Nashvegas...part 2

I took off for Nashville again this weekend...two times in the past couple months...is it really worth the 16 hour round trip drive? Of course not.

But my road trip partner and I did learn a couple invaluable lessons.

1. I should probably get in the biz of booking college music festivals, because no one in there right mind would book Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to play at a rich Southern university and expect anything other than a hoard of fratabulous drunkards screaming for them to leave the stage 15 seconds into their first song. Yes...they were playing outside...and yes, it's tough as hell to sound good in any outdoor setting...but geez, at least give them a chance before projecting your beer can at the lead singer's head.

2. Nashville is incredibly small. I think Chicago has given me some real city perspective, but wow. Regardless, there are some hidden gems other than the glowing "World's Largest Adult Bookstore" that sits off I-40 as you enter the city. I suggest, the gyro joint next to Elder's bookstore on Elston Ave. You can't go wrong for $4.

3. Indiana is a terrible state to drive through....except when it is a crystal clear day and I can photograph the power lines against an amazing sunset. I'm fascinated with power lines...it's the whole connected aspect. Well worth it.

4. Apparently in the south, it's completely acceptable to be 35 years-old and reference your father as "pappy." I thought it was strange, but was I really going to question the nice 350 pound man engaging me in conversation after an obvious night out of boozing? Not this time.

5. I'm obsessed with the Magnetic Fields' "Papa was a rodeo" and it can easily be listened to 25 times in a row while driving through Kentucky. I tried it... Happens.

-B

I discovered three important things today...

1. Chicken cooks 4x as fast if you just add a tsp.of oil to the pan....man, I can't even begin to tell you how many hours I would have saved...urgh. AND...did you know chicken doesn't have to be boiled? I know...it's a miracle.

2. Palace Brothers "Days In the Wake" is a hidden historical gem. Thank you...yet again Mr. Oldham.

3. I'm addicted to wine labels...though I've lied...I've been addicted to wine labels for awhile. Four Emus and Roogle Red are absolutely ingenious.

4. Blah.

-S

Forgot to post last weekend...

Molded bread blue light specials...aisle 9.

I think K-Mart originated the in-store cafe...though it wasn't much of a cafe as it was a hot dog vendor and Icee machine. I was always so sketched out by the fact that K-Mart served food, yet in some weird way, I always craved an Icee...red or blue...those were your choices...take it or leave it. A few years later, Target started adding their version of the "cafe" to their stores. Again, I was highly mesmerized by the clientele that would be interested in eating over-the-top crappy food within a warehouse filled with the "cheap department store-we-sell-everything-you-can-imagine" smell.

I think it's because of this background that I've always been a little bit weirded out by cafes within stores. Even ones like Whole Foods...though it may also be the fact that a pack of vegan-vegetarian-made-from-who-knows-what gum can run you a solid $5 that intimidates me from stepping into that store.

I finally tried eating at a Fox & Obel cafe last night. Wow...this place was amazing....seriously, their food was unbelievable. I highly, highly recommend. And apparently at classy stores like this, they also have free wine tastings...careful...these guys are good....this particular vendor spewed out more varieties of grapes and locations in Italy within a minute, that I finally decided to purchase his wine just to make him stop making me feel dumber than an ant.

Luckily, it was good wine.

Go, eat at cafes in stores...they're good. Though, I didn't see an Icee machine.

-S

Twinkle Toes...

I broke down some serious cultural boundaries last night and saw a dance performance. Not that I've ever had any aversion to dance, in fact, I take great pride in my refined "shopping cart" and self-proclaimed "tic-toc-clock." But, previously, seeing a professional dance performance was just not something I would of thought to up and do on my own on a given weekend.

How quickly opinions change. We caught Program A of the Hubbard Street Dance Company at Harris Theatre downtown last night. First off, if you haven't ever been to Harris Theatre...go....it's super modern and a really amazing set up. I'm obsessed with the neon lighting in the lobby and really want to film some type of scene in that setting.

Anyhow, these dancers blew me away...there were two segments that stood out last night, "Float" and "Minus 16"....whoa...super modern, contemporary dancers that make Gumby look as stiff as a wooden board. The Float piece involved just 2 dancers tearing up the floor to Mum's "We Have a Map of the Piano"...which quickly reminded me....why have I not been listening to more Mum??? Right up my alley. The much anticipated "Minus 16" piece was about the most amazing display in timing and precision amongst 23 people that I've ever seen.

That's that...I was slightly disappointed to discover that my "tic-toc-clock" hasn't quite made it into the mod/contemporary professional dance world...but just you wait....

Go to Harris...see Hubbard Street...do the tic-toc-clock.

-S

Truth Be Told...

I've gotta say...I'm just not into the 3/4 capri pants that girls are rockin...a lot these days. Rarely does an article of clothing fail big time in my mind. I can't quite put my finger on it...but they immediately remind me of horse jockeys and I just don't seem to find that very attractive...go figure.

Mind you, I am the last person on this earth that should be criticizing fashion. I own two pairs of cords, a pair of jeans....and t-shirts. But hot damn, do I love my wardrobe.

Cold wintery day outside? Throw on the grey cords.

Hot ass summer day at Lollapalooza? Throw on the brown cords (no, not for the fashion statement....because I've been too lazy to buy a pair of shorts...for the past 3 years).

Wanting an excuse to bail on a cheesy bachelor party at a cheesy dance club? Throw on the jeans....they'll never let you in...and you'll be the only one in line not arguing it.

It's quite the simple formula I've created and it seems to work just splendidly all year long.

And it is with this that I put forth my suggestion to all capri wearers....trade in for the following:

1 pair jeans
1 pair sporty/stylish/casual shoes
1 thrift store belt....and yes, no glitter.

Capri...schmapri....no more racetracks.

-B

vidz...

Ahhh, this is excellent, well done Western Vinyl.

Check out "Church Palms" and "Fashion Island" featuring one of my favorite tunes of all time.

http://www.fieldnaps.com/

Enjoy.

-Bott

It just sounds good...

Sometimes you find yourself in such a musical rut that you begin to wonder if every new band is going to be a slightly more disappointing version of the latest 80's, new wave, post-punk, dance-rock, Franz Arctic mish mosh.

Then the latest edition of Magnet arrives in your mailbox and the tides turn...for no good reason at all except for the fact that sometimes it takes a solid, quality music mag to lead you to surfing the web checking out random new releases and reminding yourself of your favorite albums...the ones that make you step back and say...ahhhh, yes...I do like music.

One thing led to another tonight and I was ecstatic to discover that Bexar Bexar has released a new album, entitled "Tropism." I was fairly certain that BB was no longer in existence after their debut release on Western Vinyl three years ago. But here I sit tonight, listening to the graceful, dreamy sounds of a genius who can craft sounds that will entertain my ears for the next 3 years and the next 3 years... Thank you Bexar...and you Bexar.

-Bott

Nothin' like a lil'....

On my train ride into work this morning, I was sitting across from a 60 year old man. He was nicely dressed in his old man slacks and even had a nice leather portfolio/briefcase resting upon his lap. The poor old man had a cough...or at least that was my original diagnosis before he blew his nose and spit something awful into a tissue AND proceeded to drop it on the ground.

I stared...astonished....as he proceeded to do the whole process AGAIN. Two used tissues full of God-knows-what-case-of-avian-bird-flu-disease-cough-phlegm...resting a mere couple feet away from me.

I called him out by asking, "Oh sir, I believe you dropped something." He grunted...and grunted again.

I cranked the I-Pod higher. When in doubt...close the eyes and crank the I-Pod higher.

Dear Chicago....dear Chicago.

-bott