A Bloy and his Blog

About 4:40am this morning, the sound of my alarm clock rattling on the shelf woke me up. As I drifted into consciousness, I wondered why the alarm clock was rattling. Then I realized the bed was shaking. First I thought maybe a big truck was driving by, but it continued much longer than a drive-by. As more of my brain cells began working I realized, it was an earthquake.

It was the third time in my life I’ve felt an earthquake (the other two times I was also in Wisconsin). While the tremors I felt this morning were fairly mild, it certainly is unsettling to feel the earth moving under you.

The Chicago Tribune has a nice interactive map of the earthquake (the epicenter was near West Salem, Illinois). You can also email the Tribune your location to be added to the map. Did you feel it?

read the rest of: Buds

Last night I went to see The New Pornographers perform at the Orpheum Theatre here in Madison. While the absence of Neko Case was disappointing for me (get better soon Neko, we missed you!), the concert was a good one. But I’m not going to talk about the whole show, if you’re interested Muzzle of Bees has a good review on their website. I want to talk about the encore the band performed.

After a good long set of music, The New Pornographers thanked the crowd and left the stage. Here it comes, I thought. It’s such a cliché, the way rock concert encores happen these days.

read the rest of: The perfect encore

When I was hiking through the Arboretum last weekend, I was struck by the unusual blossoms some of the trees and shrubs had. You could even call a few of them “strange.”

read the rest of: Strange blossoms

I’ve got an account on Facebook. Although lately I’ve been seriously neglecting it. I do understand the appeal of Facebook, but there is a part of me that doesn’t quite see the point of the whole thing. Kind of like this…

Facebook in reality

Last night I went to one of the best concerts I’ve been to in years, when I saw Kathleen Edwards and her band put on an amazing show at Madison’s beautiful Majestic Theatre.

The concert began on a somber tone, with Kathleen playing the haunting “Alicia Ross” “Mercury” (from her debut album). She started by herself, accompanied only by her acoustic guitar. As it continued the other band members gradually chimed in, until all five musicians were playing in full force. By the end of the song I knew I was going to be in for a real treat. Just as that thought was in my head, the band confirmed my instinct and launched into the rousing and jangly, “In State,” a song from my favorite Kathleen Edwards album, Back to Me.

read the rest of: Kathleen Edwards and band amazing

Where do ladybugs go for walks? I caught one strolling inside this flower.

On the first few listens of April, by Sun Kil Moon it’s the hooks (guitar riffs, chorus) that suck you in. Further listening uncovers the multiple layers beneath: the rich textured walls of sound, the expressive lyrics of loneliness, longing and memories of love. As each layer reveals itself and you become more familiar with the song, you move ever closer into the mind of the artists, feeling the depth of their emotions.

The opening track, “Lost Verses” sets the tone. It begins with a lone acoustic guitar accompanying the voice of singer Mark Kozelek. As it continues, instruments are added until the end of the song (a 90 second instrumental coda) has a wonderfully layered, full structure of sound.

read the rest of: April by Sun Kil Moon

This Spring has certainly been a good one for flowers.

Weezer pays homage to the viral video.

Pork and Beans, from their forthcoming “red album” (out June 3).