One of my favorite musicians Andrew Bird has written a blog for the New York Times on the making of his latest album Noble Beast which is due out on January 20th. The Measure for Measure series is excellent. Along with the articles, there are samples of songs showing their development through the writing and recording process. Other artist included in the series include Suzanne Vega and Peter Holsapple of dB's fame. Here is a link below to Andrew's blog piece. Andrew Bird plays in Atlanta on February 4Th.
http://measureformeasure.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/hot-math/
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The Old Man and the Storm
Mr. Gettridge of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward is one example of the great and humble people of New Orleans. Mr. Gettridge is part of the gift New Orleans offers our country. He is an individual of true grit and determination. New Orleans needs more of his type to influence the lost youth of this city caught up in a cycle of poverty and violence. I always enjoy seeing Mr. Gettridge on CNN when interviewed by Anderson Cooper during Anderson's occasional checkup of the city’s’ progress since Katrina. PBS has now told Mr Gittridge’s story on Frontline. It airs for the first time this evening.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Blogging and what entertained me last year.
Before I get into the list making of the best entertainment of the past year, allow me a few words about this Kudzu Farm blog. This blog in 2009 is three years old and is my outlet for whatever subject I wish to discuss in a blog form. How many even knew it existed? In three years time I never felt the kudzu Farm was mature enough to tell my friends, or much less semi-strangers, about it; welcome to my secret world I suppose. On my end, there was little time or patience to perfect it into something really decent, or even grammatically correct, to read. We have a toddler at home, and I found writing the baby blog Itty Bitty Witte much easier. With friends and relatives, our young daughter is obviously a popular subject for a blog. Kudzu Farm, as it was, has always languished off to the side.
As of today, after printing out all of the previous entries of the Kudzu Farm, I erased the whole thing.Now,I am completely starting over. I will see where it goes from here. During the past election year I considered writing about politics, only I chickened out after considering the wide diversity of opinions amongst my family members, friends, and co-workers. I feared an argument I couldn't finish properly. I will find things of interest to write about this year. Mostly it will be about my favorite topics, music, art, family, the places we travel to, the things we eat,ghost towns - maybe ,and life observed. If I get brave enough, or occasionally mad enough, there could be a blog on politics.
As I write, I am in the happy holiday vacation bubble of time where there is time to stay up too late and create. Later I will see if I have time for this sort of thing. I really hope I can see this blog through, but see you back on Facebook in the meantime.
My Entertainment in 2008.
Much of my entertainment in 2008 consisted of keeping our daughter entertained and out of trouble. I recall seeing four films in a theater in 2008. All the films I saw I enjoyed, so they all make the list of course. And yes, not all of these films came out in 2008, but I saw them in the past year.
Film
No Country for Old Men – the most famous of the films I saw.
Control - film about Ian Curtis of Joy Division.
Trouble the Water – a documentary on Hurricane Katrina partly filmed by non-filmmakers in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward as the flood happened.
Little Children – saw this at Emory. I will never go to the playground again without thinking about this one. Dark film, but funny too.
Music
Music has always been my principal form of entertainment. With a toddler in the house there are limits to proper listening time. Music does get played at home and our daughter often moves to the beat when in close vicinity. For me there is less headphone- type/concentration time for serious music listening except late at night and thankfully during my daily thirty minute walk to work.
The iPod serves as my main conduit for music these days. When placed on the random mode, or shuffle, the iPod is an amazing DJ and my favorite station. Of course I put the music on this thing. The mixes by this device are often so good; I have taken to writing them down and then even putting the accidental mixes into a permanent playlist on the Pod.
I continue to find new and old music to enjoy. The student workers in my office have turned me on to more international music; it has been mostly South American music in the past year. Radio over the airwaves, via satellite, and on the Internet, plays a part in my taste making. Radio Paradise, WFMU, KCRW, WNCW and WWOZ are all online favorites. Over the airwaves the stations here in Atlanta, such as WRAS, WREK, WRFG and WCLK are decent sources of good taste.
Within print media, I have subscription to the excellent music publication the Big Takeover. The editor of Big Takeover ,Jack Rabid, is often so close in his taste to my own that it is simply uncanny. I guess are both men in our forties who still enjoy new music as well as old. Whatever music he finds and loves beyond my own knowledge is usually something I'll take to as well. Other music publications I enjoy include, Magnet, Ugly Things, Paste, Mojo, I just found Shindig from Britain and though no longer in print form, No Depression magazine is still excellent even online.
Favorites of 2008
Darker My Love -2
Pas/Cal – I was raised on Mathew, Mark, Luke & Laura.
Irma Thomas – Simply Grand
Dungen – 4
Henry Butler - PiaNOLA Live
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Magnetic Morning – A.M. Friend or Faux
Brown Shoe - Jackalope
Calexico - Carried To Dust
For Against - Shade Side Sunny Side
Not new, but either discovered or found in 2008
Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses - Various Artist 1968
Plastic People of the Universe - Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned 1974
The Dogs - Different 1979
The Dogs - Too much class for the neighbourhood 1982
As of today, after printing out all of the previous entries of the Kudzu Farm, I erased the whole thing.Now,I am completely starting over. I will see where it goes from here. During the past election year I considered writing about politics, only I chickened out after considering the wide diversity of opinions amongst my family members, friends, and co-workers. I feared an argument I couldn't finish properly. I will find things of interest to write about this year. Mostly it will be about my favorite topics, music, art, family, the places we travel to, the things we eat,ghost towns - maybe ,and life observed. If I get brave enough, or occasionally mad enough, there could be a blog on politics.
As I write, I am in the happy holiday vacation bubble of time where there is time to stay up too late and create. Later I will see if I have time for this sort of thing. I really hope I can see this blog through, but see you back on Facebook in the meantime.
My Entertainment in 2008.
Much of my entertainment in 2008 consisted of keeping our daughter entertained and out of trouble. I recall seeing four films in a theater in 2008. All the films I saw I enjoyed, so they all make the list of course. And yes, not all of these films came out in 2008, but I saw them in the past year.
Film
No Country for Old Men – the most famous of the films I saw.
Control - film about Ian Curtis of Joy Division.
Trouble the Water – a documentary on Hurricane Katrina partly filmed by non-filmmakers in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward as the flood happened.
Little Children – saw this at Emory. I will never go to the playground again without thinking about this one. Dark film, but funny too.
Music
Music has always been my principal form of entertainment. With a toddler in the house there are limits to proper listening time. Music does get played at home and our daughter often moves to the beat when in close vicinity. For me there is less headphone- type/concentration time for serious music listening except late at night and thankfully during my daily thirty minute walk to work.
The iPod serves as my main conduit for music these days. When placed on the random mode, or shuffle, the iPod is an amazing DJ and my favorite station. Of course I put the music on this thing. The mixes by this device are often so good; I have taken to writing them down and then even putting the accidental mixes into a permanent playlist on the Pod.
I continue to find new and old music to enjoy. The student workers in my office have turned me on to more international music; it has been mostly South American music in the past year. Radio over the airwaves, via satellite, and on the Internet, plays a part in my taste making. Radio Paradise, WFMU, KCRW, WNCW and WWOZ are all online favorites. Over the airwaves the stations here in Atlanta, such as WRAS, WREK, WRFG and WCLK are decent sources of good taste.
Within print media, I have subscription to the excellent music publication the Big Takeover. The editor of Big Takeover ,Jack Rabid, is often so close in his taste to my own that it is simply uncanny. I guess are both men in our forties who still enjoy new music as well as old. Whatever music he finds and loves beyond my own knowledge is usually something I'll take to as well. Other music publications I enjoy include, Magnet, Ugly Things, Paste, Mojo, I just found Shindig from Britain and though no longer in print form, No Depression magazine is still excellent even online.
Favorites of 2008
Darker My Love -2
Pas/Cal – I was raised on Mathew, Mark, Luke & Laura.
Irma Thomas – Simply Grand
Dungen – 4
Henry Butler - PiaNOLA Live
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens Will Happen
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Magnetic Morning – A.M. Friend or Faux
Brown Shoe - Jackalope
Calexico - Carried To Dust
For Against - Shade Side Sunny Side
Not new, but either discovered or found in 2008
Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses - Various Artist 1968
Plastic People of the Universe - Egon Bondy's Happy Hearts Club Banned 1974
The Dogs - Different 1979
The Dogs - Too much class for the neighbourhood 1982
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