The photo tells it all. This is Centimudi at Shasta lake at the usual end of the season. Water level is particularly low this year, and fires danced on the hills beyond. I hope for a wet winter to put some of this behind us.
17th annual Blues by the River
Shoegaze
Hre’s a link to the MySpace page of Chico shoegazer the Soul’s Release. I love the name of this genre, shoegaze. I imagine young emo’s staring at their shoes earnestly.
http://www.myspace.com/thesoulsrelease
Anyway I like the music. There are a few tunes availalble on the page and you can download it from iTunes if you are so inclined. Ran across the page on Craigslist, looking for a vocalist. Maybe you?
In a slightly unrelated matter, I hope to see you at today’s Blues by the River. And unrelated to that, here’s a photo of the base of Whiskeytown Falls I took a few weeks ago, but never uploaded. Suitable for shoegaze soundtrack (Fallsgazing?)
Rich Wright 1943-2005
“I know we’ve made some great songs and great music,” … “but I can’t tell you why we’re so popular” Richard Wright, keyboard player for Pink Floyd. 1943-2008
Fellow keyboard player Craig Padilla called me and told me the news. It made me terribly melancholy all day yesterday. As a musician, one is influenced by others. There are a number of keyboard players that have influenced me, but maybe only Richard “Rich” Wright had the most profound impact on me. I saw Pink Floyd’s live show at the Hollywood Bowl in 1971 (I was 16) and it was such an amazing musical event that it in some ways shaped my whole artistic life. They seemed magic. His understated style fit the music perfectly. They had a grasp of something so far ahead of other bands of the era, it was like they came from another world. I can still remember the event well. The audience was electrified. (It was Quadrophonic!) The memory sends shivers. I saw them several times since then, traveling far to catch their shows over the years. I could go on and on.
When I sit down to play, it was always that undefined magic I hoped to achieve. I’m not comparing myself to Richard, but he had that to which I aspire. When Craig Padilla and I try to describe our style of music to others, we often say it has some similarity to the instrumental parts of Pink Floyd. We also did a tribute of sorts at our live show at Turtle Bay last summer, working the keyboard intro from Wish You Were Here into one of our songs. It’s hard to explain. His impact was large. I can hear his playing in my head. Like it’s part of my DNA or something.
Somebody on another blog said “I’m not sure about this old age thing. People are dying!” Too true.
Remember when you were young
You shown like the sun
Now there’s a look in your eye
like black holes in the sky
Shine On you Crazy Diamond!
Wish You Were Here ends abruptly in a Major Key. So did you. RIP Rich. You live on in my spirit. My condolences to your family and bandmates.
Housing bubble burst
Toxic mortgages had the predicted impact on Wall Street. 500 points yesterday. Yikes. The question is whether the fed or the government will continue to react shortsightedly trying to stop things from unraveling, or buck up and take their medicine. Sad to say, but the sooner we hit bottom, the sooner we can start climbing back up out of it. (of course, they may have said that in 1929 too) Meanwhile, there are a lot of people who mistook debt for wealth, and many of them live in houses they cannot afford. We hear about the many baby-boomers now retiring every day. Many must be wondering whether that’s a good idea right now. Whilst this might not seem practical for all of us, those who have worked hard enough and are financially stable enough could consider retiring early. This younger generation of people who have enough money to consider slowing their lives down have ensured they have enough in their bank accounts to allow them to start enjoying their lives more. When considering retiring at such a young age, it’s vital to make sure that you’re happy with the home you will be spending a lot more time in. For many of these younger people, they will be retiring whilst they still have their children at home with them. This means that they will probably need a family-friendly home in a safe neighborhood. For many people looking at retiring, they have been looking around Main Line Homes and other real estate communities. When retiring, it’s important to find a house in an area with a slower lifestyle that is still safe for children. Hopefully, these baby-boomers will enjoy their new retired lifestyle.
Should be an interesting day on Wall Street
McDemolished
You deserve a break today.
The drive through is now a drive over. Oddly enough, as long as I’ve lived here, I never went in this building once. it’s not that I don’t like McDonalds or anything, but I was always kind of a PacOut guy when that was nearby, and now I live closer to the McDonalds in north Redding. This one always seemed for tourists. Out with the old, in with the new.
