Is there such a thing as too much live music?
I'd say no, as long as you're up for some sleep deprivation. Last week I saw five shows, all of which were fantastic, four of which included good old friends from out of town performing. It was great to see Fil, JD (for two whole days) and Ian. (I wish I could say Sufjan was my friend, or my suitor, but alas I've never met the chap.) The Knitters' new album, The Modern Sounds of the Knitters, is out and you should own it. Those kids successfully avoided the sophomore slump.
After our Friday afternoon in-office happy hour, I walked over to Ian's show at Hotel Utah, and when that was finished a group of us went round the corner, literally, to have a house party at another friend's office. So I managed to spend 16 hours at three different places which were all within a block of each other.
Last night Audree and I went to a fashion show that featured her bags. It was fun to see the creative vision of 7 or 8 different independent designers. One of the designers was a handsome rocker looking guy, who I knew I'd seen somewhere before. I bought a really cute hoodie from him and did my best to refrain from asking "Where do I know you from?" Which was a good thing, because after racking my brain all night, I think I remember seeing him on an episode of "Blind Date."
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Promotional "The" CDs that landed in my mailbox this week: The Cranes, The Occasion, and The Veronicas. I've never listened to The Cranes before (gasp!) but I'm digging the record. Mellow, atmospheric, otherworldly. The Veronicas album came with an exuberant note from their record label and an entertaining bio (their "dynamic Sire Records debut album kicks the "Wow Factor" up a notch or two"). Listening to the album and looking at their photo (hot young twins), it's clear how they could appeal to Avril and Kelly Clarkson fans. It's solid radio pop rock and it will probably blow up. But I was a little taken aback by the lyrics to their song "Secret." Here's the chorus:
You can call me 6 times but still I won't pick up the phone
You can spend all your money on me but I'll still say no
You can write a million letters every day confessing to me
That I am the girl of your dreams
But nobody ever asked me
I never looked at you that way
Cuz I always thought you were gay
Now I'm not advocating for some uber-PC censorship, I just worry that this could give tweens and teens some unnecessary ammo for intolerance, however subtle it may be. Am I overreacting?
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It's a beautiful day outside and I'm inside blogging. For shame.
