The racket the kids are making these days

On my way home from work I tend to stop by the independent media store Moon Colony Razorblade . I visit with my friends Cash and Max and we listen to music together and they switch me on to things I've never heard before. I end up doing this at least two or three times per week.

One early evening I stopped in and Max was playing music that I was completely unfamiliar with. The music was on the minimal side and it was not the sort of minimalism that stems from people who can't play their instruments. It was all that was needed. The music was beautiful.

Max would go on to explain that this band was called “My Toy Heart” and that it was a band made up of local high school kids. I was pleasantly surprised that these kids were making such wonderful music and it made me hopeful that they would blossom and mature into something even better. Max(pictured below) went on to explain that they already disbanded.



The positive development was that I learned that their lead singer, Adel was making her own music. Her voice was the most notable attribute in “My Toy Heart” so I was anxious to hear her play live. I had my chance when I learned that she was set to play at Fuel in Five Points a few weeks later. Adel, who can't be older than 18 would go on to steal the show. I haven't heard a more honest or sensitive voice in Jacksonville. There were no traces of the American Idol-esque techniques that are so prevalent today amongst her peers. Of course I have to use the term “peers” loosely but I am speaking of many of the local solo acts around town who have generic voices that come from other places and other people.

Even amongst the good local acts, Adel stands apart as something special. I encourage everyone to seek her out and hear her lovely music and tell her how great it is. Then go out and find Max Wood and harass him into selling a copy to you.

The importance of having a sense of humor on other people's terms

At first glance, "Pink Man" seemed innocuous enough. He seemed to be a nice guy when I met him at a friend's Christmas party last year. My initial impression would remain only for a few months. The night of the Christmas party we watched his DVD...a harbinger of things to come. He peddled his wares constantly. I understand that this was part of his livelihood however shameless promotion often leads to a worn out welcome.

Despite my criticism of "Pink Man" I still believed him to only be a slight annoyance until the night of the "Wet Hot American Summer Party" at the Saturday Night Intermission in Club TSI. Being a "Wet Hot American Summer" themed party, there were water guns as well as a large kiddie pool in the patio area.



"Pink Man" showed up in his costume and was whizzing around the club as well as the patio area. I was running around with a water gun when I shot water at "Pink Man." I didn't really see the harm in this considering that he had a nylon suit on which doesn't exactly disintegrate in water. Within a few minutes "Pink Man" would show that he only had a sense of humor on his own terms. He whirled around and aggressively grabbed my shoulder as a police officer would -- to try to get the water gun which I had stopped shooting. He was not happy. I shrugged out of his grasp and decided to play a little game of road-runner with him. He said that he was going to catch me and started to come after me while I turned the corner. I ran towards the wall, stopped on a dime and cut left. Pink man lost his balance and had to bail from his unicycle. At this point he was even more agitated. Coming after me once again he grabbed my shoulder, and this time he was wielding a beer that he was ready to pour on me. I explained that beer and water weren't equivalent and he was being very grabby and aggressive with my shoulder, bunching up my sleeve in his hand. I slipped out of his grasp and he ended up spilling the beer on two ladies who were trying to enjoy their night out. Effectively killing the mood, Pink Man rode off.

If you are going to ride around on a unicycle wearing a pink catsuit, it is important to have a sense of humor on other people's terms. Otherwise you're just being ridiculous.

Happy Birthday Mom

People are often reflections of and reactions to their parents so if you only do one thing right....be a good parent.

Mom, I don't always tell you that I appreciate the things that you do but I do. I love you.

Through filters and fun house mirrors

I have decided to update my blog at least three times per week. First of all I would like to review one film per week. I will use this forum to be an alternative critic to the banal reviews that we read within the pages of most publications. The reality is that most contemporary mainstream films do not warrant a critical review. Instead they should be relegated to a summary of a couple of bullet points such as the following:

1. If you liked "Meet the Parents" then you'll enjoy this film
2. Rated PG-13

I will try to do my part to expose people to films that they might not be aware of otherwise -- instead of being a simple reaction to what audiences are already aware of. Unfortunately most filmmakers are reactionaries and unless the audience demands something better, they will never attempt to do anything progressive. Critics continue this vicious circle by reviewing the boring, often amalgamated and unoriginal result. These are the films that gain distribution.

After all, it is legitimate and wonderful to have influences however it is unacceptable and boring to attempt to be a xerox copy of your idols. Through his filters and fun house mirrors a good artist can transcend the initial idea to make something unique.

I have also decided to include regular dining reviews of local restaurants and I will also be updating the page with more fictional vignettes as well as anything that I feel warrants a write up. Stay tuned.