Sloppy blues means a good time...

Ok - Remember how the entire [our] open door team met up, (even though it was a tad unexpected), at the Jason Mraz concert early this year? Well...we just may do it again...

Bringin' their "laid-back, sloppy blues" to the Spokane Knitting Factory, G. Love & Special Sauce will be arriving February 26. (And...if you couldn't tell by how much we gushed about them headlining performance for Mraz, WE LOVE THEM!) They've got a style and sound like nothing else...nothing I've seen or heard before.

Members Jeffrey Clemens, Jimmy Prescott, and G. Love, (actually born Garrett Dutton, shhh! Don't tell anyone!) have had quite a career. Based in Philly, the trio released their first album in 1994 and nearly achieved 'Gold-status' in sales. Here's where the trouble started; according to MSN's biography of the band, members started "bickering over finances", resulting in a temporary split.

Knitting Factory Concert Information:
Compliments to Facebook, we got this info...
- Friday, February 26.
- 8:00 - 11:00 pm!
- Playing with Redeye Empire...(more information on him/them is going to have to be a follow up blog post.)

Some yummy tidbits G. Love & Special Sauce:

They formed in 1992.

Their album Electric Mile, (released 2001), was described as a G. Love's "most schizophrenic yet." He used a blend of "hip-hop, funk, psychedelia, blues, and soul..."

G-Love is a longtime friend of part surfer - part acoustic artist Jack Johnson.

RIP JD Salinger.

"I hope to hell that when I do die somebody has the sense to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetary. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead? Nobody.”

I'm forced to wonder if Salinger really thought that, because it's easy to imagine that phonies around the globe are ready to place flowers on the grave of one of the most popular writers of the last century. Salinger died today at the ripe old age of 91 and now readers wait anxiously to see whether or not previously unreleased Salinger works will be published posthumously.

Other bloggers and writers have made enough commentary on Salinger's death to make this post trite already, less than 24 hours after his death, so I'll try to keep this short and sweet. It may be cliche to say it, but The Catcher in the Rye as well as Salinger's other short stories had an effect on my life, however small or large. Holden was lonely boy, trying to reach out and find empathy from others, but when he got into that phone booth, he couldn't think of a single person to buzz. I learned that, sometimes, we can be too self-centered to notice that others are just as lonely as we are. If you haven't read any of Salinger's works, this is as good a time as any to pick up a copy of Catcher or Franny and Zooey and start reading.

The funny thing is that he probably would've hated all of this attention.

RIP, Salinger. The rest of us phonies will miss you.

So writing...

I like to write....obviously. But I was looking through some old stuff (I love technology...I don't know how many rhymes and lyrics I've lost because I wrote them on napkins I ended up using!) and I found these poems and I thought I would share...Cool? cool. They're in the style of description poem where you basically pick an object and, well, think of descriptions for it. So here goes.
Snowflake
Silencer of spring
A Who’s home
Downy feathers of a celestial pillow fight
Icing on a lake
Winter’s sand
The lacy dress of an eyelash
Piercer of exposed cheeks and thin mittens
Nature’s dust
Building material for a fortress of ice
Satisfier of an expectant tongue
Children’s dreams
Glitter shaken from a star
Ornament to adorn a spider’s web
Cloud’s offspring
Ammunition in a friendly feud
Slippery sister of sleet
Bleach’s muse
Silencer of spring


Voices
The voices shouting for a cause are loud and strong,
Like the crowing of a rooster.
The voices telling of happiness are jubilant and bright,
Like the sun’s rays spilling onto green grass.
The voices in love are rushed and excited,
Like the beating of a healthy heart.
The voices teaching are calm and patient,
Like a painter’s brush making the first stroke on a blank canvas.
The voices whispering are secretive and spiteful,
Like spies in a forbidden fortress.
The voices begging for rest are strained and exhausted,
Like rope used in a game of Tug o’ war.
The voices crying for help are faint and pleading,
Like words slowly wiped off a chalkboard.
The voices too weak to shout are silent and desperate,
Like a hand reaching for the light.
Then there are the voices that have finished speaking, serene and complete,
Like a puzzle after the last piece has been found and fitted into the rest.



Silence
The whisper of friends gone too soon
The brushing of leaves on a windowpane
The swish of a tree falling through still dawn air
The last second before the sun sets
The chirping of birds when no one else is awake
The words on a page about to be read


Well there you go. Katie writing, in the pixels (like in the flesh...but for the internet). I hope it was enjoyable. Let me know what you think in the comments, or try your own desription poem.

Matt Hires, Stephen Kellog and the Sixers, Tyrone Wells

What a night! Well, I know it took me quite awhile to put this up here, but Tyrone Wells' homecoming to the Knitting Factory was a personal and talent-filled show.

Matt Hires opened it up with his raw, acoustic stylings. I'm a huge Matt Hires fan, but this was the first time I've seen him since the release of his new album Take Us To The Start and I was excited to hear the live version of the album. As per usual, I was not disappointed. Matt puts on chill, laidback show but with his own personal touch. I am constantly blown away by his simplistic yet beautiful lyrics that continue to differentiate him from the legions of other acoustic musicians.

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers followed Matt Hires. I was surprised by their almost pop-like (in the best sense of the word) approach to folk. They were a nice blend of rock, folk, and a pinch of ironic facial hair. With choreographed dances, keytars, and a wealth of plaid, Kellogg and his band quickly found their way into my heart. After the show, a friend and I went to get an autograph from Kellogg and I was impressed by his friendly demeanor and the time he spent with every fan. He even drew his "first portraits on the West Coast" of my friend and I.

Tyrone Wells returned to his hometown to headline the concert. His style was put-together and clean, but perhaps a bit unoriginal at times. However, I was deeply impressed by the complex lyrics of "What Are We Fighting For?" and "Sink or Swim." His music was fun and enjoyable, but one of the highlights of his set was when he helped a man propose to his girlfriend. Congratulations to those two strangers!

Katie's Prescription:
For those looking for an innovative acoustic musician bringing something new to the table: I prescribe Matt Hires
For those looking for a gentle introduction to the crazy, multi-layered world of folk: I prescribe Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers, (their blend means that you aren't just diving into that wild land!)
For those looking for a something similar to what you hear on the radio, but with better lyrics and vocals: Check out Tyrone Wells

Take twice a day with water and a bit of chocolate.

Read. Think. Type. Rock.
Katie

Comin' home...

Yeah - I'm just gonna have to reply with a big fat "Ditto" for what Katie said, I've been kinda lame/"out of it" for the past few weeks. Blogging? Yes, but not here. (I've gone from the trail and begun a lil' bloggy-sideproject.) Yes, I've strayed from the known realm and tested the waters of other blog platforms. Lemme' tell ya, not quite as good as Blogger, hosting lovely OPEN DOOR! :) Yeah!! Can I get a 'whoop whoop' for the OPEN DOOR GANG? :) Yeah again!!

*high-five!! (too much? ok..I'll calm down...)

Anyways, so - it's time to revamp, redo, reinvest, and RELAX into the world of blogging. I'm a big fan of the 'digi-journals', really does help with life in general. BUT, as always, I've always got to have my NOTEBOOK with me. (Ask everyone and anyone, I've ususally got a weird-looking sketchbook or journal under my arm...in my purse...tucked in my sock...) Ok - so that last one was a little ridiculous, but I would try it if I could....maybe a really small notebook. It'll work. I'll make it. :)

So yeah - I must admit that I was totally begining to experience a "blog-shock" from lack of, but did have fun otherwise. See those COOKIES? Yeah - White Chocolate Macadamia Nut courtesy of Nick and his mom, and dannng...they were stunningly delicious. (And Nick made them happy too!) Ha.

Second, I've set a new goal for myself that you can all listen in on. I, Chloe, bloggin'-maniac, am determined to be able to draw a lifelike person by the end of the calander year. No really weird long necks, or big beak-like noses....lifelike.

Third, good luck to you Oakesdale Drama-ers!! :) We're all gettin' kinda squirrely at practice, especially those 2-hour Sunday ones when the heaters in the school arn't on...(burrr....). We dance and sing to keep warm. And then we get really really squirrely, and take weird photos. (Whoa - my gum is sooo bright.)

Let's get BLOGGING!

I'm back!

I am a loser. I have succeeded in dropping the virtual ball that is my contributions to the blog. I could spout off tons of excuses (SATs, school work, soccer) but the fact is that I dropped the ball. I solemnly swear to resume regular posting!

Ok, apologies aside, we've got a busy month. To let you all know what you can expect from me, here is a little schedule.

• A much belated review of Big Sur and the corresponding albumn, One Fast Move or I'm Gone (from Jay Farrar and my favorite, Ben Gibbard)
• Another belated review of Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (also starring my favorite)
• A review of the Matt Hires concert (November 13) [Chloe should attend this as well...*Cough cough*]
• A review of the Built to Spill concert (November 21)
• Perhaps a list of fun sites to visit
• An anecdote or two about life, maybe
• And...if you're lucky and I have the means...a song from me?

So, now that I'm back on the blogging train, I promise to commit. Let me know what you think we should cover in the comments section.

SLIPKNOT!!!!!!!

One of the most infamous masked bands in the world came to spokane on wednesday to ummmmm....for lack of a better explanation "spread the love" When i herd that slipknot (one of if not the only band to make it big out of there home town of Iowa) was coming to spocompton there was no option i had to go. This show was not one for the faint of hart (see picture) however it proved to be EPIC!!!!! A band called Deftones, a emo metal band, opened up the show, not bad for what they were but not rely my cup of tea. Then it was time and after a not so short wait the gods of modern metal Slipknot took the stage. Opening with there song from there first self titled album (sic) and proceeding to play a set that lasted upwards of an hour and a half, they more than made up for the lengthy set up time. I was rather impressed with there stage presents and the infamous "Floating drum" stunt where at the end of the set the drummer (Joey Jordinson) winds up in a vertical position drumming streight up and down. The mark of a good metal concert can be summed up in one question: Is you neck sore from the massive headbanging?? and as for this concert my neck hurt for a good day and half afterwards. If that is not the mark of a good show than i dont know what is!!!

Any other fans in the house???

Metal fans???

am i alone??