We got back from our vacation at about 8:30 last night. A tiring three days, but worth the tedious moments on the road because the Sigur Ros show was excellent. The venue was sold out, but Bryan and I got the seats we wanted.
The weather turned nasty in the area, but we had no idea just how bad it was until we left the theater. Stacie said that the hotel staff had made everyone go down to the basement, as a tornado had been spotted in the general area. Our motel was only 4 miles from the theater, so there's a good chance that it swung by our way without anyone in the building knowing (or even caring) about it.
I was not aware that an opening act was on the itinerary, but the band's trombone player, Helgi Hrafn Jónsson, played a 6 song set of his own material. He was actually pretty good, though he tended to sing falsetto a bit too much...it probably wouldn't have been noticeable if you didn't know just how much Jonsi sings in falsetto (and how much better he does it).
I've written a bit about the show in a "vacation journal" that I plan on posting here just as soon as I get it typed up. It is rather lengthy, so it may be a couple of days. As such, I'll probably extricate the stuff about the concert and post it separately for anyone who doesn't care to read the extensive "journal".
So, until then...
Photos of the Uptown Theater show that I attended can be found HERE. There's also a review, but I can't say that I'm in agreement with much of it.
Also a ton of KC photos on Flickr.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Small Town News
This actually came from the Police Report in our local newspaper...
June 3, 8:40 PM. Officer J*** H****** was dispatched to 617 B**** on an assault. A suspect, D***** N***, 19, of 3530 Rd,, S*****, was taken into custody approximately thirty minutes after the incident as he was walking at 11th and J** T***** Blvd. The suspect allegedly demanded to be paid a $2 debt from a female at the residence who said she didn't have the money. The suspect became angry and waved a knife in her direction , making verbal threats to the woman as well as a bystander. The suspect ran onto the porch and kicked the screen door window in before running from the scene.
TWO DOLLARS !!!!!!!
I guess the bystander didn't have two bucks, either, or surely a loaner could have been arranged...
...and get this... ONLY TEN MINUTES LATER!
JUNE 3, 8:50 pm, Officer J*** H****** was dispatched to 617 B**** where the homeowner stated a female came to her front porch and demanded she pay a $2 debt. The homeowner said she didn't have the money and the female grabbed her and tried to pull her down. The homeowner told the suspect to leave. The officer located the suspect 45 minutes later running south on Main and K*******. B**** G*******, 25, was arrested as a suspect for assault and battery.
One can only wonder what would have happened had the loan been for $10.
June 3, 8:40 PM. Officer J*** H****** was dispatched to 617 B**** on an assault. A suspect, D***** N***, 19, of 3530 Rd,, S*****, was taken into custody approximately thirty minutes after the incident as he was walking at 11th and J** T***** Blvd. The suspect allegedly demanded to be paid a $2 debt from a female at the residence who said she didn't have the money. The suspect became angry and waved a knife in her direction , making verbal threats to the woman as well as a bystander. The suspect ran onto the porch and kicked the screen door window in before running from the scene.
TWO DOLLARS !!!!!!!
I guess the bystander didn't have two bucks, either, or surely a loaner could have been arranged...
...and get this... ONLY TEN MINUTES LATER!
JUNE 3, 8:50 pm, Officer J*** H****** was dispatched to 617 B**** where the homeowner stated a female came to her front porch and demanded she pay a $2 debt. The homeowner said she didn't have the money and the female grabbed her and tried to pull her down. The homeowner told the suspect to leave. The officer located the suspect 45 minutes later running south on Main and K*******. B**** G*******, 25, was arrested as a suspect for assault and battery.
One can only wonder what would have happened had the loan been for $10.
Music Video of the Week: Wesley Willis
Turn down the Sigur Ros jukebox at the top of this page before playing video
"Cut the Mullet" (Live 2002)
Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
From the RS.com Castaways message board:
I hold off listening to the new Sigur Ros until I got that disc in my hands! It is a headphone-experience for sure and I'm not sure the podcast will do it justice. - maarts
In response...
That was my policy as well, but I changed it at the last minute for two reasons:
1. I just couldn’t restrain myself. They’d already teased me with the “Gobbledegook” download and I was unable to resist hearing what the rest of the album might sound like following such a radical departure as that.
2. I figured they would play a few of these songs at the concert Thursday night and I wanted to be somewhat familiar with them. I don’t like hearing a song for the first time at a concert, so I figured I would burn the stream onto a CD and get comfortable with it.
I think you’re right insomuch that it will be a headphone experience. The mono stream leaves a bit to be desired, though the songs certainly stand up regardless. But I don’t think it will be the same kind of “headphone experience” as the other albums were. These songs, with an exception of one or maybe two, don’t have the same “atmospheric feel”. They are the slightest bit more “traditional” (for lack of a better word). After the release of “Heima” the band expressed a desire to explore a more acoustic oriented approach. They’ve done that here to a great degree. But it’s nothing like “Sigur Ros Unplugged”. The sounds they’re known for are sprinkled throughout. Even without Jonsi’s one-of-a-kind voice you’d still be able to tell who it was you’re listening to by the music alone
Speaking of Jonsi’s voice…it seems more prominent on this album than it has been in the past. Not that it hasn’t been mixed well upfront in the earlier records, it seems like it’s even more so here. Which is not a bad thing as far as I’m concerned. Maybe it’s just his enunciation. Though I don’t know for certain, it sounds like almost all of the lyrics are Icelandic. I don’t think there’s much of the vocalizing which has been given the hopelessly stupid name of “hopelandic” (have you seen that NPR interview? Jon really despises that term, preferring to call the made-up enunciations “bullshit”. Ha!). Plus, there’s the closing number, “All Alright”, which is sung entirely in English. I hope I’ll be able to understand the lyrics before too long . :)
Despite what I said yesterday, Now that I’ve heard the record in it’s entirety I don’t think it’s going to win too many new fans. But long-time devotees are going to love it.
Finally, even though I have been listening to this mono stream burn for the last couple of days, I am positive that it’s going to be a whole new ballgame when the headphones go on. Some of these songs are taking a little while to grow on me, and I’d bet that by the 24th I’ll be so enamored of the album that it will blow me away.
There is one thing I don’t like about the record.
THE TITLE!!!
Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
Huh??? How am I supposed to refer to it with a moniker like that?
...and lest we forget...
TWO DAYS UNTIL SIGUR ROS!
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