WHEN ITS COLD, LETS GO OUT AND PLAY

On Friday I looked at my watch and was somewhat surprised to notice that it was January 22. Where has all the time gone? What have I accomplished?

Friday nights virtual concert was followed by a Saturday lounging around the house, working primarily on a new block print. The tedious task of carving individual blocks for each color, chipping away around odd shapes and lines that will eventually become part of a complete image. I'm very curious to see how this one turns out.

Saturday night found me driving up to Loveland Basin where it was snowing. I parked in a corner of the parking lot and turned up the music, listening to a mix of bands primarily from the 1980's. The Psychedelic Furs. The Cure. Killing Joke. Stiff Little Fingers. English Beat. There were also a few songs by Echo & The Bunnymen. What I noticed was that EATB's sound is somewhat unique, a style of lyric and performance that stands out from the rest. Ian was correct to claim that they were the best band in the world.

Wind howled outside all night as I slept in the back of the truck, a fine snow driven inside through gaps in the back hatch door, coating the sleeping bag and blankets with a fine layer of white. I was toasty warm, almost too warm, requiring that I open up the bag a bit to let some heat out. Up by 7AM and having breakfast in the lodge shortly thereafter. A blizzard raged outside, strong winds carrying snow sideways, creating periods of white out. I skied until about 1:30 PM and called it a day, the layers of clothing I wore no longer able to keep out the chill. Any skin that may have been exposed was quickly numbed with cold.

Scrape the stratosphere
Peaks gather their icy load
Lost in the storms white

Rock jutting skyward
Shrug off the storm's cold fury
Their silent slumber

Wind through the spruce trees
Sway while they whisper loudly
Speaking of the storm

Friday night found me outside with headphones on, a cigar in one hand and flask of tequila in the other. The quality of the recordings demanded that I use the portable CD player, not the truck stereo. First up was Coldplay performing live at the Gloria, a small (400 people) club in Cologne, Germany on April 7, 2005. Coldplay are an English alternative rock band, formed in London in 1998 who claim to have drawn influence from Echo & The Bunnymen, among other bands. This particular show preceded the release of their third studio album, X&Y, by a couple months and therefore they played a number of new songs this night off that soon to be released album. An excellent audience recording that captures the emotion of their sound.

Towards a destination

Lured by the hearts warm promise

Flying through the sky

Download it here:

Part 1: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZJELCO88

Part 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1VD7APPX

The headliner this evening was Echo & The Bunnymen's live performance on December 7, 2005 in Anaheim, California. And excellent soundboard recording that was limited only by Ian's voice, noticeably deficient at the beginning of the performance, getting better as the show went on. This is the result of age and years of drinking and smoking, a behavior that alarms his fans who remember the shows in the 1980's where his voice was legendary. But it still was a good performance by the band, Will and the others playing flawlessly. Many of the songs were the same ones played during their Liverpool shows I attended 4 years later. Listening to this show dredged up fond memories of my time with them only a month ago.

Closes his wide eyes

Minds release to the music

Lost in the moment