I've been cleaning up crap around my apartment today - random stuff I never expect to really appreciate, I hope to get re-used. What are you supposed to do with 30 Mardi Gras beads in October? The dozens of name tags from game conventions - are they good as memories, or better in the recycle bin?
And then there's music appreciation. I went to two shows this week - The Like is a all-girl pop band (wikipedia mentions them as "retro-fab" which is fitting). I saw them open for Arctic Monkeys at MusicFest NW last year - they didn't have a CD for sale, so I waited for their current tour. They were fun, but I felt bad they played to maybe 40 people at the all-ages Vera Project. TacocaT was a fun opener...the second opener drove me into the lobby. ("Release Me" is the current The Like release.)
The second show, Frightened Rabbit, I was supposed to see with my friend Elle and one of her friends. Her grandmother was in surgery that day, so she had to bail. Frightened Rabbit was an excellent show though. It's the 5th time I've seen them, and they are a good live band - not wedded to playing the songs as they were on the album, but close enough that you can sing along without feeling embarrassed.
There's a couple of shows I'm considering - Hey Marseilles is playing Columbia City Theater on 10/30, and then The Bad Things (as well as Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba) are playing that same venue on 10/31. We'll see...they're currently both shows I'd be going to solo. (I know HM, so hanging out with them pre/post show is fine. And last Bad Things show I went to, Danbert and I had some drinks.)
The other part of music appreciation, is attaching music memories to people. There was a coworker I never really hung out with, but she was playing Cake on her shift once...Cake! I might not have ever listened to you, except for Mary. My friend Jason and I were in Tokyo to play in a championship mah-jongg tournament, and we were bumming around a Virgin Records store when we found Dropkick Murphys. We each bought a CD and shared them with each other...would they be good? (Fun!) My friend Alyssa would play Mountain Goats in her truck when I'd come down to visit that group of friends in San Diego (and sometimes on an occasional shoutcast evening).
I go to shows with JonnyJonnyH and aperock occasionally, so it's harder to find specific memories...so many good ones can blur. My first Tilly and the Wall, where I met Megan (and thus Chris) over a discussion of board games. (When someone says "Oh, I play board games sometimes" - it's rare to hear it followed up with "Fury of Dracula".) Discussing with JonnyJonnyH about Weakerthans' songs for a mix for a girl over IM. The wonders of aperock and his magical ticket-winning skills. Chumbawamba put on an awesome all-ages show that I went to with the 'mexican mafia princess' (mentioned in my profile) and my friend Alex. I don't even know if they like Chumbawamba - they get dragged into the memory regardless.
I like music.
And then there's music appreciation. I went to two shows this week - The Like is a all-girl pop band (wikipedia mentions them as "retro-fab" which is fitting). I saw them open for Arctic Monkeys at MusicFest NW last year - they didn't have a CD for sale, so I waited for their current tour. They were fun, but I felt bad they played to maybe 40 people at the all-ages Vera Project. TacocaT was a fun opener...the second opener drove me into the lobby. ("Release Me" is the current The Like release.)
The second show, Frightened Rabbit, I was supposed to see with my friend Elle and one of her friends. Her grandmother was in surgery that day, so she had to bail. Frightened Rabbit was an excellent show though. It's the 5th time I've seen them, and they are a good live band - not wedded to playing the songs as they were on the album, but close enough that you can sing along without feeling embarrassed.
There's a couple of shows I'm considering - Hey Marseilles is playing Columbia City Theater on 10/30, and then The Bad Things (as well as Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba) are playing that same venue on 10/31. We'll see...they're currently both shows I'd be going to solo. (I know HM, so hanging out with them pre/post show is fine. And last Bad Things show I went to, Danbert and I had some drinks.)
The other part of music appreciation, is attaching music memories to people. There was a coworker I never really hung out with, but she was playing Cake on her shift once...Cake! I might not have ever listened to you, except for Mary. My friend Jason and I were in Tokyo to play in a championship mah-jongg tournament, and we were bumming around a Virgin Records store when we found Dropkick Murphys. We each bought a CD and shared them with each other...would they be good? (Fun!) My friend Alyssa would play Mountain Goats in her truck when I'd come down to visit that group of friends in San Diego (and sometimes on an occasional shoutcast evening).
I go to shows with JonnyJonnyH and aperock occasionally, so it's harder to find specific memories...so many good ones can blur. My first Tilly and the Wall, where I met Megan (and thus Chris) over a discussion of board games. (When someone says "Oh, I play board games sometimes" - it's rare to hear it followed up with "Fury of Dracula".) Discussing with JonnyJonnyH about Weakerthans' songs for a mix for a girl over IM. The wonders of aperock and his magical ticket-winning skills. Chumbawamba put on an awesome all-ages show that I went to with the 'mexican mafia princess' (mentioned in my profile) and my friend Alex. I don't even know if they like Chumbawamba - they get dragged into the memory regardless.
I like music.