soundslikecamera

Bonita Chamoritas from Asan, Guam

2012-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

I think Guam's big business is still tourism.

In their free time, these enterprising young girls have been supporting the island's economy by standing with a carabao on side of the rode in Asan, Guam and getting tourists to take pics with them. I think it's a clever business venture.

If you don't already know, carabao is the word for water buffalo in that part of the world. For Guam, the carabao is a common symbol of the island's cultural identity. Bonita chamoritas means 'pretty Chamorro girls.' Chamorro is the language spoken and both who and what the indigenous people of Guam are. I am very proud to be from Guam and to be Chamorro... not too many people in this world can say that.

Asan is my village on Guam. Gonna miss a lot of music in town this trip home, but can't wait to be back on Guam again and to take a pic with that carabao and those bonita chamoritas.

Felis Anu Nuebu!

2012-01-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

I've had the whole week off from work. Hung out with my buddy, the Rug Doctor and got my place in proper receiving order for any good fortune that might breeze through this first day of the year.

I still miss Guam and I'm still in Oakland, but can now say that I'm actively looking for a place in San Francisco. One thing's for sure, it's that as much as I want the ease of walking to most places, I also really need a view.

My resolutions are probably a lot like yours, centered around finding a rhythm and balance in the day-to-day and in life, in general. Hope we all get lucky with what 2012 has in store.

So this was my first sunrise of 2012. Crazy. It's January 1st and Bay Area weather is supposed to be in the mid to high 60's today!

Happy New Year! Or as they say on Guam, "where America's day begins," Felis Anu Nuebu!

A Flower a Day

2011-09-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

At the start of the year, I was regularly lamenting and complaining about having to walk to BART in the mornings. So to shut myself up and to make it more entertaining for myself, I started taking pics of the flowers I'd see along my way and wound up taking notice of ones I never had before. http://soundslikecamera.tumblr.com/tagged/flowers

This flower was one of my favorites from those morning walks. I like that it's blue. Though it was in bloom a lot earlier this year, its colors makes me think of September which so far, has been a pretty good month.

Figured it was also a good enough time for a playlist with a handful of songs and artists - both old and new - that I've been liking a lot lately.

http://8tracks.com/soundslikecamera/a-flower-a-day

Hey Lady - Andy Cabic, Eric Johnson, Steve Taylor

Summer Lady - Cecilio & Kapono

Muskrat Candlelight - Willis Alan Ramsey

Northeast Texas Woman - Willis Alan Ramsey

Ledbellies (Hurt My Pride) - Cowboy and Indian

Close to You - Ben Sollee

Fly On - The Belleville Outfit

Will This End In Tears - The Belleville Outfit

I'm Your Woman - Nicki Bluhm

Unforgetaboutable - Brokedown In Bakersfield

Electrified - Ben Sollee

Kill You to Call - Nicki Bluhm

Making the Drop in Santa Cruz

2011-05-09T21:39:00.001-07:00

Don't get too excited... I didn't 'make the drop,' but Making the Drop in Santa Cruz is a great place to figure out where to begin regardless your surfing skills set.

I figured out that I need to build a little more muscle and agility and burn off a layer of fat.

The surfcoach was cool and I'm sure once he assesses where you're at, he'll provide the encouragement you need to push yourself a little. He did with me.

I found that I could paddle my board well, get in well enough to catch a handful of waves... but can't lie and tell you I rode them. I couldn't get up quickly enough and didn't know how to work the wave to get where I needed to be. The waves were gnarly at 1-2 ft. I think there was one 'outside' that could could have been a 3, maybe. Sure, I can tell myself that even catching waves was an accomplishment, but that was supposed to have been a freakin' given.

Ugh. But a reality check is what I bargained for and a reality check is what I got. And the surfcoach? I'd trust him to paddle out with. He keeps it real.

Holding my wetsuit, looking at the tag, he asks me, "So when did you last wear this suit?" I tell him at least 3 years ago. "A 6? You look more like," looks me up and down, "a 10." What could I say to that? So sure I wound up having to wear a community wetsuit that was orange and blue, but I had something to paddle out in that I could actually breathe in.

It really was great though. It felt nice to get in the ocean and feel like in some super earthy cheesed out way that the ocean was connecting me to Guam. I got to do paddling exercises and realize that it's gonna take some work to get where I want to be to be.

I want to be able to paddle out back home when I next visit... and to bring a real sense of spirituality to my life out here.

Here's one of Rick's back on Guam. Not sure how I'd fare in surf like this, but you get the picture.

Signs of Spring

2011-03-20T11:04:00.001-07:00

It's been a couple of days of stormy weather in the Bay Area... but the sun's now peeking through the clouds. It does feel a bit like springtime's upon us today.

Here's a song by The Phosphenes that sounds a lot like Spring to me.

The Sweet Part of the City

2011-02-20T11:21:00.002-08:00

I was meant to stumble upon this song.

It's where I want to be living again.

I love Oakland's warmth and trees, but I want to go back to the neighborhood that's always been my favorite... what I've always thought to be the sweet part of the city.

Last I rambled on about where I should be living was in May of 2008.

http://soundslikecamera.blogspot.com/2008/05/gathering-some-moss.html

"Gathering some moss..."
Not sure what to write, but haven't put anything out in a while so I figured why not update my post from over a year ago in April 2007, "Like a Rolling Stone."

"Like a Rolling Stone"

So I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1995 and have lived in more than a few different places...

- Leavenworth at Pine - the "TenderNob." Great flat, great housemates who are still all good friends of mine though we don't always keep on touch... Conrad, Crena, Chris, Bas, Melissa, Sonya, Juan.
- Union at Grant, North Beach - My first place on my own. Super cute little place with a beautiful garden patio and lemon tree all to myself. Why did I leave this place, again?
- Bayside Village in SouthBeach - Way back with old housemate, Rick. Great guy, just lived life a little too much in 'the fast lane' for me. Loved that lap pool though.
- Jasper Alley, North Beach - with my good friend, Joe and a housemate I never saw. Too bad our landlord decided to take over and move in to our flat.
- 29th and Anza, Richmond District - With the old boyfriend, Bryan. A good man, but not 'the one.' Learned from that one, will never move so far out in the avenues again.
- Bayside Village in South Beach - Yay! The lap pool I loved so much. This was still before South Beach was cool and lined with palm trees. I stil remember when they were installing them along the Embarcadero. My how things have developed down there. Yup, this was even before the ballpark.
- Golden Gateway Apartments, Financial District - Loved this place, but it was a little geriatric. The average age seemed to be in the mid-sixties. Though I didn't have any hot neighbors nextdoor, still had a great pool nearby at the Tennis and Swim Club.
- Bay at Mason, Fisherman's Wharf/North Beach - My least favorite place ever. I lived on top of a wash and fold. So at certain times every day, my whole place would rattle and shake when all the machines were on spin cycle - fun. Cheap rent, but a nasty place.
- Columbus at Broadway, North Beach - Now this was a great-sized apartment, but the locale was a bit much. The flashing bright neons of Broadway can really do a number on your head. Living there was slowly driving me insane. Seriously.
- Park Blvd in the Lake Merritt area of Oakland - We all make mistakes.
- Green at Taylor, North Beach side of Russian Hill - Probably the most beautiful apartment I've ever lived in with a view of Alcatraz and the Bay and Marin. If it weren't for the insane rent and uptight neighbors, I might never have left.
- Park Blvd in the Lake Merritt area of Oakland - Sometimes we don't learn from our mistakes.
- Santa Clara - Free room and board at Auntie Frances's. Guess it was a time I needed to be around family. I often find myself missing the snack bags she'd make for me every morning to take to work.
- Kearny at Union, North Beach - Love Telegraph Hill. Great housemate, great flat, but an opportunity to live with some good friends arose and I'll soon be on my way again. Looking forward to it, but am currently grappling with North Beach separation anxiety. I'll survive and yes, I know - North Beach is a mere cab ride away.
- Pine Street near Japan Town - The first place I lived in the city was at Pine and I'll soon be heading back that way again. Funny how life sometimes seems to come round in full circle.

So, yeah... At 34 with more than a handful of places under my belt, I find myself still on that quest to find the right time and place to gather some moss.

And there's nothing at all wrong with that.

- Oakland Revisited - A year has passed and I'm now 35. And I though I don't necessarily feel myself taking root, I'm definitely gathering some moss. It's been such a long time that I've felt this settled.

It's funny, I've learned that I'm someone who can't live with friends, most especially good friends. Sonya, who will always be one of my dearest and very best friends ever, even if we lived thousand of miles apart, was once my housemate. Living together wasn't one of the highlights of my years in the Bay Area.

Pine street was good, but in ways, similar.

So I moved from Pine Street in February to a place of my own, in Oakland again. Circumstances led me to a different perspective of this area, and I fell for it in a way I never had before. It's nice. I'm happy to be here and to be establishing a rhythm toward the balance I've been seeking...

even if NorthBeach is no longer a mere cab ride away and I still don't have any hot neighbors next door.

Revisit or Discover Uncle Walt's Band

2011-01-29T21:55:00.001-08:00

If you've known me at all in the past decade, you'll know that the music Walter Hyatt, Champ Hood, and David Ball did as Uncle Walt's Band is among my very favorite. And if you and I have ever really 'talked music,' at some point I've probably tried to tell you why you should give this stuff a listen.

They took their name from the Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band" and this is probably one of the best articles I've stumbled upon if you want a sense of the band and their history. It was published in February 2008 in the Austin Chronicle.

Everything about their songs - the music, the lyrics, the harmonies - is the stuff of magic that only comes about when it's really meant to be, the sort that just happens and can't be contrived... that Uncle Walt's Band sound and style are both so distinct and just so darned good.

"Uncle Walt's Band created a new form of progressive Texas folk music, blending country and acoustic music with jazz and swing to create a style all their own," from shsscar.

Here's a clip of Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood doing a song Walter Hyatt wrote and released solo. A clever song with a smokin' solo by Champ Hood. Also captured are the smiles and looks in their eyes to the crowd and to each other as they play... I think it's a really special clip.

This is a recent clip of David Ball doing one of his Uncle Walt's Band songs. I've always thought that this was such a gorgeous song.

I first came upon the music of Uncle Walt's Band in 2001 or 2002. My friend from Arkansas, Warren Dietzel had been given a bootleg copy of a show of theirs by his friend, Yassi. I met them both back when I was tending the little bar in North Beach in San Francisco. Warren and I used to talk about music whenever I was working and he once gave me two Uncle Walt's Band CDs, telling me that he knew I'd love the stuff. I'm not one to listen to stuff people give me right away especially when it's been prefaced with, "I just know you're gonna love this" so those cds sat for a couple of months until one day I noticed them again and asked myself, how could a girl from the island of Guam not want to give a CD entitled "The Girl on the Sunny Shore" at least one listen?

And oh my... one listen was all it took and it was like a spell had been cast over me.

Since then, I still can't get any of those songs out of my head and out of rotation. I can safely say that I listened to something by Uncle Walt's Band or that they'd each done solo for years and years since that very first time.

But what was tough was that, at that time, it was so hard for me to gather any more info online about who Uncle Walt's Band was. At that time, all you could really find on the internet were snippets about the music and the men behind it. I'm so happy that it's quite different today... in fact, the music is being kept alive in many ways.

Here's a clip with Warren Hood and Marshall Hood, Champ Hood's son and nephew doing their version of an Uncle Walt's tune, "Someday" though I also read somewhere that it's called "Getaway." Either way, it's a great song. This clip was taken at Threadgill's South in Austin, TX in September 2010 by 2020memory who's got a great YouTube channel - covering some really good stuff on the Texas music scene.

What I love about this clip is how Warren Hood credits and thanks Daren Appelt for keeping the music alive with his audio recordings of the band through the years. Warren Hood goes on to say, "I always encourage bootleg recordings from the audience and YouTube and just give them to people cause it's the only way this music's gonna last." And this music is the sort that should be kept alive and passed on over and over again.

On January 22, 2011, there was a fundraiser in Spartanburg, South Carolina for the Spartanburg Music Trail honoring inductees, Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood. Warren Hood along with Marshall Hood, Rob Teter, and Nigel Frye from The Belleville Outfit performed again as 'Uncle Walt's Band Revisited' for the first time outside of Texas.

Below is a playlist of all 27 videos of the guys performing Uncle Walt's Band songs at the Spartanburg Music Trail fundraiser. The clips were taken by the YouTube user shsscar who also happens to be Champ Hood's brother and Marshall Hood's Dad, Robin Deschamps Hood. So, so nice to be able to watch all these videos sequentially and uninterrupted... you almost feel like you were there at the show.

Sure hope these guys can make a San Francisco Bay Area performance one of these days.

You've got to give thanks to these musicians out there like Warren Hood with the Hoodlums, the Goods, or the Waybacks; and the Belleville Outfit; and to slightly lesser knowns like my old friend, Warren Dietzel and his buddy Teddy Sablon as The Phosphenes for keeping the music alive and well in their necks of the woods with their live performances of these songs.

Here's one of Warren and Teddy doing a cover of "Volcano" - a Champ Hood song he did with The Contenders, another band he and Walter Hyatt were in with Steve Runkle, Timmy Goldsmith, and Jimbeau Walsh... and another CD that I sure got my money's worth playing over and over and over again.

In November of 2010, Walter Hyatt's wife, Heidi decided to make available collections of Uncle Walt's Band previously unreleased on CD. The songs on these CDs were transferred from the original LP masters in their original sequence including the rare studio collection, "6-26-79." I've since come to understand that one of the two CDs that was first given to me, "The Girl on the Sunny Shore" released by Sugar Hill Records, was actually a compilation of two of these Uncle Walt's Band albums, "Uncle Walt's Band" and the release, "6-26-79."

So revisit or discover some Uncle Walt's Band for yourself. The CDs below are available now at King Tears Music.

And a very special thanks to Heidi Hyatt for deciding to release them to us all.

Processing

2010-12-12T06:37:00.001-08:00

I remember talking to my parents a couple of months ago; at a time that, for me, felt like embarking on an uphill climb. It stemmed from a lot of different things - family stuff, relationship stuff, work stuff, and your basic 'I'm 38 and don't quite feel settled and at ease with where I'm at' type of crap.

As good loving parents do, they wanted me to talk about how I was feeling.

I couldn't. And remember telling them that I couldn't talk because I was still 'processing.' I've learned that much at my age - that processing and getting through harder times or emotions is done best on my own. That's just my way.

Spent quite some time catching up with myself - cooking new things, reading new things, checking out new music and sites online, and having little parties for one. It took me some time, but I've been feeling content lately. Don't quite feel like I'm at a point where I can just kick back and revel in what's around me, but I'm alright just seeing progress in that direction.

Anyway, I finally caught some really good music the other weekend. It was a magic show on so many different levels and I got to spend some quality time with some good people. It sure had been a while for both.

Here's a glimpse into some of what I caught.

Confessions

2010-12-02T20:25:00.002-08:00

The last time I caught live music was over two months ago. One of those September shows was at the Fillmore.

It was a good show.

Nathan Moore - Dear Puppeteer

The Mother Hips - Transit Wind

A lull you could call it. But yeah, I'm gonna get out and see some music this holiday season.