Canada Day vid#2 - "And When to Come Back"

"And When To Come Back" by Canada Day ( w/ Nate Wooley, Matt Bauder, Chris Dingman, Eivind Opsvik), Le Grand Dakar, Brooklyn, June 2008 (thanks to Chris Lazinski for filming and Eivind for camera loanage).

Guewel Release and Canada Day Vid#1

Guewel is out on Clean Feed!

Thanks to Hank Shteamer for the thoughtful CD review/ release gig preview in Time Out New York here.

Also, a vid (thanks Chris Lazinski) of "Every Day is Canada Day" by my band Canada Day (Nate Wooley, Matt Bauder, Chris DIngman, Eivind Opsvik) from a gig in June. We record for Clean Feed in December.

It's not The Wire, but it is The Shield

What can I say? Is it just post-partum from The Wire that makes me feel lukewarm about season 6 of The Shield so far? Its entertaining, make no mistake. I guess its nostalgia from living in LA for six years, because it's nice to see the streets of "Farmington," the fabricated LA neighborhood that's really some kind of conglomerate of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights, downtown LA, Echo Park, Glassell Park, and a dozen other east side neighborhoods, in action. The hand-held camera-work is riveting, the storylines complex and fairly virtuosic. The acting is mixed, some of the writing is great and some is so-so. Not that it'll stop me from making my way thru the season. Is there anyone out there who can really say they prefer it to The Wire? No way....

What the F-ck did I do?

So long, The Wire. Just finished Season 5. It hurts me to know that there are no more episodes out there. Drag. The greatest television series I have ever watched, I'd say. Typically sardonic journalistic IM back-and-forth on whether Season 5 flopped (no way!) and general life with (and now without) the show here.

Wellness

Just finished T.C. Boyle's the Road to Welville. Jane Smiley's insightful review is here. I must admit, Boyle's dazzling virtuosity actually slowed me down at times. His story of early 20th century health nuts is superbly researched and both hilarious and sad. I do admire that Boyle never settles for simple protagonist-antagonist paradigms. His ensemble cast all have positive and negative attributes, and his command of language is staggering. Its just that you get the feeling that he's kind of showing off that incredible prowess sometimes. Recommended reading nonetheless. Having said that, though its been awhile (I read it in undergrad in 1994), I'd recommend starting with his wonderful collection Greasy Lake and Other Stories.