The rest of the Cardinals were acoustic, with the exception of the pedal steel. It was kind of like the acoustic side of CSN&Y's 4 Way Street... something like that. Amazing harmonies and tasteful solos.

You can listen to the Fox Theatre set here:
http://www.archive.org/details/radams2007-08-02.dpa4027.flac16

The above and below photos are from the Fox show... you can find more here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/sittinghereinlimbo.blog/RyanAdamsFoxTheatre8207

Inspired by The Upsetter

"THE UPSETTER" by rusty.


In honor of Lee Scratch Perry reshaping music as we know it, here's some original art I created of The Upsetter himself. Click to enlarge. Let me know if you like, and which you like better... or if you think it's distracting and could be improved...

peace.

LEE SCRATCH PERRY - THE UPSETTER

The man who helped create dub reggae, the man whose production skills shaped Bob Marley's sound... his name is LEE SCRATCH PERRY.

“When one speaks of reggae music’s progenitors, there are usually three names that come before any others: Bob Marley, Coxsone Dodd, Lee “Scratch” Perry. And now, only the Upsetter remains—Perry , the mad, mystical, and wildly talented musician and producer.”
- Relix

“A certifiable genius….Lee "Scratch" Perry, the Upsetter, the man Bob Marley once described as a "genius", has already made one of the most individual contributions to the development of Jamaican music, as a producer, arranger and writer, and also simply as a singularly powerful guiding force during several crucial phases.”
- Bbc.co.uk

Here are some photos I shot during his performance at the Fox Theatre. Keep in mind, HE IS 71 YEARS OLD! Check out my gallery (top right) for more photos.

SEE HIM WHILE YOU CAN!