dirtwrites

...of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:24:00 +0000

My friends always do a year-end Top Ten list that is circulated via e-mail touting each person's favorite albums of the past year. This used to be pretty simple. 10 albums - done. Not so anymore. I think it started last year, a couple EPs slipped in... oh and someone had some honorable mentions... oh yeah and then there was the "I didn't like the record, but I listened to the song more than anything else all year."

And then came this year... there was a Top 50 list (I confess I didn't even listen to 20 albums this year), a Top 10 Honorable Mentions list (which the author quickly confessed to being nothing more than a Top 20 list when coupled with his Top 10) and then various categories based on different qualifiers (albums I should give another listen; albums that grew on me BUT still didn't make my top 10; albums that were released in '07, but I did not hear a note until 2008 i swear; the best songs from albums that should have been cut down to ep's... well you get the point.)

I'm not sure where I'm going with this post other than to say it has been an amazing year in some respects. In other respects it's been really difficult. The point is that looking back over the past year I realized that music played a nice role as the soundtrack in the background. In fact it wasn't until I tried to build my own list that those melodic memories begin to fill my head, which in the end is the whole point of the reflection that occurs in the first week of winter and the last week of the calendar year.

So, without further delay and pondering... The Official Some Music I Listened To This Past Year That I Really Appreciate.

Thao - We Brave Bee Stings And All
Santogold - Santogold
Mason Jennings - In The Ever
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Conor Oberst - Conor Oberst
Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali
Jon Foreman - Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer
Sigur Ros - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
Paper Route - All We Are All Forgotten
Majestico - Boundary Conditions
M83 - Saturdays = Youth
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

time for a missed connection...

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:08:00 +0000

Missed Connections on Craigslist have been a guilty pleasure of mine since I lived in NYC. The premise is that you caught someone's eye on the subway on the way to work... numerous exchanges of looks... maybe a smile right before you exited the train. Then you kick yourself for not introducing yourself or exchanging emails or asking him/her to coffee.

Well, before Craigslist came along that was all you could do. No longer - now you can post a short witty "message in a bottle" to that stranger in hopes of a miracle.

I'll admit the MC's in NYC are much better than Nashville. More romantic, more poetic and decidely less sleazy. But today I read one that gives me hope for Nashville MC's. But it makes me sad for the poor sap that's missing out on this particularly poetic poster.

Read for yourself and after reading do yourself a favor, don't let a connection be missed. Say hello, say I love you... say something.

We could have been incredible - w4m
Reply to:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: 2008-10-03, 4:43PM CDT

I should have known that when I can't hide behind my words, you don't like what you see. We could have been incredible. We could have been eggs over easy and the warmth of the coffee cup in my hand. We could have been rainy day embraces and that song you sing to on the radio.

All I have is your letters. What will you do now?

saturday night's alright...

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 06:34:00 +0000

Elton was right, Saturday night is alright for fighting, but it is also good for friends and moments of clarity.

I did something "white people" like tonight (minus the dinner-). That's right we had a party, minus the dinner. I normally would say it was just a party except that it had the feeling of a dinner party even though we didn't have dinner.

Anyway, the world famous world traveling Yettons came over and then we were joined by Chrish and Kat York and the Petaja's. What a lovely bunch of people.

Conversation ranged from politics to cereal to Cha-Cha to geometry to ear-candling to 'oh well lots of things'. But the point of this blog is that I remember at one point in the evening making the statement (innocently enough) that since Memphis was born I have not slept in past 10AM once... not once.

After everyone left I got to thinking about that statement and felt like it may have been perceived as a negative one. As if the fact that I am no longer able to sleep in somehow makes life less enjoyable. Well, I'm using this forum to set the record straight. It is true, I get less sleep (to be fair, Meg gets much less sleep than I do). It is also true, I would not trade one million hours of "sleep in's" over a lifetime for the little fella that I get to hang out with on a daily basis.

This simple fact was only made more clear after Memphis woke up in the middle of the night and I had to go into his room and rock him back to sleep. I don't care one bit that I have lost sleep. He is a miraculous little "monster" and he is pure love. Pure love.

I just had to take a picture...

i don't dance enough

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:36:00 +0000

One of my favorite authors, Robert Fulghum, relayed a story about a wedding feast he attended on the island of Crete. He sat on the edge of the dancefloor - the only one not dancing. Finally an older woman came over to him and shared some sage advice that I thank Mr. Fulghum for passing on to me. Mr. Fulghum explained to the kind old grandmother that he did not want to look foolish by dancing a dance he did not know. To which her simple reply was, "Dance or no dance, we will think you foolish. So why not dance and have fun."

So why not dance?

I can't think of a good reason, especially after watching this video (higher quality video here).

If you enjoyed that you must go here and watch the filming of the Huli Wigmen segment.

14 things I was doing while not blogging this week

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:28:00 +0000

So it appears that I took a week long vacation from blogging. I'm not sure how that happened. In honor of my return I offer you "7 things I was doing" and "7 things I thought were interesting." Drum roll please!

Things I was doing:
no. 7:. watched more Olympics than I had planned on watching (thanks Meg)
no. 6:. worked (seriously)
no. 5:. watched Heather Headley perform - twice
no. 4:. tried (unsuccessfully) to get snot out of Memphis' nose with one of those blue bulb things
no. 3:. realized how hard it would be to be a single parent (Meg's on a mini-beach vacation)
no. 2:. found a whole new level of respect for single parents (Meg's mini-beach vacation is feeling less "mini" by the minute
no. 1:. held Memphis really tight and tried to kiss his big fat cheeks right off his face

Things I thought were interesting:
no. 7:. this video would be awesome if only John McCain was a weekly football game and not a candidate for President of the United States
no. 6:. wondering why after anxiously awaiting the release of Conor Oberst's first solo record I still haven't purchased it? anyone heard it? thoughts?
no. 5:. wondering what took me so long to buy the Bon Iver album For Emma, Forever Ago
no. 4:. just realized that the beginning of the college football season is only 14 days away - time to dust off those message board logins and passwords
no. 3:. watched an incredible display of olympic greatness
no. 2:. not sure I like the idea of a "faith debate/forum" but will be watching tonight on CNN [editor's note: this is also airing on FOXNews, who is calling it the "Saddleback Showdown" -- tacky!]
no. 1:. and my favorites headline of the year so far: 'Cinderella, others arrested in Disneyland labor protest'

how valuable is experience?

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:01:00 +0000

A man from Illinois was running for president. His opponents ridiculed him as inexperienced and woefully unprepared. His only governmental experience had been serving in the Illinois state legislature, plus two years as an obscure member of Congress. He had never held an executive or management position of any kind. Yet, this man was elected president of the United States - twice.

His name was Abraham Lincoln. And they said he was unprepared.*

It's easy to dismiss someone by belittling them. However, I do not believe that is a winning or noble strategy. I hope you don't either. I encourage you (and myself) to stop listening to the soundbites and the talking heads that pontificate about the future of our country like sportscasters before the Super Bowl.

Let's actually research the candidates ourselves. Ignore the stump speeches and talking points - look into the candidates detailed plans for America.

It's all online:

Obama - McCain

*courtesy of http://www.moveon.org/

the olympics are coming! the olympics are coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:38:00 +0000

I know we are all thinking the same thing. How will the athletes breathe in all that air pollution? How in the name of all that is good did China get the Olympics considering all they do in way of violating almost every human right? When did the TeleTubbies turn into a panda fighting force? Will Michael Phelps win the 753 gold medals he is eligible for? Will Team USA Basketball win the gold and do we care? Will NBC send Al Roker to Beijing broker peace between China and Tibet via the stylings of the NEW Celebrity Family Fued?

So many questions. But leave it to the Onion to ask the most elementary and most important question of all. Is it a trap?

fiction friday no. 3 (poetry edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:00:00 +0000

About Fiction Friday: I've decided to set a goal of doing something creative every week. To acheive this goal I'll be writing. Any story that pops into my head. I'll post what I write on (tah-dah) Friday.

today and tomorrow

falls like the turn of teardrops on a sand salty cheek
pools like the puddles of shallow sincerity that keep us
cool and separate in this warm twilight absence of air

christmas light sparkle stars are permanently apart of my eyescape
the sound of children playing in the backyard has become the soundtrack
my depression and exhaltation

lets go lets go lets go lets go
please lets go
hurry hurry hurry stop…
lets go back instead

why do you stare at me so so softly
in slow slow motion with your 70s soft soft lighting

the amber glow feels warm until the channel is changed
and the subscription runs out
and the kids grow up
and the time has come to have the talk we’ve all been dreading

thank you thank you thank you and one more time

thank you
you are loved

top 5 potential nicknames now that favre is a jet

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:51:00 +0000

Is the singular of J!-E!-T!-S! really jet? Broadway Joe was a classic in more ways than one, but Broadway Brett just doesn't have the same ring to it. I've come up with a few monikers based on NYC landmarks that could come in handy for the Big Apple media - hey, what about "Big Apple Brett"?

1. Rockefeller Favre (doesn't really convey the blue collar vibe he puts out)
2. Madison Square Favre (geographically doesn't make sense, but has a nice ring.)
3. Bushwick Brett (rap and hip-hop anyone?)
4. Flatiron Favre (the building not the essential emo/scene kid hairstyling tool)
5. East Ruthe-Favre, NJ (let's just give up on a nickname and rename the home of Jets.)

I'd love to hear your suggestions.

one day in the life of...

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:10:00 +0000

I honestly can't remember if I first read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" in high school or in college. I think it was high school, which on a side note reassures me of the quality education I received growing up. In any event, it along with other books and films, opened my eyes to a way of life and struggle that was completely foreign to me, but not necessarily my generation. I thank God for authors like Solzhenitsyn for they shook my reality and chipped away at a anything resembling complacency for mankind that would like to take root in my heart.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn passed away in Moscow last night at 89 years old. There is, fittingly, an 'eye-opening' tribute to him in today's New York Times that addresses the fact that the man that exposed the world to the evils being carried out in the name of Communism is somehow losing relevance in our modern world - even in his native country. Here is a particulary troubling excerpt:

Approached at a park in Moscow, Taisiya Gunicheva, 17, a college student, said she had heard of Mr. Solzhenitsyn, but could not name any of his books.

She said his work was largely absent from her school curriculum. “Can you imagine, there is nothing about it at all,” she said. “It is sad, but unfortunately, it’s true.”

Nearby was Anton Zimin, 26, an advertising copywriter, who said he was quite familiar with Mr. Solzhenitsyn but doubted that others in his generation were. He said people his age have lost touch with the struggles of their parents and grandparents.

“The problem is that now, it’s all about consumption – this spirit that has engulfed everybody,” Mr. Zimin said. “People prefer to consume everything, the simplest things, and the faster, the better. Books are something that force you to think, reading books requires some effort. But they prefer entertainment.”

Andrei V. Vasilevsky, Editor in Chief of the magazine that first published "One Day...", had this to say for a society that no longer sees the need for larger cultural leaders and thinkers. "There is no demand for great people," he said. "I can't say why, but this fact is simply obvious to me. Famous, notable, popular - yes. But not great, in the fullest sense of the world."

In a related note music industry blogger Bob Lefsetz wrote a nice essay challenging the artists of today based on the life of Mr. Solzhenitsyn in his 'Lefsetz Letter' - click the link to read for yourself.

new paper route blip

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Summer reading assignment: Go see Paper Route on tour.

wrestling angels and college football in the south

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:40:00 +0000

We are officially 30 days away from the start of the college football season. I have done my part as a fan and spent this summer watching "tribute" videos and highlight reels on YouTube attempting to satisfy the jones that I'm experiencing for the fall and Auburn football.

More times than not this method of self medication has been effective in quinching my thirst in the seemingly endless drought that is the off-season. That is until tonight when I stumbled upon the following video that not only reminded me of an idol of my youth (Coach Pat Dye), but sparked a yearning for the escape from reality that four months of Saturdays provides the soul every autumn.

This video reminded me that the poetry of life and loving your fellow man exists in every arena, and sometimes it is sweetest when spoken with a southern drawl in a lockerroom on an autumn Saturday.

fiction friday no. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:00:00 +0000

About Fiction Friday: I've decided to set a goal of doing something creative every week. To acheive this goal I'll be writing. Any story that pops into my head. I'll post what I write on (tah-dah) Friday.

"Wake up," she said in a matter-of-fact, uninterested way. The words hung in the thick unconditioned summer air of his bedroom on the main floor of the neglected WWII-era cottage he called home. Her tone was flat, but also jarring without exerting any energy. She carried herself with an air that made it seem she simply could not be bothered to wake up a classmate for a late afternoon Biology lab. She could, however, use contagious lethargy as an excuse to blow off the lab herself.

He stirred to the sound of her voice and the shuffling of her flip-flopped feet. He turned his face away from the cool plaster wall to survey the afternoon sunlight cast onto the dark timber floor. He pulled the sheets back, squinted his disapproval of the interruption before running his hands through the rat nest that was his hair. She fondled the rows and stacks of textbooks, modern classics and empty compact disc cases, busying herself like one does when trying to avoid staring at the person getting dressed right in front of them.

The nonchalant way in which he moved about the room belied the smile her presence caused in his heart. Still having not said a word, he moved to the joining bathroom to brush his teeth and put on the tee shirt he had pulled off the night before. Staring at himself in the mirror his eyes told him the truth he had yet to stomach. They would not survive without scars. They would both be hurt. He would break her heart to save his own.

She was in his bed when he returned, back against the wall where a headboard should be with her knees drawn up to her chest. A crooked smile appeared on her sun kissed face. “I don’t want to go,” she confessed. “Let’s go get a bottle of wine and smoke cigarettes all afternoon.”

He crossed the room dragging his backpack. He playfully messed with her hair before crashing down beside her.

She laid her head on his shoulder.

school's in session

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:40:00 +0000

Beer school that is... my good friends Josh and Brian have been drinking beer since the beginning of July, well that's as long as their drinking has been documented on the internet. The best thing is that they aren't just drinking it - they have, out of the kindness of their hearts, begun to educate the masses on the benefits of enjoying "good" beer.

Best thing about this site and these two fellas? They invite you and I out to drink with them in Nashville. Just follow their Twitter to know when and where to meet them.

Bottoms up!

do you know what a memphis mohawk is?

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:45:00 +0000

Now you do!

give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Nashville two-piece Disappointed by Candy are using NoiseTrade to give away "copies" of their self titled release from Grey Matters. The album is a gem of a recording and has grabbed the attention of everyone from PASTE to NYLON (so if you fall somewhere between those two demographics - you won't be disappointed). The idea is not a bad one, actually it's pretty cool. NoiseTrade dubs itself as FairTradeMusic - which I guess translates into a business model of a) pay what you want or b) download for free after recommending this album to three friends. Sounds like a win-win to me... unless you don't have a cent to your name OR any friends.

Anyway, if you don't have the record yet take this opportunity to grab it and turn your friends onto some new music.

memphis on a "motorcycle"

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:21:00 +0000

... i know it's sideways. it was an artistic choice.

snakes on a plane... to heaven???

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:12:00 +0000

These folks are cr-aaaaaa-zy! CNN reports that more than 100 deadly snakes were confiscated from the home of pastor Gregory James Coots (yes that's really his last name.) Coots is the pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name (yes that's really the "church's" name) in Middleboro, Kentucky (thank God I live in Tennessee) where snake-handling is a regular part of the weekly services. Apparently some of the more exotic and deadly snakes were imported from Asia and Africa, which prompted one of my new favorite quotes - ever - from Kentucky Zoo Director Jim Harrison, who is taking in the snakes, "You can purchase anything off the Internet except common sense." You said it Jim!

more paper route goodness

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:46:00 +0000

go ahead and click on it...

paper route releases 'are we all forgotten' today

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:12:00 +0000

Paper Route's latest EP came out today and is available everywhere. iTunes and Amazon have it for a steal but I'm sure the packaging is sweet since member JT Daly designed it. The band is also out on the road and their live shows are not to be missed. You can check all their tour dates and watch their videos on their Myspace page.

ten out of tenn

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:33:00 +0000

Here they come again... a couple of good friends of mine are hitting the road and playing music in places where live music is listened to and enjoyed. You should check it out. Here is the 4-1-1 from the horse's mouth (so to speak.)

***

We're taking Nashville's music scene on the road in a few weeks as part of the Ten out of Tenn Tour, presented by American Songwriter Magazine. We'll be jumping on Willy Nelson's old tour bus and the show will be ten of Nashville's best playing a few songs each and being each others back up band. We'll be keeping a blog along the way at American Songwriter's website and a documentary crew will be along for the ride rolling tape. Visit the TOT WEBSITE to read more about each artist. The lineup is: Butterfly Boucher, Griffin House, Andy Davis, Jeremy Lister, Matthew Perryman Jones, Katie Herzig, Tyler James, K.S. Rhoads, Trent Dabbs & Erin McCarley.

***

Lucky for us in Nashville they are playing a cd release show on July 19th at Cannery Ballroom.

summer sounds and views

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:15:00 +0000

Google Audio Widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetbox

memphis on the fourth

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0000

"When does the bluegrass start?"

hiking on my dad's birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:48:00 +0000

surprised by hope

noreply@blogger.com (Shawn Blackney) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:05:00 +0000

I haven't read it yet, but it's on my list... [Surpised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church] I have read some interesting interviews with it's author tonight. Needless to say they've got me thinking.

TIME Magazine

ABC News

Colbert Report [video]

More on Bishop N.T. Wright