VIRTUAL SOAPBOX

RANTS-N-RAVES

The World According to Scott

This is the section of my site that is strictly reserved for my opinions, my beliefs, and whatever I feel like talking about at the moment. It's updated generally on a fairly regular basis, so check back to see what the most recent things on my mind are. 

The views and opinions expressed on this page do not reflect that of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department or Cornell University.   

[BACK TO MAIN R-n-R PAGE]

_________________________________________________________________________

Check out Wildrun.  This is a place that fosters & cares for cats in Spencer, NY.  The woman who runs this facility is named Susan Greene.  This link provides you with pictures of the set up of the place.  She's doing a great thing.

_________________________________________________________________________

   Jack Bauer is the man.  Find out why here. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Just finished reading "Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Ferrell and Jane's Addiction."  What ended up becoming this book, was originally an extended article for SPIN magazine a few years back.  The "oral" format was basically direct quotes from band members, managers, friends, scenesters, etc... arranged in a somewhat chronological order.  I remembered reading the article & was intrigued enough to buy the book.

If you're a fan of the band, you'll find the background detail on how they came together & rose to fame as a group pretty interesting.  The "oral" format can get a bit tiresome, & I'm certain that a lot of it isn't exactly very objective, but I guess that's a part of what makes it interesting.  The book focuses a lot on what most narratives like this do - excessive drug use & plenty of sex.  Not that these are bad topics, I'd just prefer to have a bit more background on the band & their music, as opposed to how much dope they shot up or how many people they've had sex with. 

I came away from reading this feeling like I like Perry Farrell somewhat less than I did before.  He really comes across as a domineering egomaniac.  I do think that Jane's is a band that doesn't receive enough credit for their influence on bringing "alternative" music to the forefront, as the more populist viewpoint is that nothing significant happened before the release of "Nevermind" by Nirvana. 

Anyway, fun read.

_________________________________________________________________________

Am currently reading (& am about 75% of the way done with it) the new book by Chuck Klosterman, "Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas."  Came across an article about it here.  This is his fourth book (hence the title) & as I expected, I'm really enjoying it.  This one is a collection of articles & essays he's written for various magazines he's done work for (SPIN, Esquire, the New York Times Magazine & ESPN.com, as well as various newspapers he's written for as well).  I love the way this guy writes & the way he looks at life.  I never fail to be amused by what he has to say.  If you've read any of his other books, this is a worthwhile read.

_________________________________________________________________________

Went to see The Black Crowes at the Landmark Theater in Syracuse, NY last night.  Considering that this is a band that seems to have been suffering from inner turmoil as of late (vocalist Chris Robinson is going through a very public divorce from actress Kate Hudson, long-time keyboardist "Weird Ed" Hirsch left the band for "health reasons" several weeks ago & guitarist Marc Ford quit the band (again) two days before their fall tour was scheduled to kick off), you would never have been able to guess it considering how well they played & how great they sounded.

Around 8:00pm, a roadie came out & placed two large incense burners on either side of the stage.  It was strong enough to smell up in our seats in the balcony.  A few minutes later, the band took the stage & began sort of noodling around on their instruments & after jamming free form for a few minutes, they went into their opener.  From the moment that song began, there was no doubt in my mind that anything was wrong in the Crowes camp.  They played two full sets (see below for a full set list) completely rocked out.  Last night was the fourth time I've seen them in the last ten years, & it was by far the best, I thought. 

For a band that prides itself on making a point of never playing the same set each night (for example: they'd played five dates prior to me seeing them & they did 47 different songs), you'd never guess that they'd had two members of the band leave within the last few weeks & be replaced pretty much at the last minute.  As you watched principal guitarist Rich Robinson over the course of the night, you could see that he was giving quite a few cues by making eye contact across the stage with new guitarist Paul Stacey (who had played in New Earth Mud, which was the band Chris Robinson formed while the Crowes were on hiatus a few years back; I saw them open for Gov't Mule a couple years back & they were also very good).  While you could see this, it was never apparent by how he or the rest of the band played.  Stacey was solid with his rhythm backing & his leads were spot on.  New keyboardist Rob Clores needed no cues & seemed to have just slid right into a groove with the rest of the band already.  Chris Robinson played quite a bit of backing guitar (both acoustic & electric), which is somewhat different, as he doesn't normally play much with the Crowes.  With three guitars going at once, sometimes with simultaneous leads, it really rounded out the sound.  For a guy who's marriage just felt apart, you'd never guess it - he smiled a lot, danced & really seemed to be enjoying himself.

Drummer Steve Gorman laid down a sold backbeat for the whole night.  For a guy who plays a fairly small traditional type of kit (snare, one rack tom, one floor tom, bass), he really made the most of his instrument.  He took a solo towards the end of the first set that was kick-ass.  Normally, I'm not much of a fan of drum solos (& this is coming from a drummer), but his was not only technically proficient, but also fun to listen to.  Guitarist Rich Robinson rocked all night & switched off between lead & rhythm effortlessly & even took over lead vocals for two songs (one of them being a rollicking cover of The Band's "Up on Cripple Creek").  He doesn't move a whole lot onstage but he's an amazing musician.  Long-time bassist Sven Pipien kept the groove going all night providing a firm low end & made it look effortless.

The Crowes have been touring with a few brief breaks here & there for the better part of the last 16 months.  Even with temporary setbacks of last minute line up changes, it hasn't affected their momentum or their sound.  Word is, they're supposed to be going back into the studio to record a new album early in 2007.  If their live sound of last night is any indication of what's to come from them in the future, I can't wait to hear it.  Check out the list of tour dates on their web site (http://www.blackcrowes.com/) to see if they're coming near you.  If they are, don't miss the chance to see them - it will absolutely be worth it.

We went to the show with our good friends Bob & Sandra.  Bob took some great shots with his new camera & you can see them here.

- SET ONE -

Waiting Guilty
Sting Me
Cypress Tree
Soul Singing
Seeing Things
Answers
Nebakanezer
Young Man, Old Man
You Don't Miss Your Water
Jam -> Thorn In My Pride

- Set Two -
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
She Gave Good Sunflower
Share The Ride
Descending
Girl On The Mountain
Up On Cripple Creek
By Your Side
Wiser Time
Remedy
- encore -
She Talks To Angels

__________________________________________________________________________

The fifth anniversary of September 11th has come & gone.  It's still hard to see those same images & hear stories even though I've seen & heard them countless times in the last five years.  There's still questions over what really happened - take the Scholars for 9/11 Truth site for example.  I wonder if we'll ever know all of the details in this lifetime.  I've watched documentaries, I've read up on the subject both on the web & in books, & it's still hard to say if there's any one definitive source that offers rock solid conclusions for every single thing that occurred.  This tragic event in our country's history has become such a mile marker in how we all perceive ourselves, that to this day it continues to be a topic that can be difficult to discuss.

I find that one saying you tend to hear quite a bit is something along the lines of "Let us never forget the events of that day."  I'll agree with that, because it should be remembered.  I'd like to add a few sentiments of my own to go along with that statement:

Unfortunately, I think too many people forgot these sentiments over the course of the last five years.  Which to me, is very sad. 

_________________________________________________________________________

There's a cool site called Says-It.com that my buddy Paul sent to me where you can create some cool, senseless stuff.  He sent me the cassette image, I created the ticket. 

      

And uh, our gig on September 2nd for Lagalla-Pallozza II got cancelled, so this ticket really is a goof.

_________________________________________________________________________

Be sure to visit kathryncoldren.com to see her Photography Portfolio!!

HOME] [WORK] [KATHRYN] [RASH] [RANTS-N-RAVES] [PETS] [LINKS] [SOS] [CHEMYSTRY SET]