Project: Introduction to Multimedia Design

I launched my first website today. Well, the first one I built by myself. I’ve launched plenty of websites through work, but none that I designed, coded, and wrote all the content for.

The project was to design an instructional or informational site using CSS. I had lots of help from my co-workers in navigating CSS, and I feel pretty comfortable now looking at code and knowing what’s going on. I chose “climbing” as my topic, as I knew I had quite a few photos I could use for my site design.

You can view the site at http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~briggsa/climbingsafety/index.htm.

Note that the site isn’t actually AT ClimbingSafety.com. I might eventually buy a domain and launch the site off of the school servers, but money doesn’t grow on trees.

My Most Anticipated Albums of 2010

2007 was one of the best years in music in my recollection — career-defining albums from Spoon, The National, LCD Soundsystem, Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, Dr. Dog, Dungen, Okkervil River, Menomena, Iron and Wine, and several others. (My list from that year is on the Grimey’s website.)

Stereogum has a great post right now listing their 69 most anticipated records of 2010, and the follow-up records to most of the highlights of 2007 are on schedule for next year. Based on this list, 2010 is going to be heavy with music from artists I already love and maybe beat 2007 in the race for the most great releases. Since I’m still in the spirit of making inane lists (see my “Favorites Albums and Songs of 2009″ post), I thought I’d whittle the list down to the ones I’m looking forward to:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND – CONTRA
JANUARY 12 (XL)
All signs — including the three songs I’ve heard so far — point to Contra being a strong follow-up to one of my favorite records of last year. Seems as if they’re not making any radical stylistic shift, just building on the formula they set with the first record. I really liked that formula, so I’m looking forward to hearing the full album.

Vampire Weekend – “Horchata” (MP3)

THE AVALANCHES
TBA (MODULAR)
If you’ve never heard Since I Left You, you’ve missed one of the best sample-based dance records of the decade — if not one of the best ever. It’s been nine years since they released Since I Left You, and the follow-up is finally on slate for 2010. Interested to see what happens when an album is in production for nine years.

BEACH HOUSE – TEEN DREAM
JANUARY 26 (SUB POP)
“Norway” is floating around the internet right now, and I’m impressed — great woozy guitar, beautiful vocals. I love what Beach House is doing but still looking for the album from them that crystallizes it, makes it all memorable and not just a wash of sound. Hoping Teen Dream is that record, and with a lead song as strong as “Norway” I think it’s quite possible.

Beach House – “Norway” (MP3)

SPOON – TRANSFERENCE
JANUARY 26 (MERGE)
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga was the best record of 2007 in my book — the best example of everything that is great about Spoon and easily one of the finest rock records of the decade. So of course I’m looking forward to the follow up. The lead single “Written in Reverse” is on iTunes now, and it seemingly takes the Wire-esque “strip the rock song down to the bones” approach to it’s most basic — the song is basically one chord, minus a two-chord 20 second bridge. It’s all buoyed by one of Britt’s best and most engaging vocals. Can’t wait to hear the rest of it.

Spoon – “Written In Reverse” (Live 7/20/08) (MP3)

THE NATIONAL
TBA (4AD)
I’m still blown away by Boxer and Alligator and playing them frequently, so I can’t wait to see what they have on tap for Boxer’s followup. According to Stereogum, their intention was to make a record that’s “happier” than Boxer, but the songs might not be trending that way. Fine by me.

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
MARCH (DFA)
2008 and 2009 didn’t have a dance-oriented record that really moved me, but 2007 had two of the finest — Justice’s Cross and LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver.

MIDLAKE – THE COURAGE OF OTHERS
FEBRUARY 1 (BELLA UNION)
It’s been a while since Midlake released the undeniably “Fleetwood Mac-ian” Trials of Van Occupanther — one of my favorite albums of 2006. Evidently the band has labored heavily over the followup. According to the band, we should expect a move toward “British folk scene of late ’60s stuff.”

THE HOLD STEADY
TBA (VAGRANT)
The Hold Steady won me over at Bonnaroo 2007 with one of the most infectious live shows I’ve ever seen. 2008’s Stay Positive wasn’t an end-to-end winner, so hopefully the new record captures more of the energy of the live version of the band.

RIGHTENED RABBIT – THE WINTER OF MIXED DRINKS
MARCH 9 (FATCAT)
Loving the new live tune they’re playing (see below) — if any indication of the new record, they’ll improve upon what they did with ther last record.

Frightened Rabbit – “Nothing Like You” (Live On BBC6) (MP3)

ARCADE FIRE
MAY (MERGE)
I’d call Funeral one of the Top 5 records of the decade, and I thought Neon Bible was a great second third album. Can’t wait to hear what they do next.

FLEET FOXES
TBA (SUB POP)
Evidently the follow-up to my favorite album of 2008 is a little “less poppy” and “a little less upbeat”. Personally, the bright upbeat spots of their debut album were the points that balanced the rest and made it the perfect sunny morning album. I’m fine for some darker business, but hoping they don’t leave out that part of their sound that simply revels in the joy of playing music…

THE WRENS – FUNERAL (WORKING TITLE)
FALL (TBA)
The Wrens last record — The Meadowlands — came out in 2003, and I suppose most people figured their wouldn’t be another Wrens record. Evidently we’ll see a follow-up in 2010. I was a big fan of the heart-of-sleeve opus of The Meadowlands, so this is on my list of purchases for sure.

BAND OF HORSES – NIGHT RAINBOWS
TBA (SUB POP)
Yes, please — second album was better than the first, so keep it coming.

THE WALKMEN
SPRING (FAT POSSUM)
Man, The Walkmen are active. I just listened to Bows + Arrows for the first time in a while and was reminded how brilliant these dudes are.

DR. DOG – SHAME, SHAME
SPRING (ANTI-)
Despite a bit of a let-down in Fate, I’m still on board. Evidently we can expect something a bit more “punk” this time around. Fate tended toward goofy in spots, so this is a welcome suggestion.

MENOMENA
TBA (BARSUK)
Loved Friend and Foe, and was blown away by seeing them live (twice!) on Halloween Eve 2007 — giant baby costume and all. Hoping they also keep their tendency toward really awesome album art.

R.E.M.
TBA (WARNER)
Evidently my favorite band of all time is back in the studio making their fifteenth album. My fingers are firmly crossed that they’re making it quick and keeping the vigor they’ve had over the last two years intact.

MILES KUROSKY – THE DESERT OF SHALLOW EFFECTS
MARCH 9 (MAJORDOMO/SHOUT! FACTORY)

Can’t wait for this one. I’m a huge Beulah fan and hate that I didn’t really discover them until they had split up. Miles Kurosky is the former singer/songwriter from that late great band, and Stereogum reports that his first solo record is “a meticulously crafted, ambitious gem, utilizing a cast of more than two dozen musicians (among them several ex-Beulah members) playing a vast array of instruments.” If it’s as half as great as The Coast is Never Clear or Yoko, I’ll be pushing this one hard on everyone I know.

Favorite Records (and Songs): 2009 Edition

OK, I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m disappointed with how I performed as a music nerd this year. Really, really let down; I mean it’s sort of crushing to look back at the year and think about how many records I just never got around to. But, to my credit, 2009 was a hell of a year. I worked hard, I made a baby, I traveled, I lost my grandfather, I started school again, and ultimately I found myself in a new career opportunity.

I’m starting 2010 off right — buying a new turntable and trying to keep up the music habit as much as possible. Until then, though, here are the records this year I loved the most:

1. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
   I’m an unapologetic Neko Case fanboy, so most of my friends probably aren’t surprised by this. Another very solid, very cohesive, very evocative group of songs from my favorite singer. Maybe not as staggering as Fox Confessor was to me a few years ago, but this was in heavy rotation almost all year and only got better every time I saw her live. Plus, best album cover ever.
   
2. Cortney Tidwell – Boys
   When I was in high school I claimed I didn’t really like female vocalists. Guess things have changed as I’ve gotten older, as evidenced by my two favorite records of the year. Cortney is Nashville’s finest in my book, and Boys is the kind of eclectic homespun genius where country noir meets dusty electronica meets psych freakouts and doesn’t really apologize anywhere in between. I can’t recommend this one enough, and if you live in Nashville you have to go see Cortney play live.
   
3. Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest
   A sleepy pop masterpiece and easily one of the best collection of songs of the year. Regret that I never managed to see them live this year. Also, they had Michael “Voice of ‘Peg’ BGVs” McDonald sing a version of “While You Wait for the Others” as a B-Side, and that just has to be recognized as the weirdest collaboration of the year.

For Rev. William Childress

I’m sad to say my Grandfather, Reverend William Childress, passed away today. It’s hard to say exactly how much of an influence my Paw was on my life: when I was younger, there was no one in the world more important in my eyes, and even into adulthood he’s been a watermark for me. I’ve learned everything I know about being a good man from his example, and I miss him deeply already. This afternoon has been a flood of remembering our time together.

I recalled this rushed short story I had scribbled out a few years ago. It’s still very unfinished and breathless, but it feels like tonight is the night to post it here, warts and all.

Andrew Bird – Live at Grimey’s

Had a great instore performance at Grimey’s yesterday from Andrew Bird, who was on his way to Bonnaroo. His performance was really great, and the Grimey’s crowd was very appreciative.

I’ve put up videos of the entire performance at YouTube. Embedded a few of my favorites below, including a cover of Smog’s excellent “Cold Blooded Old Times.”

There Is No Love Where There is No Bramble.

I spent Saturday evening with the guys at Black 13 — a highly recommended shop in Nashville — getting my second (and most likely, last) tattoo.

The text comes from the song “Say Valley Maker” from one of my favorite records — A River Ain’t Too Much To Love by Smog (who’s just going by Bill Callahan now).

As for the significance, this is a reminder of what life has been teaching me in the last 6 months: that nothing worth having comes without effort, that life is often more rewarding when you take risks, and that — as my mother told me just a few weeks ago — we are given obstacles so that we can grow enough to move forward.

Next: a Tony Danza tattoo, obviously. Or maybe something more direct.

3 Songs From the Avenues Video Archive

It’s been hanging over my head for about five years now to edit down the archives of live Avenues video and place them on a digital format so I can share them with, well, the other 4 guys from the band. Slowly but surely I’m getting to it — I have the raw files imported and separated, and now I’m just sorting through them.

The majority of video comes from our EP Release / Farewell Show from February of 2005 — a show memorable for many reasons (it was our likely our best, drums were caught on fire, Hulk Hands, Crocodile Rock, secret t-shirts…).  Here are the first two songs from that show.

Neko Case — “The Pharoahs”

We saw Neko Case at Workplay in Birmingham last night. Amazing show. Her voice is absolutely outstanding, she comes across as very humble and grateful, and her band is excellent — the songs from Middle Cyclone sound even better live. Which is saying a lot.

So tonight with the light on the back porch fading I sat down and figured out how to play “The Pharoahs.” Since I use Delicious.com to bookmark the tabs/chords for all the songs I know how to play, I need some sort of source for publishing the chords to the song, so I’m using the old blog. And bookmarking myself. Special. So this is really for me, and not so much for you. But play along if you’re interested — this is a really great song.

“I Think We Need More Rope:” The Recap of Joshua Tree, February 2009

Nashville was nice today, but my head is admittedly still wandering the desert of Joshua Tree, CA. Here’s the recap:

Rick and I flew out of Nashville on Friday to the bright (and overwhelmingly unhinged) streets of Las Vegas. Flight was commemorative if only because Rick asked the guy between us, “Are you Rod Stewart?” (He wasn’t, but he was Dolly Parton’s drummer, and old-school prog rocker, and a part-time stem cell enthusiast.)

Vegas felt like a brief stop on the way to something bigger. We wandered the streets for a while before settling into O’Shea’s — easily the most white-trash casino on the strip, but cheap and ace for people watching. I mostly laughed at sorority girls dancing enthusiastically to the worst cover band I’ve ever heard and dealt with the bad choice of a falafel burger from earlier.

Saturday began early — rental car pick up, Whole Foods for luxuries, Panera for breakfast, REI for fuel (and a hat — thanks to the money I managed to not flush away gambling), the grocery store for $100 in snacks, and then the long drive through the Mojave. By the time we reached Joshua Tree (NOT at the foot of Mount Shasta, although we’ve seen the signs), the sun was getting low. We found our campsite, discovered that we had perfect cell reception, and made contact with Brad and Jamie — who were climbing a mountain nearby. In an awesome experiment, we discovered how well sound travels through the desert AND I had bromance proclaimed for me from a mountaintop. Beat that. Whole Foods Box Wine and steak and veggies closed out the day, and the weather was perfect. I waxed about the beauty of life on my phone, and slept like a rock in my tent.

Story of Stuff

I was profoundly moved by The Story of Stuff this week, which a client introduced on Monday. Please take the time to watch.

Since watching this on Tuesday, I’ve had a strong realization: I don’t want to raise kids super-saturated by marketing messages. Think about it: Saturday morning cartoons are one long commercial designed to teach kids that you’re supposed to want STUFF for happiness. Toucan Sam and Tony the Tiger are teaching kids that the only way breakfast can be satisfying is if you use a chintzy plastic spoon shaped like a rocketship (free with 3 UPC codes!) and ONLY if you’re eating the newest version with the marshmallow shaped donut clusters that turn your milk purple.