The Long Cut ...we'll get there eventually

Beer Snob. Music Snob. Movie Snob. Book Snob. Self-righteous Bleeding Heart Liberal. What's not to love?

Spunky Kingston

Toots and the Maytals 10.19.07

I can't say that last Friday's WXPN Free-at-Noon artist was someone on my must-see-live list, or even an artist whose music I think about that much, but the instant I found out that Toots and the Maytals were playing, I knew I had to be there.

You might not know it from how I look and dress, but I'm not a huge reggae fan. I've never fully got the whole Bob Marley adoration thing. I've tried. I've even tried Ziggy Marley. Nothing. I just don't think that reggae by itself is very interesting.

But mix it up with a little ska and rock and rhythm & blues and whatever else and now you've got my interest. This might sound lame, but my education in Jamaican music started with the Clash's punk-flavored interpretations and has worked backward from there, so I expect a little more than just the laid-back beats. Toots Hibbert and his band deliver much more than laid-back beats.

I can't say that Toots sounded great in concert, since the sound system seemed a bit weak down at the World Cafe Live (or at least from where I was standing), but he did put on quite a show. You would never guess that Mr. Hibbert is almost 62(!) years old. The guy moves around the stage like he's still in his twenties. He reminded me of a Jamaican (and, you know, still alive) James Brown, without the big ego. Without any ego at all, really.

Toots has a new disc out, but he played plenty of older hits - like "Funky Kingston" and "54-46, That's My Number." And he and the band played for a relatively long time for a free noontime concert - almost an hour.

My spot right next to the stage was great when I got to be one of the lucky few to shake Toots' hand as he wrapped up his set, but it wasn't that great a spot for taking pictures. For most of the concert Toots was blocked from my view by his backup singers (who were, oddly enough, placed up front) but he did come to the edge of the stage every once in a while so I did get a few shots, which I've posted over at Flickr. I just can't say I'm real happy with how they came out. As always, NPR has archived their broadcast of the show, which came out just fine.

Next week: Nellie McKay.

2007.10.25 at 01:59 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Just Because I'm Up To My Neck In Gravel Doesn't Mean I Should Be Taken For Granite

The A-Sides 09.21.07

Hey there! Still here, still alive. The patio project is going well, if not a bit (a lot a bit) slower than expected. I keep meaning to post some in-process pictures (or - hold on the you hats - some video), but any photo post would have to include a few shots of the blood blisters the project has produced, and I don't think anyone wants to see that. Or at least I know the Missus never seems to want to see that.

So, no, I haven't been blogging lately. Or running. Or taking a lot of pictures. Or reading. Or attending free concerts.

Ah, but way back on September 21, before I missed two free-at-noon concerts (by some guys named Loudon Wainwright III and Steve Earle) I did get to see the A-Sides, pour libre.

I'm a big fan of the A-Sides, and not just because they're from Philly (though that's part of it, too). I like how the band takes the pure pop of the 60's and twists it into their own unique sound. Their new disc, Silver Storms, has a stronger, more trippy sound than their debut, and shows off both their musical knowledge and their musical ability. All of the songs on the disc end up morphing into a mix of guitars and drums that never sounds tacked-on or show-offy (that is too a word). In fact, while not every song works perfectly, the album as a whole flows very nicely from song to song.

So I was real excited to see them live and real surprised to see a small crowd waiting to get into the concert, which was a real shame. 'XPN is good to local bands, but the A-Sides still don't get much airplay. The small crowd (and the fact that it was a mid-day concert) seemed to take some of the spark away from the band. But it was still a pretty good show. NPR has it archived here, and I've got some pictures from it here.

This Friday it's funky Kingston's own Toots and the Maytals. I don't know if Toots has a new disc coming out or what, but I can't pass up seeing him live.

2007.10.15 at 01:18 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Great Chicano Fire

My year-end top tens last December didn't include a "best concerts" category but there's no doubt that if they did, Alejandro Escovedo would have been pretty high on it. I saw him for the first time at an 'XPN free-at-noon back in June '06 and he just blew me, and the whole the room, away. Escovedo looks kind of meek and has written a whole bunch of beautiful, gentle songs, so it was kind of surprising to see him and his band rip into some serious rock and roll music.

1429422561_1fbcb11573_m Well, he was back in the area earlier this month to wrap up Camden County's free summer concert series at the Dell in nearby Haddon Heights, NJ. Even in a breezy and relaxed outdoor setting, Escovedo was still his usual intense self. Watching him move around the stage - sort of "visiting" (and jamming with) one of the band members any time he didn't need to be at the microphone - you got the idea that he wanted to pull the best performance possible from each of the people playing up there with him. And the musicians he tours with were up for the challenge. Even the violinist and cellist jammed pretty hard when they had to.

Escovedo played a bunch of songs he hadn't played back when I last saw him. One of his biggest songs, relatively speaking, is "Castanets." That song somehow ended up on Dubya's iPod, and for a while there Escovedo wouldn't play it live because of that. But now that Bush is on his way out (and the Austinite Escovedo isn't real happy about him coming back to Texas when he does finally leave the While House) the song is back on his playlist. He also dedicated the beautiful "Sensitive Boy" to his brother and did a couple of covers as an encore, ending with an incredible take on the Stone's "Beast of Burden" that you probably could have heard three towns over.

I had my camera with me and took some shots. Usually when I go to a free-at-noon concert I also link to the NPR archive of the show, but this show wasn't broadcast on 'XPN (though they were a sponsor). However, I did a little googling and found out that someone did indeed record the show and they've posted it to the live music section of the Internet Archive, and it sounds like it was recorded right off the soundboard. Go here to hear it - it's streaming and it's available for free download.

2007.09.24 at 11:36 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Can You Dig It? I Knew That You Could.

Oh, the digging, the digging... it just never stops.

Josh Ritter 08.24.07

Real quick though, I just wanted to point out that I've posted photos from both the August 24 Josh Ritter Free-at-Noon concert and the August 31 Uncle Earl Free-at-Noon concert over at my Flickr page.

I mentioned the Josh Ritter concert in a RIYL post a couple weeks ago, but I have to add that it was the best concert I've seen at 'XPN so far this year. Ritter's moved from folk troubadour to a more rocking sound and it's pretty obvious that he's having a ball with the new stuff (in a lot of my pictures it looks like his eyes are closed, but that was just from him smiling the whole friggin' concert). His songwriting skills are still as strong as they've ever been and the new songs sound fantastic.

Ritter mentioned during the concert that he played "The River" at a Carnegie Hall Springsteen tribute (and got to meet the Boss), so when he came back out on stage at our concert for a solo acoustic encore - while everyone else called for him to play "Kathleen" (his best-known song from his folk era) - I jokingly called out, "play the River!," which got a big laugh from the crowd. And then he actually played "The River!" How 'bout that? And just after Ritter solemnly sang the Springsteen line, "down to the river, my baby and I," a baby in the audience gave a perfectly-timed little cry. Damn kid showed me up.

NPR has the show (sans encore) archived here. My photos are here.

Uncle Earl

Uncle Earl is a four-piece (plus an extra touring member) bluegrass band. I have never heard them ever get air time on 'XPN (or anywhere else), but I'm always up for some good bluegrass. And this was good, authentic bluegrass music. It was old-timey, but it wasn't treated as some kind of dusty artifact. It was played with a lot of energy and made the place feel like some Kentucky honky-tonk bar (a honky-tonk bar filled with public-radio-loving yuppies, but still).

The four women who make up Uncle Earl all seem to come at bluegrass from different angles - Alison Krauss sweetness to good ol' boy girl rollickin' - but they all meshed together very well. An unexpected treat that was a lot of fun, and it'll probably be the only time I'll ever see clogs (as in "clog dancing") used as a musical instrument in concert.

Their myspace page is here, NPR's archive is here, my photos are here.

I still have some Alejandro Escovedo (who was 'XPN's best free show last year) concert photos to process from a Camden County park concert last week. He's still unbelievably good live. More on that concert when I get more time.

[Did you get the post title reference? I knew that you would.]

2007.09.10 at 10:51 AM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Three For Free

Kim Richey 08.08.07

Lots of free concerts lately!

A week ago Wednesday it was Kim Richey at the Dell in Haddon Heights, NJ. For some reason I was expecting a solo show but, as you can see from the photo, she brought a full band with her. For a hot and humid night Kim and the band played a pretty energetic show. Lots of new stuff from  Chinese Boxes  and a few older songs, too. Opening act Carsie Blanton was all smiles and girlish charm, a combination of sweet innocence and singsong vocals that fit her songwriting style perfectly. Carsie's got a myspace page (as does Kim Richey) and I've got some photos from the show at my flickr page.

Crowded House/Joan As Policewoman

Two days later, it was another Friday Free-at-Noon concert at WXPN, with Brooklyn's Joan as Policewoman opening up for Crowded House.

The nonsensically-named Joan as Policewoman (I'm pretty sure she's not a real policewoman) is singer-songwriter Joan Wasser backed by a drummer and bass player. Wasser sounds a bit like Cat Power with a punkier edge. She put on quite a show, with her gold lamé shirt and dramatic head flips. Not quite what the Crowded House crowd goes for, but I thought she sounded pretty good.

As is the custom during the two-act Free-at-Noon shows, the first act was interviewed while the roadies set the stage for the second act. This usually takes about three minutes, but for some reason Crowded House's guys took about ten. This caused a bit of confusion since the show was being broadcast live on NPR while the drawn-out interview with Joan Wasser was going in circles. When the band finally did come out they didn't seem like they were taking the show very seriously, but they were having a good time and soon enough the audience was laughing along with them and their slow set-up was pretty much forgotten (maybe not by the host of the show, who looked like she wanted to kill someone - probably someone from New Zealand). Neil Finn warned that he wasn't going to sing anything with high notes (so no "Don't Dream It's Over"), but the four songs they did play sounded just fine.

My Flickr set here, NPR archive here.

Today I was back at 'XPN for another two-fer free concert, this time it was Neko Case opening for Rufus Wainwright. I would have been happier with a full show of Neko, but Rufus was pretty good, too. Neko hasn't had a new album since last year's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood and three of her four songs came from that disc, which was just fine by me. I just wish I got to hear her for more than than twelve minutes.

Rufus played three songs from his new disc, Release the Stars, and brought out his half-sister Lucy Roche (daughter of Suzzie Roche of the Roches) to help sing a pretty decent version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" (I still don't think anyone does it better than Cohen himself). He came back out after the broadcast was over and played probably my favorite song of his, "California," as an encore.

Rufus and Neko had a strict no-photography rule in effect, so all I've got for you is the NPR archive of the show.

2007.08.17 at 11:25 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Sisters, Oh Mercy

Tegan & Sara 08.03.07

It's late, the Phillies just lost, I needed to get an emergency pulpotomy this afternoon (which should hold me over until I can get a pulpectomy next week), I got about four hours of sleep last night because I had an icepack plastered to my face, and I just found out today that Boston blogs harder than Philly - so I'm going to keep this short:

Last Friday's WXPN Free-at-Noon concert featured Tegan & Sara, the Canadian twin sisters whose new album The Con gets better with each listening. They played to a full house ('XPN always calls it a "sell-out crowd," but I don't see how a free concert can "sell" out) and rocked hard and loud.

They played a lot of their new stuff and a couple of old songs and had plenty of pretty funny (and often pretty flaky) banter. NPR has the concert archived (though their website doesn't list everything they played), and I've got some photos from the show.

Tomorrow's free concert, another "sell-out," is Crowded House, with Joan as Police Woman opening, which should be pretty good. But next week's show - Rufus Wainwright and Neko Case - should be pretty great. I would suggest you get your free tickets for that one now, before they sell out run out.

2007.08.09 at 11:34 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Guitar And Driver

Glen Hansard And Marketa Irglova (The Swell Season)

Last Friday's WXPN Free-at-Noon concert's headliner was actress-turned-musician Minnie Driver, but the stars of the show were musicians-turned-actors Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová (who perform as "the Swell Season").

Hansard, of the Irish band the Frames, and Czech singer and pianist Irglová are the stars of the new independent movie Once. Driver, of course, has been in major motion pictures like Grosse Point Blank and Good Will Hunting (as well as several other movies where the title isn't a play on words). She also, um, sings.

I don't want to be too harsh on Ms. Driver. She can sing, and she's not too too bad at it - other than a monotonous stab at Stevie Wonder's "Master Blaster" she didn't embarrass herself. I just didn't leave the concert feeling like I just had to have her new disc. Judging by the long line at her table after the show, a lot of concert-goers did - though buying her disc also meant getting to meet a real-live Hollywood actress, so that could have had something to do with the unusually brisk sales. Driver was also quite charming during her mid-concert interview (though she needs to drop her totally-fake British accent).

Oddly enough, during Hansard and Irglová's interview they mentioned that the director of Once said he was looking for musicians who acted, not actors who sang (sorry, Minnie). If these two can act as well as they perform music, and it looks like they can, than the movie should do pretty well. Hansard wrote the film's songs (before being cast in the lead) and had already recorded an album with Irglová before doing the soundtrack. Irglová's soft harmonies nicely compliment Hansard's emotional, Cat Stevens-like vocals.

They also, apparently, have become a real-life couple since the playing a couple in their film - though that was kind of obvious in concert from the goo-goo eyes they were making at each other (actually, it was kind of sweet to see the way they were interacting - it's just that I'm a cynical old man, so I have to make fun of it).

I've got a bunch of pictures of the happy couple over at my Flickr page, but my view of Minnie was usually blocked by her band's equipment so I've only got a couple shots of her. NPR, as they do every week, has archived the concert at their website.

2007.08.03 at 04:06 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Whopping Spree

I feel like the Long Cut's becoming all-concert-photos-all-the-time, but there was no way that I was going to leave my camera home for the Polyphonic Spree Free-at-Noon concert I saw a couple of Fridays ago. Usually these concerts give you three or four subjects to shoot, but the Spree provided twenty-four of them (twenty-five if you count opening act Mark Olson - twenty-six if you count Megan Hickey of the Last Town Chorus, who accompanied Olson).

765100267_3710505b9b When I wrote about the Polyphonic Spree's newest album, The Fragile Army, a few weeks ago, I referred to their "strange cult-like choir shtick" and mentioned how their songs have a tendency to all start sounding the same after while, but in concert it all works. The band comes across as genuine - more theater than shtick (if that makes any sense - yes, it's an act, but that doesn't mean that they're not into what they're playing) - and their constant enthusiasm on stage keeps you interested in their songs longer than you might have been just listening to them on your CD player. The Spree were obviously made for live shows, and their always-smiling and appropriately-named leader Tim DeLaughter drove that home with a few pleas to buy the new disc so that the band could continue to stay on the road (I can't imagine just how much it must cost to keep this band touring).

The concert was a lot of fun - half Electric Light Orchestra, half Up With People - and I would recommend it to anyone, even if you're not all that crazy about the music.

The mild Olson, formerly of the Jayhawks, was an odd choice to have open for such a dynamic group (I have a feeling he just happened to be available to stop into 'XPN that day), and he only played four songs (including one oldie from his former band). It would have been great for him to have his own Free-at-Noon concert, but he did a good job filling the little time he was given.

NPR's stream of the concert is here, my photo set is here. About half the Polyphonic Spree pictures were taken while the band was setting up which, as you can imagine, took quite a while.

2007.07.09 at 11:20 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Solid Wood

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Always on the lookout for concert tickets that are in my price range (i.e. free), I'm try to take full advantage of my county's free summer concert series. Actually, they have a few free summer series going at once, but the one in the town one over from me features mostly folk and folk-rock artists. They often get some really good artists on their way up and sometimes even get some (relatively) bigger names to come into town (last year I saw Graham Parker there, and the year before that they got Marshall Crenshaw to come down to play). And the concerts are on a little outside stage carved into a dell, complete with a little stream running behind it.

Last Wednesday night, the nine-year-old and I went out to see the Wood Brothers. About a year ago a coworker of mine gave me the brothers' debut album, Ways Not to Lose, to listen to. This year he pretty much demanded that I go see them when they came to town (I was already planning on going anyway).

Oliver Wood does most of the singing and most of the songwriting. He also plays a mean guitar, despite his mild-mannered disposition (he was very kind to a little girl who decided she would watch the show from right on the stage). Christopher Wood (he of Medeski Martin & Wood) plays stand up bass and a little harmonica and provides the back up vocals. It's a pretty bare-bones little operation they run, but they make the most of it. Their sound is rooted in the blues but there's a lot more going on there, too. Someone said it pretty well over at Wikipedia (no, seriously, someone actually wrote an accurate wiki for once):

[T]he songs... possess a timeless quality: Their bedrock melodies and astutely observed stories sound instantly archetypal. There are echoes of country blues, Appalachian bluegrass, and New Orleans R&B. Oliver’s inimitable vocals—yearning, rueful, jubilant—are set within expressive yet economical arrangements created by his own impressionistic (electric and National steel-bodied) guitar riffs [and] Chris’ nimble, note-bending bass lines.

Great stuff, and their album is just as impressive. You can download a bunch of songs from their website, but you can download the disc's single right here: "One More Day" [mp3]. And the Free-at-Noon concert they did last year (how'd I miss that?) is archived over at NPR.

And, of course, I took some photos while I was there (they're not the greatest shots - outdoor nighttime concerts aren't the easiest things in the world to shoot).

2007.06.29 at 11:45 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Tiger Beat

Ryan Adams - Free at Noon Concert

Earlier this week, I read a shot-by-shot analysis of the last five minutes of the Sopranos final episode. One of the less-popular post-blackout theories - that it was the show's viewers who got whacked - was dismissed by the post's author with a quick, "That’s cute. But the show was about Tony, not us."

I would say the same thing to anyone who thought that Ryan Adams performed for them at last Friday's WXPN Free-at-Noon concert. Cute, but the show was about Ryan, not us.

The stage was lit only from the back, so that for most of the show all the audience saw was Ryan's silhouette (in fact, the entire room was kept in the dark from the time we stumbled in until the time we stumbled out). Ryan and his band, the Cardinals, were set up not in an arc but in a semi-circle, so that they were practically playing for each other. The crowd laughed at all of Ryan's jokes, but most seemed to be told for the band's benefit. And I think Ryan spent more time talking to a stagehand while trying to get a proper can of Coke (the first wasn't cold enough, the second was in a cup and not the requested can) than he did talking to the audience.

So yeah, Ryan Adams can be a jerk. But he's a funny and charming jerk. And a seriously talented musician. Ryan puts out a lot of music - sometimes two or three albums a year - and isn't afraid to try different styles. He sometimes seems to just throw everything out there to see what sticks, but a good amount of it does indeed stick. He first hit the scene fronting Whiskeytown, which was often derided as a weak Uncle Tupelo wannabe, then went solo and put out his own alt-country work as well as some rock, pop, honky-tonk, and even some mope-rock (he does a version of Oasis's "Wonderwall" that might just be better than the original).

His upcoming disc, Easy Tiger seems to go back to his country-tinged roots, though slower, more somber, and more radio friendly (Sheryl Crow - ugh - even appears on its first single). For me, not many of the album's songs have much staying power, but the disc also strikes me as something that might grow on me - like the two years it took for me (and perhaps a handful of other fans) to appreciate his Love is Hell EPs.

While the Cardinals went for the classic rock-tour-casual look, Ryan went for a nightclub vibe with the coat, the loosened necktie, and the Ray Bans. Between his get-up, the soft lights, and the mournful piano that accompanied him, Ryan was very much reminding me of a slightly-countrified Rufus Wainwright. But he sounded great, pleased the crowd (intentionally or not) by playing some of his older stuff, and was kind enough to stick around for a few more songs after the radio feed signed off. So maybe he isn't too much of a jerk after all. Though you might not want to ask the guy who had to keep bringing him sodas (of which Ryan ended up taking a total of about three sips) what he thought of him.

This week's free show is former Mott The Hoople frontman Ian Hunter. I'm going to take a pass on that one, but I've already got my ticket for next week's free Polyphonic Spree show. How could I possibly turn down a chance to see a spectacle like that? I can't wait to see how they fit everyone on the World Cafe Live's relatively tiny stage.

By the way, that grainy photo up there is the only one I could salvage from the show, due to the darkness (and it took about an hour of photoshopping just to make that one somewhat presentable). I found pictures of the show from fellow South Jerseyian Serena - who must have been standing right next to me but still somehow managed to get plenty of great shots - on her flickr page.

NPR, as always, has achieved a stream of the concert at their website.

Update: MuchMusic is streaming Mr. Adams' new disc at their website. [Muchmusic, by the way is the Canadian equivalent to the MTV - back when MTV played music. When the (future) missus was going to college up in North Jersey (back in the early 90's) her college's cable system was about 90% Canadian channels for some reason (I would guess that it was much cheaper than regular cable). Anyway, we spent a lot of time watching MuchMusic which, in accordance with the Canadian Content rules, made sure that 35% of the videos they played were by Canadian artist and, boy howdy, you had better have loved Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams (and yes, I'm pretty sure Ryan Adams hates that Bryan Adams ever went into the music business - even more than most of us do). Watching Canadian cable was cool during the Winter Olympics, though. You know, I'm thinking this little addendum probably should have been it's own post.]

2007.06.21 at 09:20 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Superior Show

Great Lake Swimmers - WXPN Free at Noon Concert

I'm still crazy busy at work, but WXPN's keeps having some pretty hard-to-resist acts at their Friday Free-at-Noon shows lately, so I keep going.

Two Fridays ago it was the Great Lake Swimmers. This Canadian band's latest album,  Ongiara, is definitely what some folks would call a "grower" - it might not do much for you at first, but it grows on you after a while. Luckily, that's not the case in when they're in concert (especially since they only played for 35 minutes), where their sound instantly grabs your attention.

Singer Tony Dekker is the low-key leader of a low-key band, but that doesn't mean that their music is restrained - he's backed by some pretty talented musicians playing some very interesting music. The music's just a bit quieter is all. And that just serves to highlight Dekker's crisp vocals and strong lyrics.

I was surprised that the relatively-unknown band drew a pretty respectable-sized crowd for the lunchtime concert. I'm sure that for a lot of the folks there it was their first time hearing the Great Lake Swimmers, but from the way that the band kept the audience's attention I'd be willing to bet that quite a few of them came away impressed. I was already impressed with the band before I got there, so I was just happy that they played a good mix of old and new songs.

As always, NPR has posted the concert at their site, and I've got a few photos at my flickr page.

2007.06.18 at 11:42 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Meet Me In The Middle Of The Day

Steve Forbert Concert

Last Friday I went to my first WXPN Free-at-Noon concert since, let me think, February. Wow. Since seeing Son Volt back then, either I've been too busy to go or the free act hasn't interested me that much. To 'XPN's credit, it's been more the former than the latter.

Anyway, last Friday it was folk troubadour Steve Forbert. Forbert was one of those guys, along with Springsteen and John Prine, tagged in the early 70's as being "the Next Dylan." Springsteen, of course, went on to be so successful that a few young singers have now been saddled with the "Next Springsteen" tag, and Prine has been doing quite alright since rejuvenating his career with a couple brilliant discs during the 90's. Forbert, however, doesn't get the attention these other guys get. He's one of those singers who are almost always described as "you know, that guy who sang that song..."

Well, way back when, Forbert was that guy who sang those songs "Goin' Down to Laurel" and "Romeo's Tune" (you'd know it if you heard it, goes like this - "Meet me in the middle of the day, let me hear you say everything's okay, bring me southern kisses from your room..."). He's had a couple other minor hits ("What Kinda Guy am I", "You Cannot Win If You Do Not Play"), but mostly you don't hear much of him anymore.

That's a shame, because the guy puts on a really good live show. You don't realize the intensity of his songs until you hear them live. On the radio they're all sweetness and folk, but the verses are usually broken up by heavier guitar and harmonica sound. He just kind of sneaks those parts in there. They're harder to miss when he's playing live since he puts on a pretty intense show, even for a free noontime crowd (which explains why all the pictures I took of him are a little shaky).

He and his band (who all look their age, while Forbert still looks about thirty) played a few of the old crowd-pleasers, but he also played a few songs from his new disc and they sounded pretty strong. The guy doesn't deviate much from the style that first got him noticed back in the 70's, but he doesn't sound dated, either.

NPR is streaming the Forbert show here, and my small Flickr photo set is here.

This week the Free at Noon show is the Great Lake Swimmers, whose new album I talked up here a few weeks ago. The disc's quietness made it a little tough to get into at first, but since then I've listened to it quite a bit and it has really grown on me. I'm looking forward to seeing them live.

2007.06.07 at 09:58 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (2)

An Opening Day In The Life

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2007.04.14 at 09:31 PM in Family, Photography, Sports | Permalink | Comments (2)

Local Time

The Swimmers at the March '07 Philly Local Live

Regular readers of this blog might see my posts about all the WXPN Free-at-Noon shows that I've attended and think that I'm some cheapskate that only goes to free Friday afternoon concerts. This simply isn't true. Just this week I attended a WXPN-hosted Philly Local concert. Sure, it was still a free show, but it was on a Tuesday night, not a Friday afternoon. Big difference.

The night started off with Sharon Little and Scott Sax. Little is a strange mix of bluesy folk singer and jazzy torch singer, and Sax's backing guitar moved between the two styles right along with her. I had never heard this duo before - and they both seemed very talented - but the attempt to combine two very different styles sounded disjointed and just didn't work for me.

Next up was long-time 'XPN favorite John Flynn. Flynn is folk singer born ten or twenty years too late. He writes songs about politics and the current state of the world that are devoid of any cynical irony at a time when that's just not done anymore. Perhaps some coffeehouse folkies also attempt this, but John's the real deal and he was very good. He's also quite funny, and the ladies in the audience seemed to like looking at him.

After Flynn was the band I came to see, the Swimmers. It seems like I've been waiting forever for their first album to be released (now expected in May), but I've had a few of their mp3s for a while now and they've been streaming their album on their website since Christmas-time, and I can not imagine these guys (and gal) not making it big. They write great songs full of catchy hooks that just transcend anything else that's out right now. And now I know that they're also great live. I brought my brother with me to this show primarily to hear the Swimmers, and he was extremely impressed. I think they're going to have that effect on a lot of folks.

Following the Swimmers (or maybe right before?) was a surprise visit by a South Jersey singer who has already gotten quite a bit of national notice, Amos Lee. I remember seeing Lee open for someone at a little neighborhood concert in the next town over a few years ago, but that was before he signed with Blue Note and put out a couple of critically-acclaimed albums. It was also before he started hanging out with folks like Norah Jones. I've never been all that impressed with Lee, but I have to admit that he sounded very good Tuesday night. He looked very confident and comfortable on stage, and that made him sound much more mature and authentic then I remember him being last time I saw him.

Hail Social was the night's headliner. The band's second album, Modern Love & Death, was released that very day but if they were excited about that it certainly didn't show in their performance. They looked like they were just going though the motions, and their music sounded like it was doing the same. They weren't bad, but they we're offering anything that hasn't already been done several times over. There didn't seem to be any chemistry between the band members, nor was there any interaction with the crowd. Coming on so soon after the very energetic and happy-to-be-there Swimmers didn't help their act much either, and so my brother and I decided to beat the traffic after the third song.

Photos from the show are posted over at my Flickr page. WXPN plans on having the next Philly Local show sometime in June.

2007.03.23 at 10:58 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (2)

High Voltage

Son Volt concert

This week's WXPN Free-at-Noon concert was Uncle Tupelo offshoot Son Volt.

After a strong debut, Son Volt put out a few very good records that didn't differ very much in their sound. The band's creativity seemed to hit a plateau (albeit a very high plateau) and they kind of got lost in the shadow of that other Uncle Tupelo spinoff, Wilco.

With 2005's Okemah And The Melody Of Riot, however, Farrar pumped some new life into the band and got people talking about them again. Judging from this concert (and samples from their upcoming release that you can hear at their website) Son Volt's energy seems to have gone up yet another level. Farrar has found a way to expand his alt-county sound while at the same time staying true to his Uncle Tupelo era Americana roots.

A quick (eight nine songs crammed into about thirty minutes, plus a couple off-the-air encores) but impressive concert.

More shots from the concert over at my photoblog.

Update: I forgot to mention that, as always with the Free-at-Noon shows, a stream of this concert is available at NPR's website.

2007.02.23 at 11:55 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Last Sunday I didn't have any photos for you to vote on, and this week... well, I've got some pictures, but whether or not you want to vote on them depends on how much you like looking at abandoned factories.

Ever since we moved into our new offices last may, I've been fascinated by an old factory on the wrong side of Chinatown, the side that got cut off from the vibrant part by the Vine Street Expressway. I can see the building from our office space and I finally got up the nerve to go over and take a few shots of it, along with one other graffiti-covered (and I mean covered) building nearby.

There's also my photos of Patty Griffin. They're nothing spectacular, but she's a lot nicer to look at than some old buildings.

So, go over and take a look and come back here and let me know which one you liked best. If any. Seriously, I'll understand.

2007.02.11 at 11:11 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (3)

Verve Griffin

Patty Griffin

Another Friday, another 'XPN Free-at-Noon concert. This week it was Maine singer-songwriter Patty Griffin. When I got to World Cafe Live, I was a little surprised to see that Griffin pulled in a full house for the concert. Not that she isn't talented enough to draw a crowd, but she's never really gotten the attention she deserves.

That should change with her new album, Children Running Through. In the past, Griffin's been willing to try all kinds of musical styles - soul, folk, jazz, rock, country - and sounded comfortable with each of them. From what I heard at the concert, her new stuff has a little taste of everything and an overall sound that's fuller than anything I've ever heard from her.

Griffin played quieter songs on the piano and some harder hitting songs on guitar. Her backing band complimented her very well, resulting at times in a sound that seemed to swirl around the room. Hard to explain, but it sounded just great. Patty also brought a lot of energy to the show. For a woman who looks like she weighs about eighty pounds, she plays a mean guitar. And she's got such a strong voice.

As always, NPR has the concert at their website. I only took a few shots - we weren't supposed to take any, but towards the end people started whipping out cameras and Patty didn't seem to mind, so I snuck a few. Shhh....

2007.02.09 at 08:47 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

A strange week here at FPotW headquarters as we encountered our first case of ballot box stuffing. It seems that someone really wanted this photo to win, but we all know that cheaters (and the missus' picks) never win.

Personally, I would have chosen this shot, but most of you (honest) guys liked this one best:

Quince

I didn't get out much the past week (and I'm not too happy with the few shots I did take), so nothing to vote on today. I'll be better this week, promise. Thanks to everyone who voted, and special thanks to those who only voted once.

2007.02.04 at 11:35 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Much Bettr

I'm pretty sure I'm never going to get that $1000 profession-grade digital SLR camera with the equally expensive lens, and I'm quite confident that a professional photographer job offer isn't going to come my way anytime soon [though if I had that fancy digital SLR...], but I can now say that when it comes to photography, I'm a pro.

That's right, I finally upgraded my Flickr account from the free level to the pro level. The free account allowed you to upload pretty much as many photos as want (there is a monthly space limit, though I never came close to hitting it), but it would only show your most recent 200 shots. And it limited you to just three photo sets.

Now, for $25 a year I truly have unlimited posting, with every photo viewable at all times. And unlimited photo sets to boot.

Another nice thing about Flickr is that it's a lot easier to upload photos on it than it is on TypePad. Now I just put a photo on Flickr and link my blog post to that photo. Flickr even provides the code that lets you display pictures on your blog and automatically send readers to Flickr when they click on the photo. From there they can see larger versions of the image.

It's all very geeky and yet very cool at the same time. The main thing is that it will make it easier for me to manage my photos. And since you can password protect whatever you want, and order reprints right from the Flickr photo page, I might even dump Ofoto and just post the family photos onto Flickr, too. Now I've just got to get around to getting all my non-Flickr photographs uploaded.

Me_phillython And speaking of photographs, it's the start of a new month and that means a new profile photo (and a new header, too). That's right, I finally changed my pic from Angry Mark to Thirsty Mark. Our long national nightmare is over.

The new photo is from my second 'thon, the 2000 Philadelphia Marathon. It was late November and it was quite cold. I carried a disposable camera with me during the "race" (I certainly wasn't racing)  and I would stop and take photos of the scenery (the Philly 'thon is a very scenic course -  many neighborhoods and no highways) or I would have someone take a photo of me.

This particular photo was taken on my way back from Manayunk, 'round about Mile 22, and at that point I was pretty sure I was toast. I stopped at the local Harriet House Runners "water" station. Except that's not water, or powerade. The beverage I'm enjoying is beer. Sweet, sweet beer. Perhaps the best tasting beer I had ever had (though they insisted it was just Miller Lite). The beer stop is a tradition of the Hash House Harriers, a "club for drinkers with a running problem." Big signs stating "this is beer, not water!" all over the place. I ended up picking up the pace not long after that stop and finished a couple minutes better than my first 'thon. I credit the beer.

I even ran up the "Rocky Steps" after I finished ("ran" might not be the right word for it, but I made it up them). And the soup they served after the race was perhaps the best tasting soup I had ever had.

If you think that running shirt looks tight on me, be glad I didn't post a full-length shot from that day. There's running tights and there's tight running tights. And then there's tight tight running tights. Those are the ones I was wearing. And glasses! I ran 26.2 miles wearing my big dorky glasses! Even though I had contacts by then, I was too afraid to run with them in. I thought they might fall out. Thank God I've gotten over that fear.

One of these days I should post the rest of my photos from that day (minus the full-length shots, of course). Hmm, if only I had a pro account on some online photo-sharing site.

2007.02.01 at 11:03 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (4)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Finally got back out with the camera, despite the cold. A week ago I didn't have any new photos for you guys to vote on, but I do now.

Since there was nothing to vote on last Sunday, how about a shot of what my work computer looked like for most of the week:

Compbroke

Weeeeee! You know it's bad when there's a big ol' flashlight involved. Good thing my co-workers were so very understanding about my predicament and weren't on my back this week (Ha!).

I've got some more shots from Philly - mostly around Independence Mall. Go here to check them out, pick a favorite (or you could choose one of my Erin McKeown pictures if you like), and let me know. Thanks!

2007.01.28 at 10:10 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (5)

Thanks For The Boogie Ride

Erin McKeown concert

Yesterday's lunch was spent at the Tin Angel here in Philadelphia. WXPN was hosting another of their "Free-At-Noon" concerts and this time instead of me having to go out to them, they brought the concert to me. The Tin Angel is a tiny second-floor club in the Old City section of Philly, about a half mile from my office. It was wicked cold on Friday but the noontime artist, Erin McKeown, was well worth the trouble.

McKeown has a new album, Sing You Sinners, that's full of bluesy, jazzy, swingy songs from the first half of the last century (some standards like "Paper Moon" and some not-so-standards, like the song I took for the title of this post). It's hard to explain her unique interpretation of these songs, but you definitely wouldn't call it polished. She described it as going for something so carefree and reckless that it sounded like it was "thrown down a flight of stairs" (or something like that). It was a cool, confident and loose sound that seemed made for being played in tiny clubs, and McKeown and her bandmates put on a super performance. McKeown's voice is strong, but so is her guitar playing. Her attitude and ability reminded me of Stray Cats-era Brian Setzer, back when he was still cool.

Her enthusiasm and energy made for a real fun show. I'm not sure the full effect comes through away from the club, but there's a good review of McKeown's Friday night show in the Inqy, and the noontime show is available at NPR's website. Also, I've got a dozen photos from the show over at the Ipso.

2007.01.27 at 09:19 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

For the second week in a row, the winning photo was taken in a church.

Sunpew1000407

I know I said that I wanted to post a photo every day this year, but dang, it was cold out there last week! So no photos to vote on this week while I play catch-up over at the Ipso.

2007.01.21 at 11:54 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

I Look A Lot Like Narcissus

Selfself

Fun with mirrors at the Franklin Institute.

[I'm not even going to ask where the post title came from. Too easy.]

2007.01.20 at 11:53 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

I brought back FPotW and people actually voted! Here's last week's winner, High Tops And Hymnals:

Missalp1000456_1

This week it's a bunch of shots from around Philly. Go here to check them out, pick a favorite, and let me know. Thanks!

2007.01.14 at 08:57 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (5)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Awwww, yeah, it's back!

One of my resolutions for the new year is to get back to posting a daily shot over at the Ipso. So why not bring FPotW back while I'm at it, right?

For those of you new to this, here's how it works: I post a link to a week's worth of shots from over at my photoblog, and you leave a comment on which one you liked the most. Assuming that you actually liked one of them. If not, you could just put down the one you found least annoying.

Sounds simple, right? Ah, but there's a twist... no, wait, there's no twist, it really is that simple. So head over there and come back here. Winner posted next week.

For now, please enjoy a shot of the boys in one of their quieter moments:

Jump1000598 

And people say I don't post pictures of my kids faces! Bah!

2007.01.07 at 11:14 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (4)

Camera Obtaina

A whole week without mentioning what the missus Santa left under the tree for me.

And now, the obligatory new camera self-portrait in bathroom mirror.

Day 1

One of my goals for the new year is to get back to posting a daily shot over at the Ipso. Starting, um, tomorrow.

Update: Weird. While looking for something else, I found my post from New Years Day 2006. It's title? "I Need A Kamera." That was back before my Fuji went missing and was merely broken.

2007.01.01 at 08:27 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

See-Worthy

I got to see Starsailor at the WXPN Free-At-Noon a week ago (you can hear a recording of the concert at that link) and have posted a few photos on my flickr site. They're not the greatest photos - I wasn't very good at taking concert photos even before I lost my camera, using the missus' camera only makes it tougher.

Starsailor is often compared to Coldplay and Coldplay is the band that everyone knows and Starsailor is one of those "they're big overseas" bands. Still, I've always preferred Starsailor - their music seems to have a little more pep and a lot more variety than Coldplay's. Their latest album moves away from that Chris Martin sound, with a couple of tunes that sound closer to Oasis.

Unfortunately, the short concert started with four songs by Sailsailor's opening act, Peter Walker. I've heard a few songs from Walker and they're pretty good (you can hear a couple of them at his website), but they didn't work too well live.

Murphy's set only left time for five songs from Starsailor (four of which were broadcast and one was just for us). These noontime concerts only last 45-minutes, trying to squeeze two acts into such a short time doesn't give you much time to enjoy either of them. Starsailor did get in a great set, just too short of one.

Click here for the photo set.

Star1941

2006.09.16 at 09:53 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Photo Friday 09.15.06

09.15.06 Photo Friday Challenge: Bright

Click to Enlarge

[Click photo to enlarge.]

I originally took this shot because of the way the 57-58-59-60 sequence continues right into the bus number. But it works for this week's theme, too.

Photofridaybutton_1 Each week Photo Friday posts a photo assignment. Your mission is the creative interpretation of the week's theme. When you're done, post the picture you took to your website and submit your link to Photo Friday. Photo Friday is about challenging our participants to be original and creative within the constraints of the week's theme. It's not a competition. Anyone with a camera and a place on the Internet to post pictures can participate.

2006.09.15 at 11:14 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Photo Friday 09.08.06

09.08.06 Photo Friday Challenge: Boy

Boy1988

Trying to get back on my Photo Friday kick.

Photofridaybutton_1 Each week Photo Friday posts a photo assignment. Your mission is the creative interpretation of the week's theme. When you're done, post the picture you took to your website and submit your link to Photo Friday. Photo Friday is about challenging our participants to be original and creative within the constraints of the week's theme. It's not a competition. Anyone with a camera and a place on the Internet to post pictures can participate.

2006.09.09 at 10:25 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get Out The Map

Flickrmap

Flickr is now allowing its users to geotag their photos, which allows visitors to do a search on photos taken at a certain location. How neat is that? It's so neat that it makes me wish I still had my camera.

And can I just say: I was geography before geography was cool. I even have a degree in it, people. Way back in 1987, all of us in Remote Sensing and Air Photo Interpretation class knew there would be a day when the rest of the world would see things our way. Now it's "geo" this and "gps" that all over the place. These days students are probably lining up to take Land Use and Resource Development - trying to jump on the "geographers are hot" bandwagon.

Or, you know, maybe not.

[You can click on that image (or here) to see the beginnings of my flickr map, but I've got a lot more photos I still have to geotag.]

2006.08.28 at 11:55 PM in Geospatial, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

All I've Got Is A Photograph And I Realize You're Not Coming Back Anymore

Proud_1

Another shot from San Diego.

I've been putting off editing and posting the rest of my San Diego photos from my trip. It's been two weeks since I got back, but I keep thinking that there's still a chance that my camera (which mysteriously disappeared from my checked suitcase on the flight home) - and the hundred or so shots that I had yet to upload from it - might still show up.

How sad is that?

2006.08.27 at 11:35 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (3)

A Crackerjack Performance

Lowery1751As planned, we went out to see Cracker play a free noontime concert on Friday - and I've got the blurry picture to prove it.

That's David Lowery, lead singer for Cracker (and for Camper Van Beethoven, too) and in this shot he's answering a question during the interview section of the concert.

Like the CVB concert I saw back in '05, the Cracker concert was pretty loud. The missus and the boys picked me up at work and we all headed over to WXPN early enough to get right up next to the stage. Probably a little too close to the stage - the four-year-old (who's been battling swimmer's ear) and I ended up moving to the back of the room about half-way through.

The band played for about forty minutes and split the setlist evenly between old favorites and new stuff. The new stuff, from their just-released Greenland, was instantly catchy and very much in the spirit of early Cracker.

At the missus' urging, we picked up a copy of the new disc on the way out. We couldn't stick around for the meet-and-greet to get it signed (I had to get back to work), but we've been listening to the cd and it sounds pretty good - all four of us already have our favorites and have been humming them all weekend.

My favorite shot from the concert was a little sign on the easel that was holding up Lowery's laptop (are Apple ones called laptops?), which I guess he was using for help with some not-yet-memorized lyrics. It's actually a Camper-related sticker, but I still think it's pretty funny. [Click on the image to enlarge and turn your monitor over to read it right-side-up.]

Borrow1752

2006.07.30 at 10:38 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Part Of "Crazed Fan" Will Be Played By Mark, The Role Of "Unsuspecting Rock Star" Will Be Played By Graham Parker

Proof that I actually did hang out with Graham Parker Wednesday night:

Me_gp

If Graham hasn't already applied for that restraining order, he surely will after seeing this picture. I'm usually not that demented looking, honest.

Today it's another free concert with the family - Cracker is playing a 'XPN Free-At-Noon show. This will be the second time I've seen David Lowery at a noontime concert, the (then) three-year-old and I caught Camper Van Beethoven back in June of 2005.

I'm pretty sure I can still legally get within 500 feet of Mr. Lowery.

2006.07.28 at 09:55 AM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (3)

Parker In The Park

Parker1708

The whole family (and about 300 other people) came out to the Dell in Haddon Heights last night to see the great Graham Parker. An incredible show from one of the godfathers of New Wave (right up there with Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson). He played alone, half-acoustic/half-electric, and really had the crowd into it - even though I would guess that half of them had never heard of him before last night (most people just like seeing free concerts in the park).

This was the first time I'd ever seen GP and wasn't sure what to expect from him twenty-five years past his most popular period (though even back then he never really reached the level of popularity that he deserved), but he's still a great performer and a great storyteller. Though his music is better suited for a pub setting, he did alright in an outdoor/family setting (and in a dry town, too!).

I think he'd already adjusted his act to compensate for his age (at 55, he's no longer an "angry young man") and playing without the support of a backing band, and now comes off a bit like a British Bob Dylan. He even joked about once being called the next Dylan when he was just starting out, but he sounds more like Dylan now than ever before. Parker's got gray hair now and looks a bit worn down from living the rock-n-roll life but his voice, like his guitar playing, was still strong.

He also joked about old age making him forget his older songs, but the set was split pretty evenly between his old stuff ("White Honey," "Fool's Gold," "Don't Ask Me Questions," "Discovering Japan") and his newer stuff (including songs from an upcoming album).

Through a friend of a friend of my brother  - who actually toured and recorded with Parker - I got to hang out with GP after the show. I got to hang out with a real-live rock musician who has recorded real-live albums - albums I've been listening to since I was about ten years old - and I didn't even make a fool of myself! A pretty cool ending to a very cool night.

2006.07.27 at 11:58 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

It's back. With dinosaurs. And funky effects. Just pick your favorite and I'll explain it all later.

2006.07.16 at 11:39 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's A Free World (Party), Baby

Some pictures from last Friday's WXPN Free-At-Noon concert. The artists were Allison Moorer & World Party. Instead of the usual World Cafe Live venue, it was held outside at Penn's Landing. And it rained, and rained, and rained. The clouds and rain made it hard to get any really good shots, but here they are anyway (click to enlarge):

First up was Allison Moorer, who is the sister of Shelby Lynne and wife to Steve Earle.

Moorer640

I wasn't real familiar with Moorer, but she was pretty good. She's got a very strong voice that reminded me a little of early Bonnie Raitt.

Moorer639

I felt kind of bad for Moorer, because the DJ kept asking her about her more famous family members. The woman's a great artist in her own right and I thought it was rude for them to... OH MY GOD that's Steve Earle!!!

Moorer642

He even played a song with her.

Moorer644

After that came World Party. Karl Wallinger was backed up by a fiddler and another guitarist. He only played four songs, but they were all well-known ones from WP's earlier albums, which was cool.

Karl652

Karl smiled the whole time. He seemed to be having a lot of fun despite the pouring rain. Of course he was, he was under cover.

Karl651

After the concert my brother treated me to lunch at Eulogy, a bar/restaurant famous for its eight-page beer list. I went with an Arrogant Bastard. No, not my brother, the ale.

And then the sun decided to come out.

2006.06.02 at 11:04 PM in Music, Music: Concerts, Photography | Permalink | Comments (2)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Last week, Hirshhorn Tower got the nod.

Hirsh_tower_0112

I liked that one too.

This week, something different.

On our trek down to DC and Baltimore last month, we encouraged the eight-year-old to keep a journal of the trip (just because you're on spring break doesn't mean you have to stop learning - yes, we are that geeky). We let him use the camera so his journal had some visuals. Let me tell you, the kid has some eye.

So here's what we are going to do: I set up a photo album with twelve of his best shots, and now I want you to pick the best. I cropped and fixed these photos some, but not very much. I tell you - the kid can frame photos in his head already. It's amazing. And keep in mind that many of these photos were taken through a car window, and that you're not seeing shots of his mom or brother - some of his best stuff.

So, click here, go through all the shots, and - if you can - pick just one.

Results next week.

2006.05.07 at 10:23 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (7)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

A week late, but it's back. Here's last week's winner: Dropped Chain:

Chain019

This past week's are heavy on the travel shots. Go here to check them out, pick a favorite, and let me know. Thanks!

2006.04.30 at 11:59 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (6)

Throw Another Bessie On The Barbie

Rare0110

I like my burgers rare. Really, really rare. (Not really, but it's all I could think of when I saw this.)

The laptop refuses to power up so this is all you get tonight. Hopefully we'll be back to full power tomorrow.

-the Management

2006.04.28 at 11:47 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Ooooo... "Alley Door." I wasn't sure with this one if what I saw with my eyes would be what the camera saw [whoops, had my pretentious photographer voice on there. Sorry!]. But you voted for it, so I guess it did. Cool.

Alley_door_0070_1

This past week's shots are mostly from the Independence Mall area. If the rain holds up in Philly this week I'm going to venture a little further from the office.

So, take a look and tell me what you think. And thanks for indulging this pretentious photographer every week.

2006.04.09 at 10:17 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (7)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

How nice was today? I went out for a short run and came back with a sunburn. A sunburn, people.

Oh, and it's the holiest of holy days for the Church of the Long Cut - Opening Day.

Now let's get to the photos. I'm calling this one a tie. A lot of folks mentioned "Prohibited" as a close second to "Underworld," but they're very similar so I'm splitting the award. (Plus I really like "Prohibited" - it's already the front-runner for my next gallery photo).

Prohibited_0032 Underworld_0020

Take a look at the past week's photos and let me know what you like most. And no wishy-washiness this week, dear voters. Thanks!

2006.04.02 at 11:03 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (4)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Last week: Loopy.

Loops143

This week? Let me know.

2006.03.26 at 11:16 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (6)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Last week's favorite - A Room Without A View:

Brick_0024

This week I've done some more Photoshop experimenting, this time combining some shots. Then there's a few flower shots. Everybody likes flower shots. Take a look here and let me know what one you like best. Thanks!

2006.03.19 at 10:55 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (4)

Favorite Photo Of The Week

Yep, Ipso Photo has come out of hibernation. Go over and take a look at last week's photos and leave a comment telling me which one you liked best. Some strange signs, some cloud porn, maybe a little too much saturation on a couple.

I'll let you know the most popular next Sunday.

Thanks.

2006.03.12 at 10:30 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (7)

Well-Hanged

Art_0006

Story here. Photo here.

2006.02.09 at 04:24 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (5)

Ich bin ein Künstler

Gallerysub
Now I've done it - I've gone and submitted one of my photos to the "art gallery" at my work's building (really just the hallway leading to the cafeteria). I sent the woman in charge of the "gallery" a digital copy of the photo last week (so I know that it's already been accepted) but I dropped it off just a couple of minutes ago and I've now got a feeling in my gut like I'm gonna hurl.

The "opening" of the "show" at the "art gallery" is next "Friday." I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Oh, and it was this picture.

2006.01.26 at 02:29 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (5)

FPotW - Results Only

Last week I asked you, the readers, to pick the best of my photos from the week past and the majority of you selected "Arden."

click to enlarge

A great sign at a terrific little (compared to some of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-loving ones in town) theater company in Old City Philadelphia.

Still no camera. It's been a busy week, but I'm going to try to get to the repair shop tomorrow or Tuesday. The shop moved from the city to the Jersey suburbs. It would have been more convenient for me if it was still in the city.

2006.01.15 at 10:46 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (0)

FPotW 47 - Back For A Bit

Surprise! Thanks to my niece's camera (which is also a Fuji), I was able to get the photos out of my busted camera. So, for one week only, the Favorite Photo of the Week is back. Click here, then come back and vote for your favorite by leaving a comment. Next Sunday I'll reveal the winning picture.

Thanks!

2006.01.08 at 09:37 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (6)

I Need A Kamera

Those expecting my usual "Favorite Photo of the Week" feature need reminding that MY CAMERA WON'T COME BACK ON. Remember? And, honest to God, I've got about 70 shots stuck in that camera. The greatest 70 shots I've ever taken. In fact, the 70 greatest shots ever taken by anyone. Yeah, that's the ticket.

So no new photos for a little while. The missus and I are hoping that the Fuji can be fixed, but we've started looking at replacements. Seriously thinking about getting a reconditioned camera. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We're looking to spend about $200-$300.

No new photos, but I still changed the header on Ipso Photo, so there's that. Ironically, the stupid Fuji is in the new banner.

And hey, the title of this post comes from a Wilco song - so blame them for the misspelling.

2006.01.01 at 11:46 PM in Photography | Permalink | Comments (3)

Interjections (Hey!) Show Excitement (Yow!) Or Emotion (Ouch!)

Interjec Hurray! My StatCounter passed the 30,000 visitor mark yesterday!

Aw! My camera stopped working yesterday!

DARN! That's the end!

2005.12.29 at 11:58 PM in Blogging, Photography | Permalink | Comments (1)

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