{ column_width:57, column_count:13, subcolumn_count:0, column_gutter:17, align:'left' }

Archive for April, 2002

Fun Link

Published
on Tue Apr 30, 2002, 7:09 pm
in delicious links
. Closed

I submitted an article the other day for the Planetizen news feed and it finally got posted. The article is about plans to create a gerrymandered city council district in Buffalo for artists, intellectuals and activists.

“This is not an attempt to carve out boundaries for some elite area,” said map sponsor Jeffrey A. Tooke. “It’s about giving a voice to a diverse community with a lot of folks who have some creative ideas.”

In a plan he submitted to the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Reapportionment, Tooke said such a strategy could be a catalyst for downtown revitalization and citizen involvement.

Christ, I Haven’t Been In

Published
on Tue Apr 30, 2002, 6:12 pm
in personal
. 1 Comment

Christ, I haven’t been in the neighborhood thrift stores since the H&M opened up downtown, but it was kind of a fun time. I love this brown corduroy shirt– it’s so worn in and LL Bean-ish… Not at all something I should be wearing, but i love it.

oy oy oy

Published
on Fri Apr 26, 2002, 2:40 am
in music
. 3 Comments

GOD damn my head hurts… last night was really fucking rough. We went to see Loveless and the Realistics at the Paradise, but I had way too much to drink. I think we pre-partied at least 6 cans of Pabst BR, and then I must’ve had 4-5 buds at the show. Hooliganism abounded.

The Realistics were fucking cool as shit though. They’re so much better live than on their record. Anyway, Glenndo, evilmonkey, Ben, Presley and I were up front rocking out in this nearly empty place…

I think toward the end of the Loveless set I was singing along (subtlety god damnit. not dorky), and Dave Wanamaker must’ve noticed cause he thanked us for singing along and pointed at me… dork. Then, after they tore up the place on the last song, and they came down off the stage, I screamed at Jen Trynin and gave her a high-five… Well, I bought a Jen Trynin record when I was in high school (a long, long time ago), so it was nice to see her. I hope they appreciate the enthusiasm because there wasn’t a good crowd, and quite frankly I’m unemployed & I don’t get excited much.

So anyway, I need to get to why my head hurts. Coming out of the Paradise, we decided to head to the Silhouette for some pitchers, and we were fucking trashed… I think there were punches and wrestling, but we were just having fun. So we go to the ‘ouette and drink and drink. And then we leave, and head back down Brighton to the house… And, as we enter my building, I started chasing Glenn up the stairs, and I swear to GOD, I do a fucking battering ram right into the wall. head-first, I go down, and Glenndo starts laughing because he’s glad that he’s not me.

So we come inside and go to bed… which probably isn’t the greatest thing to do when you’ve just taken a header… So I wake up when Howard comes on my clock/radio at 8 30, and I’m naked sleeping sideways on my bed. And I totally forgot about the head-shot, so I think I’m only hungover… so I keep drinking water, and I’m wondering why the fog isn’t lifting… and THEN, I reached up to my head and felt a big fucking lump. right on the top of my head. big as day.

Sheilas Video

Published
on Thu Apr 25, 2002, 2:27 pm
in music
. 1 Comment

The Sheila Divine have a new video that was produced by subversion media, a very small, but cool Boston production house. The song isn’t the best thing they’ve done, but the video is terrific.

Also, rumor has it that they’ve been shooting the band’s live performances at the world-famous Paradise Rock Club (down the street from me) for use in a live concert DVD.

Published
on Wed Apr 24, 2002, 6:10 pm
in design and radio
. 3 Comments

I’ve always professed a fondness for the logotype of WBFO, even if the University at Buffalo station only broadcasts NPR news for a few hours on the day. I remember seeing it on bumper stickers in the car parking lots—i swear they were only to be found on older european junkers, like a mustard-yellow Volvo 240 diesel, or a white 1979 BMW 320. Anyway, their web site spiffed-up the old logotype with some very lovely color. Kudos.

Boston University’s WBUR has a good logotype too.

SO - maybe I’m on to something here… NPR stations are non-commercial, yet their audience demographic is highliy-educated, and wealthier than the AM-talk set. Therefore it might make sense to have a more sophisticated image. Here’s the logotypes for other cities my fellow suckahs reside in:

washington, dc new york city, ny
bloomington, in los angeles, ca

albany, ny

Does my theory hold? Well, WAMC is a huge station, yet their logo resembles an AM talk station. WNYC is funky. i like it, but for seperate aethetic reasons. Remminds me of the subway. But the others are in the league with WBFO and WBUR. What do you think?

Praise the Lord, k10k.net is Back…

Published
on Mon Apr 22, 2002, 12:35 am
in design
. 2 Comments

After more than a year of absence, the famous web design portal k10k.net is back. Some of the best stuff out there passes through that site, so I hope it hasn’t collected much dust.

An Album of One’s Own

Published
on Sun Apr 21, 2002, 5:14 pm
in music
. Closed

The New Yorker gave Sarah Shannon’s solo debut album a favorable review:

fashion changes little in 10 years

From the opening trumpet-and-saxophone volley of Sarah Shannon’s self-titled début (Casa Recording Co.), it is clear that the singer is finished with the basic guitar-drum-and-bass setup of her indie-rock past, when she was the front woman for the introspective pop outfit Velocity Girl.

Here, Shannon (who plays the Knitting Factory this week) has assembled a small orchestra of horns, strings, and woodwinds, and the result is a warm paean to the power of the imagination. The songs cover familiar subjects, mostly love sought and love lost, but the album isn’t a delicate collection of wilting chamber pop. “I’ll Run Away,” which is propelled by the piano work of collaborator Blake Wescott (he produced the album and co-wrote a number of its songs), is a strongly defiant piece reminiscent of Carole King. “What’s Mine” bumps and grinds along on Wescott’s guitar chords, and it includes the staunch chorus “I don’t want to waste your time, but I got a feeling you’ve got what’s mine.”

The best part of the record, though, is Shannon’s wonderful voice, which makes each song a gem.

Also: