Yearly Archives: 2008

Orchestra Baobab’s laid back groove

Orchestra Baobab plays a laid back, Afro-Cuban style, and their show last night at the Barrymore Theatre was almost perfect for a beautiful summer evening. The band from Senegal has nine members: three guitarists, two saxophonists, and four people who spent their evening singing, and taking turns at the three percussion stations.

Orchestra Baobab sings in their native languages (Wolof? Mandinka? and some French) and I’m sure most of us in the audience didn’t have a clue what they were singing about. But that didn’t matter with the easy going groove their music had.

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Life changing books

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Lifehacker asks the question, What books have changed your life?

Life-changing books are not just your favorite books… but books that altered your behavior, changed your mind, redirected the course of your life. Books as levers.

An interesting question worthy of pondering. Here are mine.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams’ wonderful novel (and subsequent sequels) became popular during my college years, when reading for me turned into a chore. It was hard to read just for fun — it was something I HAD to do to get good grades. The Hitchhiker’s Guide changed all that. It was the first book that made me laugh out loud. In addition to the humor, Adams includes many poignant life philosophies as well.

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The Odd Couple by Gnarls Barkley

You could almost file The Odd Couple, the latest release by Gnarls Barkley, under “old school R&B.” Gnarls Barkley (a duo comprised of producer Danger Mouse and vocalist CeeLo Green) brilliantly reference that old R&B style, while adding modern musical elements of their own. Hear that mixing of styles in “A Little Better.”

Following up their critically acclaimed debut album, St. Elsewhere, must have been a daunting task. Even though there isn’t a smash hit like that album’s “Crazy,” The Odd Couple is a more consistent, and better record.

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Storm clouds

Late yesterday afternoon, some strong storms rolled through southern Wisconsin. I spent some time on my front porch, watching them go by. There is something very fascinating about weather — especially fast moving weather, that can captivate my attention for hours.

storm clouds over Madison

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Flowers for Mom

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We had the committal service for my mother, Allegra Bloy, today. One of the most vivid memories I have of my grandmother’s funeral, was when Mom put a flower into her mother’s grave. At the end of today’s ceremony all of us put a flower into the grave where the urn that holds her ashes rests. The beauty of flowers was something that Mom enjoyed very much. She would often write a comment here on the blog when I posted flower pictures.

So in honor of Mom, here are some shots of flowers I took recently.

Daphodil

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April by Sun Kil Moon

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.

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