Soul Thumping

Aging Hipsters...Still Rocking

Saturday night, Poseidon and I got our aging rockster on at Cat's Cradle to see an old school local band, The Pressure Boys, playing their second of a 2-night concert benefiting the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation.

I was new to the area during the heyday of The Pressure Boys, but I was a huge fan of their post P-Boys incarnation, Sex Police, in my early 20s.  My friends and I traveled all around the Triangle to hear their "loopy" brand of ska during the early 90s, so I was excited to see my first Pressure Boys show Saturday, and I wasn't disappointed.

Poseidon and I attend local shows frequently, and sometimes we find ourselves on the older side of the crowd (but music lovers are music lovers are music lovers).  We aren't bothered by this, but last night was a rare treat.  We were younger than many (Poseidon and I are pleasantly surprised to see how well we're aging) of our fellow lovers of music, which was super, but I mainly noticed that aging hipsters still love and appreciate their local music, and that powerful observation made the night spectacular!

Old School:
 

Be Loud! 2014, Saturday (I caught of glimpse of Poseidon and I in this video):
 

 

Related articles

An Anniversary of Sorts...with Deerhunter

The Things Poseidon Says: The Shower Mildew Discussion

To benefit a new foundation, some of the state's foundational bands reconvene

Aesthetically Pleasing to me Today - Debbie Harry

On Friday, March 21st, The Smithsonian Channel aired Blondie's New York, an hour-long documentary on the making of Blondie's breakthrough album, Parallel Lines.  Poseidon and I recorded Blondie's New York, and we finally watched it Sunday night.  It was interesting, but short.  I would have enjoyed seeing more, but the documentary focused on the making of Parallel Lines, more than 35 years since its release (can you believe that???).  The Smithsonian Channel is airing the documentary, at least through April, so check their schedule.

Album producer, Mike Chapman is great in this documentary.  He still seems 'giddy' when speaking about the making of the album, and using the Roland CR-78 drum machine on "Heart of Glass."  I know nothing of drum machines (that's more Poseidon's area), but I was fascinated. 

I have an aesthetic appreciation for all that is Debbie Harry.  Always will.  Not just anyone can rock pink.

Photo Source: http://kitten.buzznet.com/photos/inspiredbydebbieharry/?id=64165781

 

Photo Source: https://trendcouncil.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/debbie-harry-for-vogue-spain/

 

As a Dum Dum Girls fan, I would have enjoyed catching this Debbie Harry/Dum Dum Girls collaboration at SXSW.

 

 Amphitrite

Related articles

What I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today - St. Vincent

What I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today - Putting Your Best Face Forward

Barbara & The Boys, ''Hooty Sapperticker"

I sent myself an email on March 2, 2012 to remember this song (I'm going through my old emails now, trying to purge correspondence I know longer deem necessary...making nearly no progress).  Anyway, Poseidon and I carpooled that day, and we heard this song on WXYC and we fell in love with "Hooty Sapperticker."  1958.  He googled the song, and sent me a youtube link.  Alas, I cannot find it on itunes or I would download the hell out of it, but I like clicking this link and dancing.  Like now.

 

 

 

Amphitrite

Related articles

I Fell Off the Diet Coke Wagon

The Things Poseidon Says: The Shower Mildew Discussion

Superchunk, Merge Records, and Keepin' it Dirty Durham!

Heading for Emerald Isle in two days (praise you Apollo, glorious sun god)...our rental house is "Dancing Barefoot," which is of course the name of a Patti Smith song, and that is what we shall all be doing!  So, super busy and happy, but wanted to take just a minute to post a link to a SPIN article from this week, about our awesome music, music, music, and food scene!

Superchunk, Merge Records, and our Durham food.  Yeah, we're that cool, y'all (NYT thinks so too, 'cause they keep talking about us).

http://www.spin.com/articles/superchunk-merge-records-durham-north-carolina/

--Amphitrite

Related articles

Five for Friday - Five Good Things to Absorb While You're Still Young

What if You had to Pick a New Name?

Superchunk Reflect at Full Throttle on 'I Hate Music'

Superchunk bassist and Merge co-founder Laura Ballance bows out of touring, not out of the music that empowered her

M. Ward at Duke - Surprisingly Less Twee than I Anticipated

I'm a people watcher of course, so when I go to a show much of my entertainment comes from those in the audience before and after (well, and during) the actual concert, hence this post.  Normally I don't blog about shows, but I took so many mental notes from the tweeness to breast sizes at the M. Ward show that I had to do something with them.

Poseidon and I saw M. Ward at Duke last night and it was a great show, especially the stage setup (old window panes hanging from the ceiling, with projected images behind the panes).  I was looking forward to hearing M. play live, but wasn't looking forward to sitting in a crowd full of twee (ZOMG) Zooey fans, and I was pleasantly surprised that we saw only a few blunt thick bangs (though more dudes in plaid than I had pictured).

The crowd was mixed.  In general, older than I expected, which was cool.  I overheard a group of boys, I'm guessing they were all in their very early 20s, talking about Lee Ranaldo (he opened for M. Ward).  One of these youngsters said, "Yeah, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore were in a band together.  They called themselves The Sonic Youth."  It was cute and I just wanted to pinch their wittle cheeks.  Poseidon noted he expected to see more insider indie rockers than he did.

The music of course was great and I'm so glad we went, and because I'm not a music critic, I'll let music bloggers describe the show in detail, but I have to end with the best line I overheard from an audience member:  "There are a lot of flat chested chicks here."

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Things I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today - Day 2 Bombadil Illustration on the Independent Weekly

The Independent Weekly, a weekly entertainment guide for the Triangle area (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham) in North Carolina did a cover story on one of favorite local bands, Bombadil.  They have just released a new awesome CD!  I'm not reviewing the CD (though I will be at the CD release show at Cat's Cradle on Saturday), I just love the illustration on the cover of Indy Week by Andy Perez.  It gets my vote for "Things I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today."  Thank you Andy!

--Fortuitous Observer

What Generation X Watched Monday Night on TV in 1984

Today some of my coworkers were discussing current television shows running on the major networks and cable and for a minute I was so overwhelmed with the show titles folks were spewing that my head began to throb.  Egads.

How is it possible to keep up with every show on all networks, and cable?  I haven't seen a TV guide in years (do they still print those things?), and the only show I know is House on Monday night and sometimes I can't even remember if it is on at 8pm or 9pm.  Seriously.  Am I the only Xer who doesn't keep up with TV because I'm, well, too tired to keep it straight (and underwhelmed by the offerings)?  I can't be!

Now, imagine if you will, Generation X, the year is 1984 (just a random year I've selected, no real significance).  ABC, CBS, and NBC.  That was it, until FOX was added to the mix in 1986.  I knew what was on the idiot box (television for those youngsters out there) every morning/afternoon/evening and the times.  I was a walking TV Guide.

Now there are so many cable channels in the fray, and I believe I've simply thrown in the towel.  I don't want to know what is on because my short-term memory isn't what is used to be and I have too many important things to remember, like eating, sleeping, walking, breathing, etc.  There is no room in my head for such trivial data at this point.

So, welcome to a cold, grey Monday evening.  What is on TV tonight you ask?  I have no idea (except House is on at some point tonight, I think), but I can tell you what was on Monday night in the fall of 1984 (thanks to Al Gore's invention of the Internet).  Here it is Generation X...what we watching on Monday night in 1984.  I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl. 

MONDAY NIGHT LINEUP - 1984

ABC - 8pm Call to Glory; 8:30pm ABC NFL Monday Night Football

CBS - 8pm Scarecrow and Mrs. King; 9pm Kate & Allie; 9:30pm Newhart; 10pm Cagney & Lacey

NBC - 8pm TVs Bloopers & Practical Jokes; 9pm NBC Monday Night at the Movies

 

--Fortuitous Observer

A Gen-Xer's Delima: Atari or Wait for a Nuclear Bomb?

A few weeks ago I posted some inaniloquent musings about things I miss (mostly from my childhood in the 80s), and my Generation X nostalgia crept in again this morning with flashbacks of everything "80s" like television shows, games, friends, playing outside, nukes, and of course our Atari system.

Growing up as an Xer during the Cold War was such an anxious time (at least for me) because the threat of nuclear annihilation lingered constantly in the back of the mind, like that musty smell in an attic that no amount of mothballs can shake (I honestly prefer the musty smell to the mothball smell).  I remember riding my bike one evening and the sky looked strange, purple and dark grey, and I thought, "Oh, know, the bomb has been released and I'm going to die."

Doom and gloom were always a part of me, so when Atari came along, and my parents decided to buy the system for us, it was something new and wildly exciting that took my mind off exploding into a million radiated bits.

My parents (like many at that time) were worried that we would no longer want to play outside and that we Gen Xers would become zombies, addicted to this new fangled machine with it's hideous graphics (I'll be honest, we didn't find those graphics hideous at the time because we had nothing to compare them to, except Pong, and hands down, Atari graphics were much better), replete with sound effects.

It turns out, parents of Generation X didn't need to worry about coercing us into video gaming rehab or forcing us to go outside and get some fresh air.  We wanted to be outdoors.  Sure, trying to figure out the new Raiders of the Lost Ark game or improve our Missile Command skills was fun stuff, but after a while, the outside world called our names, boredom with the Atari system would set in and we would be jonesing (now there is a lost but not forgotten 80s term for you) to get outside and pass the football around, or build a tree house, or dig in the dirt.

Being in the outdoors seemed less scary after playing indoors with the Atari, though I'm not sure why.  The foreboding war still loomed in the background as before, but perhaps my desire to "live" or my bravery intensified after experiencing being shot at by space creatures, dodging barrels hurled at me by Donkey Kong, or swinging over a pit in the jungle to escape deadly scorpions?  Game Over.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Generation X Halloween Specials

Summer has passed (or on her last leg anyway), so this sun bunny has to switch gears and cozy up to autumn now.  It's ok, I can do it.  At 42, I don't trick-or-treat anymore (no one wants to see that), but I still love halloween in all its macabre glory, and nothing says feel-good frights like curling up with some popcorn and watching those great animated TV halloween specials!

Two or three years ago, I wrote an online article about the halloween TV specials that our generation grew up with in the 70s and 80s.  Rather than re-write the article, I will just point you to the link...here it is:  Top Halloween Specials for Nostalgic Generation Xers!  Enjoy, Gen Xers (and everyone else)!

P.S.  I think my favorite is still Witch's Night Out.

P.S.S.  I also wrote a similar article on Generation X Christmas specials.

--Fortuitous "Spooky" Observer

Related articles

Thanksgiving - Dreams, Joy Division, and Turkey Shoes?

The Rialto - Raleigh's Gem of a Theater

Poseidon and I met our pals N & T on Saturday afternoon for a matinee at the Rialto.  Why am I blogging about this, and who cares?  Because the Rialto Theater is one of the grooviest, primo places on the planet (truly, it is...should be one of the wonders of the world...I'm still petitioning).

For those not fortunate enough to live in the Raleigh, NC area, I will attempt to describe this theater, though I will not do it justice, that is a given, so you will just have to get in your car, hop on a plane, or whatever your desired mode of transportation may be, and come see for yourself.

First and foremost, the Rilato serves beer, and not crap beer, but realbeer (on tap), and wine.  Yup, many of my friends in other states can't believe that NC is so progressive when it comes to cinema enjoyment.  Well, you won't find beer at the ginormous theaters in Raleigh, only at a handful of hip little movie houses, the Rialto being my fave.

The Rialto has only one theater, so only one movie, usually for a week or two.  Here is the best part:  they only show foreign and independent flicks, AND, they still show The Rocky Horror Picture Showevery Friday at midnight.  Sorry Spiderman 14,  Iron Man 8, and even Harry Potter.  You won't get any face time at the Rialto (no offense to Harry...I'm a huge HP fan).

The theater itself (originally built in 1942), though recently renovated, drips in vintage beauty with nice velvety seats, and even if you arrive late and have to sit in the first row, you won't have to pay the chiropractor a visit afterwards (seriously, I thought I was going to have to do that after seeing the last Harry Potter flick at one of the "huge" cinemas...we were in the first row and I was envisioning permanent neck injury from looking straight up, literally, straight up, at the screen). 

Oh yeah, before I forget, the Rialto is a cash-only venue, so don't forget to knock over an ATM before your Rialto outing.

 

--Fortuitous Observer