WHAT A TEMPER!: June 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010

ALIZEE'S TRADE WIND BLOWS HOT

This is a far departure!

Someone two or three weeks ago provided me with a YouTube link to a clip from a concert with 26 year old French pop star artist Alizee (see below). WOW, hot stuff!

"She's a beautiful dancer...renowned for her accuracy, flexibility and grace...and yet, you probably only know her as a chart-topping singing sensation."

"Alizee is not one of the world's most successful singers but she also has roots in dancing, her first love and near-profession.Although Alizee became an overnight singing sensation by chance and bad luck, she clearly took her early success as a sign from above and took on the challenge of becoming an international pop sensation."

"Alizee's first album, "Gourmandises" (portraying Alizee as a young, beautiful and romantic young singer), released in 2000 was a smash hit in France that flew off the shelves like birds on street disturbed by cars, and opened the doors for the immense success of her second album, "Mes Courants Electriques"(although the album was not nearly as successful as her first) in 2003 and her live album "Alizee in Concert" in 2004."

I ordered her second album and downloaded her first. I've been listening to it occasionally on the way to/from work. What a sweet voice. Yeah, yeah, yeah, its probably not the voice, more likely hormones/pheromones. Regardless, I like it and so on this Friday night I listened to her second album Mes Courants Electriques outside, enjoying a cigar in the warm summer evening. I'm smitten!

Better yet, see it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=H2_o5O5TSGs&feature=related

THREE IN A ROW, WHEEZING OUT BUNNY TUNES

Another trip to Mutiny Now yields a few more acquisitions. I love the images and the bold statements but they are being noticed by the family. The paintings have even been called "evil." I guess not everyone has good taste in art like me! On the back of one Jack wrote "Thanx again for understanding the sickness we have. We are 2 different chapters from the same book. Thanx." My daughter likes the "trash" painting because she thinks it looks like her, right down the the accessory skull.

The weekend was once again spent on the roof of the house, siding the one wall I installed the windows in the previous week. This is the easy part of the job having done this countless weekends for two summers. Sunday evening found me perched on the roof of the room I was siding, having a cigar and enjoying the sunset. The only good thing about this work is that it is outside in the fresh air with nice views all around, although the sun can be a scorcher in the afternoon.

Saturday night on the prairie, warm and pleasant with the lights of Denver on the horizon to the northwest. First up was Weezer live At The Pepsi Arena in Albany, NY on February 17, 2002, great recording of their classic tunes with a few thrown in from the yet to be released fourth album, Maladroit. Great recording that got the night off to a good start.

Ian McCulloch stepped up to the plate next with his live performance at the Black Session in Studio 104 before a French audience on October 3, 1992. Translation was required and the interview dragged in between songs, with Ian going off on tangents for lack of meaningful questioning. This was half a year after he released Mysterio, his second solo album since his departure from The Bunnymen in 1989. Another excellent performance and recording.

Download it here:
http://mediafire.com/?1ydbypcclgv

Not wanting to stop, I pulled out my recording of the Bunnymen's Sunday night December 19, 2009 Liverpool show. It definitely brought back some memories, their great performance and the enthusiastic crowd around me. Unfortunately it was this show that while checking input levels on the audio recorder my fumbling fingers accidentally paused the recording in the middle of Begbugs and Ballyhoo. It's terrible to get into the groove of the show only to have it cut off in mid stream.

Must have gotten home and into bed around 1 AM.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

BACK TO LIVERPOOL

Saturday and Sunday were spent ripping the siding off one wall, wrapping it in a vapor barrier and installing three new windows. A slow process, especially when I'm not that psyched to do it. Its become work. I put the new siding on and begin the process of building the doorway on the other wall next weekend. That's going to be tricky considering I have to move two live wires through that section of wall and enlarge the opening by removing one wall stud.

Saturday night was spent with both Muse and The Bunnymen. We started with Muse performing live at Wembley Stadium in London on June 16, 2007, their HAARP CD/DVD. Almost exactly three years ago to the day. I'm saving the DVD for another evening. Out on the prairie I cranked it up and enjoyed their big stadium quality sound under the starry sky.

On June 23, 2007 NME.org said:

Muse have played the biggest gig of their lives tonight (June 16) at Wembley Stadium in north London.

The band marked their first night at the giant venue (they play again on June 17) with an epic two hour performance.

With the stage decorated with giant satellite dishes, futuristic antennas, giant white balls and thousands of dazzling lights the band's set was equal to the stadium's impressive setting.

Surprising the expectant audience, the band emerged in the middle of the crowd in a fountain of glitter before walking along an extended catwalk to the stage and kicking off the show with triumphant opener 'Knights Of Cydonia'.

Playing in front of a giant screen which mixed stage shots with pre-prepared video clips, plus frontman Matt Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme roaming the vast stage, occasionally performing from special ramped-up areas on either side, Muse worked hard to engage the vast audience.

Only memories

Turning towards the hopeful past

Slowly forgotten

Muse was followed by a classic performance of Echo & The Bunnymen, a live performance in St. Georges Hall in Liverpool on May 12, 1984. This was a special show considering I stood on the steps of this imposing building to smoke cigars while in that city last December. In the recording you can hear the music echoing off the stone interior walls of this building. Great show and an excellent recording.