Friday, November 30, 2007
Los Angeles, CA
If you are ever in downtown Los Angeles, make a visit to The Original Pantry at 9th and Figuerora. Through a door which has no key, you'll enter a cafe that has never closed since 1924. They are never without a customer. Expect to wait for a table, as there were already 50 patrons lined up on the sidewalk at 8:00 in the morning for breakfast. More than 2,400 eggs are used every 24 hours here, and more than 3,000 hogs are required to supply the pork used at the Pantry annually. Through many long years the Pantry has endured as a staple of Los Angeles' diverse culture and style.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
San Diego, CA
There were many introductions to be made, on this the first night of the Unlimited Sunshine Tour, as the bands met for the first time. This is a deep line-up, and the first night brought strong performances from all the bands: Agent Ribbons, Oakley Hall, King City, Detroit Cobras, and CAKE. It is a true pleasure to be a part of this experience.
We had our first tree giveaway this evening. Gentleman Zach from Vista CA demontrated a superior knowledge of the Fuerte Avocado sharing the stage with us, therefore he is now the honorably appointed caretaker. Zach's home of Northern San Diego County is known as the avocado capitol of the world, and we know Zac will enjoy his young tree.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Monterey, CA
Monterey, California. You might know this coastal central California city for Cannery Row, John Steinbeck, nearby Pebble Beach, or their world class aquarium. Neighboring city, Castroville, is the world's foremost supplier of artichokes. What's more, it was here that Jimi Hendrix set his guitar ablaze during the 1967 Monterey Pop festival. As a matter of fact, we performed on that very stage as part of the first annual Music Summit festival. Bassist Gabriel Nelson maintains a belief that he could perceive the faint impression of woodburns from the voodoo fire, indelibly marked on the timber, in front of his bass cabinet.
What is really fascinating about this place, that the modern citizen might not know, is that for some time it was the only port on the North American west coast, other than Sitka, Alaska and San Diego, California. The customs house, where all incoming shipments were taxed, is the oldest state building and #1 on the register of state historic landmarks.
The idea of manifest destiny, gave the United States enough of a sense of entitlement to wrestle control of Mexico's Alta California to take for their own. Over the course of just a handful of generations, we are brought to this current time. From Native Americans, to Spanish Missionaries, to Mexico, to U.S., to scuba diving and the PGA tour. Just like that. Blink of an eye. Teletransportation can't be far off.
Don't forget to think of the Franciscan monks of Monterey next time you select Jack cheese for your sandwich.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Santa Fe, NM
In Santa Fe, on the grounds of the Indian School, there is another unique amphitheater. Unlike Red Rocks, where the fascination is derived from nature, this facility is man-made. Originally, this space was built as an experiment in ecologically minded urban living. When the project had to stop because of code violations, someone had the good idea to build amphitheater seats into one side of the deep excavation. The first impression is that you are on the production sets of "The Planet of the Apes", or "Logan's Run."
The architect, Paulo Soleri, coined the term "arcology" as shorthand for "architecture for ecology". The concept of this particular structure can be likened to a "city-as-a-hill," in that it would have functioned as a multi-directional megastructure with life flourishing on its surface for aesthetics and urban agriculture. The living space is basically underground. There are sidewalks that take you downhill to the center, and it is apparent that the walls and top could be used for growing things. It also looks like rainwater and sun would be used as wisely as possible. Holy moly, the mirrored ball looked great here.
It had been a long time since we had been to New Mexico. Too bad, because the people, culture, food, and landscape are unlike any other in the country. Hearty thanks to a great audience.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Morrison, CO
During the Jurassic Period, the Red Rocks area, in what is now metro Denver, was lush with tropical vegetation. Over the eons, mountains emerged, waters receded, and the dinosaurs disappeared. The dinosaurs left bones and footprints, and so it happened that this was one of the first localities west of the Mississippi to yield dinosaur bones in abundance.
Native Americans also camped, hunted, prayed, and celebrated here. They left behind their tools and buried their dead in the deep crevices between layers of stone. When Euro-Americans first visited the area, the Utes were using Red Rocks as a special place. The Utes may well have used Red Rocks for their summer Bear Dance, which they stage to this day. Grizzlies, according to the creation myths, were the reigning animals on earth, sent by the Great Spirit to keep order. Bear Dances were originally held on the first day of spring to celebrate bears coming out of hibernation.
By the late 1930's this natural amphitheater took shape as a modern performance space, with staircases and seating. During construction, workers tested the acoustics by spinning a coin on the stage and listening at the top of the amphitheater to hear its fall. Later, boosters would insist that listeners sitting in the back row of the rock-walled amphitheater could hear whispers uttered on stage.
To really appreciate Red Rocks Amphitheatre you need to be there or at least see a good photo. We are grateful for this second opportunity to perform here. To the organizers of the 2007 Monolith Festival and all those present, we thank-you very much.
*Special thanks to Thomas J. Noel, for his writing and research in,
"Sacred Stones: Colorado's Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre."
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Aspen, CO
The population in Aspen around 1880 was actually triple of what it is now. When the United States government de-standardized silver, Aspen felt the economic impact in a big way, as this was a major mining town. They have obviously bounced back. Some citizens here even consider this to be the center of the universe.
The late composer, musician, friend, father, son, and brother, John Denver, has a sanctuary down by the river just on the outskirts of downtown. It is a pleasant amphitheater shaped meadow with several seven foot tall half dome granite boulders that have entire song lyrics engraved on them. A Stonehenge of popular songs.
We took the 72 up and out of town the morning after the show. We stopped to admire "The Grottos" along the way, a chain of waterfalls with interesting rock formations and swimming holes. Once out of the valleys, we took in the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. At 10,000 feet up, in Leadville, we almost stopped for ten frames of bowling at Kristi Lanes, but we imagined physical exertion at that altitude would be too exhausting.
If you are interested in living in Aspen, you should consider that the supply of real estate is limited and demand is just getting greater, so you'd better jump on it. The Prince of Saudi Arabia's house is listed for only 155 million dollars. Better hurry.
Aspen might be worth visiting, if only just to see and touch the 8 foot tall grizzly sculpture on the pedestrian mall. It is made entirely from nails...and feels like it!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Del Mar, CA
We performed in the “Plaza de Mexico,” rather than the infield where we have in the past, at Del Mar's horse racing track. The production company built today's stage in front of the main entrance's mission style tower. It was a very fine place for music. At concert time the ornate plaza was packed with all ages from 8 to 80 on this coastal Southern California August evening.
Our dressing room was a trailer in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the stage, which meant the usual Cushman transport was not an option this time. In the past we have embarassingly enjoyed the commute on this maintenance cart to the previous location of the stage on the infield of the racetrack. The feeling of being on a Cushman vehicle is satisfying, for the simple reason that there are so many moments in one's life (airport, high school campus) when the envy is palpably felt of wanting to get a lift on one of these trucksters. In professional sports, an athlete must be severely injured in order to enjoy this form of transport off the field as he is warmly cheered by the crowd.
Del Mar is the place "where the surf meets the turf" according to the song written by co-founder Bing Crosby, a resort where he and his fellow Hollywood elite came down to enjoy the cool ocean breezes in August. The elite of the entertainment world came to see the elite of the horse racing world, as top jockeys John Longden and later Bill Shoemaker and Laffit Pincay Jr. called it home. As well, the great Seabiscuit defeated his stablemate Ligaroti in a match race at Del Mar.
From December 1941 to July 1945, World War II forced the shutdown of racing in California, which made for a convenient point for dividing the first two eras of Del Mar. The post-war period was when Del Mar truly flourished as the place to see and be seen in the racing world.
Even if you're not a betting person, the incredible feeling can not be denied of watching the genetically endowed horses straining to keep their speed around the turn, and you are sensing the almost surreal swell of excitement and swarm of volume coming from the cheering spectators in the grandstands as the horses are coming into sight towards the straightaway.
In the van on the way back to the hotel, we rehashed all the jokes we had learned over the last couple of years. Chris Bailey, our tour manager, is a master joke teller, with a delivery as good as the punchline itself. In more serious matters, Chris recommends the great Science Fiction novel “Childhood's End,” by Arthur C. Clarke.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Anchorage, Alaska
The view from the plane on the way up to Anchorage is excellent. It's easy to forget there are so many islands off the west coast of Canada that are actually Alaskan. This region is known as the Inside Passage. The greenness of this view gradually changes to steep coastal cliffs and glacier-filled valleys flowing into the Gulf of Alaska. Mountain peaks dramatically jut through the thick layer of clouds. As the plane approaches the airport, we see that we lucked out with a rare sunny day in Anchorage. Flying into the airport, the mountains around the city appear similar to a lush Polynesian landscape. In the airport terminal the visitor is greeted with a mini natural history museum of taxidermy: polar bears, geese, linx, wolves, brown bears, owl, trumpeter swan, and mountain goat. Other celebrated animals of Alaska are the bald eagle, sea and river otters, puffin, moose, caribou, salmon, the humpback whale, and the prehistoric musk ox. The day after we arrived, Dan Fiacco, owner of The Moose's Tooth (where we'll have our concert), set us up with a great tourism experience, to take a helicopter ride up to a glacier where we would do some dogsled mushing. No amount of reluctance would have kept us from this opportunity for adventure. Even the newspaper clipping from just two weeks ago about a sightseeing plane crashing in mountainous terrain and killing everyone aboard was not the slightest deterrent. The flight was brief, just up and out of the lower valley, through a mountain pass, and down onto the glacier which was 100 feet of snow on top of 1000 feet of ice. It's important to mention that the helicopter pilot mentioned that these glaciers are in "catastrophic decline.” The focus of the excursion was really the sled dogs, with the chopper ride as a short commute to this Iditerod training camp for a man named Dario Martinez and his crew. Dario is Italian born, German raised, and a true Alaskan for 20 years ever since he first arrived on vacation here. He lives night and day on the glacier with the dogs for 3 and 1/2 months of the year. Although the chopper flight is available, Dario says he sometimes takes the five and a half hours to hike down, which includes a considerable glacier ledge that requires crampons to descend. At night, the dogs are let off their chains, and they chase a snowmobile around the glacier. There were about 60 mixed breed huskies at the camp, and we had a turn to ride about a mile loop under dog power, helping Dario with the brakes on the downhill sections. The dogs love to run, and as the dogs could overheat in the summer weather, slowing them down is more of the emphasis than speeding them up. While we were visiting, the dogs that were not in harnesses for the sled all were chained to poles at their dogloos. Instead of pulling at the chain, some of the dogs run in circles, creating a well-banked perfectly circular racing track over time. During times of heavy running, these slender dogs will consume 12,000 calories in one day of commercial dog food, beef, lamb, and salmon, while very willingly running up to 125 miles. Agile and slim they are bred to be more like marathoners as opposed to the bulkier dogs used for shorter distances and heavier loads. The huskies are bred with Greyhounds, Border Collies, and some other breed choices that are surprising but make sense after meeting the dogs. The annual Iditerod race keeps alive the great tradition of dog-powered transport. Iditerod means “distant place” in Athabaskan, a native language of Alaska. Iditerod was a mining district in the Alaskan interior. If you were travelling there, you'd call your route the Iditerod. While we were waiting for the first half of our group to take their turn being pulled behind the dogs, some of us took a snowmobile ride up the glacier to an even more picturesque view of the mountain range, blue jagged glaciers, and the valley below. If it looked a little like Maui flying in on the sunny day to Anchorage, up here it looks like the landscapes from the Lord of the Rings films. The show at Moose's Tooth was a great time, and we'll never forget the reception we received. Thank-you people of Anchorage, Dan, Dario, and Ken the Shaman. The security backstage was excellent in its respectfulness and organization.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Fairbanks, Alaska
Sean Penn directed Jon Krakauer's "Into the Wild" outside of Fairbanks recently. It's the story of Christopher Mc Candless, a fun-loving and virtuous young man who ventured to Alaska to live off the land, perishing in the process. Adam Wool, owner of the Blue Loon where we will be performing, says they might be considering having the world premier at his establishment, as The Blue Loon has a substantial screen and regularly shows current feature films.
In 2003, the parking lot of the hotel we stayed was the starting line for the Iditerod 1,049 mile dog race. Pike's is an easy and satisfying place for all types of tourists, and it is obvious right away that this is the place of choice for many of the big tour companies. Overheard this snippet of conversation from a senior citizen New Yorker woman: "And you can enjoy your bagels and lox here, real lox, fresh Alaskan lox."
Pike's also features an ice bridge crossing here. It is a boat ramp in the summer, and in winter, when the temperatures in Fairbanks can regularly and easily range to -50F degrees below zero, cars and trucks use the frozen hard and thick river as an extensive crossing. At least once a year, someone attempts the crossing too late in the winter, and their car becomes stuck in broken ice.
At 11:22 p.m. ...still light outside. 11:52p.m., ...still light.
The Blue Loon is along the main highway to Anchorage, but seemed it was in the boonies along a dirt road. This illusion of reclusivity is because the highway is undergoing complete reconstruction by the department of transportation.
Back in the day, Fairbanks didn't have enough pull to get many nationally known musical groups. Some big concerts to come through were Kool & The Gang and, separately, Quarterflash. The Howling Dog Saloon was one of the few places to go for a good time. The Howling Dog boasts possession of "The Holy Carpet." In the 1980's Ronald Reagan had his one and only meeting with Pope John Paul. It took place in the rain on the tarmac of the Fairbanks airport, and was the biggest thing since... Kool & The Gang. Somehow the Howling Dog got the red carpet they were standing on. Now it is tacked up on the wall behind the stage.
The show at The Blue Loon in Fairbanks was as about as unique as any we will ever play. The stage was outside at one end of their large quonset hut, with a view beyond the audience of a rustic tree branch fence holding back the woods. The crowd was one of the most honestly happy and enthusiastic that we've seen. They made us glad that we finally made it to this amazing place.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Istanbul, Turkey
The lines are long and bulky today at the Stansted airport, and they really don't seem to be moving at all.
We are due to arrive in Istanbul at 8:15pm after a three hour flight and a two hour time difference. We are surprised to experience a separate security examination, immediately after the initial examination, just for shoes. We'll get you Richard Reid!
The last two times we were here to perform, we stayed closer to the center of town where the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque are situated near the banks of the mighty Bosphorus river. Since we were situated with greater proximity to the Masstival Festival this time, we were worried that we would be robbed of a true experience of Istanbul. However, arriving in Istanbul we were relieved to meet Nazli, our guide, who informed us that the hotel was not in the middle of nowhere, but near restaurants and a neighborhood.
We drove into the city past many eye-catching minarets, the towers surrounding the mosques. The sunlight was fading, and an orange sky reminiscent of dusk in Los Angeles hung over the city. It seemed odd to be zooming through town on the expressway, because the memory from last time is entering on worn roads winding around low hills.
We are staying at a Movenpick Hotel, which is Swiss, but they have new hotels all over the world in places like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Cairo. The lobby has an interesting sculpture: a two story column made of roughly hewn clay, with a gigantic orange crescent balancing on top. In the fountain at its base are giant stone tablets giving the impression that they might contain an ancient wisdom or code of laws. Nazli informed us that the sculpture was a Greek motif that comes from Anatolia, the largest geographical area of Turkey where the world famous ceramics and rugs come from. It's amazing to think that the first bridge between Europe(the Istanbul side) and Asia (the Anatolian side) was opened as recently as 1973.
Outside the hotel, as we head into the warm evening, we see an engaging sight of seagulls soaring slowly around the heavily lighted sky above a skyscraper. There are also many Turkish national flags near the mosque next to the hotel. One would think It must be some sort of holiday, because in the distance across the city, fireworks could also be seen. Actually, Nazli informed us the fireworks are probably from a wedding or soccer match, and the flags are in relation to the upcoming elections.
July 22nd will be the election, thus there are many campaign billboards and posters, in addition to rows of many small Turkish national flags along the roadway. These flags say "Saadet Partisi" on them, which means Saadet party, a party associated with religious fundamentalism. Some citizens feel the secular values that the republic was founded on are in jeopardy. You can read about the election results here. The politics of Turkey are complex and intertwined with their turbulent history.
On our first evening, some of us went immediately to a satisfying meal of Turkish food, while some made their way to Masstival to see the incomparable Sinead O'Connor.
The next day, performing at the festival was great. We played well together.
We look forward to returning to this unique and important country soon.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Henham, England
We travelled northeast from London to Suffolk County. On the Henham Park Estate, the Latitude Festival celebrated its second year on a little slice of heaven in Southwold.
Where usually a small flock of sheep would be grazing among the giant sycamores and where in mid-July the meadows have brilliant green grass like early Spring in California, there were cabaret shows, poetry, literature readings, all day stand-up comedy in a large tent with a giant chandelier, a film and music tent that when it wasn't showing a variety of music documentaries was presenting a bizarre mix of both Willy Wonka films edited in with scenes of a determined and sweaty Sigourney Weaver with a flame thrower fighting space aliens while a live improvisational ensemble played along, a special children's area, tarot readings, a speed dating service, and a sculpture tent where one could realize their idealized self-portrait from clay. There was also a circus side show featuring an Elephant man Elvis impersonator and a 365 pound lady.
The multiple music stages and camping areas take up the remaining space, therefore, the resident sheep have been given a reasonable boundary near the lake, their wool dyed yellow, blue, and red in accord with their festive circumstance.
Some say this festival is like its more famous neighbor, Glastonbury, but more compact and much less people. Whatever the case, this festival is top notch.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
London, England
The IndigO2 theater, where our concert was held, is an almost brand new venue in Greenwich, east of downtown London. Although it is far from the city center, it's possible to get there by underground or ferry. It is a part of the millineum dome project. The review of this show is posted at the top of the band page at cakemusic.com.
On the bus ride out of town the next morning, we noticed a plaque marker affixed to a typical “flat” type dwelling. The historic marker said Benedict Arnold had lived there until his death. Everyone in the United States is always referring to Benedict Arnold as the infamous traitor during the Revolutionary War, so it seems worthwhile to know the whole story. Without General Arnold's earllier contributions to the American cause, the revolution may well have been lost, so why would this pharmacist and book-seller from New Haven, Connecticut sell the Continental Army down the river to the British forces? Here is his story.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Utrect, Holland
We had some time off in Utrecht and saw some things before show day.
A museum here shares with visitors the world's oldest reprogrammable automated instrument. It is a carillon, a series of bells that are struck with hammers, from the year 1480. The progress of automated instruments that followed is represented here all the way up to the era of the Orchestrion (also known as Draaiorgels), decorated pipe organs that read by punch cards and include percussion instruments. These camper trailer sized party machines with colorful and thematic carved wood facades were enjoyed at fairgrounds and dance halls, with even larger versions placed in concert halls.
Another notable item, aside from the player piano with an actual automated violin trio built in, is a plush purple carriage for children that was commissioned for a princess. The music is programmed through grooves carved into a long wooden alley that the wheels of the carriage follow. The two sets of bicycle pedals between the facing sofa seats propel the carriage down the lane, causing the levers to activate a xylophone, cowbell, woodblock, and cymbal on a table between the seats.
Just outside of Bunnick, up the canal from Utrecht, is Fort bij Rijnauwen. The Dutch army regularly used the waterways around Holland to defend themselves against French and German forces, and this fort was the next line of defense. Pentagon shaped, with roughly the same diameter as the Pentagon building in Washington D.C., this is an obsolete structure that has become a nature conservation area. Owls, foxes, bats, wild birds, a wide moat with otter, fish, and a variety of insect life, are all protected here. The fort itself is brick and completely covered by tall trees. The last time the government used it for the military was 1885.
During World War II, the German army used the moth-balled fort as an armory. The Nazi army left behind stockpiled explosives as the Canadian Allied Forces came into command. Young Canadian troops who were guarding the cache became bored as their detail dragged on. They alleviated their boredom by detonating some of these explosives in the walls, thereby carving out the only damage done. This recreational destruction was the beginning of the wildlife preserve, as the cracks in the walls became an ideal place for kingfishers and bats to nest.
Returning to the center of town where the clock tower is, we were surprised by what sounded like a combination of noisy rooftop birds, coffee-shop reggae, and bells from the tower. The reality was discerned only after several minutes of observation had passed. It was actually an official performance by a man improvising on the carillon bells of the clock tower to the sounds of his own recorded music which had been amplified through hidden speakers within the tower. People were quietly standing still, listening, and looking up towards the sound, which included many samples of jungle birds squawking and screeching.
This same distinguished clock and bell tower was originally connected to the main cathedral 30 meters away, but a very strong tornado had cut right through and separated them. Now the city governs the tower, and the church the austere but spectacular cathedral.
Regarding local television programming, the comedy central show “Reno 911” is popular here. It's amusing to think this hilarious parody is inspired by a town right up the road from our Sacramento base of operations. Just wondering... is there anywhere else in the world that features the “Theme from Hawaii 5-0” in a dishwashing detergent commercial?
The show at Tivoli revealed to us even further how gracious the people of this country are. We were hit by a wave of sound as we took the stage, and the energy continued throughout the set.
We hit the road the next day for London, accompanied by a giant papier-mâché head of Satan that a German woman had travelled with by train all the way to the show.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Weert, Holland
