Bass, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
This guy isn’t only talented, he’s incredibly entertaining. He loves playing music, loves what he does. He’s constantly movin’ and groovin’ to the sounds as they are playing. Really wonderful.
Bass, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
This guy isn’t only talented, he’s incredibly entertaining. He loves playing music, loves what he does. He’s constantly movin’ and groovin’ to the sounds as they are playing. Really wonderful.
Percussion, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
The Sneakin’ Out percussionist. He’s unbelievable. So talented. Plus, the guy plays a mean typewriter. I’m not even kidding. Check out the shot, at the left, in the middle of the frame. Yep… a typewriter.
Sneakin’ Out, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
After completing the Sundays Parkways circuit yesterday we rode back to the first park, Colonel Summers, to listen to a Portland band, Sneakin’ Out. We never miss an opportunity to see these guys if it’s possible to see them. They are, without question, of the most unique trios around… plus, they are damn good. These guys can play.
I’m just messing around online this morning before getting ready for work and listening to itunes. I have the mega playlist on shuffle. This one popped on, a blast from the past I absolutely love. Thought I’d share. Good morning everyone!
I’m totally hooked on this song right now…. I love that he goes out to listen to it in his car.
Concert Snacks, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
When one goes to an outdoor concert, one HAS to bring snacks. It’s an actual law isn’t it? We were not the peeps with foresight though, we can thank our friend, Sandy, for the snacks. Sandy, you and your cooler rock!
Indigo Girls in Action, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
This last Friday evening we enjoyed a night out with friends at the Oregon Zoo. Their summer concert series rocks. Great venue.
Strung Out, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
I know this VIDEO is viral all over the web now, but I just happened to see it this morning and thought… hmmm… Mary… Martin… get on those dancin’ shoes!! Seriously though… this is great. If this video doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will. Congrats to J&K.
Enjoying.a Night of Music, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
Spent a lovely evening Friday night with friends at the Indigo Girls concert at the Oregon Zoo. A good time was had by all. And the girls… well they were in great form. Plus, the opening act, David Ryan Harris, was pretty damn good as well. The only issue we had was having to wait 40 minutes in line for food. Once we got it… the rest of the night was cake. Great time, great company. Excellent.
Wow. Busy. That’s all I can say. We just got back from camping at Davis Lake with family. We were there four days. A good time was had by all, including the pups. On Saturday, before we left for the camp ground, we attended the wedding of one of my closest friends. I acted as official wedding photographer and was honored to do so. These two have been through quite a bit and after being together twelve years they decided to tie the knot. It was a lovely ceremony. Very emotional. I cried like a baby.
Once we got back from camping on Tuesday we watched as our bathroom addition project got off the ground on Wednesday. Excavation started and foundation work in underway. Very exciting. Tonight… a concert at the zoo. Tomorrow… inner tubing the Sandy River with friends. It’s been a long time since I went tubing. Can’t wait actually, should be fun. It’s supposed to be hot. Hot and tubing go hand in hand.
That’s life right now… loads going on. I’ll be posting some pics of the addition progress soon. As well as photos taken during the wedding and the camping trip. Patience people… there’s only one of me and only so much time in a day. I have to sort of fit work in there somewhere. After all, they’re still paying me.
Karen and I watch a few TV shows regularly. One of them is So You Think You Can Dance. It’s basically a talent show for dancers. During the course of the show the dancers are paired into couples and every week a guy and a girl is voted off, until they get down to the top 10. This show is pretty amazing if you haven’t watched it. The dancing is phenomenal and the choreography is… spectacular at times. Last night there was a piece, choreographed by Mia Michaels, that was breath taking and very emotional. Check it out.
Man From Snowy River – Chase sequence – Fantastic music here and beautiful photography to go with
High Fidelity – Let’s Get It On – Jack Black doing his thing
Reality Bites – All I Want Is You – WARNING – There’s a brief speaking part that’s not in English (a person has to take what they can get with YouTube when movie rights, etc. are in effect).
Jackie Brown – Across 110th Street – Opening credits of the movie
Pulp Fiction – Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon – WARNING – drug overdose scene in this clip right near the end – I absolutely love Tarantino’s film making.
Once – Falling Slowly
Trainspotting – WARNING – Foul language alert
Kill Bill Vol. 2 – Goodnight Moon – Quentin Tarantino knows how to use music in his films
Moulin Rouge – Come What May – This is a great song, and I was totally surprised to learn these two could sing.
Chicago – Cell Block Tango
And, of course, a couple of additions because I never stop at 10…
Immortal Beloved – Ode To Joy (love the visualization of ode to joy… beautiful film making here)
Duets – Cruisin (cheesy, sort of, but who knew Gwyneth could sing… not I, until this)
Total Film has built a top 40 movie music moments of all time, counting down from 40 on the first page to one, on page 14. Check out their list to see if your favorite made it in, if you agree… or not. There are YouTube clips from each, pretty fun to watch them again. I think I’ll try and see if I can come up with my personal top 10 in the next week or so. Check back to see what I’ve chosen. For now just enjoy their list. It’s a walk down movie music memory lane. Say that three times fast….
This might be coming from out in left field… or maybe I should say from the outfield… bah ha ha ha!! So corny. Anyway… I had my iPod rolling today at the office and this tune came on. Love it. Very toe tapping. Check it out and let’s all flash back! Woo Hoo! I see all those head nods happening in front of your screens.
The Outfield – Say It Isn’t So (Official Music Video) – Watch more funny videos here
Here we are… back home. Hanging out at our humble abode with the pups. It’s been a weekend of family time, cleaning up, laundry, and relaxation. Just what a person needs after being on vacation for a couple of weeks. Nice. Now some great smells are coming from the slow cooker and women’s college world series softball is on the TV. Also nice. Karen’s out watering the plants. I just got done buying tickets to see the Indigo Girls at the Oregon Zoo in July.
Tomorrow we work… uhg. But, we also go see Pink Martini at the Schnitz with Stacia and Eric. Should be good. The last time we saw them, Pink Martini not Stacia and Eric, they were terrific. Uh, I guess Stacia and Eric were terrific too. Don’t get me wrong. They were. Terrific. I just wasn’t initially referring to them. Never mind, you get what I’m saying. Speaking of terrific. I think I need to post another little something from the Playing for Change Website. I think it’s episode 8, War…
Liz, fellow angle and rock star human being, shared this with a few of us today at the office. This is one of the coolest, most inspiring, videos I’ve seen. Ever. If this doesn’t make you feel good about being alive, living on this planet, and getting to share the human experience every day, I don’t know what will. Take a listen and then head to the Playing For Change website to check out other videos and support this fantastic movement/cause.
We seem to never have a dull moment. Ever. Always on the go, always “stuff” to do. Always. Always. Always.
This weekend was no exception. To sum up… We had furniture delivered Friday evening and then met friends for dinner at The Varsity (it was great to see you Jimmy! … and the rest of ya’all too, don’t want you to feel left out even though we see you all the time), we redecorated our bedroom around the new furniture, we rented and returned a U-haul to move some family furniture from our house to my nephew’s place, we met up with friends at a club and boogied our selves down to the ground at Barracuda followed by dessert and coffee at Hobos, we met my mom and new step sistas for a trip to Red Pig Tools (fun for the whole family if you love handcrafted garden tools) and then lunch at the Carver Cafe (pretty tasty… long wait, but great burgers when we finally got them… possibly it was so crowded because I just now found out, while looking for a link for the Cafe, that it was used for the cafe scenes in the movie Twilight…. who knew? Not I. If you’re interested you can find that info HERE), we loaded up a bunch o’ stuff in the truck and took it to the dump (including some hazardous materials in the way of old stain that they only take on the last Saturday of the month), we watched a bad, underscore bad, movie called Choke (don’t see it, whatever you do), and it’s now only three o’clock on Sunday. We’ve decided to turn down an invitation to have dinner with friends at Joe’s Crab Shack. It’s time for us to just relax at home. Hang out. Enjoy some quiet time. Read. Surf the net. Blog.
The sandwiching part of the title of this little missive is about what you ask? OK, so here it is. It relates to a conversation Karen and I had last night on our way to the “Hot Flash Dance” where we boogied and hung with new and old friends. Our conversation was this… though I guess I must first describe what we refer to as sandwiching. Sandwiching is when three people dance together, with one person in the middle… sort of sandwiched in. So here’s what we discussed, which I think is worth sharing if for no other reason than it made us both laugh hysterically. We decided that when you’re young… a teen and in your 20′s, and even into the 30′s… when you sandwich it’s sexy. Three people all sort of dancing together, being silly, being sexy… whatever… it’s kind of sexy. Like a, let’s see if I can find a sandwich that sounds sexy… OK, here it is… kind of like a Grilled Taleggio and Tomato Sandwich. Sounds sexy yes? Kind of exotic, not completely sure what’s in there, mysterious… yet fresh and juicy with the tomato and all. Sexy. But when people get older… later 30′s and then 40′s and beyond… sandwiching isn’t as sexy. And don’t get us wrong… there are still some sexy sandwichers out there. But c’mon people… sandwiching after 40 is usually, in our analogy anyway, like a great bologna and cheddar sandwich. Plain, comfortable, friendly… but not really sexy. We, at this time in our lives, are like bologna. And don’t go feelin’ all sad and bummed for us. We’re not bummed, or sad. We like being bologna. We like sandwiching and laughing our butts off while we do it. It’s hilarious. No longer sexy… it’s just plain fun and silly. There you have sandwiching 101, Karen and Tam style. I love being us.
Just a quick note to say that my uncle R has been, as I mentioned in an earlier post, been sending out the music of my cousin, K. In one of those mailings he also included a link to an interview my cousin did with a woman, who’s a musical artist in her own right, from Nashville. I thought I’d post the link to that interview here. He has a pretty good way with words. Check out the interview HERE.
My cousin is a sweet souled man. He’s had his share of ups and downs but, really, who hasn’t had those of one sort or another. As is the case with many of us who look for an outlet to express those ups and downs, he has his. Amongst other talents he is a self trained musician, and over the course of the last several years he’s amassed quite a collection of tunes. Tunes that are unusual, unique, thought provoking, and very personal. Fairly recently K’s run into some circumstances that have caused him to say he might never write and play music again. His dad, my uncle, has decided that just in case K’s serious about this statement, my uncle’s sharing K’s music with all of us who know and love him, as well as anyone else out there who might be interested in hearing what this good-hearted man has to offer.
The song I’ve included here was the first my uncle sent out. The following is what my Uncle had to say about K, his music, and the reason for this project. This is a father who absolutely, without a doubt, loves his son. Read what he has to say and then check out “Let It All Out” by Coamhim. And K… we love you man.
I’ve decided to initiate an email musical endeavor I’m calling the “Coamhim Music Project” (pronounced Kwom-heem). As many of you probably know, Coamhim is the musical moniker for my son K. From about 1996 until October of 2007 (mostly in the the last 5 years), Coamhim created more than 250 complete songs and many dozens more partial and incomplete audio projects. His musical stylings are totally eclectic; it is impossible to cubbyhole his creativity. He has produced songs in every genre imaginable: Rock,Country Rock, Blues, World, Emo, Christian, Experimental, Ambient, Trance, Alternative,Spoken Word, Rap, Hip Hop, Americana, Folk, Acoustic, Funk, Metal, Easy Listening, etc…His bedroom would usually end up being his studio where ever he lived. He worked with a $150 electric guitar knock-off, a $150 bass guitar knock-off, an $600 Korg electric keyboard, a $100 acoustic guitar knock-off, a $300 programmable drum “machine” , a couple of different guitar pedals, a $20 garage sale Wurlitzer organ, a $50 microphone, and a computerized music program called Pro Tools (Also M’s piano when he lived with us). Later on he threw in an ocarina and a pan pipe. Also, earlier on he used pots and pans for his percussion and our upstairs bathroom (in Seattle) at 2 and 3 in the morning for drumming, singing, screaming and what ever other sounds he needed to make for a particular song. Basically he did music almost whenever and wherever he could. His mind was constantly overflowing with music, and he had to “let it all out”. K has never been and never will be a great guitarist, he’s just barely adequate on the keyboards, and his vocals will never get him to American Idol. But I absolutely guarantee you there is not a more imaginative musical or lyrical mind ANYWHERE!! What he might lack in physical skills he more than makes up with imagination, tenacity, technical expertise, and a laser musical focus. When he would step into his “creative zone” he often would work 12, 16, 20 hours or more straight. Those finely honed talents and skills have allowed him to produce an unimaginable volume and variety of songs. He has told me that he doesn’t think he will ever again compose any more music. I don’t know if that statement will come to fruition or not, but I wanted to do something to honor his ability and creativity. So, to that end, beginning today, I am going to send out one Coamhim song a day until the well runs dry. If any of you don’t want these songs, please just delete them or let me know and I will take you off the list. Conversely, if any of you think there is someone else who may want to receive this music, please let me know and I will add them to the list. So, if you are inclined, open up the music and let it flow……………..Thanks so much for your interest………R………… PS, It seems appropriate to begin with “Let it All Out”……..
Sitting Second Chair, originally uploaded by Tokenhippygirl.
Just another day at the office today. I’m still not totally back to
normal, virus wise. This thing is hanging on. I still sound like my
voice has dropped a few octaves, but I’m workin’. Nose is still
running, but I’m workin’. Tired as hell, but I’m workin’. Ear aching,
but I’m workin’.
This is starting to sound like a bad country song. So…..
On another note… Pun intended. We are firming up our American Idol
pool at work. It’s crunch time. Votes must be on the board by today at
five sharp. We have two sides of the pool. Ten dollar buy in. Five to
each side. First side is the winner/runner up pick. They must be in
order. Second side is the weekly kick off vote. Person with the most
correctly guessed kick offs wins the side. There are now 13 people in
the pool. That’s $65 big ones for each side. Pots can be split if
there are ties. This is serious business and causes much talking of
smack during the week. Such good fun. We also have a few Idol parties throughout the run of the show at various of our places. I know, I know… We are complete dorks.
I absolutely love this band. We were lucky enough to see them when they were in Portland. If you get a chance to see them, do. I’m telling you, you will not be disappointed.
If you are ever in Portland and get a chance to see Sneakin’ Out, do it. You will not be disappointed. These guys are amazing. We’ve seen them several times and they never disappoint.
I stole this concept from my nephew… Charles, who posted this on his facebook page. Check out the instructions, and then play along… if you dare.
Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Strike through the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly.
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or ANY other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 5: If you like the game, post your own.
Step 6: Eat some clementines, turn some tricks. (This was on Charles’ page… but feel free to go ahead with this step if you like)
1. I sit two stories above the street. (Loni – Least Complicated, Indigo Girls)
2. Oh out of southern Illinois come a down home country boy.
3. This is gettin’ in your head shit/ There’s anger far behind the things that surface on your mind and bring your spirits down.
4. It’s one twenty five AM, I think I’ve seen that look somewhere before.
5. I can’t take loosin’ sleep over this and I cannot stop pacing.
6. Golden years, gold… wah wah wah. (Karen – Golden Years, David Bowie)
7. Step one you stay with me to talk, he walks, you say sit down it’s just to talk.
8. Ooh yeah, alright, here we go again… nah nah woe woe… give a little bit, give a little bit of your love to me. (Loni - Give A Little Bit, Supertramp)
9. She moved south as a child, she moved from the Jersey shore.
10. You brought me to trust, you brought me to tease, in one tender touch the pain disappears.
11. I know change is a bad thing, makes me down into a sorry sad thing, not some iridescent grateful butterfly.
12. Maybe it was to learn to love, maybe it was to learn how to leave, or maybe it was for the games that we play.
13. Now I know, Spanish Harlem are not just pretty words to say. (Loni – it is Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Elton John)
14. I’ll try to keep myself opened up to you, that’s a promise I made to love when it was new, just like Jericho I said, but the walls come tumblin’ down. (Loni – Jericho, the k.d. lang version of Joni Mitchell’s song)
15. I am the one winged bird for flying sinking quickly to the ground.
16. Forgive, sounds good, forget, I’m not sure I could, they say time heals everything, but I’m still waiting. (Sanity – Not Ready to Make Nice, Dixie Chicks)
17. Closed off from love, I didn’t need the pain. (Martin – Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis)
18. Instantly awakin’ my imagination, old-fashioned infatuation, I can be anything that you want me to be, and you can have me in any position you dreamed.
19. It’s never easy and you’ll never know, what leaves you cryin’, and what makes you whole.
20. “This next song is about finding your inner diamond. This song is called Broken.” I, I am a diamond, I cannot be broken.
21. Never been much good on my own, so I tried to find somebody else.
22. So you think you’re a romeo, playing a part in a picture show. (Loni – Long Way Home, Supertramp)
23. Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone, it’s not warm when she’s away. (Loni – Ain’t No Sunshine, original version, Bill Withers)
24. Love is but a song I sing, fears the way we die. (Penny – Let’s Get Together, the Youngbloods)
25. Just outside my window I hear the late September Dogs.