On this day in 1964, the FBI reported it could not determine the lyrics to “Louie Louie”.
This is a wonderful piece of video that Gerry posted on Facebook. View it on full screen if you can because it’s in HD. The music really works with the photos. This video is called The Mountain by Terje Sorgjerd. There are links to more of his videos at the end of the clip.
The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.
We saw the Decemberists at UCCS (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The tickets were only $25. I say only because that’s a bargain compared to what we’re used to paying in New York. I stopped by the Gallogly Event Center (the name generated some funny banter from singer Colin Meloy) after my Habitat For Humanity volunteer orientation to scope the place out and to try to find out if I could take my camera in. Most places will not let you bring in any camera with a lens that is detachable or longer than 4 inches. That makes no sense to me since today’s point and shoot cameras can take amazing photos that rival digital SLR cameras in quality. Anyway, the answer was no, which didn’t surprise me. Since it was early in the morning, the security was kind of lax, and the security guy let me walk right into Gallogly where the crew was doing the load in. I got to see it in its brightly lit glory. It’s essentially a basketball court that they somehow carpet. It’s small and stands about 1200 people. I suspected it was going to be a stand up concert when I bought the tickets which were general admission. The security guy confirmed it. I try to avoid these at all costs because I can’t stand for long periods. I can walk forever, but standing makes my feet and legs ache and takes away from the enjoyment of the show. I wasn’t sure how long I could stay, but Laurie and I were determined to give it our best shot. We were well fortified after a great dinner at Señor Manuel’s, my favorite kind of hole in the wall place – decor is vinyl booth seats and formica tables – but the food is excellent and pretty cheap. Since it was Saturday, the place was jammed with families out for dinner. The service was a little slow and we didn’t get out until 7:30. Doors opened at 7, but we found a space to stand with a pretty good view. The opening act was Justin Townes Earle (Steve Earle’s son) who played with fiddle player Josh Hedley . I had never heard either before, but I was very impressed. I will be downloading their music today. They played until 8:30. Laurie and I decided to just sit on the floor to rest and preserve our aging limbs. Sitting on the floor amongst a crowd of standing people made me think that this is the view of the world that Rosie sees all the the time. Laurie called it the ass view. The band hit the stage after a kind of weird, but entertaining recorded introduction by Sam Adams brewery owner Jim Koch. The sound was very good and surprisingly low volume. We moved because we had annoying co-eds standing in front of us yakking, dancing and necking non-stop. We found a less distracting spot and enjoyed the show. The small but enthusiastic crowd was very responsive to the band’s interactions, especially during the first of two encores. I was wondering if they qualified as standing ovations. The show wrapped up at 10:30, a very enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend seeing them if you get a chance.
We were both tired after working all day in the yard. I cleaned out the clogged gutters and raked a foothill of pine needles and coniferous cones while a herd of deer watched me as they grazed on the newly sprouted grass. I learned the hard way that I have to watch out for cactus as I’m scooping the pine needles with my hands. After being impaled three different times I decided not to use my hands any more. Laurie spent the day raking the back yard and pruning the lilac bushes. We’re trying to decide what do with our back yard on our limited budget. We bought some tomato plants, so I guess we’re going to have to figure how we’re going to keep them from being devoured by the many critters that live here. Probably the biggest threat to any vegetable garden will be the many, many rabbits that seem to be everywhere.
I drove my Beetle (Laurie has named it Carmelita – I refuse to name a vehicle of any kind unless it’s a beer truck) to the Habitat For Humanity volunteer orientation. It takes a while, but I can actually get it up to freeway speed, 65 mph/100 kph. We toured their development east of the city. They will eventually have 37 homes built there. Here’s what one of them looks like.
They’re very basic homes, this one is about 1200 square feet and the ranch style on stories are about 900 square feet, but they allow people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to own a home to get one. The selection process is very rigorous and people are required to put in about 400 hours of sweat equity to help build their homes. Habitat gives them a 30 year zero percent mortgage, so their payments are about $500 per month. I really like this program because it does so much good. And I’m looking forward to learning some construction skills. The only negative about it is that it’s a religious (Christian) organization. But I can overlook their short morning prayer because of the good that this program does. If they can accept an atheist then I can respect their views and values which really aren’t that far from my own.
Laurie and I are both beating the bushes for jobs. All the radio stations here have hiring freezes right now because of the poor local economy. In fact, many managers and program directors have recently had to go back on the air as a cost cutting measure. I had lunch with one of them last week and he really wants to hire me, but just can’t right now. He wants me to do an on-air audition soon, so that will at least be a foot in the door.
Please enjoy this Tiny Desk Concert from NPR. This is the incredible Otis Taylor.
