For all you pirates

Courtesy of Liz (Yardarm Rose or Deadeye Ethel), your pirate name :

http://www.mess.be/pirate-names-male.php

I am either Black Vane or Skylarking Morgan or Evil Shadrach, depending on which name I use.

Why I love NIN Part 2

Interview with Trent

http://www.myspace.com/wfnxboston

go to Julie Cramer section in player

interesting comments on pain/addiction, David Bowie and at end, Pretty Hate MAchine

Merry Christmas !!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=2g6oz37.672ij7b3&x=0&y=-htnuha

Nutcracker Sweet

www.pimpmynutcracker.com/

Santarchy

Beware of fat men in red suits.

Merry Christmas

Texas Santa1

Good Santa

Why I love NIN (Part 1)

Nine Inch Nails
November 8th - the Garden (formerly Boston...Happy birthday, Mom)

I think I've let this jell in my mind enough. I've been thinking about why I like Nine Inch Nails so much. Then I read an interview in the Globe with Ben Folds where I think he explained it well. He told a story about Bruce Lee. In Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee says "do not be angry. Use your anger." In a sentance, I think that captures how I feel about Trent and the boys.

Music is about connecting with emotion. Certain songs bring back memories or emotions. While some people have "grown up" and find NIN "whiny" or "adolescent," I think the reality is that we all have had those feelings at one time or another. Trent is about anger, loss of control, lashing out at the people who don't believe in you or hold you back. I remember those feelings and think most people do. Your parents wouldn't let you go out or girlfriend dumped you or a teacher who didn't think you were worth the effort. The key, as Mr Lee points out, is to use those emotions to motivate yourself and direct the energy in a constructive way rather than let them control you. Don't deny your feelings but use them to achieve (it makes sense to me).

When I hear a NIN song, either in concert or on the radio, I get that emotional rush. But its more about intensity than anger. It's carthartic but keeps you grounded in your own history and in touch with your emotions.

This show delivered everything I expected. We had great seats, about twenty rows back ont he floor, right in the center (I was a little worried about a mosh pit breaking out even through companian Pat is over six feet and not small). While there were short comings at the previous NIN show , these had been addressed. Trent cut the stupid haircut and now a straight forward crew cut. He wasn't as pumped up as earlier and now looks like a skinnier version of Henry Rollins. The guitar and drums were turned up and the keyboards turned down (although an important part of the show. He played around two hours and played everything. Even a song like the hand that feeds which is basically a dance song rocked harder. The fragile was generally ignored except for a couple of the slow dirges. But he went deep into the catalog for songs like "suck" (okay they always play this event though its not a NIN songs and "Dead Souls" (one of my favorites which I never heard before). After third song, he broke a string and reacted by slamming the guitar to the ground, shattering the neck into little pieces.

He stalked the stage and snarled through the whole concert. But despite the anger, he was down right chatty and welcoming tot he crowd. After the third song, he told the crowd "this is a historic night for NIN...It is the last time we will play...With seats on the floor. It's my own g-d fault for not reading the contract and I promise you it will never happen again. They say it's for your safety but this place is f-ing sh-thole." (when I saw NIN at the old Garden on the the Downward Spiral tour, during the first song, the crowd ripped up the seats and tossed them into a pile despite security). Plus many other four letter words. And while though out the night he would cuss out the Garden management or the facility (whatever it takes to motivate you - see first paragraph), he profusely thanked the fans and seemed to be enjoying himself.

I would say the weak spot was half way through, a screen descended. You could see the band but they projected a video which was pretty much the same video they had back in 94 but updated the political leaders. First this doesn't work because Trent's music is personal not political so to go there was a bit of a stretch. Secondly, they played all the slow songs adding "right where it belongs" from the new album and cuminating with hurt. Now this is great and I love it, but they never regained the momentum they had in the first half of the show. They should have done this interlude earlier or at the end just to keep the energy level high.

The opening acts were fantastic. This was really four and a half hours of great music. I never heard of Death from above 1979 before. It was only two guys but they put out a tremendous amount of sound. I've seen Queens of the Stone Age but this time they really impressed me with straight ahead rock and roll and solid musicianship.

All in all, a great time. Cannot wait to do it again.

Now we proceed to the adult section or "blue." First of all, my companion for the evening was Pat Duff which is sorta of like scoring the first touchdown in a game when it comes to events. More importantly he can verify that all I write is true. But the crowd was rather mixed, more suburban than the crowd fromt he premium. I could mention the overweight hip hop white guy in the track suit who danced all night or Pat's blazer. But the highlight were the two girls in front of us. We walked in around 7:15 and DFA1979 was already in full sing and the place is 10% full. But these two chicks sitting right in front of us are rocking out. We figure they are friends of the band. We chat between sets - nice girls, they invite us to smoke cigarettes , we pass, comment between us on their attractiveness. During the Queens set, the whole picture becomes apparent. They like each other ALOT and in addition to dancing, don't mind grinding and touching each other in a way I won't call inappropriate because I enjoyed it. After the set, people are offering them money. We talk some more - they are flight attendants for American (but too young to go ont he big jets yet - regional only). They only escalated their behavior for NIN (again no complaints). I think the big blond one flashed Pat. Nice girls, but the show we got is usually at least priced in high three digit to low four range. It just goes to show you never know what you're going to see.

Signs of the Apocalypse (for you Bram)

(1) Heart song in regular rotation on Radio Disney.
(2) Songs has been remixed so now a dance song too.

Crazy comicbook site (fanboys and geeks only)

http://wesuperheroes.ytmnd.com/

I need your help

As we compile "Best of 2005" I need your help. Recommendations, requests, guidance...which song from "honeycomb"? which eels instrumental ? These are tough decisions that I will agonize until about January 15th about. So please send me your input.

October Pictures

Pictures from Cake concert at city hall plaza, Josie;s birthday and home. And yes that is snow (October 29th).

October

New Order "Waiting for the Sirens' Call" ****

As I was updating the music on the blog, I came across this song and was inspired to give my 5 cents on the most recent New Order release. First let me give you a little rant. My biggest peeve is no matter what an artist that's been around for twenty-plus years produces, it will be, at best, criticized and at worst ignored. But if the band is putting together quality work, this is just wrong. If you've survived that long, no one is going to give you credit. Why? Well, part of it is repitition. Good music grows better with repetition; weak music goes the other way. And when I was 20 years old, I would listen to stuff literally a hundred times. Now, I only hear a song hundred times if it's overplayed on the radio like U2. Secondly, music is a very powerful associative/memory tool. When I hear certain songs, I can clearly smell things, feel the temperature, what I was experiencing, feel what it was like to me when I was first heard that song. Part of that is the repetition. But I'm a different person now and some people feel that the new stuff is a betrayal of that. How does a rock band grow up gracefully then ? Well,t he public won't allow it. But I say just keep doing your thing and what makes you happy. Last year's Cure album, while not as good as Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me or Disintegration (best three album sides ever produced in under two years?) holds it own to any of the mid-1980's albums and exceed albums like Wild Mood Swings. I would include acts like Mark Knopfler or Bob Dylan in this category. This is actually one of the issues that Dylan addresses in the recent documentary - he already realized people wanted to categorize him and choke off his growth almost from the start of his career. (the opposite example would be the Rolling Stones have put out since about 1984 since these are just excuses to tour although I would tell anyone it's worth $200 bucks to see them, not $10 for the cd).

New Order is a strong example of this. The odd thing is that Sirens' Call is almost identical to Get Ready but while the critics panned that album, the new one has only attracted praise.

I was a relative late comer to New Order. Part of that is that in college my musical tastes were too serious to appreciate gay dance music (too bad I didn;t know about Joy Division ). Secondly, I just couldn't relate to guy singing about wanting to fly back home to his wife and child and missing them. Needless to say, all that has changed and lyrically, me and Bernard Sumner have converged at where we are in life.

One of the things I like about New Order is that the lyrics come off as ordinary stuff. Bernard is an intelligent family guy who fancies a pint, works hard at his job and struggles with the human condition. This is not the emotional cripple of traditional alternative music (how weird is that phraseology). This is a just guy trying to make sense of the world and the emotional entaglements of his own life (present and past). That's a guy I get and relate to (I love Trent but I don't go through life in a either a state of rage or self-pity).

I think the secret of New Order is that it is not really "gay dance music." They keyboards, drum machines and sythns are not the heart of the music. They are more like the background or the foundation, like the role the drum and bass usually play for most bands. What makes this music great is the interplay between Bernard Sumner's voice, Peter Hook's bass and the guitars. The bass is well know but if you listened to the guitar, it is plays a much more important role than is obvious. Listen to the guitar work on "Turn."

Sirens' Call is not going into any new territory, but the songs seem more connected to each other than Get Ready. The general vibe is a group of people having a good time playing together. It really seems more targeted as something to be played live. "Guilt is useless emotion" is a classic New Order song. "Jetstream" is hokey but I spend so much time on planes lately that I get it. "Working overtime" and "Hey Now" are the type of rockers that I would expect more from the Smiths (but with more bass)(Electronic?). "Morning night and day" I think is my favorite because it is more unusual song structure. But most of the album is like "Krafty" (playing on the blog) - steady, traditional New Order songs.

There's no new ground broken here. We simply get twelve new New Order songs. and there's nothing wrong with that.

Wilma

http://www.thestormtrack.com/

In the year of the hurricane, I found the above web site that was both interesting and informative. In case you missed it, we've had so many storms (they name tropical storms which may become hurricanes), they have moved on to greek letters, starting with alpha.

Josie's 2nd Birthday

Josie's Party

Libertarian baseball fans :

They published my letter (aka: e-mail)!!!

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/8849854

Maddy at DC zoo

Maddy at DC zoo

(need snapfish account)

Maddy also got her first loose tooth this Sunday. Liz won't let me use pliers to finish the job.

Rap Doubleshot

Common Be ****
The Game "The Documentary ****

It's funny. Rap/hip hop/whatever you want to call it started off DJ centered. DJ's would mix (by spinning records, later splice tape and today on a computer) beats and music to create musical collages. New York added the MC aka rapper in the 1970's. the Sugarhill Gang had the novelty hit "rapper's delight" in 1979 followed by Grandmaster Flash making it real. As the 80's and 90's rolled on, the rapper became the center of attention, even in a pc group like Public Enemy. Part of this was driven by Paul's Boutique by the Beastie Boys. This was a masterpeiece that changed rap music. Dense sampling made the orignal music unrecognizable and what emerged completely new. The courts saw otherwise and the crackdown (everything had to be liscensed plus royalties to each party) drove up costs - rapped simplified to one or two samples with an outrageous lead rapper. Think P Diddy. At the same time, NWA introduced ganster rap, focusing on "reality" (sex and violance) rather than more tradition positive messages and boasting (bragging remained but the stakes were raised). The ironic thing is that gangster rap is what took rap mainstream and rap grew to stand over pop music like rock and roll used to - dangerous enough for white kids in the suburbs to buy but safe enough for suits in LA/NY to sell. Think P Diddy. However, as the 2000's wear on the dj (now credited as producer rather than writer) is once again becoming the backbone of rap and setting the agenda. Original music is as important as the samples, integrating jazz-like stylings as well as traditional pop and r&b. The roots, driven by live music, are a great example of this althought they are an entire band rather than an individual. That's a short history of rao, but things go in circles as you can see and rap has been around long enough that it can now loop around.

Kanye West won the Grammy this year and deservabley so. Now that Kanye West is everywhere - his own new album, included. You know he did Jay Z, Twista and John Legend, but did you know he did Alicia Key's You Don't Know My Name too ? After creating some of the best rap over the last couple of years with JayZ, he branched out on his own and is kicking it with his own distint sound. Like other producers, he isn't the strongest rapper. An allegiance with Common solves this. Common caught my eye with the song "come closer" a few years ago - a straight love song to his wife. Common comes across as an older version of Kanye. They are both angry about poverty and racism and both actually sing about being Christians (take that liberals). But Common has seen enough to have gained some wisdom (while Kanye is like a junior in college or a drop out as he calls himself). "be" comes off as a modern day Marvin Gaye album. "They say" could be "what's going on." "Testify" is just a great angry song, but it's steady in its intensity. My favorite track is "The corner" - great beat, clearly Kanye West produced.

West only has one song on "the documentary" - "dreams." But it is such a great song that once you hear it, you can't get it out of your mind. The Game come from G-unit which was discovered/formed by 50 Cent who was discovered by Eminem who was discovered by Dr. Dre who was one of the founders of NWA. Dr. Dre is also the main producer here (this is what I'm talking about when I say things go in circles). But this is an allstar team of producers including timbaland, just blaze, and eminem among others.

The game comes across as a more intelligent version of 50 cent. He knows the history of rap
(and everybody gets a shout out) and the history of African-americans. But he's also a guy from compton who ran with gangs and got shot. He seems smart enough to know better, ecspecially with a baby son (see "song like father, like son" and on the back cover, wearing a tiny pair of black Chuck Conners) but lyrically he always circles back to ho's, dope dealing and gangs. He hasn't broken his own personal circle. He's moved beyound racism but is still stuck in the street. He went to Lamaz class (10 pound 4 oz kid) for god's sake, but he gotta be a gangster too. The game should take his own advice from "like father...".

The other problem half way through the album, he runs out of things to rap about and he starts repeating himself. If he could write 12 great sets of lyrics, I would give him 5 stars but he only wrote six. However, the music stays strong through out. "Hate it or love it" and "how we do" (both with 50 cent) are classic Dr. Dre tracks. "Church for thugs" is the stand out track, due to the great horns (although "no more fun and games" also by just blaze comes close). "start from scratch" is not a great song, but it gives you his history. Eminem's track sounds like every other Eminem produced song (stick to rapping, Marshall). And of course, there's Kanye too.

Bottom line. The Game made half a great album. Common with Kanye does his thing better than ever.

summertime photos

summertime photos

Audioslave "out of exile" ***

*** Unless you love Led Zeppelin, then it's five stars.

This is straight ahead pure rock and roll. This is how they made albums in the 1970's/early 1980's. Which is kind of disappointing given that Audioslave is the combination of two of the best bands of the 1990's soundgarden (grunge) and Rage Against the machine (rap/rock but good).

I think there are basically three reasons for this. First of all, song structure is pretty simple. Take one riff, then classic chorus-verse-chorus-verse-guitar solo-chorus structure. Its gets a little repetitive. Secondly, guitarist Tom Morella is pretty limited. He can play a great riff, but whenever he tries to go a full fledged guitar solo, he fails to lift the songs to the next level. Third, I blame producer Rick Rubin. Now he has produced everyone from the Beastie Boys to Tom Petty. But here he doesn't do anything to enhance the band. It's straight rock and roll which is fine (hence three stars) but we expect more. There is nothing here to match the power and originality of something like Cochise. The album rocks, but nothing new.

Chris Cornell does more than carry the load. He seems to be leading the songwriting - hence the tilt towards classic/hard rock tunes rather than alternative/rap. His vocals are pure power. On the controversial side, I think that Chris is the premiere practioner of Christian Rock today. On the first album, this was only hinted at with songs like "show me how to live" which could be interpreted many ways. But songs like "drown me slowly" - walk on water - and "Heaven's dead" plus liner notes are pretty obvious in his tilt. His liberal bandmates must be gritting their teeth.

One great new song is "doesn't remind me" which is almost a blues number - the one attempt at songwriting growth for this band. This is the album Led Zeppelin would make today. But overall, if you're waiting for the next great hard rock album, here it is. Otherwise, don't get too excited.

the bravery "the bravery" **

Like 80's music ?
Think current 80's revivalist need more keyboards (as opposed to more cowbell?
Ascribe to The Dead Milkmen's (must read if you don't know who The Dead Milkmen are, likewise go to artist page to see videos/hear music) theory that you will dance to anything with the corrolary that it was written before 1991 ?

Well, then the Bravery is the band for you. But for me, this is closer to the Futureheads than the other guys in that it's completely derivative and not really original. They do not write better songs nor have more talent as opposed to bands like the Killers , Franz Ferdinandand Louis XIV who are moving ahead (or at least trying to ) rather than aping their forefathers. These songs are too simple and repetitive. Also, they confuse tempo with energy - it's not the same. Usually, I listen to album a half dozen times before I even start writing (some things grow on you) - this one I was ready to go after two listenings.

As the album moves along, it does get a little better. The second half of the album shows some hints of original songwriting. The "stop, drop and roll" chorus of "Public Service Annoucement" is catchy. "Swollen summer" (coupled with the line "what if we're getting dumber") holds its own against 80's songs. But second single "Fearless" (Like the first single "An honest mistake") is typical - good riff, but by third verse, the repetiveness is getting to you and the weak guitar solo kills it for me. It is listenable, but there are better ways to spend your time.

i love my job

I love my job.

4th of July from Grandpa Feltus

4th of July

Gorillaz "Demon Days" ***

First of all, I've never loved Brit Pop. Sure, I love the odd Oasis or Blur single as much as anyone but I've never one to ascribe it as a great innovation in music. Gorillaz is an outgrowth of that with Blur's Damon Albarn joining forces with a cast of thousands, but primary cartoonist Jamie Hewlett and DJ Danger Mouse.

I listened to it several times but never really fell in love with it. It's natural growth over the first album. Overall, I would say it's more consistent than the first album. But while there are fewer lows, the highs aren't as high.

It's got some solid songs like "Feel Good Inc" (featuring de la soul doing its best Outkast) and "Dirty Harry" (sequel to "clint eastwood"?), but these are driven more by the DJ than by the music or production work. "Fire coming out of a monkey's head" with Dennis Hopper's spoken word has got to heard to be believed, although I would not recommend repeated listenings. Resurrecting Neneh Cherry and Shawn Ryder (happy mondays, black grape) is cool, but something is missing overall. Finally, looking through the credits, I realized almost every song has strings featured on it. This creates an atmosphere that is a bit of a downer. For superior use of strings, see the Magnetic Fields.

The funniest thing is EMI blamed the late release of this album (and Coldplay's) for missing last year's q4 earnings. This album is going to be huge on college campus and is solid quality, but it's not the next Thriller. Listening to tracks like "Dare," I cannot help but think that there is a great dance album trying to get out, but Damon is too cool and restrained for that. I suppose the remix album will be fantastic.

Likewise, if anyone has the Danger Mouse "grey album" I hear it is a must hear for the mash up crowd. I'm curious to hear Jay Z meets the Beatles. I just expected more.

The Magnetic Fields "i" ****

Like everyone else, I've fallen behind in my blog work. But before I move on, I had to post on the Magnetic Fields newest album because I think my comments will advance the Canon of Feltus music reviews.

This is a great album but not for everybody. The Magnetic Fields are best know for "69 love songs" - 69 two to three minute meditations on love. Over three CD's and a lyric book heavier than the average novel, I can report that there are actually only 50-something good songs and a dozen above average. A stunning piece of work and a daunting one to follow up. These guys squarely aim at the black turtle neck crowd - art school drop outs, people who actually care about the Knitting Factory, people who despair of radio or anything mainstream, people who know the difference between Reno Dakota Blue and Pantone 292 (vs. Toyo colors), people who spell Stephen with an "i".

The irony is that Stephin Merritt writes perfect pop songs. Great melodies - simple but emotional. He his master of the corny couplet. For example : "I would give my right arm/to keep you safe from harm/I would keep a little farm/chop would to keep you warm" from "I don't love you anymore" "My evil twin would lie and steal/He would stink of sex appeal" from "I wish I had an evil twin" The amazing thing is it actually comes off as sincere.

A big part of that is the interplay between his voice and the instrumentation, which is usually a cello although sometimes a piano, harpsichord or banjo. This allows a nuanced performance that other strings (ok, the ever popular electric guitar which does make an appearance) don;t allow unless you are Hendrix, Page or Clapton. While you would thing that every song is a slow orchestra number, styles is all over the place. Likewise, tempos vary and different songs high light different instrumentation.

Merritt's voice is a big part of why this works. Like Morrissey, his delivery is apparently flat, but actually has remarkable range.

"i" has every song starting with the letter I. But the songs range from new order-esque "I thought you were my boyfriend" (my favorite) to Jimmy Buffet style "If there is such a thing as love" (musically, not lyrically). We also do show tunes, operettas, and blue grass, finishing with the sublime love song "it's only time". But no matter what the style, they are basically (and I do not mean that pejoratively) great pop songs.

I only give it four stars because not everyone will like it. It takes a few listens to appreciate but it's worth it. Part of this is the first song is weak and not necessary (skip it). Likewise, "i" doesn't really work on random because it builds, like a concept album. I mean a concept album in the sense that each song is a musical step, not just a series of linked lyrics - more like a symphony of three minute pop songs (as opposed to the Wagner opera of 69 love songs). If only every "concept" album put as much effort into the music.

Make sure you get the one with Fred Tomaselli cover. Another talent.

Dig DVD ****

I watched the documentary Dig! last night. They followed two bands (Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Masacre) for seven-eight years. Both talented, it was interesting to watch as their personalities and group dynamics led them to their futures. Almost a "sling blade" with guitars but it's real. It reinforced something I read in the globe a few weeks ago: artists create despite mental illness, not because of it. Insanity is a handicap, not a creative crutch. Ditto drug addiction. Like I said, interesting to watch.

Anyone have any Brian Jonestown Masacre they're willing to lend ?

U2/Kings of Leon

Me and Liz went last Tuesday at the Fleet Center. We were disappointed. I'll try to make this as readable as possible. Points off the top of my head :

(1) "40" was the final song. People got up and left early to beat the crowd. That sums up my disappointment in a word, or at least a sentence. They only played an hour and 45 minutes.

(2) Way too loud. (This confirmed my suspicion that NIN was too quiet). Ears rang for two days and vocals were very poor as they were lost in the mix. Light, visual and stage design were simple but spectacular. An oval run way to get near the crowd. Strings of mirrors dropped from the ceiling that reflect either light or visuals.

(2) This might be their Steel Wheels tool. They look old, played the hits and took the money to the bank.

(3) High point was the Edge. He proved himself to be one of the best of the post-guitar god era. Songs mutated from power pop anthems to alternative rock driven songs. High points were oldies like "Electric co" and "bullet the blue sky" but he was consistent and interesting. He used an interesting mix of feedback (growling not screeching) and petals. Review of previous show said that 75% of songs were pre 91 and they played 7 of 10 songs of new album, which seems about right - but this might be the problem. Despite that, he made the songs seem new. The exception was an un-listenable "zoo station but that is what happens when you give Bono a guitar.

(4) Bono has clearly entered his Elvis phase. He's a little thick in the middle. Reviews describe him as a "rock star" and that is about right. I can't say that his singing was strong (see above). He has a tendency to go on rants about politics and religion. Now, you can;t doubt his sincerity. He's been anti-war for 20+ years before it got popular (sorta of the anti-Kerry). But after lecturing us, he goes to a costume change as Hugo Chavez and caricatures the rock star as political leader. First of all, it's already been done better by Pink Floyd and Bob Geldof. Secondly, it dilutes the effectiveness of message. Third, the new album works because it goes to the personal rather than sweeping political vision - this set up both parodies that, but undermines the message of that album. Bono is like that guy in the subway - 25% of it makes perfect sense, even genius but the rest is random.

(5) Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. play Scotty and Bill to Bono/Edge's Elvis (yes it takes two people to replace him). Nothing spectacular here. Every U2 song basically has the same drum track. When they do mix it up, Larry screws it up - didn't "mysterious ways" have a middle eastern beat (although I did like the segueway into James Brown).

(6) I think there are two fundamental problems here. One is that this was a show of singles (as entertainment put it "the digital ipod greatest hits tour"). The problem with that is they never build any momentum. It goes from single to single and never reaches a climax. In the old day, they play for three hours, the emotion built and built until the end and you didn;t want it to end. The reaction was to reject the earnestness of the rattle and hum era and into the zoo TV/pop era. They are a brilliant machine but lacking the hard working soul we loved.

(7) The people we went with agreed it. Maybe it was a bad night. Maybe it was high expectations. who knows. I would compare it to playing cards with your grand-ma - you didn't mind it, but it's not quite as exciting of an evening as you would wish for. Personally, I was worried that I had lost my critical edge as I really enjoyed most concerts I;ve been to in recent years - thanks U2 for proving I haven;t gone soft or the opposite of jaded.

(8) Kings of Leon were much better live than on record. This guy's voice bothers me but it sounded much better for most songs. I would tell them never play in a place with a ceiling more than 15 feet high or that holds more than 1000 people. they would be a great band to stumble on in a bar.

(9) I withheld this review until U2 returned to Europe. I will claim that it was because I didn't want to hurt their ticket sales. Others would say it was because I didn't want 50 year old man (Bono) to kick the crap out of me. as K.O.L. said on BCN the next day, "f you paid a grand for tickets, you may as well stick around and watch the other band."

Maddy's Graduation

slideshow

I've always been a fan of day care but this event really exceeded all my expectations. They did a great job. We're so proud. Plus fooling around with Jojo before.

New Photos CJ's Christening

slideshow

Pictures from cj's christening and the girls.
Josie really loves that bear.

David Sedaris in the Feltus Family Odyssey

I'm going to go a little post-modern this week. Just as David's writing is frequently commentary on his family, this posting is notable for the commentary on my family. Personally, it marks a low point in my own personal intellectual journey. Not only have I forsaken books, I get the CD that is the single disk "greatest hits" rather than the 3 - 4 disk version of his unabridged novels.

Me, Liz and Josie get in the mini-van to pick up Maddy and head to a birthday party. We swing by the library to return stuff and pick up anything on hold (park in the fire lane and run in). While waiting in line, I see a CD by David Sedaris. The name is vaguely associated with quality writing so I pick up and figure it'll give us something to listen to on our drive. Liz's comment is "I hear he has a foul mouth so we can't listen around Maddy" (but Josie is okay).

The CD is series of readings at Carnegie Hall. It starts off with a visit to his sister, a rant about NPR, a spat with his boyfriend (more of a bickering) , some "lessons" and story on santa claus in the Netherlands plus a short q and a.

This is all good. Very entertaining. But Josie loves it. She giggles, guffaws and roars -at the right parts too. You can hear her giggling as each bit winds to the end where she explodes. You have not lived until you've seen an eighteen month old bent over laughing silently while clapping in a car seat.

Maddy likes it too,but doesn't quite get it like Josie does. She'll laugh, repeat the line and declare it is so funny. Laugh " 'a brisk" (sp?) that is so funny papa" or laugh " " 'pee and do other things at the same time' that is so funny papa."

On the ride back from the party, the CD emerged from entertaining to superlative on "six to eight black men." This is his description of blind hunters in America and Christmas tradition. Basically, they have Saint Nicholas who is an ex-Turkish bishop who either delivers toys or beats and kidnaps children depending on their behavior with his six to eight black men (formerly slaves, now represented as friends, all living happily in Ibiza or somewhere in Spain). Of course, it is all PC-ed up now. Maddy enjoyed this bit but at first Josie was a little put off. But by the end, David has gotten his littlest fan back cackling away.

It was a little after three and none of us had had lunch so we were all a little hungry. I asked Maddy if she wanted to go out to dinner, one of her favorite activities. "No, I don't want to, Papa." Do you want out for lunch? "Yeah, that would be great." Where do you want to go to dinner. "No Papa ! I want to go to lunch. At the place with the giant chile pepper on the roof." And so off to Chile's we went.

Newswire Quote

Picking A Bottom In Perplexed US High Yield Bond Market

By Tom Sullivan
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
891 words
18 May 2005
14:53
Dow Jones Capital Markets Report
English
(c) 2005 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Bottom fishers in the high-yield bond market can't decide whether to take the bait.

After two months of relentless selling, junk bonds staged a rally Wednesday, sending prices in general up 1/2 to a point. But that's not much consolation for investors this year.

Triple-C-rated issues, the riskiest of speculative-grade securities and the most vulnerable to negative sentiment, are down 12 points, or cents on the dollar, year-to-date - including this month's drop of 3 1/2 points. Higher quality issues are down 6 1/2 points year-to-date, including a 1 1/2 point drop so far in May.

Money managers are understandably cautious, unsure if Wednesday's uptick represents just a rally on short-covering or the beginning of a steady reversal in the recent downtrend.

"There's good value in the market but it doesn't mean it won't get cheaper," said Andrew Feltus, vice president and portfolio manager of the Pioneer Global High Yield Fund, with $560 million in assets, who also manages another $850 million in high yield for Boston-based Pioneer. "I've given up trying to call a bottom," he said.

Concerns about the pace and strength of economic growth, stubbornly high oil prices, sagging consumer confidence and recent concerns about the scope of hedge fund losses have all taken their toll on the high-yield bond market.

Returns are down 3.704% year-to-date for an annualized rate around 8%, as measured by the widely followed Merrill Lynch U.S. High Yield Master II Index. In May alone, the index has posted a negative return of 1.235%.

The risk premium on the Merrill index has risen more than 1.50 percentage point over comparable Treasurys from its narrowest levels in March of this year. But buyers have been few.

"That's a huge increase in risk premiums but there doesn't seem to be a lot of optimism out there," said Eric Tutterow, senior director, high-yield corporate finance, Fitch Ratings. "A month ago, I was not optimistic at all" about the market, he said. Now the market is more attractive, and there are pockets of value, "but the overall trend is lower," he said. Tutterow cited the auto sector as a poster child for aversion to risk.

"Collins & Aikman is not going to help matters" if investors start to worry that defaults are beginning to pick up - especially with all the highly-speculative triple-C issuance the market has digested in the past two and a half years, he said.

Troy, Mich.-based auto parts supplier Collins & Aikman Corp. (CKC) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. It was the latest blow to an auto sector already rocked by the downgrades of General Motors Corp. (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F) to speculative grade earlier this month by credit rating agency Standard & Poor's. GM and Ford are two of the largest issuers of corporate bond debt and some people fear they may eventually overwhelm the high-yield market.

But there are some brave souls.

The bankruptcy filing "was widely expected," said Harry Resis, head of U.S. fixed income at U.K.-based Henderson Global Investors, adding that default rates remain very low by historical standards.

The global corporate speculative-grade default rate stood at 1.64% at the end of April, according to S&P, though that is up from March's 1.47%, an eight-year low that may represent the recent cycle's nadir.



Seeking Treasure In Junk Bonds


The negative currents in the market have spooked Mom and Pop retail investors. High-yield mutual bond funds have suffered 13 straight weeks of outflows, as calculated by AMG Data Services Services in Arcata, Calif., totaling some $7 billion.

As a result, the new issue market has almost completely dried up, with issuance this month "on track for (the) slowest month since late summer 2002," wrote Richard Peterson of Thomson Financial, in an email. Thomson tallies just $1.56 billion in new speculative-grade-rated debt from seven issuers through Tuesday.

But the lack of new issuance, and the run-up in risk premiums, has some market participants pausing for a longer look.

"The high-yield market is very, very attractively priced right now," said Resis of Henderson Global. Yield margins on triple-C-rated bonds "may still have some room to widen, but some of the high-rated credits widened for no good reason," he said.

Fitch's Tutterow is less enthusiastic, but also sees reason for giving junk bonds a look.

"Value is created in situations like this with investors exiting so quickly," he said. "Some credits are probably oversold," Tutterow added.

As for Pioneer's Feltus, he's squarely on the fence.

"Maybe if the rally sticks for a coupon of days, we'll see a reversal" of mutual fund outflows, he said, adding that his fund, which usually is fully invested, has 1% to 2% in cash ready to put to work should the market turns anytime soon.

-By Tom Sullivan, Dow Jones Newswires, 201 938-2048;


tom.g.sullivan@dowjones.com

In Concert : Nine Inch Nails

Boston Orpheum May 12th

Remember when Industrial Music ? I do but it seems like NIN is the last mainstream practicionor at this point. But he hasn't lost his edge and can still bang out the heavy guitar layered on top of the Industrial beats.

Life is good for Trent right now. Sold out concert tour. Number one album in the country. And he still puts on a helluva a show. Dressed in black jeans and a black tank top, he reminded me of a Goth Freddy Mercury and when playing guitar, he looked more like he was masturbating. But this was two hours of onslaught. High intensity with short breaks to play the piano before going on to more aggressive stuff. I loved the lights but behind the stage they seemed like a computer about to go blue screen and in addition to continual strobes, the spots spent most of the night flashing while directed at the audience from behind the band. It's cool but just reinforces the intensity. After a sweaty two hours, I was ready to go home. But I would go again in the middle.

He focused on the old stuff. I only caught one song from fragile (somewhat damaged). Every song from Broken (except physical and the instrumental). The high lights from pretty hate machine and downward spiral. I think he played the whole new album and there seem to be some promising songs here, but the crowd clearly quieted when they appeared. You don't need to know the new songs because he has a fairly predictable song writing pattern: drum/key board intro, guitar assault, wailing lyrics. I must admit thought that "hand that feeds" came off as almost a dance song. "Terrible Lie" was a big highlight (I would love to see a reggae/Dub version of Sin). "March of the pigs" and "hurt" stood out simply for the peaceful contrast of the piano/lyrics to the guitar onslaught. As we careened towards the end, double shot of "suck"/"gave up" brought home what this was all about before finishing with "head like a hole" which almost seemed a little tame and preachy after going through the raw emotion of broken and "reptile."

Trent took turns humping the mike and the guitarist. He has basically three poses when singing : hang on to the mike with both hands, raise one hand over the head like a wave, raise both hands over the head and give the double wave. He has lightened up though. He said thank you twice and some claim he was even smiling. Gone clean and sober, he's buffed up and is clearly hitting the weights pretty hard.

Band was solid. Bram, you would have looked bassist Jeordi White (formerly know as Twiggy Ramirez of Marilyn Manson) who strutted the stage slamming the bass. Some of the new songs allowed the guitarist to wander a little into a more layered sound than old NIN. Keyboardist and drummer didn't do anything great but did provide a solid backing. The most interesting songs were the ones that toned down the keyboards and became more bass driven, but we always go back to that industrial beat. But these guys were just sidekicks and the show was about Trent.

Dresden Dolls was a relation. I don;t really know how to describe them. It's a guy and a girl, a keyboard and a drum set. They've been called Goth and cabaret, but neither does them justice. Think Tori Amos when she cared playing with a crazed drummer (who after two songs stood and yelled "get on your feet!!! This is a rock and roll show!!!). Songs went from ballads to covers of "war Pigs" and "karma police." As proof of their talent and the power of a good drummer, I never like karma police but they did an excellent version. Went out and bought the album today. See them in concert if you can. I can't really describe what they do, but they do it well.

ztrip "changing gears"****

(1) first go to www.djztrip.com and launch player. Listen to the tunage.

(2) new computer is bitchin' fast

(3) I want to shout to to 90.3 BC's radio station and one show in particular - Funk to the Folks / Schoolbeats by Brian Coleman Mondays 5:30 to 7:30. This is a great show ! Starts with 1970's funk moves to 1980's rap/hip hop and then plays today's underground stuff. This is where I first heard of Z-trip. Check it out.

(4) A historical note. I think rap first peaked around 1989/1990. When I listen to Brian's show, you hear the early stuff. Simpler beats, straight forward rap, not every one trying to be a gangster positive vibe. Even the bragging is good natured. This is good stuff, Think what was out then : Run DMC, LL Cool J, Shcooly D, Ice T/NWA (when west coast was still looked down on), Boogie Down Productions (figured most people would not know BDP), Rob Bass, Fresh Prince, Salt n Pepa, Rakim. De la soul had just hit and Beastie Boys/dust Brothers put out the radical album Paul's Boutique which, as well as changing rap as much as NWA with it's radical sampling, crossed the color barrier. Rick Rubin was everywhere. Admit it - you even liked Vanilla Ice. But even bigger than all that was Public Enemy. "Fear of a Black Planet" has just hit - an awesome album Fight the Power, Welcome to the Terrordome, etc. side 2 was a DJ tour de force equal to Paul's Boutique. Listening to Funk to the Folks, you realize how much PE set the tone and style. - beat structure, positivity. Dr. Dre may had set the standard for rap after, but PE reveberated accros all pop music.

(5) Which brings us today's business. "Is it the DJ or the music?" Well here, it's the DJ but ztrip keeps the balance between the two that makes a great record. The first half of the album is a big house party. This is old school rap - Public Enemy (see "about face", "furious") is clearly the number one influence. Not the pounding hyper beats but crisp, straig ahead rythm. Beats are stripped down but not overly simple. MC's like Soup of Jurassic 5 bring their skills and keep the party going. Whipper Whip may be peurto rican but he could pass for Flavor Flav (chuck D era, pre vh1). About half way through, we switch over to house/techno style. ztrip can do that too. Walking Dead could be God Lives Underwater. In general, I find techno a little boring but z-trip can do it as well as rap. Once final shift occurs when Chuck D (yes that Chuck D) - his track is "shock and awe" and its a guitar romp. Not a hummable tune but powerful as he shouts down everyone, sounding like a rocking, left wing Bill Cosby.

I would have given it 5 stars but z-trip does go the Public Enemy route occasionally - military beats, over the top monologues. Yeah it's interesting, relevant and topical but doesn't hold up to repeated listening. For instance, revolution part 1 does the job - we don't need to turn it into a 15 mintue song by adding part 2. However, there is more than enough here to meet the standard.

Don't miss :

Listen to the DJ - perfect crossover rap/dj song
They get down - house party deluxe
Take Two Copies - Jethro Tull sample. rap needs more flute music.
Bury me Standing - Hard core for the rock crowd.
Breakfast Club - "If you can't relate to this song, you're takin this shit too seriosuly" celebration of Saturday morning cartoons
Walking Dead - Who let Joy Division in ?
Shock and awe - Chuck D does body count

For lefty propaganda, go to

Some guys at Starbucks told me about the site http://www.albasrah.net. This is Sunni propaganda but gives you an inside view of at least how some people see the US. If the Feds are watching you, you probably don't want to go to this web site. The pictures are fascinating. If you've seen the movie "Three Kings," looking through this site seems to give you the same flavor. It's surreal. I like this picture through.

Old stand-by www.anti-war.com is also good bookmark although I hadn't visited them in a while and they seem to have lost some of their bite.

Maddy on line

Maddy on line

http://maddyfeltus.blogspot.com/

also interesting economics/baseball blog

http://www.freakonomics.com/blog.php

Beck "Guero" *****

One of the best albums of the year. It will certainly end up on the best of Beck has traditionally alternated between true eclectic alternative albums and blues albums. This one seems to combine the two. While most Beck albums seem to take one style and play various forms, ending a little tired by track 10, this one is varied enough to keep you interested to the end with out sacrificing quality or interest. It won't be a commercial smash, but that doesn't affect the quality.

The first song I heard was on the radio "e-pro" which I thought going for the easy single/stadium rock song to replace blur's yahoo tune. My next take was having a kid has turned Beck christian (see audioslave), a Beck Hanson rather than just Beck. But it opens the album solidly and as you listen to the album it fits in perfectly. The next couple of songs do a Spanish hip-hop and then veers through pretty much every musical genre: rap, funk, alternative, classical strings, 80's synth rock, 70's style love songs, blues. You name it, it's here. There's a lot hear and probably plenty I'm missing. Not very many people could pull it off and fewer would attempt it. Words don't do it justice. But I've been listening for two weeks and the nuances keep getting better.

Standout tracks. The best track has to be "black tambourine" which is a stripped down "e-pro" - if it doesn't get your feet tapping, you're dead. "e-pro" may be more accessible, but still a great rocker. "go it alone" and "emergency exit" are more of a slow burner blues numbers like black tambourine. "farewell ride" is the the style blues harmonica/dark country. "que onda guero" is the Spanish hip hop while "hell yeah" is the funk number. Missing is a "slow" love song but more like a traditional south American dance number.

Start

An experiment. I will give this a try to post music reviews, media postings, pictures or anything else that I feel like. We'll see where it goes.